Recommendations for first family motorboat please

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Trevelyan

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Hi all,
I used to be a sailor, we started a family, the yacht went... and now we are thinking about a motorboat instead.

We are in Cornwall and live Near the water, so sea keeping and ability to deal with weather is important. I have zero experience of motorboats but canopy over the top arrangements put me right off - not likely to be so nice for an October spin! I’d also like to be able to do Scilly... Why aren’t more motorboats hard top?

we’d ideally like separate cabin arrangements, so that little ones can go to sleep earlier and we can kip down somewhere later without disturbing.

Flexible on budget as long as it doesn’t hit six figures, but would rather keep costs and running costs down. It’s likely to get a fair bit of use so fuel economy (once you’ve stopped laughing remember I said sailor at the start) might be important. The other bit is given Scilly or even Channel Islands might be on the cards, should I be thinking twin engines for safety...

Any boat suggestions really appreciated!!

cheers
Trev
 
Please visit our website - www.corvettemotorboat.wordpress.com

Also has a heavy metal fence and raised gunwhale all the way around, plenty of safe room for the kids to play on safely and a separate twin berth forward cabin.

I'm an ex yachty so 8 knots slow cruise is good and frugal on fuel and 15 fast cruise available still not flat out, but juicy, is also available. CI or Scillys from Cornwall would be a walk in the park.
 
Hardy Seawings 355
If you can find one for sale.
There is some canvas but relatively modest amount.

or
Corvette 32 (as mentioned above)

Older Brooms
.
 
So many options.
The only way to go is to get around the marinas and brokers and look at as many as possible before making any commitment.
 
Aquador - various sizes but limited canvas and very safe for kids/dogs - great access esp if you go for side door options - good sleeping arrangements - only 32C comes on shaft though.

One decision you might care to make which will shorten your choices and ease the process would be to decide between shaft or outdrive?
 
Also did you want Planing, Semi-Displacement or full displacement? With sailing you are used to slow displacement speeds (although a planing boat will travel at Displacement speeds very economically, although (to some) the ride is then not as good as a purpose built displacement hull).

You haven't really indicated budget, although you say under 6 figures, so perhaps don't spend too much and try motorboating first.

A really well maintained single engine is fine, although I appreciate you don't have Seastart down there so twins may help - but bear in mind that many of the reasons for engine failure can affect a twin just as well (If you fill both fuel tanks at the same time you can contaminate both tanks, completely flat batteries, hitting a submerged object may only damage one, but hitting a sandbar might take out both etc etc). I think I'd be fine with a single engine, just make sure I had an outboard (and lots of fuel) to allow me to "hold station" until help arrived, a really good radio aerial for max range, and all the safety kit as it might take a while for help to arrive.

As to boats - here's some ideas for various budgets....

Cheap and sturdy -
Princess Marine Princess 31 Used Boat for Sale 1978 | TheYachtMarket

Shetland Black Prince Used Boat for Sale 1982 | TheYachtMarket

Just come to market - Shetland Black Prince Used Boat for Sale 1982 | TheYachtMarket

Really nice - sold now, But a bargain when it was for sale and there might be others out there - Shetland Black Prince Used Boat for Sale 1982 | TheYachtMarket

Hardtop - but no rear cabin - Hardy Seawings 254 Used Boat for Sale 1995 | TheYachtMarket

Beautifully refitted Sealine 218 Used Boat for Sale 1989 | TheYachtMarket

So to move up the price line a bit

No separate rear cabin, but could curtain off the rear bunks easily and a hardtop - Hardy Marine Seawings 277 Used Boat for Sale 1996 | TheYachtMarket

New to market - nice rear cabin - Four Winns Vista 248 Boat for Sale 2004 | TheYachtMarket


Moving up the prices again.


Hard-top - twin cabins - Quicksilver 750 Weekend Used Boat for Sale 2006 | TheYachtMarket

Super little all rounder - Canopy that opens in stages - separate mid-cabin Jeanneau 805 Leader Used Boat for Sale 2001 | TheYachtMarket

Hardtop - but not as much room on board - Jeanneau 805 Leader Used Boat for Sale 2001 | TheYachtMarket

Proper serious cruiser sportsboat - FAIRLINE TARGA 29 Used Boat for Sale 1997 | TheYachtMarket

Moving up price further there are loads.

All the ones I've picked are planing boats as I don't know what you really want - perhaps more pointers would be good as to it's proposed use?
 
Trevelyan said:
Flexible on budget as long as it doesn’t hit six figures, but would rather keep costs and running costs down. It’s likely to get a fair bit of use so fuel economy (once you’ve stopped laughing remember I said sailor at the start) might be important. The other bit is given Scilly or even Channel Islands might be on the cards, should I be thinking twin engines for safety...
Click to expand...

Best economy, or twin engines. You can only pick one.

Best compromise would be twin engine displacement craft, and as a sailor who is used to slow speeds that might well be the best place to end up.

If you want to go fast, and by fast I mean anything over hull speed (6-8 knots typically) a single engine will give much better fuel figures, sterndrive better than shaft drive. With twin engines, again sterndrives will give better fuel figures than shaft drive. You're looking at anything from 5nmpg for a 25 foot boat with single diesel sterndrive, to 0.5nmpg for a 50+ft flybridge with twin shaftdrives. If you want better, you will have to go slow.

Maintenance costs conversely are the opposite. More expensive with sterndrive and cheaper with shaftdrive. Doubled, obviously, if you have two.

I have in mind a future where fuel economy might become the main factor in my boat choice, seconded my simplicity and ease of maintenance. I will be looking for a displacement or semi-displacement single engine shaft drive boat.
 
But with kids, they love a bit of speed and excitement.....

Pottering on the sea at 4-6knts they are going to get bored very quickly, plus Cornwall to Scilly at displacement speeds will take a long time - again will the kids put up with that?
 
Hi all,
Thanks for the responses, some real crackers in there that I hadn't found before and amazing what a really different range of boats you can get for the money. I'll need some time to digest the boats suggested but on the more general questions.....

Displacement/semi-displacement/planing: I think displacement (stuck at 6-8 knots max?) is a non-starter, because too slow for wife and kids and I may as well have a stick to hang some sails off from time to time (i.e. stick to sailing boat). As goes semi-displacement vs planing, to be really honest not sure I understand the difference (ok planing is fully planing and semi-displacement is not fully planing) - semi displacement harder on fuel/lower top speed but more kindly in a sea?

On the twins vs fuel economy, I'd probably be convinced towards single for fuel economy if that isn't regarded as reckless for crossings like Scilly and Channel Islands? As a sailor this is difficult for me to get my head around as you always have two forms of propulsion available, one of which (wind) is very reliable in a rough sea. I have also had some bad experiences in sailing boats of the donkey letting me down...

outdrives vs shaft drives vs outboards - might need some pointers/to do some reading on that!!

Cheers,
Trev
 
Jeanneau Merry Fisher; Beneteau Antares; Quicksilver Weekend. Quite similar, but very much ‘tested and proven’ for general family use and are good entry level, no nonsense, (relatively) cheap boats (mass produced). Go for the largest you can afford.

Most common set up on (the above) newer boats is outboard (one or two). Easy to service. Less noisy (generally). More storage space on board. Easy to lift to park your nose on a beach. Inboards keep the bathing platform clear and allow you to stow a tender on snap davits. Some like the uncluttered look.

Two engines does provide security, but modern, serviced engines are extremely reliable. You see many owners augment their main engine with a ‘get you home’ outboard, which is another option.

The boats above use stern drive for their inboards, rather than shafts. HUGE debating point, but the fact that you see plenty of boats with both indicates that neither can be simply right or wrong. Stern drives allow the engine to be mounted further aft, usually allowing easier access, and generally produce quicker performance. But, there is an attractive simplicity to shaft drives and servicing costs are likely to be lower. IMHO it wouldn’t be a deal breaker either way (I‘ve owned both).

You would comfortably get a boat 2-4 years old for under £100K. Happy hunting!!
 
ontheplane said:
But with kids, they love a bit of speed and excitement.....

Pottering on the sea at 4-6knts they are going to get bored very quickly, plus Cornwall to Scilly at displacement speeds will take a long time - again will the kids put up with that?
Click to expand...

As a DAD with family you will want twin engines if at all possible it will allow you to sleep at night .
Lose a single engine offshore and there will not be enough money in the world !

Yea. and everyone will love Bang Bang Bang.........Crash Bang bouncing along the top of the waves holding on for grim death while mum is worried out of her life and planning what she and the kids will be doing ashore the next time Dad goes "boating" .
Dad might be enjoying himself everyone else will be wondering when mum will have had enough and be telling "Rambo" to slow down. :)
 
Last edited:
Jamie Dundee said:
I don’t remember any of those boats with stern drives, certainly my Antares is shaft drive.
Click to expand...
My mistake and misleading to the OP. I meant on boats being made now, of which I think Quicksilver is the only one offering an inboard and this is stern drive. The Merry Fishers were shaft as well, I think.
 
I can see where this is going:
Twin engines for security, check,
Diesel for availability and cost, check,
Shaft drive for simplicity, check,
Semi-displacement for comfort, check.

Congratulations, you have probably just bought the very best boat for the job.

Now forget about efficiency, cos the combo above is one of the worst on that score, and just enjoy the boat. You only live once.

And for my money I would say look at Broom Boats
 
I apologise above - I re-linked the same boat twice (my cut and paste was not good!!! but I think there were enough for ideas....)

Oldgit, I disagree. Not sure of the kids age, but when I (rarely now sadly) go boating by hiring a boat, it's the kids begging me to go faster - and even the lady is grinning....

5 hrs at 6knts is just plain boring for anyone not at the helm (and a little for them too) and whilst it may suit the retired disposition, it won't suit a young family out for the day / weekend where time is valuable.



On another point....

If you go outboard, you will almost certainly be looking at petrol as a fuel. If you are prepared to accept petrol as a fuel, you have a much wider choice of boats - I only listed diesel (which meant nothing I found was outboard or petrol sterndrive).

My suggestion would be don't spend TOO much until you know the kids take to it - if you have a £100k budget and spend it all and the kids hate it, it's a lot of money to have sat in the marina not doing a lot.

If you spend £40k you can still get an amazing boat, but there is a lot less money tied up......

Petrol (Outboard or Inboard) will be cheaper to buy, BUT cost vastly more in fuel to run - and don't think "Oh I can use the money I saved buying it to buy the fuel......" If the boat costs £40k and £50 an hour in fuel, when you sell it you'll probably get £40k back if you've bought it right first time out....... But if the boat cost £20k and £200 an hour in fuel, then you will only get £20k back when you sell it - so if you do 50hrs a year, then the annual fuel cost of the diesel was £2500 but the petrol boat was £10,000 (an exaggeration but you get the point)......

I have run a 5.7 V8 petrol - admittedly a carb version before everyone leaps at me - in a 2.5 tonne 26 foot cruiser - at full throttle it burned 20 GALLONS (not litres) an hour - so that's 90 litres an hour - with petrol at £1.50 on the marina (if you can get it) that's £135 per hour in fuel flat out - and a typical day on the water used to cost about £200 in fuel alone - (and that was when petrol was about £0.80 a litre in a normal forecourt and about £1.20 on the marina) so I expect that boat now is costing about £300 a day to run........

Takes all the fun out in my view.....

So my 4penneth is, buy a diesel, planing sports cruiser.... although plenty of people enjoy the hard-top peche promenade type boats and a small 7m one with an outboard is also trailable and won't use as much fuel as above.....

I also think a diesel will sell better, and more easily for years to come yet.

You pays yer money... you takes yer choice.....
 
ontheplane said:
Also did you want Planing, Semi-Displacement or full displacement? With sailing you are used to slow displacement speeds (although a planing boat will travel at Displacement speeds very economically, although (to some) the ride is then not as good as a purpose built displacement hull).

You haven't really indicated budget, although you say under 6 figures, so perhaps don't spend too much and try motorboating first.

A really well maintained single engine is fine, although I appreciate you don't have Seastart down there so twins may help - but bear in mind that many of the reasons for engine failure can affect a twin just as well (If you fill both fuel tanks at the same time you can contaminate both tanks, completely flat batteries, hitting a submerged object may only damage one, but hitting a sandbar might take out both etc etc). I think I'd be fine with a single engine, just make sure I had an outboard (and lots of fuel) to allow me to "hold station" until help arrived, a really good radio aerial for max range, and all the safety kit as it might take a while for help to arrive.

As to boats - here's some ideas for various budgets....

Cheap and sturdy -
Princess Marine Princess 31 Used Boat for Sale 1978 | TheYachtMarket

Shetland Black Prince Used Boat for Sale 1982 | TheYachtMarket

Just come to market - Shetland Black Prince Used Boat for Sale 1982 | TheYachtMarket

Really nice - sold now, But a bargain when it was for sale and there might be others out there - Shetland Black Prince Used Boat for Sale 1982 | TheYachtMarket

Hardtop - but no rear cabin - Hardy Seawings 254 Used Boat for Sale 1995 | TheYachtMarket

Beautifully refitted Sealine 218 Used Boat for Sale 1989 | TheYachtMarket

So to move up the price line a bit

No separate rear cabin, but could curtain off the rear bunks easily and a hardtop - Hardy Marine Seawings 277 Used Boat for Sale 1996 | TheYachtMarket

New to market - nice rear cabin - Four Winns Vista 248 Boat for Sale 2004 | TheYachtMarket


Moving up the prices again.


Hard-top - twin cabins - Quicksilver 750 Weekend Used Boat for Sale 2006 | TheYachtMarket

Super little all rounder - Canopy that opens in stages - separate mid-cabin Jeanneau 805 Leader Used Boat for Sale 2001 | TheYachtMarket

Hardtop - but not as much room on board - Jeanneau 805 Leader Used Boat for Sale 2001 | TheYachtMarket

Proper serious cruiser sportsboat - FAIRLINE TARGA 29 Used Boat for Sale 1997 | TheYachtMarket

Moving up price further there are loads.

All the ones I've picked are planing boats as I don't know what you really want - perhaps more pointers would be good as to it's proposed use?
Click to expand...


That Sealine 218 looks like a new boat!
 
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