New Boat help

[SteveE]

Having been without a boat for nearly 3 years circumstances have now changed and we are looking at our options. Having had a Sealines in the past (F33 & F43) we now have a new addition to the family a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and we were thinking Flybridges are probably not the best with a dog of her size.

We are looking in the 48 > 52ft range and at the moment the Sunseeker Portofino 48 is leading the race, we will not be in a position to take delivery until next March, so not having had a sports cruiser in the past, looking for feedback from the forum before we jump in.

One other thing we have always wanted to go to the med via the French canals and will a boat of this size be OK all of the way?

 

[sgoodwin71]

Having been without a boat for nearly 3 years circumstances have now changed and we are looking at our options. Having had a Sealines in the past (F33 & F43) we now have a new addition to the family a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and we were thinking Flybridges are probably not the best with a dog of her size.

We are looking in the 48 > 52ft range and at the moment the Sunseeker Portofino 48 is leading the race, we will not be in a position to take delivery until next March, so not having had a sports cruiser in the past, looking for feedback from the forum before we jump in.

One other thing we have always wanted to go to the med via the French canals and will a boat of this size be OK all of the way?

take a look at the Fairline Targa 50! very nice boat, there will be one at the Fairline experience weekend at Southampton next month, first chance for many to see this new boat on the water.

 

[Tranona]

One other thing we have always wanted to go to the med via the French canals and will a boat of this size be OK all of the way?

Think you will fall foul of the maximum airdraft. Several 100's miles at 5mph not a way to enjoy a boat such as the one you have in mind!

 

[stuartwineberg]

Walkaround

Having been without a boat for nearly 3 years circumstances have now changed and we are looking at our options. Having had a Sealines in the past (F33 & F43) we now have a new addition to the family a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and we were thinking Flybridges are probably not the best with a dog of her size.

We are looking in the 48 > 52ft range and at the moment the Sunseeker Portofino 48 is leading the race, we will not be in a position to take delivery until next March, so not having had a sports cruiser in the past, looking for feedback from the forum before we jump in.

One other thing we have always wanted to go to the med via the French canals and will a boat of this size be OK all of the way?

Big dog = trawler yacht where I come from and on your budget take a look at an Aquastar or a Hardy 50. We have a big chocolate lab and she is absolutely fine unsupervised on our Hardy 36. One level deck, high bulwarks, easy steps up to the sundeck and flybridge - perfect. Good at displacement speeds as well and a fold down mast for the canals

 

[[2068]]

I can see the point of a Sunseeker Portofino 48, but black gelcoat possibly not the best choice.

The new Fairline Targe 50 also looks interesting: not sure when it will be available.

 

[Locki]

I was definitely in the Sunseeker camp too, having planned to buy the new Manhattan 53 (off drawings, for next spring), but became a quick and easy convert to the Fairline Squadron in seconds of stepping onboard!

I would definitely look at the Fairline Targa 50 if I wanted a zports cruiser... I bought one of the last Squadron 55's (just took delivery last week) and am SUPER impressed by everything.

Nick Barke at Essex Boatyards gets my recomendation too. Theres a video of him on YouTube flooring the new Targa 58 if you search for it.

 

[SteveE]

Cheers guys for the feedback, will look at the Taga 50, and also never thought of an Aquastar, having drooled over the big one in Port Solent for a number of years, very remiss...

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Having had a Sealines in the past (F33 & F43) we now have a new addition to the family a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and we were thinking Flybridges are probably not the best with a dog of her size.

I think thats not necessarily correct. For many years we went boating with a large dog, an effing great big brown standard poodle, sadly now departed (although we do now have one of his progeny) and we had mostly flybridge boats. He hated boats and we used to have a devil of a job cajoling him to get on to whatever boat we had at the time but he hated being left on the pontoon without his mummy (the SWMBO) even more. We worked out a routine whereby we started the engines and made to cast off whereupon it would dawn on him that he was going to be left behind and he would finally make a prodigious leap on to the side deck, which, with many of our boats particularly the aft cabin ones, would be 4-5ft above the pontoon. Even more athletic and I kid you not but this dog could scrabble up a vertical flybridge ladder and used to do so regularly on our Princess 470, providing of course that his mummy was up there. He even made into Yachting Monthly as a caption competition. He used to like to stand on the flybridge with his front paws on the helm moulding so it looked for all the world as if he was driving the boat. Somebody took a photo of him in this position and it got published in YM.
Anyway what I'm trying to say is that dont necessarily rule out flybridge boats if you have a dog. The main issue is how the dog is going to get on and off the boat and that could be just as much an issue with a sports boat as with a flybridge boat. In fact, some Sealines are very well designed in this respect as they have stepped bathing platforms for easy access from a pontoon. We had a F43 ourselves and the dog loved it because he could get on and off via the bathing platform very easily and up to the flybridge very easily too. In fact, I'd say the F43 is about the most dog friendly boat we've had

 

[Tranona]

Dogs are very peculiar about boats. I have had two labradors - the first one loved the boat and the second hated it. No difference in treatment - both on board from early age. The only thing the boat loving one disliked was when I cranked the Seagull in the dinghy or worse still the Stuart Turner (shows you it was a long time ago) - but maybe that was the language that was necessary to persuade it to start.

Happy days - regrettably no dogs now but just got a kitten, maybe he will like the boat.

 

[dhayek]

take a look at the sessa C48, i personally think its great

 

[SteveE]

I think thats not necessarily correct. For many years we went boating with a large dog, an effing great big brown standard poodle, sadly now departed (although we do now have one of his progeny) and we had mostly flybridge boats. He hated boats and we used to have a devil of a job cajoling him to get on to whatever boat we had at the time but he hated being left on the pontoon without his mummy (the SWMBO) even more. We worked out a routine whereby we started the engines and made to cast off whereupon it would dawn on him that he was going to be left behind and he would finally make a prodigious leap on to the side deck, which, with many of our boats particularly the aft cabin ones, would be 4-5ft above the pontoon. Even more athletic and I kid you not but this dog could scrabble up a vertical flybridge ladder and used to do so regularly on our Princess 470, providing of course that his mummy was up there. He even made into Yachting Monthly as a caption competition. He used to like to stand on the flybridge with his front paws on the helm moulding so it looked for all the world as if he was driving the boat. Somebody took a photo of him in this position and it got published in YM.
Anyway what I'm trying to say is that dont necessarily rule out flybridge boats if you have a dog. The main issue is how the dog is going to get on and off the boat and that could be just as much an issue with a sports boat as with a flybridge boat. In fact, some Sealines are very well designed in this respect as they have stepped bathing platforms for easy access from a pontoon. We had a F43 ourselves and the dog loved it because he could get on and off via the bathing platform very easily and up to the flybridge very easily too. In fact, I'd say the F43 is about the most dog friendly boat we've had

Mike thanks for that, I would love another F43, but we really want a new boat, but you have made us think about the Pearl 50, appreciate your feedback.

 

[SteveE]

take a look at the sessa C48, i personally think its great

Thanks for that will have a look this weekend..