Newby looking @ SoF

Chris H

Chris H

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Good evening Gents (and Ladies !)

Looking for some advice on births and boats in SoF, nothing like jumping in at the deep end !

We started looking at boats around 35ft but as usual once you get into these things and list what you want the size goes up.

I like the look of the SS portofino 46/47, wifey would like a hard top so that rules out a 46, must have at least two bedrooms, two bathrooms, I would like a garage for a tender, not a deal breaker but I think boats look untidy with a trendy stuck on the swim platform.

Princess V48, SS portofino 53 and absolute are all on the radar but we have no idea about service back up or reliability.

From initial enquires about births, there seems to be a big jump in cost once you go above 15m, not sure if this is all ports or just Antibes/Golf Juan.

I know there are many questions but we have to start somewhere......I like to do a bit of home work before jumping !
 
I would get a berth 1st .Rent it out until you are ready .i once did this many years ago -something like 9-11 % return on the £ -better than any bank in the meantime .
La Napoule ,s concession ends 2029 ,it's the longest in the Cote d Azur at the mo .
Sunseeker after care is 2 mikes away and the sales HQ is in the marina - Plenty of Indy back up everywhere but SS were excellent with me when I had a SS for 9 years .Still helpfull now infact .
I would n,t rule out an open .spent the whole of June on our boat -never rained .It does get hot ,v hot and a breeze through the boat s welcomed .
Until you have a berth you will waste time looking at everything and get nowhere .
Porto 53 s really a 60 ft boat ,it's big
Porto 46 is nearer to 50 ,49 to be precise .
P47/48 ---- a lot more € for not a lot more boat .

Tender -- more space in the boat if on the platform and easier to launch recover .
Garages tend to eat up living space , and end up dumping rooms -from what I have seen .
 
Hello again,

Each port/marina along the Côte d'Azur has its pluses and minuses. Go and visit them to get a feel of what you like. We
love Beaulieu others rave about Antibes. Berth price varies by location and length of lease remaining. Any broker will be able to help find a berth. As I said Beaulieu berths have only until the end of Dec 18 left to run, so prices are down. Some ports will allow a margin on length some won't. Beam is also important. Prices go up in steps between bands. As a guide I have included a link to the annual berth fees in Beaulieu. Beaulieu have some annual berths and you can apply online for one. There is a waiting list.

Can't help you with boats as we have a 12m berth so have a smaller boat.

Good luck.

https://www.portdebeaulieu.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/TARIFS-2017.pdf
 
Thanks guys, I wasn't too bothered about a permanent birth as we would like to move around once we get used to the boat, sunseeker have a few births that they have said we can use until we get our own sorted.
 
Chris H said:
Thanks guys, I wasn't too bothered about a permanent birth as we would like to move around once we get used to the boat, sunseeker have a few births that they have said we can use until we get our own sorted.
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This is one of the problems boating in SoF, there are very few berths available on a short term basis. I'm a newbie down there and I thought I would just get an annual berth wherever I fancied each year (just like I did in the UK), but the lack of availability will drive you mad. You don't NEED to buy one, but it makes life temptingly more simple!
 
What is the story on Absolute boats, they seem good value compared to Princess and sunseeker, I've not seen one close up, I looked at a Cranchi 47 and could tell straight away where the cost savings had been made.
 
Here's some back ground reading .Steep learning curve .
You said you like to do a bit of background elimination !
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/Grids.htm

The other thing that's been touched upon a few times quite simple normally in the buying world ,but for some reason with boats some folks apply a different set of rules -- that's a no obligation "test drive "
They all behave /ride differently ---- some slam a lot -this is a more bang /crash in waves cos they have flatter bottoms ,waves pick it up and DROP it .
You either wreck your boat over time and crew straight away ! or slow down .
Others will take the same sea state with ease running flat ,hardly any vertical acceleration or slamming at what ever speed you choose on the day .These boats have more of a deeper V -tendency to push the water aside ,cut through .
At the stern it's Basicslly called Deadrise .Higher the better It's important for your overall enjoyment .
SoF can and does get choppy --windy especially in the W .

Only way is to test drive it with no obligations ,deposits etc .
So you could end up with a beautiful hard top boat after a few trips wife hates it cos of the ride .
Med brokers particulary Sunseeker are more likey to do this .-take you out .
When I sold mine Sunseeker.fr with my approval let two parties test it round the bay of Cannes ( broker present ) -sold in 3weeks -gone !
 
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Portofino said:
Here's some back ground reading .Steep learning curve .
You said you like to do a bit of background elimination !
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/Grids.htm

The other thing that's been touched upon a few times quite simple normally in the buying world ,but for some reason with boats some folks apply a different set of rules -- that's a no obligation "test drive "
They all behave /ride differently ---- some slam a lot -this is a more bang /crash in waves cos they have flatter bottoms ,waves pick it up and DROP it .
You either wreck your boat over time and crew straight away ! or slow down .
Others will take the same sea state with ease running flat ,hardly any vertical acceleration or slamming at what ever speed you choose on the day .These boats have more of a deeper V -tendency to push the water aside ,cut through .
At the stern it's Basicslly called Deadrise .Higher the better It's important for your overall enjoyment .
SoF can and does get choppy --windy especially in the W .

Only way is to test drive it with no obligations ,deposits etc .
So you could end up with a beautiful hard top boat after a few trips wife hates it cos of the ride .
Med brokers particulary Sunseeker are more likey to do this .-take you out .
When I sold mine Sunseeker.fr with my approval let two parties test it round the bay of Cannes ( broker present ) -sold in 3weeks -gone !
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Interesting read, which boats have a liner ?
 
Portofino said:
Not the Sunseekers .
I need to be diplomatic here as its considered bad forum etiquette to critise other folks boats .
The answer is on an others recent thread you used today
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Go on you know you want to say it;)

Buy an Itama
 
Chris H said:
From initial enquires about births, there seems to be a big jump in cost once you go above 15m, not sure if this is all ports or just Antibes/Golf Juan.
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If youre serious about staying in SoF you might want to consider buying a berth instead of renting. Berths in Antibes can be bought now for less than the remaining rental value of the 4 1/2yrs left on their lease. I bought a berth in Antibes last year and I'm very happy with it and what it cost me. This would also give you security of tenure as the problem with renting a berth in popular SoF marinas is that the harbour authorities can move you to another berth at short notice or even ask you to move out altogether. Its not like UK marinas where once you rent a particular berth you sort of get squatters rights for as long as you want. The difference between UK marinas and SoF marinas is that in the SoF berth leases are owned by individuals (or companies) rather than the marina operator and those individuals can decide for how long they want to rent their berths out
 
Don't forget there's a lot more to the South of France than the Cote D'Azur ... and it's a lot cheaper and quieter, and nicer, the farther West you go!
(PS .. and you can easily get a berth for a lot less money!)
 
You're making up your own stories now ... I can count on one hand the number of time the Tramontane has stopped me going anywhere this year! You shouldn't believe everything you read!
 
Portofino said:
Not the Sunseekers .
I need to be diplomatic here as its considered bad forum etiquette to critise other folks boats .
The answer is on an others recent thread you used today
Click to expand...

Porto, a liner is a good thing not a bad thing. Fairline's still have bulkheads and stringers glassed in by men with rollers. The liner sits on top and is then glassed in for EXTRA rigidity. Some manufacturers don't do this, they use ply for the floors of the interior. Fairline certainly don't follow this route to save money or cut corners! As I've said before, if you want a tour of the factory to see how they make boats properly, just let me know!
 
Kingfisher 3 said:
You're making up your own stories now ... I can count on one hand the number of time the Tramontane has stopped me going anywhere this year! You shouldn't believe everything you read!
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I have spent 2 periods of several months each berthed in Port Napoleon so I know how windy it can get there! On that subject I didnt have any difficulty getting a berth on either occasion in Port Napoleon so maybe the OP could consider there although the mosquitos are the size of small birds
 
petem said:
Sheeesh, now it's "Buy an Itama ........... .................................. .......................................... or a Squeaker"!

I'm now going to make it a mission to get Porto to the FL factory to "see how it's done"!
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A long as it's that only ? --- no rushing off to the IPS factory via the outdrive annex on theway to FL:eek::dread:

Seriously I never said or implied there are issues with FL ,s build process of using a grid then bonding a "linner " or inner skin ,or what ever terminology folks want to use .
They are lighter hulls though like for like , and it's a faster build process, less man hours .Alot of foam is used to save weight ,than the trad method of hand layering ,cutting wood ,fitting. Mat n glassing etc stringers ,ribs ,and bulkheads .

In fact I,am more than happy to put fwd to the OP a targa 47 over a SS Porto 46/47/48 .
Pick of that crop -we have 4 of various ages on my jetty -all wearing well for a real world cruise of 22-24 knots in the med .
Which is ball parky for the majority of hard top sports .

But the op was enquiring about "liner " boats and although one has filter what one reads on the Net ,Dave Pascoes website makes compelling reading for a newby IMHO .

Obviously there will be parts of that folks personally identify with and it a normal human reaction to go all defensive .

As I have said before many times I ask the awkward Q ,s not afraid ,just by looking at stats ,why some boats of similiar dims are heavier ,have more bigger engines ( and fuel bills ) ,ride better -arguably , different deadrises ,

I,am interested in the under the skin (excuse the pun FL owners et al) stuff and the thought process that went on behind all that .
Does any of this have any impact on longevity or enjoyment as the years pass .

I,ll reiterate I have no qualms leasing a new BMW i8 over a std 3 y contract .
Chuck the keys back @36 M

You can,t do that with a boat 3-5 y hull warranties and IPS warranties for 3 y or so .

So what's gonna happen to a 5-7 y old i8 or i3 to the batteries ,to the motors , to the regen brake tech etc .
Where as a 5-7 y old Audi R8 petrol with 75 K on the clock a "trad " car IMHO will be a better bet going fwds .
Both 2steater mid engined for comparison -just built differently .

Back to boats as the years go by and ownership changes , then anything that's glued ,or adhesive paste the substance that links the inner skin or "liner "to the hull or grid --tell me there's no risk of separation ?
Or with bonded hull windows if the adhesive eventually degrades .

At least with glass mat resin we know good old fibreglass is durable and easy to spot any defects ( from abuse ) and put right .

I realise I,am talking to a minority -sounds like 1 :rolleyes:
As it feels 99 % are interested more in the mid cabin ,carpet colour tv ,s how many steps and such like ,no idea how it's built ,or care more to the point .
As said at a boat show serial new boat buyer upsizing - when it's all under guarantee -is only happy if it last 3 years or less until the next trade up .
 
Portofino said:
As it feels 99 % are interested more in the mid cabin ,carpet colour tv ,s how many steps and such like ,no idea how it's built ,or care more to the point .
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I'm playing devils advocate here because I sort of agree with you but the reason nobody really cares how the basic structure of a boat is constructed is because nobody has heard of anyone drowning at sea because their mobo hull has snapped in half. Yes there have been very occasional delaminations and of course more commonly osmosis but thats not life or death stuff. So the average boating punter is probably right to care only about 2 things, firstly whether his SWMBO will like the mid cabin layout, the colour of the carpet and the scatter cushion count (although some blokes are into the latter!) and secondly whether the equipment fitted in the boat is of good quality, correctly installed and not going to break down and ruin his holiday. So whilst the grid layout in his hull might be of passing interest, Mr Joe Average Boating Punter is not going to lose any sleep over it but he sure as hell will lose sleep if his SWMBO continually whines about the shape of the master cabin bed or his galley fridge packs up in the middle of his summer cruise
 
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