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sprocker

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After another season of weekends / long weekends aboard our Merry Fisher 645, we have agreed that we definitely need a bigger boat.
I know that most of what I am about to ask has been covered here over the years, but fresh thoughts and ideas are always welcome. There is only SWMBO and myself to think about in terms of sleeping aboard.
We are looking at something up to around 30 foot / 9 metres in length (This is due to mooring costs etc.)
Extended cruising ranges (Cornwall, Solent, IOW etc) will be taken on in the future, especially as we build up to retirement, so good sea keeping is a must.
Neither of us are speed freaks, and are used to and happy with 17-19 knot cruising speeds, with the onus being on fuel economy and comfort rather than thrashing about at WOT all day.
We really like the Merry Fisher concept, and will definitely look at the MF855 as part of our research. I also like the idea of outboard engines, especially now that the reliability/noise/economy has improved.

However, we also like the Sealine S28 S29 type/size/layout, and consider it to be more ‘sociable’ as they are good for mooring stern to in the marina, although I am somewhat put off by outdrives after hearing more than a few horror stories, even with seemingly well maintained drives. Are shaft driven boats available at this length?

Budget at this point is looking to be around the £80k mark, and we must keep TCO under control (Servicing, mooring costs etc). I am happy to do antifouling, cleaning, polishing and some repairs myself, but prefer to get the annual servicing done by the experts, at least initially until I gain experience of the particular engine.

We are looking for any help/advice/ do’s and dont’s from our fellow forumites, based on your experiences.
 
I'd have a look at the Leader 9
It looks nice, built to the usual Ben/Jen standard but as long as it checks out on survey, a great boat for the kind of cruising/socialising that you are planning.
I shouldn't be put off by out drives if I were you and the size and layout will take longer to out grow than the smaller boats that you mention...

http://www.yachtworld.co.uk/boats/category/type/Jeanneau/Leader+9

All in MHO of course....
 
Your thinking is along similar lines to mine but for use we are probably talking a bit further in the future for a boat change..

If you want to stay with the MF type boat maybe check out the Jeanneau NC9 (might be a bit over budget) or perhaps something like the Nimbus 280/310/320 (3xx might be a bit long if 9m is your cut off).. Of course there is always the option of the bigger Merry Fishers like the 805 or 925 (925 also maybe a bit long).. If you want outboards my guess is the MF 855 would be hard to beat..
 
Lots to think about and thankyou for your comments so far. I also need to get my head around the single v twin engine scenario, and diesel v petrol cost and availability.

Petrol has never been an issue with our current and past boats, with 140 litre tank being easy to keep topped up with 2 x 25 litre cans each time we go out. But currently our cruising range is only around 50/60 miles, so we dont even get below the half tank mark. The 480 liter tank of a MF855, coupled with the longer cruising ranges we hope to do, may be a problem, but I guess with a little planning we could overcome that problem?

Coupled with the cheaper annual servicing costs of outboards (Around £700 for twin 150hp) the extra fuel cost could be offset against cheaper servicing when compared to twin diesel with outdrives.

Does anyone have current ball park costs for annual servicing of say twin Kad32 or D3 with associated outdrives?
 
sprocker said:
Does anyone have current ball park costs for annual servicing of say twin Kad32 or D3 with associated outdrives?
Click to expand...

I have Kad32 engines.
Pair of Engines serviced this year cost me £650 parts and labour and including VAT. That including oil, all fluid filters (I provided the air filters) and including impellers. Belts were not required this time. But one raw water pump needed new seals which were fitted included in that price.
Sterndrives an oil and bellows change probably closer to £1000 budget for the pair with lift out included but this. But bellows last at least two years if not much more if in fresh water.
All assuming no particular issues .

Changing from single engine to twins certainly doubles many costs .
 
"Extended cruising ranges (Cornwall, Solent, IOW etc) will be taken on in the future,"
Click to expand...

You will one way or another be going down the diesel route if you want to actually go anywhere in a decent sized boat.
Petrol will not even come into consideration along with any outboard.
Compare the fuel consumption of the small diesel against outboard.
 
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MartynG said:
I have Kad32 engines.
Pair of Engines serviced this year cost me £650 parts and labour and including VAT. That including oil, all fluid filters (I provided the air filters) and including impellers. Belts were not required this time. But one raw water pump needed new seals which were fitted included in that price.
Sterndrives an oil and bellows change probably closer to £1000 budget for the pair with lift out included but this.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the figures Martin. Is that £650 for the pair of engines, plus £1000 for the pair of sterndrives? Or £1000 for both engines including sterndrives?
 
I had AK Marine service mine last year before we took her to spain. Would not hesitate to recommend again - he was recommended by about three separate berth holders at Brixham. We had 2x200 hour service, (D4 260s) which included new bellows etc, had her skippered from Torquay to MDL yard at Dartmouth, craned out, stored for a week, and had hull & drives anti fouled and it came to 2k. Had the local VP dealer in Spain check the bellows as part of this years service and they said all good. Darhaven price for the same work was over twice that....
 
Andy Bav said:
I had AK Marine service mine last year before we took her to spain. Would not hesitate to recommend again - he was recommended by about three separate berth holders at Brixham. We had 2x200 hour service, (D4 260s) which included new bellows etc, had her skippered from Torquay to MDL yard at Dartmouth, craned out, stored for a week, and had hull & drives anti fouled and it came to 2k. Had the local VP dealer in Spain check the bellows as part of this years service and they said all good. Darhaven price for the same work was over twice that....
Click to expand...

Thankyou for that info Andy, a couple of neighbours in the marina have recommended AK marine to me also.
 
sprocker said:
Thanks for the figures Martin. Is that £650 for the pair of engines, plus £1000 for the pair of sterndrives? Or £1000 for both engines including sterndrives?
Click to expand...

£650 for the engines plus £1000 for the sterndrives.
 
Possibly a single engine diesel shaft drive boat, such as a Channel Islands 32 or Nimbus? Would give you a good cruising range and keep running costs down. That is the type we would like eventually, when funds permit. Diesel is more available too, when cruising. Also easier to fix enroute should you have any problems.
 
£80k will buy a very good Corvette, possibly a late 90's 320, and shafts, with a decent double bed in a reasonable size aft cabin and en suite. Ideal for dogs with their wide side decks, but I am biased.

Have a look at the website below if you wish.
 
Portofino 31, nimbus nova 33(for sale parkstone bay marina £59,495), nimbus 31 coupe (for sale parkstone bay marina £51,000), Jeanneau prestige 30 (for sale parkstone bay marina £69,950), fairline targa 34, Draco 3400 opal (£49,950 boatshed), princess 435 (£77,000 parkstone bay marina) - there's a few for you
 
Nimbus 310 or 320 would be my choice for £80k. Built to much higher standard than Jeanneau / Beneteau but then they cost a lot more. Really depends on what sort of boat you like. For the same money you could have a Sunseeker Superhawk 34 or a Windy Scirrocco 32 which are both fantastic boats and offer something very different. Size is creeping up though...

There's a 2003 ACM Elite up for sale at £75k which would probably sell for £60k. Not as well built as the Nimbus but very close and arguably prettier.
 
We were in a similar position 3 years ago. Our Antares 8 was great for weekends but we wanted to spend more time cruising and I wanted 2 engines for my own peace of mind. OH does our servicing and wanted shafts. We eventually decided on the Beneteau Antares 980. Twin inboard Nanni 200hp. We still look at other boats but haven't found anything which suits us as well. It has coped very well in rough seas, we've been caught out a few times, and the fuel cost is acceptable to us. We average 3 litres per nm giving a cruising range of about 200 miles. We're going to the boat show in Southampton so who knows, we might have one for sale in a couple of weeks.
 
With your budget I would suggest looking at Aquastar 33 and 38. They are of course semi-displacement but you have said you are not a speed freak. Twin shaft drive usually, no nasty sterndrives. In "displacement" mode (up to about 8 knots) quite economical, and you wont find a better seakeeping boat anywhere. My 33 with twin TAMD41a engines gives a realistic top speed of 19 knots in favourable conditions but more to the point I crossed from Dunkirk to Dover in a F6 last month with nasty wind over tide conditions at 8 knots with a comfortable sense of security burning just over 20 litres/hour ( I have flow meters fitted)
This can go as low as 10 litres/hour at 6 knots in reasonable seas. Open the throttles wide and this number increases considerably of course. In general terms if you have a light boat up on the plane you will go much faster with less fuel in flat calm conditions but will have a less than comfortable time of it in moderate to rough conditions. With heavy semi-displacement you will weather bad seas but in calm conditions have less speed unless you are prepared for higher fuel bills. The 33 is quite big enough for two to live aboard for a couple of months or so and has a surprising amount of space for a boat of this length. If you are in the Portsmouth area and want to go for a ride just PM me. It's not everyone's boat choice of course but if comfort and safety in seas that would prevent lighter boats leaving port appeals.........
 
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