planning or displacement???

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OAF

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Hi all i am new to this forum and any help and advice would be appreciated

I am currentley thinking which is best for the costal waters around the uk, a semi displacment boat or a planning hull, i want a boat about 11 mtrs with the view of using it in the uk for a year and then taking it further a field to warmer climates, it will mainly be used for long weekends this year and the odd week but hopefully more use next year abroard

Thanks in advance of your advice.

Cheers Oaf
 
Hi, welcome to the forum. That question is a real can of worms, and you are likely to get pretty polarised views from both camps.

For me, it has to be planing for better fuesl economy and the ability to outrun weather if needed.
 
Thanks for your reply,i suspect you are right about opening a can of worms! i am being told from a profesional skippers point of view that a semi displacement boat is the only way to go and that i would regret owning a planning hull in the uk! he is reffering to how uncomfortable the ride will be given a swell of more than a foot or so, is this gennerally the case?
 
I think a foot or two is not much of a problem to a good planning hull. However the UK weather is a bit variable - for coastal cruisng away from the solent brooms (often SD) are good as they will bash through most things with aplomb but not as quickly. However a planning hull is great when its calmer and will get you home quickly if needs be. if going to the med next year I'd go for a planning hull as weather is a bit more settled (mostly)
 
If you want a sea boat, that can hold it's own without having to run away, you would be better with a semi displacement boat. If speed isn't top of your list but sea keeping is, even a full displacement boat would be better in the long run.
 
He's talking utter crap. But of course, it depends on your objectives or likes and dislikes.

It's true that you wont be doing much walking about at 20 odd knots. But on the other hand, you wont be getting that sickening roll.

A modern planing hull, is far more capable than they were in the 70's.

But heres the but!! You sound like you have had very little of experience of boats. What you think you would like to do with it now and what you find you like, will be alot different.

A swell of 40ft dont have any effect at all. Now waves, that is different. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Tuther thing is. Have you thought of how your going to get it abroad. Med I presume??

Whilst it is possible to sail an 11 metre boat there. It's hardly practical and you would need a fair bit of experience.
 
I'd get a planing hull but as others have said it is all a matter of personal preferences. You will not be going out in big seas becuase any 11m hull is going to get knocked about to the point of discomfort/seasickness if the seas are big. And a fast boat can outrun weahter.

If this is your first boat there's a general rule that you'll sell it soon. You might hate boats, so sell it. Or you might love boating, in which case will buy bigger. So get a mainstream planing boat from one of the main manufacturers, cos it will be loads easier to sell on or trade in than something a bit unusual or non mainstream or SD

Good luck
 
Thanks so far for your input, its all very much appreciated!

My back ground in boating is over 20 years of owning various types of boats and boating with everything from sailing boats , power boats, jet skis, cruisers, inland water way commercial craft on rivers and canals and tidal rivers etc etc, but very little in the way of costal cruising!

speed is not top on my list but i dont want to plod along either, i dont want to rockin and rollin all over the place but at the same time i dont want to be knocking my teeth out because the weather has changed

Thanks again OAF
 
Ahem. I was going to throw in my 2 cents based on your OP, and it would have been in favour of a planing boat.
And mind, that would have been the viewpoint of a trawler fan.
But then I read this last post of yours, and based on it I hope you don't mind if I tell you that you shouldn't really need any suggestion at all, do you?
 
You don't mention your budget. But the question is not as easy to answer as you might think.

Heres the problem.

Now take my late 80's P35. Following seas dont bother it at all, quite happy on auto pilot at 20 knots, with a F7 behind her.

On the other hand a semi displacement boat, would probably find that difficult to handle at any speed.

It handles big Atlantic seas, that you get down the west country well, still doing 20+ knots.

What it dont like are little short seas on the nose, which a semi displacement might handle better. But course I can always slow down, where as the displacement cant speed up!!
 
I have done some cruising at sea but im by no means an expert! this is something that i have to learn a lot more about!

My budget is around the 80k mark and i have looked at lots of boats so far, all being planning hulls! i have been looking at a Sealine S34 recently and so far it seems to be the best deal that i have found, I am tending to lean towards a planning boat but as i said in my first post i have had a lot of doubt put in my mind, hence asking others for there input.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Now take my late 80's P35. Following seas dont bother it at all, quite happy on auto pilot at 20 knots, with a F7 behind her.
On the other hand a semi displacement boat, would probably find that difficult to handle at any speed.

[/ QUOTE ]Beg to disagree on that, to some extent.
When a D or SD boat begins to have handling troubles in following seas, you can forget to maintain 20kts even with planing boats much bigger than yours. As long as it's a decent D/SD boat, of course.
And if you're forced to slow down at D speed on a P boat, keeping a steady course is surely harder than with any D/SD boat.
 
You're actually right, never on a P35, but on a few other similar and also bigger P boats.
Which leads me to believe that if you have no effect other than on speed, then it wasn't actually a big sea.
A big swell maybe, but surely not a serious sea with breaking waves, at 20kts in a 35' boat.
In such conditions, you might climb a wave and suddenly realise that there's a 10' or so jump waiting for your keel, right after the wave crest. Granted to make you throttle back on the spot, and for the rest of your cruise.
 
but surely not a serious sea with breaking waves, at 20kts in a 35' boat.
In such conditions, you might climb a wave and suddenly realise that there's a 10' or so jump waiting for your keel,
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@'

Never seen that happen in a following sea, in a head sea I'll grant you. But with following, it's just very smooth. apart from the nose gently rises, then falls. Very big bows, so never stuff in.

How big a sea?? Bit hard to tell. But 90 miles up the Bristol chanel, with a " Strong Wind warning " behind me. Or got chased into Plymouth with a F 10 just behind, that hit ten minutes after we moored. So F6 to F8 is ok. Not tried any more. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
I think jfm's reply is a pretty good starting place for a certainly very frequently asked question.

The debate between hull types will go on till eternity. Commercial skippers have certainly different needs for their 'tools of the trade', and nobody can deny their seakeeping ability (SD).
Whatever you chose, use it lots and look after it.

Good luck /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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