Sports cruisers what a cafuffall

[Renegade_Master]

Skippered for the owner of an Atlantis 47 on Saturday on his first charter.
First major obstacle engine checks. Cant possibly get to the dip sticks to check oil, have to remove the bloomin tender from the garage.

Bear in mind we are stern too out here. Would'nt like to have a major hose failure whilst going along in big seas, imagine launching the tender off the aft end, bugger all to hang on to etc, need I say more. Why do they build boats like this?

Anyway accelerate up to 16-18 knts and forward sun bed flys over the top (he had not fastened it properly) recovered that.

The owner had taken the front cover off so I could see over the screen. No point trying to look through a serverly raked tinted screen, whos idea was that design I wonder?

Anyway get to 22 knts he then has to hang on to the front of the bimini to stop it taking off. Stop to remove entire covers whatta cafuffall.

Going into westerly 3 couple of feet of chop chines sending up the odd bit a spray.
Knowing is gets worse around the ligthouse at Gib suggest the folks go below, they decline, we all get soaked. Would not have liked it in UK in March hypothemia springs to mind.

Spent the rest of the day soaking in salt water. Give me my fly any day.

 

[Nautical]

Pipe, slippers? maybe............ /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Agree with you completely. I've no idea why so many peeps buy sportscruisers rather than flybridge boats especially in the UK. I mean, do peeps actually like getting a face full of sea water every time they go over a wave, freezing to death due to windchill, huddling in a dingy dark coal hole of a saloon and then when it's all over, fighting with a canopy for half an hour. I guess some peeps do.
Yup I guess nautical will be on here soon explaining how his Italian stallions have perfect engine access despite the tender garage but the fact is that on most boats with a tender garage, you need to be a double jointed dwarf to get to the engines without removing the tender. I speak from personal experience with a Targa 48
Then there'll be somebody on soon telling us that hardtop sportscruisers are the answer but they why not put some seats on top and have some extra loafing space and a better view
Flybridges rule

 

[Blackfeather]

[ QUOTE ]
Flybridges rule

[/ QUOTE ]

Ooh goody, a flybridge Vs sportscruisers debate.


Have to agree (natch) that fbrdge is far superior. Sportsboats are really just big jetskis aren't they?

 

[LittleShip]

"Ooh goody, a flybridge Vs sportscruisers debate."

A debate maybe............ a competition, ....never, flybridge every time! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Nauti Fox]

Yes, totally agree.
Why, here's a sculpture of a hardy soul out on his sportsboat.

And before any of you sports boat johnnies say that only old farts have Fly bridge boats here's a picture of myself to disprove your theory.

 

[Nautical]

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Well where do I start?......

Flybridges are lardy @rse for one, once past 40' you might as well be driving a tractor, a blunt instrument pretending to be all swish and glamourous but in reality a very argicultural machine for the job, fine if you want to plod along ala caravan on its way to skegness but if you have a bit of youth left in you you'd probably die of boredom along the way.

All that extra glass and upper works takes its toll on handling and performance, they handle about as well as a John Deer XS Super Plough, you need mucho bigger motors to shift it at any reasonable speed and then its generally all tractor parts and shafts and P brackets and rudders and power sapping monster gearboxes.

Most trim at cruising speed with the nose heading to the moon so in really bad stuff you can't see diddly 100 yards in front so tend to bounce and crash into everything instead of nimbly scooting round the worst bits. Flybridge people tend to be sopping wet when the weather is foul coming into port as you have to drive the thing up top to see anything.

Of course many say 'oh yes you can have wind in hair feeling by being up top when the weather is fine'...tosh, the screens are so pathetic you are blasted like having your head in a Dyson on steriods and then when you are up there tis like being perched on top of a very wobbly pogo stick all rock and roll.

Getting up and down the steps to the fly bit in real rock and roll stuff is hideous all white knuckle butt clenching scary pants stuff.

Then there is the noise factor, a well honed and engineered sports cruiser say mid forty foot on them super economical grippy DPH legs is whisper quiet and silky smooth, in a flybridge its like and earth mover coming through the floor.

Most horrible bit on flybridges is for the poor peeps sitting below in the saloon in bad weather while bashing along, they can't see diddly squat out the front and are relegated to watching the drapes waggling about and the chandlier clinkity clinking.

Lastly, cost, a 45 foot well screwed togther flybridge is going to cost you a least a £100k more than a similar quality and size sports cruiser and cost anything up to 50% more in fuel to go slower.

Is'nt it gutting watching them sports cruisers flying past having a whale of a time, going faster, quieter, on half the fuel and for £100k less than you?.....er....no, because most flybridge owners have lost the will to live, they are beige shower proofed M&S golf jacketed, hush puppy'd, Farah trouser'd wearing wimps a couple of years away from Sunset retirement village.

Oh yes indeedy, we all know a flybridger, can be spotted in Asda carpark in his oh so nice gold mercedes E series (not too flash a one though, has to be the middle of the road one, you know the one that really isn't good at anything in particular) with beige interior waiting for the little woman to trolly the weekly shopping back.

How opportune that my new office comes with a bomb shelter /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Alistairr]

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Brilliant,
Well said Trev!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Al.

 

[Renegade_Master]

"Then there is the noise factor, "
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Bollocks on my flybridge noise levels are minimal, you can have a good conversation, and listen to the archers on the wireless at the same time :~)

Went on my friends Targa 37 recently his mate spent all day standing up trying to see over the screen getting mouthfulls of sea water, we spent all day as far aft as possible to try and escape the sea water thundering over the top, but had to spend the time shouting at each other over the noise of the ruddy engines to attempt conversation.

 

[Nautical]

You said it mate, got the wrong sports cruiser /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Renegade_Master]

"Most trim at cruising speed with the nose heading to the moon so in really bad stuff you can't see diddly 100 yards in front"

__________________________________________________________________

Tis the other way round my friend spend all day standing up ont SC trying to see over the bow.

 

[Nautical]

You got the wrong sports cruiser............., pick one that the builder knows what he is doing would be a help, not one he chopped the top off a flybridge /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[zeros]

Is that true about targa 37's??

 

[Renegade_Master]

Dont let Petem hear you say that he loves Fairlines

 

[duncan]

well penned sir............

however I do feel I get the last laugh with my walkround deck and hard top.........I enjoy being out there in and on my boat not just the 'trip'.

and your jib about merc estates (mines the smaller C with in boring grey - but it replaced a cabriolet.......) sums up the issue....they work really well at what they are designed to do.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Oooh, there's a lot to get my teeth into here /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[ QUOTE ]
All that extra glass and upper works takes its toll on handling and performance, they handle about as well as a John Deer XS Super Plough, you need mucho bigger motors to shift it at any reasonable speed and then its generally all tractor parts and shafts and P brackets and rudders and power sapping monster gearboxes

[/ QUOTE ]
I think you'll find there are plenty of flybridge boats with sterndrives or IPS just like sportscruisers and there are loads of peeps like me who like the steady feel of shaftdrives in a seaway


[ QUOTE ]
Most trim at cruising speed with the nose heading to the moon so in really bad stuff you can't see diddly 100 yards in front so tend to bounce and crash into everything instead of nimbly scooting round the worst bits. Flybridge people tend to be sopping wet when the weather is foul coming into port as you have to drive the thing up top to see anything.

[/ QUOTE ]
Er, I think this is an argument for flybridges rather than against. I have'nt noticed any great difference in trim angle between sportscruisers and flybridge. They all plane at 5 or 6 degrees otherwise they would'nt plane at all. If you start to get cold and wet on a flybridge, you've got the option to go downstairs and drive from a nice warm dry comfy seat. In a sportscruiser, you either stay cold and wet or make an attempt to put up the canopy which is a bloody dangerous thing to do at sea and then when you've got it up, you can't see through the clear plastic screens anyway


[ QUOTE ]
Getting up and down the steps to the fly bit in real rock and roll stuff is hideous all white knuckle butt clenching scary pants stuff.


[/ QUOTE ]
Er, not really and certainly not as dodgy as braving the near vertical steps down to the saloon that most sportscruisers have


[ QUOTE ]
Then there is the noise factor, a well honed and engineered sports cruiser say mid forty foot on them super economical grippy DPH legs is whisper quiet and silky smooth, in a flybridge its like and earth mover coming through the floor.


[/ QUOTE ]
Er, another argument for flybridges. I once sold a Sealine S37 sportscruiser because it was so bloody noisy. There's no escape in a sportscruiser, no option to drive from inside and shut the patio doors. In most modern flybridge boats, you can hold a conversation inside at speed. In a sportscruiser at speed, you can't hear yourself think because of the racket of engine, exhaust, wind and wave noise


[ QUOTE ]
Most horrible bit on flybridges is for the poor peeps sitting below in the saloon in bad weather while bashing along, they can't see diddly squat out the front and are relegated to watching the drapes waggling about and the chandlier clinkity clinking.


[/ QUOTE ]
Minority of one there. I think everybody else would say you get a much better view from the saloon of a flybridge than a sportscruiser


[ QUOTE ]
Oh yes indeedy, we all know a flybridger, can be spotted in Asda carpark in his oh so nice gold mercedes E series (not too flash a one though, has to be the middle of the road one, you know the one that really isn't good at anything in particular) with beige interior waiting for the little woman to trolly the weekly shopping back.

[/ QUOTE ]
That'll be the sportscruiser owner then in a chavved up Astra with a Wayne and Tracy sticker on the windscreen, purple paint job, loud exhaust and even louder hi fi

 

[capnsensible]

I look after a Sunseeker 64 Manhattan. The way I like to keep cool on the flybridge is to use the icemaker that saves me having to go all the way down the steps to the one by the saloon doors. Well someone has to do it...... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Nautical]

Ah ha..........yes but you see the problem is you are still in old tech mode, you know those olde sports cruisers that we all grew up on...bit like Ye olde tea shoppe gets ousted by clean, cool, sofisticated sushi bar, no one wants cream teas and sticky sugar loaded buns anymore so you have to go foreign now to get the best, most probably Italian espresso coffee lounge cus for darn sure the Brits can't do proper coffee /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Lozzer]

Clive,

took a princess V58 to Mallorca the other week, no problems at all. Very comfortable ride no getting wet absolutely wonderful.

Electric roof is also a nice touch..

Noise, what noise I cant hear anything except two Cat C18 purring away...

Also drove a V70 for an owner, I am sure we were doing 8 knots in tick over.... And the aircon was ice cold even with the roof open and the sun streaming in.... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

As for no space in sports crusiers I think that has changed slightly..

 

[LittleShip]

All that extra glass and upper works takes its toll on handling and performance

B#ll#cks.......... I can get nearly 9knts out of mine!

Flybridge people tend to be sopping wet when the weather is foul coming into port as you have to drive the thing up top to see anything.

I refer my learned gentleman to part of the answer above.

and cost anything up to 50% more in fuel to go slower.

Ahaa! now you have got me..........almost 2 gallons an hour when flat out!

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