Stupid questions from new guy.

[russmonkey]

I'm so new to this I don't have a boat yet but I would appreciate some info to help me decide what to buy.
Looking to spend around £7000 on a sports boat with a 2 berth cuddy, any advice on makes and models at this price would be great.
Also , what kind of mpg could I expect from a 100hp or 200hp
engine?
Lastly , does anybody know of reasonably priced moorings in north/east kent , with easy access to the Thames estuary.
Back with more dumb questions soon.

 

[emcm0025]

Hi there,
having been in that price bracket, I would say look at the bayliner cuddys lots of them and can be had for good prices, as to fuel most boats 2 berth cuddys will be inboards 3 liter to 4.2, at which rate your talking about 3.3 ish mpg. But thats just my thoughts.

All the best in the hunt, but the bug bites and 6 months to a year you will be trading up.

Ewan

 

[Alrob]

agree with rinker232 about the bayliners.

how are you getting on with engine probs ewan

 

[russmonkey]

Thanks for the tip off. Would you consider something like the Bayliner capable of (eventually) crossing the channel?

Russell

 

[Alrob]

yes no probs
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as long as its by ferry /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[emcm0025]

Not heard a thing about it, all know that prossers said to the marina that there is issues and problems with the engine and that was it havent heard from them at all this week but guess thats understandable due to the boat show. Were you at the show today?

sorry for the off topic

 

[Alrob]

no

I am in the middle of house moving so probably wont get down until Sunday

 

[powerskipper]

there is no such thing as a stupid question if you need an answer to it, so keep asking away. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[russmonkey]

Is it reasonable to want to test a boat on the water if you are serious about buying it?

Russ

 

[powerskipper]

if you are serious yes, but a deposit is normally expected and most sales are on provision of successful sea trail and survey.

 

[Nautorius]

Hi Russ,

Firstly Welcome!
Secondly you are on the right tack for a new boat. A good cuddy of 1998/2000 vintage should be accesable. Look at the usual bayliers and Maxums, try and avoid the old Glastrons as they will be in a bad state and consider a chaparral 205SE.

However my wild car would be a Fletcher 19GTO. Great boats, hold their value and there are plenty of loved ones around. And that brings me to part 3

Condition. The way a boat looks is a good guide of how it has been looked after. Anyone can give it a good clean but that will not hide the years of neglect. Ask for reciepts for servicing, ask how often used and where, look at condition of all covers and seats, is there any leaks in the cuddy, has the owner added nice touches or bodged jobs!

and fourthly, boats are easy to buy and hard to sell, buy right and you will have a boat to use. Buy wrong and your boat will disappoint you!

Cheers

paul /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[russmonkey]

Great , thanks for that.
Now to get on with the serious business of salivating over boats & outboards website.

Cheers,

Russell

 

[lenseman]

[ QUOTE ]
Is it reasonable to want to test a boat on the water if you are serious about buying it?
Russ

[/ QUOTE ]

Of course it is reasonable to test on the water to check the sea keeping abilities and whether it leaks or vibrates at various engine speeds. Do all the engine linkages work correctly and throttle up and down successfully. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

How about going from ahead to astern, is the transition smooth? What about radar and echo. sounder, do they all work correctly? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

The list can be endless and FINALLY take someone with you who will NOT be wearing 'rose-tinted' spectacles, someone who will be 'devils-advocate.

All this should be done BEFORE you pay for a marine inspection and always make your purchase SUBJECT to a satisfactory marine inspection.

Good luck /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[russmonkey]

Thanks Paul, excellent advice.

I assume everything at this price would be "sold as seen".

Regards,

Russ

 

[hlb]

Firstly I would advise a boat on a trailer, Kept in the back garden and launched when or where ever.

Second, I would forget sports boats, all singing. No song.

Yes they hack it in in the boat show, or in the marina. But at sea or in a comfotorble anchorage. Different story.

So you need to get on deck, drop the anchor, whatever. This dont happen at boat shows. So from my experiece, forget sports boats. Go for a hull you can walk round.

Umm work on a mile per gallon.

 

[gjgm]

Id guess at this price you are looking at about 18/19ft. This is fine for sheltered waters, but it will feel very very small any distance off the coast. 21ft might not sound much bigger, but it is. Look at lots of boats, and please do not buy the first one!
GRP is pretty cheap stuff.The engine is where to cost is, so, yes, of course pay attention to the boat itself, but be really sure about the motor; that can really empty your bank account.
Just so you get the picture, forget babes in bikinis and you in your speedos, and start thinking windproof fleeces and waterproofs- this isnt the Med!
Fuel- reckon on maybe £1000 a year as a benchmark. In your budget allow for training,safety gear and some repairs/servicing. To give you an idea, maybe up to £500 a year for the engine, and possibly another £250 every two years for the leg.
Everyone first talks about cross channel; yes, it can be done, but you ll quickly realise that you need more experience and a bigger boat!
Hope you are afloat in time for the summer, and have fun.

 

[Channel Ribs]

There are moorings in North Kent, but you may like to consider a trailer boat as there are even more slipways. This will keep the cost of ownership down and give you some options for boating in other areas.

There is something to be said for avoiding sports boats; they are fine for pulling a donut or a quick blast in fine weather, but if you want to cross the channel you may want something of an all rounder.

 

[landlockedpirate]

Your budget is tight, but it is possible. Lots of makes already mentioned. For this kind of money you will be looking at the sub 20ft cuddy sector. (Bayliner 1950, Maxum 1900sc, Doral, Fletcher.) If running costs are a major factor, choose an outboard version. They will have slightly higher mpg costs but much cheaper servicing. If you do go for an inboard the 3.0l's are a lot cheaper to run than the 4.3's.

The wild card could be a Chapparel, for some reason they are unloved everywhere but Wales !! Because of this you can pick up excellent 205's for a lot less money than equivelent Bayliners etc.

I have done the channel in small boats, but without experience, lots of practice, training and a couple of bigger boats for company I would'nt bother. We have some fantastic cruising grounds in England, if you get the urge to go further, stick it on a trailer and take it down to the Med for a couple of weeks.

Mark

 

[oldgit]

Would agree with others that trailer would be best.However there is only one place to keep your boat if you want fast access to Thames estuary.The Medway can offer everything from £ 2000k posh marina berthing to £180 PA cheapo mudberths in the Swale .Plus when the weather is manky outside (50% of time),loads of creeks to fish in and up river to explore after the lock at Allington.

 

[Mike_S]

We started with exactly the same intentions this time last year, plan was to buy a small cheap sportsboat on a trailer, with an absolute top end budget of £7k, that we could use for waterskiing etc to get the feel for boating back and then maybe upgrade to something better in a year or so. That brought us into the realms of the Bayliner's, Fletchers and Maxum's of the world of late 90's vintage, even the odd early Searay. However we soon realised that what's already been said here was true, that boats are easy to buy, yet hard to sell so we took a longer term view on keeping the boat and adjusted the budget somewhat, so I had to part with my sportscar /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

We looked at sooooo many boats it's unreal as you soon realise that they're not all the same and you really need to work out what you want to do with it. Daft things like having a 2 berth cuddy that even a midget couldn't lie straight in even though the boat was 23ft long, or not being able to sit up straight in the cuddy without being bent double, not being able to stand at the helm under the canvas without being bent down, that kind of thing. All these things came into play and we ended up with a Regal 2150 on a huge trailer for £15k and it's turned out to be superb, even though we've only had it 5 weeks and I'm having my fair share of 'issues' with it.

As a new boater, some things I'll say are buy on condition, take someone with you who knows about boats and isn't suffering from the rosey glow of the specs you're wearing and make sure you see all the records of maintenance. Also make sure if you're planning on buying a boat on a trailer that your car is up to the job of towing it (sounds daft I know, but these boats are heavy buggers especially on a slipramp when full of fuel etc). We bought on condition with an assurance from the brokerage that the service records were impeccable. Those service records are now mysteriously missing (but the boat is in very good condition) and I do question some of the things I've found. I'd also try to buy off the owner next time, rather than a brokerage. Owners should know more about the boat and what things do / where things go, the brokerage knew next to bugger all really and that's been a big stumbling block for us as new boaters. Thankfully Regal in the US have been quite helpful when I emithered them about a few things.

Ultimately though, enjoy it and be prepared for the day when SWMBO sits there looking up at the mahoosive brand new Targa 38 that's just moored up alongside you and says "I'd quite like a bigger boat" even though you've only had this one a few weeks. Wimmin. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Anyway, enough of my drivel. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif