Older Failine versus Newer Sealine?

Thepipdoc

Thepipdoc

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I'm possibly looking to change boat this winter, well I have had this one (Sealine F33) for 13 months so well overdue a change given that my first boat lasted 11 months( Searay 270) and the boats I've looked at are several older Fairline Squadron 43's (1994/5) and a couple of Sealine F43's (2000/1).
They are all priced at approx £150 - 160K but the age difference is about 7 years - basically I could get a newer Sealine than I could a Fairline.
I like the layout of both models and both have simmilar specs but would be intersted on the general feeling on the 2 boats, particularly from present/past owners.
 
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I had an F43 and now have a fairline. the sealine was well made and very spacious but at sea the fairline is better when it gets lumpy. The fairline seems to run with the waves and driving through/around them is fun, whereas the sealine kind of gets knocked about by the waves and is almost reluctant to go through them in comparison. If its mostly calm there is little difference. Your choice depends what you want to do the most.
 
Buy the boat not the brand. A newer sealine may be due major maintenance whereas the older fairline may have already had it done. On the other hand the repairs on the older one may have been bodged. Buy the best overall boat, find out what its history is & if this is not easily forthcoming, look again.
 
I had a F43 a few years back and I thought it was an excellent boat. IMHO the way the aft cabin and aft cockpit integrate is excellent and its a very easy boat to move around which might be a consideration if you have older people or dogs on board who will find boarding and getting to the flybridge on the F43 easier than the Sq43. For some the ladder access to the flybridge on the Sq43 would be a dealbreaker. Surprised to read kashurst's comments ref the seakeeping of the F43 as I found mine to be pretty good and certainly the F43 has a reputation for being one of Sealine's best sea boats. Obviously the Sq43 has a better quality and more stylish finish than the F43 but only you can decide how much you value that. The finish inside the F43 is plainer but we found the saloon seating to be v comfy and I particularly like having a separate dinette on any boat which means you dont get the dinner mess cluttering up the saloon.
Just to throw in another boat in this price range, IMHO the Princess 440 is worth looking at. Its a touch bigger than the Sq43 and F43 and it feels it inside and on the flybridge plus, like most Princesses, its a great seaboat. And it has steps to the flybridge rather than a ladder
 
maybe I should add a bit of context. in waves up to @ 4ft f43 is fine, waves get to 6ft differences start to show. In no way is the f43 poor - I kept mine for 6 years and liked it a lot.
 
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rubberduck said:
Buy the boat not the brand. A newer sealine may be due major maintenance whereas the older fairline may have already had it done.
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As a matter of interest, what sort of maintenance do you mean?

Deleted User said:
Just to throw in another boat in this price range, IMHO the Princess 440 is worth looking at. Its a touch bigger than the Sq43 and F43 and it feels it inside and on the flybridge plus, like most Princesses, its a great seaboat. And it has steps to the flybridge rather than a ladder
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Interesting option but (and I may be wrong because I haven't actually been on board a Princess 440) from what I can glean on the various websites the interior of this particular model appears to looks dated when compared with the F43 or the Sq43. Like I say I may be wrong, but we're fairly sure we don't want something too "old fashioned". It is of course a personal thing and I'm saying that not to upset P440 owners but because that's the way I see it.
 
You have picked two really good boats to try and compare there pipdoc, the sq43 is a great boat but very dated by today's standards, where as the f43 was ahead of it's time when it evolved from the 390 years back.

But you are talking about two very different boats as one is aft cabin and other aft cockpit, so I'd say it's down to personal choice, I'd say in another ten years time the sq43 will still be a good looker as it's more traditional, but running cost wil be higher than the sealine as it's heavier and has more hp required to push it along.

Engine wise the tamd63p in the sealine won't give much trouble but the older sq43 which have the older style tamd72 and 73 series motors will for sure req some £££ in the not too distant future.

The best sq43 I've seen is jillyb at port Solent, it's on with ancasta for details.
 
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We've got an F44 Same as your F33 except longer) which is the same hull to the best of my knowledge as the F43. We've been out in a heck of a lot bigger waves than 4ft and have not found any handling problems. We have no regrets about the Sealine, although the flybridge could be better. Overall the design of the boat is excellent. The interior seems to be bigger than our friends boats which are the same LOA or even slightly larger.

The P440 is a great boat and we looked at them when buying our F44. We'd have been happy with either but one thing we didn't like with the P440 is that the bathing platform isn't big enough so you can walk on/off when berthed port/starboard to the pontoon. In that situation you had to climb over the side. You will need the P460 to get the larger bathing platform.

I would agree with others who suggest that the age in itself isn't the most important consideration, as it's the condition and of course the actual boat design/features/equipment etc that's most important.
 
Thepipdoc said:
Interesting option but (and I may be wrong because I haven't actually been on board a Princess 440) from what I can glean on the various websites the interior of this particular model appears to looks dated when compared with the F43 or the Sq43. Like I say I may be wrong, but we're fairly sure we don't want something too "old fashioned". It is of course a personal thing and I'm saying that not to upset P440 owners but because that's the way I see it.
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Not any more dated than a Sq43 I would say although IMHO the cherrywood interior looks better than the light oak one. Anyway its your opinion that counts
 
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