Shetland -most suitable model

[Ajpepe72]

Hi
Thinking of buying a small cabin boat over the winter (will be my first boat)
Looked at different one online (micro plus , Shetland etc) and am coming down on the side of a Shetland but am unsure which version would suit best.

Have seen 535,570, family four etc. Will be purely for leisure, not fishing I don’t think although that may become an interest once I have it. So family of four for river day trips and also be able to do coast if I fancy it.

looking on YouTube 535’s and 570’s with 60hp+engines seem to go very well.
so brief is nothing too big but ok for family to spend a day on the river and man enough if I fancy taking it in the sea .
Thanks in advance

 

[gordhouse]

Hi
Thinking of buying a small cabin boat over the winter (will be my first boat)
Looked at different one online (micro plus , Shetland etc) and am coming down on the side of a Shetland but am unsure which version would suit best.

Have seen 535,570, family four etc. Will be purely for leisure, not fishing I don’t think although that may become an interest once I have it. So family of four for river day trips and also be able to do coast if I fancy it.

looking on YouTube 535’s and 570’s with 60hp+engines seem to go very well.
so brief is nothing too big but ok for family to spend a day on the river and man enough if I fancy taking it in the sea .
Thanks in advance

 

[gordhouse]

Family four is a great boat. With lots to offer for its size.
You can also source some boats with bigger sized engine.

 

[Ajpepe72]

Thanks, is the family four much longer/bigger than the 535 ?
Yes I’ve seen a few videos of 535’s and 570’s with 100-125 hp engines on and they were certainly shifting !

 

[Jamie Dundee]

The Shetland 4+2 would be a good choice for a family of 4 if you were thinking of overnighting. This one could probably do with a bigger engine for going to sea Shetland - 4 plus 2 in West Yorkshire, North East | Boats and Outboards

 

[Ajpepe72]

Thanks Jamie, probably not overnighting, well maybe me alone
Should have added my budget would probably be between 5k and 6k

 

[Caraway]

Hi
Thinking of buying a small cabin boat over the winter (will be my first boat)
Looked at different one online (micro plus , Shetland etc) and am coming down on the side of a Shetland but am unsure which version would suit best.

Have seen 535,570, family four etc. Will be purely for leisure, not fishing I don’t think although that may become an interest once I have it. So family of four for river day trips and also be able to do coast if I fancy it.

looking on YouTube 535’s and 570’s with 60hp+engines seem to go very well.
so brief is nothing too big but ok for family to spend a day on the river and man enough if I fancy taking it in the sea .
Thanks in advance

Don't buy a bboat without a trailer.
Does your car have a sufficient towing limit for the boat/engine/trailer weight?
Are you licenced to tow the trailer/boat/engine?

 

[Ajpepe72]

Hi Caraway
I’ve seen a few that don’t come with trailers but I will hang on for the full package, I’m in no rush to buy.
I have a 2.5tdi vw camper which is tow it with, plenty powerful and torquey enough.
As for the licence, yes I’m knocking on 50’s door so all good on that front ?

 

[DavidJ]

Shetland is a good choice of boat but if you are looking for something a bit more modern looking have a YouTube look at the Sealine 195
very towable, spacious and well built.

 

[stelican]

Thanks Jamie, probably not overnighting, well maybe me alone
Should have added my budget would probably be between 5k and 6k

Durley 245 who posts here has the moulds I believe. He's such a nice chap he would probably mould you one for not much more! Even if not he would be good for info.

 

[Ajpepe72]

This is interesting. I am going to also get advice from my cousins husband, he used to own a company manufacturing fibreglass ribs so would prob be worth talking to. ?

 

[Caraway]

Hi Caraway
I’ve seen a few that don’t come with trailers but I will hang on for the full package, I’m in no rush to buy.
I have a 2.5tdi vw camper which is tow it with, plenty powerful and torquey enough.
As for the licence, yes I’m knocking on 50’s door so all good on that front ?

The T4 has a towing weight of 2000Kgs. The Shetland Family 4 weighs about 700Kgs. A 4 stoke 60 hp Mariner is about 115 Kgs so that leaves over 1100 Kgs for the trailer (probably about 400 Kgs in reality).
Sounds like you'd be well within the limits.

 

[Orthop]

We had a 570, Black Hawk and we loved it, was a great seakeeping boat for its size. The newer model or range were called Kestrel I think.
For me a timeless design. First we a 80 ps Yamaha and later a 130 outboard Yamaha.

 

[ontheplane]

535 is too small. I had one and it’s not a sociable cockpit or a good layout. The 570 / Kestrel / Blackhawk / family four is much better.

Be careful which family four, there have been many designs, some better laid out than others...

 

[Rappey]

Another thing to look for is a 4 stroke over a 2 stroke ,more quiet and a big difference in fuel consumption.

 

[gordmac]

Agree a 535 would be too small for four. For river use a small outboard would be fine but not so good at sea. These types of boats will do maybe 5kn but after that they need to plane and that takes quite a bit of power particularly with the weight of four. The 535 I had with a 50hp engine wouldn't plane with three aboard.

 

[Caraway]

I had a 535 Suntrip (big cockpit) with a 65 hp 2 stroke which planed at sea no problem. But agree, a big 4 stroke on the bigger boat would be better. Being a 4 stroke it should also chug along and lower speeds without problems.

 

[mabbs]

There’s an owners association at General Forum - SHETLAND OWNERS ASSOCIATION

If you pay the £10 to join as a full member you can look up the full specs. 535 is a damn fine little boat in my opinion, we had one for years with a Yamaha 55 2 cyl, 2 stroke, which never struggled to get planning. It is very small and being flat bottomed isn’t suitable for planning in anything but very smooth seas, they are now all over 40 years old! The family 4 is said to be much roomier, similar length and has a gull wing hull, so I imagine much smoother in a chop. 570/Black Hawk is bigger still, probably needs upwards of 70hp to motor, again gull wing. For your budget you’d get a good example and this is a well respected boat.

We upgraded to a 21’ 2+2, same hull as 610, which is a deep v. This is another 1/2 ton heavier, and you’re really into double the hp of a family 4 to get planning. Good ones are rare and upwards of £7k. I’ve got a 125hp 2 stroke which is the minimum to do this hull justice. Wish I had an inboard turbo diesel to get the range. I dismissed the 4 plus 2, it’s not so much of a little vessel, rather a 535 on steroids with its flat bottom. Sure it’s great for rivers/estuaries and is huge inside but it wouldn’t take a 30 mile coastal passage in a bit of a chop.

Other consideration is 4 stroke vs 2 stroke. You’ll use 1/3 less petrol with 4, but I doubt you’ll see the savings over the initial purchase premium for a very long time. A bigger motor for sea use is better as you can cruise on the plane at a lot lower revs than a small motor flogging it to do 20 knots.

 

[25931]

A 535 should plane with 40hp but it is not a seaboat.
As Mabbs says join the owners club.

 

[mabbs]

A 535 should plane with 40hp but it is not a seaboat.
As Mabbs says join the owners club.

I agree, but given that I’d wager you’d struggle to find a UK harbour without one moored up in the corner going green and they’re all now over 40 years old, much like Westerly Centuars that’s testament in itself. Heck they’re even in the Scillies. Great cheap way into boating, there was a chap circumnavigating the UK this summer in one on one of the forums.