Small Boats

[jakeroyd]

Mine is quite small , a Hunter Ranger 245.
I hve wondered recently about buying a bigger boat.
Mainly this is due to speed , eveything else always seems to be going faster. Hunters of this vintage are supposed to be quite fast given their size ?
I used to have a Moody 27 and given that the LWL's are not all that different the Moody was faster. I think this was particularly in lightish airs where the ranger loses due to it's modest foresail , perhaps I am too lazy to use the 'scooper' which is intended to boost light wind performance.

This set me thinking. Eveything else , for 2 people , is fine. I get standing headroom a tiny loo , fully functioning galley and a double berth. I get easy singlehanded sailing due to the self tacking jib and all lines back to cockpit etc.

My thinking was that small boats may find themselves more in demand due to the economy and the cost of running a boat , particularly one based in a marina.
Against this one must site that modern boats have improved in terms of value for money and the number of boats for sale at present keeps secondhand prices reasonable.
Does this signal that small boats may make a renaissance ?
Perhaps the small floodlet of Polish made small boats etc. now being sold indicates a trend
?
I know that the Ranger 245 is agian in production after Hunter and Select Yachts when bump over the last few years. I wonder how many the current incarnation of British Hunter has sold ?

musings musings

 

[Twister_Ken]

I know that the Ranger 245 is agian in production after Hunter and Select Yachts when bump over the last few years. I wonder how many the current incarnation of British Hunter has sold ?

musings musings

A number slightly less than one, so I was told.

 

[wotayottie]

A number slightly less than one, so I was told.

Wouldnt be surprised. There's something about them that says "goodbye". Pity - I had a Hunter 26 and it was a good boat. But those were the days when Peter Poland (?) really pushed them and they were often one of the biggest stands at the boat shows. Todays manufacturer doesnt seem to believe that they need selling

 

[jakeroyd]

I fear you are both right.
although I like mine (small boat speed apart) I do sometimes think it was not great value at the time. OK it's one of not very many 25 foot Cat B boats but it cost night on £42k new in 2000 , when mine was built. I bought her in 2005 and so took advantage of the initial years of fast depreciation before it levels out for all boats.

However I sometimes look at the some bits of the fit out and think , was it worth it then.
I know Select Yachts made an upmarket version with lots of sort of New England 'white plank' style decor and cupboards etc. which mine does not have.

Wonder how many of those there are about ?

 

[Tranona]

The days of "pocket cruisers" in the new boat market have gone - far too expensive to produce new and market well supplied with used boats.

Most new small boats (mainly built in Eastern Europe) are either sporty type or more suited to lake sailing.

 

[rwoofer]

The days of "pocket cruisers" in the new boat market have gone - far too expensive to produce new and market well supplied with used boats.

I'm not so sure, as my next boaty purchase is likely to be a small boat (and all the uncomplicated non-sailing life that goes with it) that sails well so as not to be too outpaced.

Eyes currently drawn to the Elan 210, which is a new launch and has apparently sold out it's production run. Only downside is it's ability to dry and launchability. In the UK I like the blend of modern (epoxy plywood, carbon rig and dyneema rigging) and traditional (looks) represented by the Swallow boats BayCruiser.

Both are selling, so there must be a market for well designed small boats. Yes they are relatively more expensive, but if the benefits appeal you'll be willing to pay the premium.

 

[wotayottie]

I guess the problem is that a 20 ft boat doesnt cost 2/3 of the 30 ft boat to manufacture - a lot more than that since most of the costs arent directly size related. The labour cost for example isnt likely to be much different.Ditto overheads.

Trouble with a smaller boat as you get older is that you also get less nimble and less sure on your feet. You get less flexible to get into smaller cabins and toilets etc.

I reckon I gotit wrong way round when I had a 34 ft cat 10 years ago. That should have replaced the monos as my retirement boat. Easy to move about. Didint even need a halyard winch. Stable platform. Comfy

 

[arfa]

Beneteau have had a fair amount of success with their 21 footer selling several hundred so it can be done. As an owner it does everything I need for family coastal sailing and it is a lot cheaper to run than a 30 footish yacht. I sometimes think of going for a larger boat but it does not take long for common sense to return and keep on enjoying what I have !

 

[BobPrell]

The days of "pocket cruisers" in the new boat market have gone - far too expensive to produce new and market well supplied with used boats.

Most new small boats (mainly built in Eastern Europe) are either sporty type or more suited to lake sailing.

While looking for Elan210 images I came across this on Sailinganarchy

I'm doubtful that a boat like this is going to catch on though... what we need is a 'cash for clunker' program, everybody in this country who wants a trailerable weekendable sailboat already has one... 90% of them are ****, but they are still clogging up the market.

 

[Tranona]

Both are selling, so there must be a market for well designed small boats. Yes they are relatively more expensive, but if the benefits appeal you'll be willing to pay the premium.

You are right in a way - that sort of boat still has a market, particularly in Europe so UK buyers can benefit. However, the OP was talking about a very different kind of boat. Go back 30 or 40 years and the market was stuffed with 20-26ft miniature cruisers, of which his Hunter was one of the last survivors. it is that kind of boat that has disappeared, replaced by the 30ft+ AWB as a base cruising boat (if bought new).

 

[Alfie168]

Whilst not quite a pocket cruiser, I have always thought that if the Parker 235cannot survive in production, then there is little hope for the sector, at least at the prices they have to charge for building them in this country. You can still get one built, but at a measurably higher price than GW Parkers were selling them at, so I can't forsee many takers.

Tim