Opinions on Sealine 305 Statesman

[lovezoo]

no wonder no one gets an informed response when they ask about petrol.

According to forum "wisdom" the only reason my petrol powered outdrive boat hasn't caught fire and exploded killing everyone in a 100m radius, is because it has sunk on its mooring after taking in water through its rusty spawn of the Devil non-working outdrive.

And if I think any different I am living in a fantasy world.

p.s. I keep it on a trailer.

 

[oldgit]

p.s. I keep it on a trailer.
..and the reason it has not been nicked off your drive already is cos even yer local scrotes are more savvy than to halfinch any petrol on outdrives.

 

[ian38_39]

Don't get me wrong, I would not advocate petrol as being the perfect solution for all boating but what annoys me is people that dismiss it out of hand without knowledge of how the boat will be used etc.

When I was looking for a 305/310 I was advised by someone who is a fervent diesel supporter and a very experienced boater across both leisure and commercial sectors to seek out a petrol version over the diesel.

He had knowledge of what I intended to use the boat for and just as importantly a good knowledge of the cost of owning and operating both petrol and diesel boats.

His knowledge was much appreciated and to boot I was able to buy a newer and much better condition boat than if I had gone diesel, I have enjoyed 3 years of very quiet and smoke free river cruising along with the ability to develop my sea legs at a cost that I would not consider overly excessive or prohibitive.

We now find ourself in a position where we are doing a lot more sea than river work and are looking to change to diesel, mostly for availability and range but if asked about petrol boats I will give an honest opinion based on experience which for us has been totally positive.

Not having the unlimited budget that some seem to enjoy opening the engine hatch and seeing £6k instead of £30k and also them not being festooned with very expensive Turbo's and superchargers has been comfort indeed, knowing that should the worst happen I can afford to change the part has been very important. As it happens nothing has been required except a water pump, routine servicing and a fuel pump which was faulty when I bought it. The fuel pump cost me £120 delivered dramatically less than if it had been diesel.

Petrols can and do make sense for boating on a budget as long as the purchaser is realistic about what the boat is going to be used for and that is from experience gained from 3 years of ownership, in short I would much rather use available budget to buy a good petrol version than a bad diesel one.

 

[ari]

Not having the unlimited budget that some seem to enjoy opening the engine hatch and seeing £6k instead of £30k and also them not being festooned with very expensive Turbo's and superchargers has been comfort indeed, knowing that should the worst happen I can afford to change the part has been very important. As it happens nothing has been required except a water pump, routine servicing and a fuel pump which was faulty when I bought it. The fuel pump cost me £120 delivered dramatically less than if it had been diesel.

Petrols can and do make sense for boating on a budget as long as the purchaser is realistic about what the boat is going to be used for and that is from experience gained from 3 years of ownership, in short I would much rather use available budget to buy a good petrol version than a bad diesel one.

Some very good and relevant points there. The combination of being able to buy a newer boat together with less to go wrong is certainly well worth consideration, provided it's taken in context with fuel burn costs.

It'll be interesting to see whether a narrowing of the gap between the costs of petrol and diesel result in a firming up of larger petrol boat prices (or conversely, a softening of values of cheaper end diesel boats).

 

[ari]

According to forum "wisdom" the only reason my petrol powered outdrive boat hasn't caught fire and exploded killing everyone in a 100m radius, is because it has sunk on its mooring after taking in water through its rusty spawn of the Devil non-working outdrive.

And if I think any different I am living in a fantasy world.

p.s. I keep it on a trailer.

Yes that does always amuse me too, especially when so many diesel boats have pressurised gas systems aboard for cooking...

 

[jmmt]

Sealine - Quality issues...

Well he would say that wouldn't he...

 

[lovezoo]

p.s. I keep it on a trailer.
..and the reason it has not been nicked off your drive already is cos even yer local scrotes are more savvy than to halfinch any petrol on outdrives.

I thought according to you that the Med is a horribly sunny place, with horrid hot weather in the summer, and horrid nasty sun beating down all the time. Beats me why anyone would even want a boat in that kind of place, let alone go to the trouble of nicking one.

BTW the ratio of petrol boats to diesel boats here is a lot higher than in the UK, because Spain doesn't have any kind of discount on marine diesel, so the cheap red argument never had an impact on boat prices. Couple that with modern marinas all equipped to supply petrol (and diesel) and the decision just comes down to purchase price versus mpg. As a result many people choose cheap purchase price and go with petrol.

 

[ian38_39]

Be interesting to see if petrol becomes any more available in the UK now.

Bit chicken and egg in that petrol wont gain a lot in popularity until it is available in more marinas and marinas won't put it in until there is more demand.