Starter Boat ? for wife & new born

[Guest]

Hi All

I wonder if the forum could give me some advice on which type of craft I might opt for as a starter boat. As mentioned, we are new to the scene, and we would like to purchase a small craft, say 24 - 30ish feet in order to kick off the habit. We would like to be able to potter about on the coast as we would expect to keep a mooring @ Burnham on sea. The need to stay over night is not a must. I am not fussy as to the type of fuel consumed, as I assume that a petrol driven craft would be cheaper than a diesel one of the same make and odds. I would however be keen to purchase a make and model that we could easily move on next season, should we decide that boating is our thing, and opt to trade up to a larger craft. I have had a quick look at the Bayliner and Maxum range and they appear on the surface to be popular and well turned out craft. I am in the market to purchase a late second user craft,say 1999 / 2001 so any tips on average prices etc for any craft mentioned in a reply would be usefull.aAgain, any and all practicle advice would be appreciated.

Regards

David O'Brien

 

[Guest]

When everyone else wakes up you are going to get loads of advice that will eventually see your sites and budget spiral beyond control, untill by next week you will be placing an order for a 100ft sportscruiser with at least 2 swimming pools and a helicopter pad.

But while we are still on planet Earth heres my opinion for what its worth. Most people will tell you to buy diesel- and it does make a lot of sense, but in this size range (with the exception of the Sealine S24) i've never found a decent package. Petrols do make sense and with some carefull shopping you should be able to buy a suitable boat run it for a year and then trade it in for the same price you bought it.

I am a fan of American sports cruisers the Bayliner 2455 or 2655 are both good value if a little lacking in finesse and the Maxums are a step up from Bayliners. Also worth checking out are Chaparral 240. Four Winns 248/268, Searay (Expensive but excellent quality) and Regal.

Lets face it most of these boats have the same engines and similar components at the end of the day it will come down to personal choice and Price. As a little bit of Information my brother bought a similar boat this weekend for 25K the asking price in this months MBY was 35K( he was helped by the fact that the previous owner had to sell it last weekend or pay the full years mooring on Monday)

Good luck and happy hunting.

 

[Sirus]

Binliner,Ouch!

 

[byron]

I have a strange feeling ...

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[trev]

Look in the brokerage and classified adds in the magazines- Then trawl around the marinas looking at what takes your fancy- Then talk to owners of similar boats. Don't rush into anything and keep to your budget.
It really all boils down to how much you want to spend and what you expect to do with the boat.


Trev

 

[hlb]

Re: Crap!!

Most of the good builders have stopped building boats of this size. My bet would be to buy some thing a little older and 33-35ft. Alot more stable, more room for the family and not falling over each other, then cursing, then going off boats all together. AND PLEASE DONT BUY PETROL.
1. Its so expencive in a boat it will probably bankrupt you.

2. If you get a bit of a leak it dosn't drop out on the floor like in a car. It stays in the bilge and blows up when least expecting.

3. To many things to go wrong with them and the electic bits dont like sea water.

4. Where the hell are you going to buy the stuff. Nearly no body sells it. And this is the big reason for not buying petrol. Not only is it £5 per gallon as opposed to £1 (Circ). Range is far less. So even if you find some, you cant go any where because you cant get any at the other end to come back!! Then cors, when you want to sell it you have to find some other numpty to buy it off you, who just happends to want to keep it next to the only petrol pump in the country.
Rant, rant, rant.

Oh and please. not a Binladin thingy! Think of the Neighbours when they get up in the morning with a sore head and having to look at that thing!!



Haydn

 

[Guest]

Hi Trev

Thank you for taking the time to reply, we are off to Roal Windsor yacht basin today to have a look at some craft.

Cheers

Dave

 

[Guest]

Hi Mark

Thanks for the reply, Do you rate the Sealine range. I was particulary impressed by the looks and lay out of the "S" range. Although looks only go skin deep, are you familiar enough with the craft to comment on thier sea keeping abilities. Would you say that they are a popular craft, which could be re-sold easily?.

Dave

 

[luckyjimbo]

Hi Davie
Why dont you have a look at these boats, they would represent a "cross section" of what your after:
Sealine S28 Bollero, bit expensive especially with diesel but good quality.
New Sealine S24, nice boat for two, but with your growing family not really realistic.
Bayliner 2855, good prices can be had, and they look very nice but some say they are not best quality.
Maxum 30SCR This one is really worth a look because it has permanent berths for four, and with twin diesels is quite econmical to run, but I have to say the one I was on soaked my socks because the canopy is made for sunnier climates then ours.
Make sure the dealers/brokers know your real serious to buy, and they'll bend over backwards to give you "test drives" while you make up your mind what to buy, I think thats alot of the fun of it.
Regards
James

 

[paulineb]

Think long and hard

Not binliner and not petrols. Do you really want your new family sitting on top of a potential fire/explosion. Choose diesel - more outlay I know, but much safer and cheaper to run.

Pxx

 

[Steve_D]

Re: Think long and hard

Just as a matter of interest, when was the last time anyone saw/heard of a petrol engined boat blowing up because of the fuel? I can't recall ever having heard of it in the channel islands. I seem to recall something a few years back but I'm sure that was gas related.

The Americans seem to go for petrol in a big way (well they would its cheaper than water over there) do they have a big problem with spontaneously combusting boats?

Regards

Steve D

 

[paulineb]

Re: Think long and hard

It may not catch fire due to a fuel related problem, but if a fire starts anywhere on the boat (due to electrical fault or otherwise) there is a serious risk of an explosion due to the explosive nature of petrol.

If Steve Owen had raced away in a diesel car instead of petrol one, he would still be in Eastenders ;-)

Pxx

 

[boatone]

Re: Think long and hard

There are some good things to say for petrol then..............!!!!!!

TonyR
boatone@boatsontheweb.com
www.boatsonthethames.co.uk

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

As already said do NOT buy a petrol powered boat. It will cost a fortune to run and be more difficult to sell. And do you want your new born kipping on a boat with 100gallons of highly combustible fuel under him/her however remote the risk?
My advice would be to look at boats a little older say upto 5 yrs with single diesel for minimum fuel/maintenance cost and possibly the type with a covered wheelhouse position which will give you more shelter and more space for brat to crawl around
I would look at the Nimbus 26 or 28 or similar offerings from Marex, Saga and others. With the right engine, these boats can do 18-20knots which is plenty when your new to boating

 

[traceyandsteve]

Hi Davie

I've got nothing to add to this lot about the boat to choose, but we're moored at Burnham, so if you want any general boating advice, feel free to drop by for a chat. Boat is called Argyll Princess and is moored in berth B1.

Cheers

Tracey & Steve

 

[longjohnsilver]

New boat

Is this your new boat, if so are you happy with it, how different to your old boat?

 

[oldgit]

Re: New boat

All very good advice but it is a good idea to budget 10% or so of the purchase price for a few bits and pieces to go wrong after you have bought your boat. It may be a bit less for a newish craft and a bit more for an older one but it is very annoying to have spent up to youe absolute max on the boat and then have no cash to sort a minor problem which stops you using your new toy.Best thing is to jump in and buy the boat YOU like.This then enables you to come on here and whinge about your purchase and then be subject to this lot being able to say "we told you so".Only comment is that not everthing newer is better and get something that your wife feels safe with and is happy to go out in.Something a bit slow and stable may be better than the latest curvy bubble boat rocket ship.Try going to front of the boat in hurry,can you get there safety? or is the access some stupid 3" ledge which slopes at 45 degrees and as smooth as glass or maybe even having to go up via the front hatch.This is vital when you urgently need to get the anchor over the side.Can you get into the boat easily, can you get to the oily bits easily,
If it is any consolation by the time you get your 10th boat you may get the one you want.

 

[Guest]

I like the Sealine range quite a lot, however when I was choosing our new boat I felt the S24 felt too small, its mainly due to the boat being 4" narrower than equivalent US boats, they also have side decks (rather than through windscreen bow access) this further reduces the interior dimensions.

As too sea keeping I have 2 freinds with small sealines an early Sealine 218 and a new S24. The 218 went with us on a 500 mile round trip from the solent to Channel Islands and France. The boat handled it with ease.

The advice to go out and look at a lot of boats is sound, choose a boat that you feel comfortable with and more importantly one the wife likes!!

I knew when they all woke up they would start banging on about diesel - they always do ;-). My advice about petrol was for the type of boat you are/were looking at (Single engine approx 25ft) If you do start to look larger or look at twins then I agree with the panel go diesel, but at 25ft its got to be petrol. Theres also a lot of scaremungering about petrol boats blowing up, load of rubbish. of course they can blow up, but then given the right conditions so can a diesel boat. if you maintain it correctly and use your bilge blower at appropriate times its as safe as anyboat.

The advice to go older, bigger and diesel can also backfire. Wives with newborns quite rightly tend to be a bit picky (mine was). Shes more likely to use a nearly new boat than an older slightly "used" one.

 

[lanason]

Re: Think long and hard

eAST bENDERS has got to be the most MORBID TV program ever invented - Get a life watch something more cheerful like Casualty !!!!



Adrian )

 

[ccscott49]

Re: Think long and hard

There was one in the channel islands at that time, the guy who worked on it and left the fuel filter cross threaded, used to work around me, not for long!!!!