Thames cruising 2023.

[volvopaul]

Hi all you may know me form the Motor boat forum and for as long as I can remember I have boated on the South Coast and Spain , because we have not boated for the last 6 plus years , other hobbies took over we have decided to give the Thames a go , we intend to cruise down to St Kats and up to Abingdon .

While my heart is saying flybridge up to 40ft my head is saying sports type cruiser , I want twin engine and a generator, we intended to stay on board at bank side where there are no facilities, I am bordering on semi retirement now so a suitable boat is required , as I have never cruised this area before I’d like any valuable input from you guys please , I intend to read every reply look forward to hearing from you all.

 

[Brayman]

Semi-retired = semi-displacement for those trips. Plenty of good options in the aft-cabin mold

 

[volvopaul]

Semi-retired = semi-displacement for those trips. Plenty of good options in the aft-cabin mold

Thanks , we down want i high sided aft cabin , I’ve always been a Broom fan , god knows I’ve worked on enough but not for me .

 

[harvey38]

I'm intrigued as to why twin engined and semi displacement if the majority of the time you'll be non- tidal and there have been many a Freeman 22 gone down to St. Kats. I get the length and genny for comfort but mind your headroom, there are quite a few wooden walkways that are pretty low, Cookham and Hurley 12'6" & 13' 1" spring to mind. Also watch your draught/draft - a single screw will provide plenty more mooring options. We talked of taking Tolerance back up towards Abingdon but she is too big and too fast as downstream, we'd be in excess of the speed limit and have negligible steering at tick over.

We were on the non-tidal for many years in three different boats in Bray then Abingdon marina, stunning scenery, great towns and pubs along the way. Without doubt you need The River Thames Book by Chris Cove-Smith, an ex- Lock keeper and the book is invaluable for information on all aspects of navigating the river and so much more.

Good luck, I have to say I am a little envious ?

 

[Scapegoat]

Hi all you may know me form the Motor boat forum and for as long as I can remember I have boated on the South Coast and Spain , because we have not boated for the last 6 plus years , other hobbies took over we have decided to give the Thames a go , we intend to cruise down to St Kats and up to Abingdon .

While my heart is saying flybridge up to 40ft my head is saying sports type cruiser , I want twin engine and a generator, we intended to stay on board at bank side where there are no facilities, I am bordering on semi retirement now so a suitable boat is required , as I have never cruised this area before I’d like any valuable input from you guys please , I intend to read every reply look forward to hearing from you all.

There are lots of twin engine Sealine sports cruisers on the river - also Fairline. As already mentioned, a lot of Bankside moorings can be quite shallow so single engine with thruster(s) tend to be more popular - alternatively, you could consider out drives that will lift enough to get you in . Don’t know about pods, but guessing that you do!
If you haven’t been on the Thames much, could be worth renting first to get some practical experience before buying. Kris Cruisers in Datchet have a clean and tidy fleet.

 

[Momac]

As you know I am not on the Thames but in the absence of much response from Thames boaters ...............

Experience driving from the flybridge on the river is the better view and less engine noise . Better visibility from the flybridge when mooring or going through a lock. Easier communication with the crew at the bow.
A big plus for us is when the weather is not so good you still get a view out from the saloon which you don't get from the saloon of a sports cruiser . The galley slave may also gets a view out. Flybridge boats seem to have more storage spaces but perhaps that's just my limited experience. eg we carry two folding bikes in our F33 lazarette which would have to go in the mid cabin of the equivalent sports cruiser.

A sports cruiser does have the advantage over the flybridge of more sociable cockpit space for those fair weather days and evenings.
A friend sold his Broom primarily due to mobility/access reasons. Climbing on board became a challenge and difficult engine access . I never thought I would see him with a sports cruiser with sterndrives. He now has a Hardy Seawings 355 which is a good design, it has wide side decks , good level access at the stern (he has a bigger than standard bathing platform). The only downside is the forward cabin is a bit small . It has a low air draft so well suited to river use . You might not like Mercruiser diesels which most seem to have but I see a Seawings 355 for sale just now with kad42's which looks like it need some TLC.

 

[Newbroom]

Paul can't see you with a Broom or a sports cruiser. I expect that you will very quickly want to explore further afield than St Kats and Abingdon. From the Thames it opens up the prospect of the East coast and Holland.
Most flybridge boats highest points are the radar arch so if the screen will get under the bridges the rest is a matter of hinging the arch to level with the highest point that still get you under the bridges.
With your expertise not a great problem. Gas struts can manage the weight easily or as Ross did on his Princess engine hatch electric struts worked perfectly.
You also need to consider the draft and exposure of underwater equipment (props etc)
With a draft of 1.3 on my 450 i struggle to get a far as Days lock. and usually end up dinking them somewhere on route.

 

[Bran]

River cruising is definitely better when steering from a higher position, as mentioned previously it makes lock working much easier especially when the lock keepers squeeze in as many boats as possible. Also consider the access between the helm and the rear cleat as having to descend a ladder to get to secure the boat can be a bit of a pain if you boat as a couple. Having some cover over the steering position is also an advantage but does add to the height.
Several of the nicer moorings are very shallow and we often use a large ball fender to keep the stern away from the bank. We also have a short plank to aid getting on and off the boat if we keep the boat away from the bank.
Above reading the EA quote navigable draught at 1.2 metres, but I have seen boats with slightly more draft as far up as Benson or Dorchester.
I often think about changing to a small steel barge as these seem best suited to the river but seems too big a change.
The river Thames book quoted is by far the best guide to the river, make sure you get the latest version 8th edition.

 

[Flynnbarr]

Do you want shafts or outdrives ?

 

[volvopaul]

Do you want shafts or outdrives ?

Open mind at the moment , no boat sourced yet .

 

[volvopaul]

As you know I am not on the Thames but in the absence of much response from Thames boaters ...............

Experience driving from the flybridge on the river is the better view and less engine noise . Better visibility from the flybridge when mooring or going through a lock. Easier communication with the crew at the bow.
A big plus for us is when the weather is not so good you still get a view out from the saloon which you don't get from the saloon of a sports cruiser . The galley slave may also gets a view out. Flybridge boats seem to have more storage spaces but perhaps that's just my limited experience. eg we carry two folding bikes in our F33 lazarette which would have to go in the mid cabin of the equivalent sports cruiser.

A sports cruiser does have the advantage over the flybridge of more sociable cockpit space for those fair weather days and evenings.
A friend sold his Broom primarily due to mobility/access reasons. Climbing on board became a challenge and difficult engine access . I never thought I would see him with a sports cruiser with sterndrives. He now has a Hardy Seawings 355 which is a good design, it has wide side decks , good level access at the stern (he has a bigger than standard bathing platform). The only downside is the forward cabin is a bit small . It has a low air draft so well suited to river use . You might not like Mercruiser diesels which most seem to have but I see a Seawings 355 for sale just now with kad42's which looks like it need some TLC.

Hi Martyn drop me a pm where the hardy is please

 

[oldgit]

Do you want shafts or outdrives ?

 

[Momac]

Hi Martyn drop me a pm where the hardy is please

PM sent.

 

[Gavin E]

We've got a fairline 36 sedan flybridge cruiser (on shafts for those that care) and find it perfect for the river. Ok, so we don't have the aft cabin of the 36 turbo, but that means we do get a very roomy interior that competes well with the sports cruiser layout in terms of a social area for those days when the sun is in hiding. We have taken her up as far as oxford and often visit abingdon, and we rarely find issues finding a mooring depth wise.
As has been said earlier in the thread the view position is great for the locks, but we have had to cut the radar arch down a tad to fit under the bridges. At cookham we only have about three inches of clearance at times but we manage....

 

[volvopaul]

Thanks everyone so far , interesting to hear that the 36 sedan will get to Abingdon with its arch down , I’d have thought the superstructure would have been too high .

So I have this list so far .

Sealine 360/F36 F37. Princess 40, Windy 37 Grand Mistral , Fairline Targa 40, Fairline Targa 43 , Brooms give great accommodation but lack exterior space on the aft deck .
budget is 100/125k max .

 

[oldgit]

We have 5 Fairline Sedan 36 on our moorings, those with a hinged arch have been under Windsor with a few inches to sapre
Last time we counted 7 Turbo 36 as well , most with hinged arches.
Just out of interest , despite the naysayers warnings of doom, many of the above have also been on club cruises ending with drying mud berths.

The radar arch on the Sealines(s) appears to bit fiddly to get up and down, being set well aft on the fly and difficult to manhandle down and backup.
One skipper with a F 33 did say that he was reluctant to go back up on a repeat Thames visit simply due to the faffing involved .
Cannot recall any motorised arches either , all were raised and lowered by the Armstrong method.
Cost of motorising an arch properly appears to be around £2-3K.

 

[Chris_d]

Thanks everyone so far , interesting to hear that the 36 sedan will get to Abingdon with its arch down , I’d have thought the superstructure would have been too high .

So I have this list so far .

Sealine 360/F36 F37. Princess 40, Windy 37 Grand Mistral , Fairline Targa 40, Fairline Targa 43 , Brooms give great accommodation but lack exterior space on the aft deck .
budget is 100/125k max .

Thats a good list, in fact has several that are on my list for my next Thames and coastal boat, I would also favour a sports cruiser for Thames use as the larger open cockpits are ideal especially if you want to take more than a couple of people out entertaining. Aft cabin boats have fantastic accommodation but even a 42ft Broom barely has a cockpit bigger than a 25-30ft sports cruiser.
I would personally not have a flybridge on the river as although the view is great and it quiet up there, you can't have any shade as a Bimini would have to be constantly lowered and raised. Shafts vs outdrives, well ignoring all the maintenance issues which I'm sure you are fully aware of anyway, I would lean towards outdrives for the river. Having been jumping between a Princess 35 on shafts and 32ft Sports Cruiser on outdrives I would miss the seemingly infinite maneuverability options you have with outdrives in tight spaces, shafts seem much more limiting and clumsy on comparison, however straight line stability is much better.

 

[oldgit]

wirtho

Thats a good list, in fact has several that are on my list for my next Thames and coastal boat, I would also favour a sports cruiser for Thames use as the larger open cockpits are ideal especially if you want to take more than a couple of people out entertaining. Aft cabin boats have fantastic accommodation but even a 42ft Broom barely has a cockpit bigger than a 25-30ft sports cruiser.
I would personally not have a flybridge on the river as although the view is great and it quiet up there, you can't have any shade as a Bimini would have to be constantly lowered and raised. Shafts vs outdrives, well ignoring all the maintenance issues which I'm sure you are fully aware of anyway, I would lean towards outdrives for the river. Having been jumping between a Princess 35 on shafts and 32ft Sports Cruiser on outdrives I would miss the seemingly infinite maneuverability options you have with outdrives in tight spaces, shafts seem much more limiting and clumsy on comparison, however straight line stability is much better.

Without wishing to pick a fight.
On the upper reaches of the river with open fields and stiff breeze breeze on the beam you will need be on a constant alert of a outdrive boat deciding to wander off course, this is made worse of course by the slow speed of the boat.
The real excitment comes when you are going up through a lock and the same conditions await on exit.
Just be ready to correct the drift when the wind catches the hull.
Shafts are so much more relaxing and you can usually nod off between locks ,try that on breezy day with O********* and river bank here we come.

Ask me how I know
.The Bimini conundrum .
The Bimini comes into its own on long offshore cruises , being up there for hours on end underway under a hot sun can be very wearing and bit of shelter and the breeze generated is boon.
On the Thames majority of the time spent on the boat will be at rest moored up and usually very little of the day spent underway and an hour at best on the longest stretches between locks.
It never rains just pours ?
Tent boats are fine as day boats .......until it rains.., zips.chrome poles, press studs, Dzus clips, more zips and huddling under damp damp canvas peering through misted saggy acrylic windows , with the Fly its just down stairs into a dry spacious saloon until the sun comes back out.
Sports boats tend to have some interesting methods of accessing the side decks, OK when you need to go forward only on departure or return but every 30 mins between locks ? H,mmm.
Old folks day out.

T43 on shafts.
Accommodation below fine for Two Hobbits, who would be feel right at home ie no natural light but certainly no room for any extra Dwarves.
Gorgeous down here in the "Med" but on rainy day in Royal Berkshire. ?
Just in case your wondering OG is taking the pix and moaning about the heat.

 

[Chris_d]

wirtho


Without wishing to pick a fight.
On the upper reaches of the river with open fields and stiff breeze breeze on the beam you will need be on a constant alert of a outdrive boat deciding to wander off course, this is made worse of course by the slow speed of the boat.
The real excitment comes when you are going up through a lock and the same conditions await on exit.
Just be ready to correct the drift when the wind catches the hull.
Shafts are so much more relaxing and you can usually nod off between locks ,try that on breezy day with O********* and river bank here we come.

Ask me how I know.

Wouldn't disagree with the sentiment but after 40 years + driving all sorts on the river in all conditions its all down to the skipper at the end of the day, we all have our preferences

 

[oldgit]

Wouldn't disagree with the sentiment but after 40 years + driving all sorts on the river in all conditions its all down to the skipper at the end of the day, we all have our preferences

Yea I know but its wet cold damp foggy morning and BA all else to do but bash the keys !
Looking forward to coming round again next year,