newbie needs info

[cobra04]

hello everyone,nice to be here:: anyway straight to the point:i am after my first boat shortly and have found a place to learn how to drive it, and also a local boat surveyor. i am after a 16-17ft boat and the ones in my price range are fletcher speedboats. are they suitable for the coast as well as windermere? i want something to go round the welsh and devon coastlines, and to do some water skiing. any help,comments would be very welcome, as i have been after a boat for some time, and finances are almost in place.
many thanks..

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[Kawasaki]

Welcome cobra04 I,m a new poster but an old boater, She says I,m an old bloater!Anyway you should get a decent ski boat for reasonable money now cos the posers are all buying jet ski thingys If you,r going to launch off the Welsh coast there is lots of places with decent slipways tractors our us! There is still a free slipway in Menai Bridge accesible most states of the tide. Try to buy something which is seaworthy it gets a bit choppy hereabouts.Don,t know about Devon only ever had cream from there or was i tcider or was that Somerset? This Home brew is good.Whatever you go for get as new an engine as you can.

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[cobra04]

i have seen fletcher boats going for between 1500 and 3000. i need to know if they are generally usable on the coast.obviously i will have it checked out before i buy, cos i know bugger all about boats apart from how to row a dinghy.as for jet skis, dont like them.

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[MedDreamer]

Welcome

You had better hurry up if you want to use it and ski on Windermere, there is a 10mph speed limit being introduced next Spring

<hr width=100% size=1>Living the dream

 

[cobra04]

shame about windermere, been keeping an eye on it for a while, and i can see both sides of the argument,although i think that the speed limit will kill the local economy.but we need somewhere to play,and if i cant play on windermere, then the coast is a nice big playground.
and the best thing about a boat is the fact that local kids cant damage it unlike my car(2k resprayneeded).was gonna do it up, but with the money for the respray i can buy a boat and have fun with my kids hence all info as poss needed

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[sofka]

Much more sense to buy a boat than to respray a car. it would thave been a target for the local posse to key it again anyway.

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[cobra04]

admittedly this is true. what is the point of spending k's making a car go faster and look better to have little gits spoil it. before now, i have left the idea of a boat on the back burner; and after a recent holiday in devon, came back and thought bugger it. sod the car and go after a boat. at least i can use it at speed (once i learn to drive it) without worrying about speed cameras, kids running out into the road,and mega insurance. the plan is to buy one around xmas when everyone is skint, spend the next few months making it nice and get any probs sorted, then take the kids out to play.

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[BrendanS]

They are suitable up to a point. You can take a boat that size cross channel to France if you pick the right weather window.

They will tend to take off over waves of any size if you are at speed, so they are best suited to calm weather conditions. Even moving up a few feet to 20 or 21 feet will make a great deal of difference to coastal handling due to the extra weight and length, but cost and engine size (hence fuel costs) required increase also.

You can however have enormous fun in a 16-17' if you are careful with the weather, and many people on this forum started with similar boats

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[hlb]

I started with an 8ft 6inch one....It was crap....!!

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Haydn

 

[BrendanS]

We are talking about boats Haydn. Stop boasting or I'll set Deborah on you! /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[hlb]

Well I was talking about boats.. It had a sail and oars. Supposed to do everything, trouble was. It did nothing right...Bit like my other thingy I suppose.../forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1> Flags Solly MFBR</font color=red>
Haydn

 

[BrendanS]

Viagra, crumbled and fed to Neptune twice a day, will keep the sails full.

With 8'6" you shouldn't require it though, even if it has worn away after all these years.

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[cobra04]

hmm, i see your point brendan, but wont a 20-21ft be a bit big for a beginner? logically, it would work out cheaper in the long run, not having to upgrade to a larger size. having said that, i saw a 21ft boat with a 225hp engine for2400 last night. i can happily handle a car with that power, but until experience has been gained, would have to have a rev limiter installed. as for the weather... what can i say;we live in england....

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[RobEllis]

This is my first season boating, so you can ignore all this if you want/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

My boat is a Falcon 23SPC with a 205hp petrol engine and will do 30 knots with the wind behind and downhill!

My car is a Honda CRV, 148hp and will do over a ton. Feel a lot safer at 30 knots on the sea rather than 100mph on the road.

Whatever you end up with, have fun....

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[PhilF]

phew!

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[BrendanS]

You'll find bigger boats are easier to handle for many reasons, and a 20-21' is fine for a beginner, and will give you many more options than a 16-17' boat.

<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[SparklyBlueThing]

Hi Cobra

I bought a first boat last year similar to the one you're considering. Mine's a 6m Larson. Fantastic fun. Bit nervous about it at first, but never looked back. Maybe others here will disagree, but I found there's no great skill to piloting this kind of boat at speed in good conditions.

The tricky bit is learning to manouvre it to moor up without bumping into the gin palaces in the marina. Takes a bit of practise to learn how it responds. A day long RYA powerboat intro course is a good way of getting someone to show you the ropes if you dont already have boatie mates.

Good luck!

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[cobra04]

i am already planning a beginners course in late august. after that i will start scanning all the ads especially around christmas when everyone is skint, and hopefully bag a bargain.
thank you to all for the advice offered, and it has been helpful. i will leave you all for now, but will update on all my progress. i wont be in the water until apr05 onwards, and hopefully, ill meet some of you. until then, have fun, and happy boating.
gary

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