Reverse Trend

[byron]

From the early 70s the trend was towards bigger and bigger boats. In say 1972 a Princess 32 was considered a large boat on the Thames. After which people started buying bigger and bigger boats and 40+ footers became quite common. I was as guilty as the next man with my Ocean 37 followed by my Princess 435.
Now I can't help but notice that boats are getting smaller again. The reasons for this are obvious and I make this posting merely as a comment on a trend.
Narrowboats & Dutch Barges excepted from this comment .

 

[Mirror Painter]

Anything larger than 16' 9" is just showing off.

 

[byron]

Anything larger than 16' 9" is just showing off.

Well, you would say that wouldn't you
I have to admit that back in 1969 I had just as much fun, if not more, with my Shetland 535 which I kept on a Trailer. Weather permitting I would regularly cross to France with it too. It was fitted with a Seavoice VHF an 8 channel radio and my 50 HP Evinrude gave me a comfortable 25-30 knots. The biggest problem I encountered was where to put up my Yellow flag which I solved by tying it to a broomstick strapped in the cockpit. This also doubled for flying a Courtesy Ensign.

 

[oldgit]

Possibly something also to do with todays fuel costs..Unless you were fortunate enough to be able buy a new boat,your future bigger boat would have engines specified by someone else with different requirements.Big boats tend to come with big engines.In order to get something more frugal in the fuel dept you will probably only be able to do that that by buying a smaller boat with a smaller powerplant.
The number of economical boats such as Pedros/Stevens are a fairly small even on the Thames and just about non existant away from rivers.

 

[Actionmat]

I've noticed a number of younger than usual freeman owners. A friend of mine with a 22 reckons it's down to the VW effect, with a different age group appreciating the affordable classics. And a little Freeman's a third of the price of a 70's VW camper.

Personally, I'd love a bigger boat, but anything bigger than the one I've got would be too big for my mooring. I have drooled over a few on the sales pontoons but the price difference between my sorted one and something bigger that needs work is too much for me in this economic climate.

However, if I won the lottery I'd be down the Southampton boat show quicker than you could say 'liveaboard'

 

[dash300]

From the early 70s the trend was towards bigger and bigger boats. In say 1972 a Princess 32 was considered a large boat on the Thames. After which people started buying bigger and bigger boats and 40+ footers became quite common. I was as guilty as the next man with my Ocean 37 followed by my Princess 435.
Now I can't help but notice that boats are getting smaller again. The reasons for this are obvious and I make this posting merely as a comment on a trend.
Narrowboats & Dutch Barges excepted from this comment .

Having just returned from 3 weeks up river ( left in the summer returned in winter!) I would tend to agree; with the exception of the hire boats perhaps bucking the trend.
30 years ago we used to drool at those huge Broom 30's from our little 18 footer and later our Freeman. Then came the steady increase of ever wider and longer jelly moulds with massive engines to boot. This coincided with the boom times of the 80's and 90's where pension funds were doing very nicely and subsequent dividends enabled the purchase of such boats.
Those boaters are now rather more aged and many are selling them or just not using them as much as before. There are still plenty in the big marinas but they don't seem to venture out so much. This could be a diesel issue of course.
However I just wonder if those who were attracted by the big plastic tubs are now buying Replica Dutch Barges as there has been a massive increase of these leviathons on the Thames in recent years.
As for narrow boats, my return downstream saw relentless migrating streams of them returning back from whence they came. I've never seen so many floating allotments on the Thames before.

 

[CX54WEK]

Our marina is a bit of an odd ball with many 40 odd foot flybridge cruisers on a shallow inland ditch. It is noticable that a bigger number than usual of these boats has found itself on the brokerage pontoon this year and the smaller boats are being snapped up much quicker than usual.

Also noticeable with the berth avaliability. In the past there have been no spare larger moorings for boats over 30ft. Now its the other way round with no spare smaller moorings but plenty of spare larger moorings.

 

[Greg2]

Interesting. Here on the Broads plenty of big boats selling and still very popular, at least in the southern rivers.

Not sure fuel is an issue inland....our forty one footer doesn't use much more fuel on the river than our previous boats (32, 37 and 35 feet respectively) and the comfort it provides is definitely worth it. Fuel consumption is really more of an issue at sea when cruising at speed.