Sub 25'ft'ers help and opinions please

Moonshiners

Moonshiners

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www.speedandstrip.co.uk
Sub 25\'ft\'ers help and opinions please

Okay, as per some recent posts we've sold out little sailing boat and decided to come to the darkside for a little while. We've narrowed down our search to some local available boats. Any advise would be appreciated.

Were looking for something that could do the channel now and again, and cruise the south coast, Weymouth to Chichester and beyond regularly as well as the normal solent runs. A decent Cabin, sea toilet and reliable runner that can be kept year round on a swing mooring is somthing we will also have to concider, as I know alot of these boats are designed more for marina/trailering looking at the size of the mooring cleats. Looking in the 12k bracket.

So far we've narrowed it down to:

Bayliner 2352 350ci
Maxum 2300 250hp Merc
Regal 2150 penta 4.3
Bayliner 2755 350ci merc
Sealine 210 3.0 Merc
Skibsplast 600D 60hp Yanmar prop driven

most are circa 1996 or newer
I think all the boats suit our purpose, but any practical advise on these models especially in terms of suitable for Swing mooring year round would be much appreciated. I understand i have to be extra carefull with anodes etc... but anything else i have to think about?

Thanks! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Re: Sub 25\'ft\'ers help and opinions please

you will really notice the difference in size on the water;my experience was that it a larger boat manages far better, so I d look at 23ft and up.
You may know, but a smaller powerboat is very different in the water than a saily.. the saily you go up and over a wave like a cork, and a power one tends to bash about a bit more. The Solent chop can be a right pain, to be honest. To that end, a sharper dead rise will help.
You can of course do it, but few people go very far in boats of this size. Channel crossing would be quite a trip, and for much outside the Solent, you ll be wanting some unusually good sea and weather.
Having said all that, I always rather liked the 2150...
 
Re: Sub 25\'ft\'ers help and opinions please

From that list, I would consider the Bayliner 2755 at the top of the tree. Its the biggest boat, and the heaviest which is going to be the most comfortable for cruising the channel as you suggest.

Also the Maxum 2300 also worth considering.

All the boats you list will be a compromise, and you will need to boat with wetaher and conditions at the forefront of your planning. But, you should find a good boat that you can do what you want on.
 
Re: Sub 25\'ft\'ers help and opinions please

Hi guys thanks for your opinions, the 2755 (unknown year at the moment) certainly is the oldest of the bunch (big old black dash) but as you say is the biggest and therefore would handle a little better than the smaller ones It's the only slightly large boat weve concidered.

IS there much difference between the 4.3 Penta (for example) and these 350 V8 blocks in terms of Fuel, servicing, reliability etc...? I used to build vintage yanky cars so am well aware of the GM 350 blocks, but unsure how they compare in marine situations...
 
Re: Sub 25\'ft\'ers help and opinions please

The older the engine, the more fuel it will use. I guess from the ages of the boats you are considering, they will all be pre-MPI electronic engines.

Like for like the engines will use about the same juice for the same speed in the same boat. Of course, the 4.3 is likely to come with a smaller boat so use less fuel but that is more to do with the boat if you get what I mean.

None of them are going to be that efficient - for the 350V8 in the 2755 I would budget for a consumption figure of around 45-50l/hour at a modest mid 20's cruise. If you were looking at a 4.3 in the Maxum 2300 for expamle, I guess that could drop to 35-40l/hour.

If you are looking at two 2755's for example go for the one with the bigger engine. A bigger engine is working less hard at cruising speeds so may actaully use less.

Of course, with a bigger engine there is always the temptation to open the taps and then it will driiiiiinnnnnnnnkkkkkk /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Re: Sub 25\'ft\'ers help and opinions please

I would say that the main issue that has not been mentioned yet is that it is most likely that all the petrol boats you have mentioned will be raw water cooled. You wont be flushing them out on a swing mooring so your engine could (in salt water) suffer badly from corrosion damage in an expensive way in as little as three years.
Do not believe that a larger boat will always handle waves better than a small one. The statement may tend to be true for boats of a similar age, but the issue has more to do with design. Certainly my current new(ish) 21ft 1.2tonne boat is far better in the rough than my previous 20 year old 25ft 2.5 tonner which I think reflects how designs have improved.
I am not convinced by Westline's statement regarding fuel consumption. To me, the bigger the engine, the more fuel it will use, even if boat and speed are equal, maybe an interesting subject to research further!
 
Re: Sub 25\'ft\'ers help and opinions please

[ QUOTE ]
I would say that the main issue that has not been mentioned yet is that it is most likely that all the petrol boats you have mentioned will be raw water cooled. You wont be flushing them out on a swing mooring so your engine could (in salt water) suffer badly from corrosion damage in an expensive way in as little as three years.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry - I have to disagree with you. Having just sold a yacht myself that was fitted with a 1991 (year) Yanmar engine, I can vouch for the fact that raw water cooling does not necessarily knacker your engine. The important thing is to keep the engine well serviced (as ever) but I would not be put of a raw water cooled boat.

Anyway - what about indirect raw water cooling engines (of which there are many). You don't hear vast number of complaints about corrosion in these or direct cooled engines, so its not really an issue.

Regarding your intentions - we have a small motor boat too. Its only 17ft (Orkney 520) and we have taken it up to 16 miles offshore. At that sort of distance out, you feel rather exposed, but because it is a semi displacement boat and quite heavy lay-up for its size, I was quite happy. Even so, its not a thing to take lightly. As for going cross channel in a sub-25ft boat, yes, its perfectly possible, but I'd be far more cautious about doing it in a planning (i.e. light displacement ratio) vessel than in something that is more heavily laid up. Its all very well pounding across but its if/when the engine fails and you're left to drift for a couple of hours whilst the lifeboat comes out that you would really consider yourself better off with a bigger/heavier boat. Of course, I'm also presuming that you wouldn't set off back across the channel, if say, the weather turned nasty and you have a force 6 on the nose.

Anyway, good luck with the hunting.
 
Re: Sub 25\'ft\'ers help and opinions please

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I would say that the main issue that has not been mentioned yet is that it is most likely that all the petrol boats you have mentioned will be raw water cooled. You wont be flushing them out on a swing mooring so your engine could (in salt water) suffer badly from corrosion damage in an expensive way in as little as three years.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry - I have to disagree with you. Having just sold a yacht myself that was fitted with a 1991 (year) Yanmar engine, I can vouch for the fact that raw water cooling does not necessarily knacker your engine. The important thing is to keep the engine well serviced (as ever) but I would not be put of a raw water cooled boat.

Anyway - what about indirect raw water cooling engines (of which there are many). You don't hear vast number of complaints about corrosion in these or direct cooled engines, so its not really an issue.

Regarding your intentions - we have a small motor boat too. Its only 17ft (Orkney 520) and we have taken it up to 16 miles offshore. At that sort of distance out, you feel rather exposed, but because it is a semi displacement boat and quite heavy lay-up for its size, I was quite happy. Even so, its not a thing to take lightly. As for going cross channel in a sub-25ft boat, yes, its perfectly possible, but I'd be far more cautious about doing it in a planning (i.e. light displacement ratio) vessel than in something that is more heavily laid up. Its all very well pounding across but its if/when the engine fails and you're left to drift for a couple of hours whilst the lifeboat comes out that you would really consider yourself better off with a bigger/heavier boat. Of course, I'm also presuming that you wouldn't set off back across the channel, if say, the weather turned nasty and you have a force 6 on the nose.

Anyway, good luck with the hunting.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for another point of view, as far as cross channel, we would only do it with other boats and in good weather, in terms of safety, it was more just a reflection of reasonable expectation of the hull and engines.
 
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