Thames cruising 2023.

[Chris_d]

See you added the pics of the T43 in the med, in fact that is the Thames these days post climate change, definitely need the shade. Most boats on the river are used as day boats with optional overnight stays so hence sports cruiser is best of both worlds. The most popular boats on the river have always been and still are open cockpit boats of some sort.

 

[oldgit]

See you added the pics of the T43 in the med, in fact that is the Thames these days post climate change, definitely need the shade.

The Thames in high summer, sunshade in use .. but which lock ?
Note the crew of the sports boats in the back getting slowly soaked and wondering if they ought to turn the bilge pumps on before heading back to the marina.

 

[Chris_d]

Boulters.
Yes but now untypical we always have the top up anyway so light showers not a problem, just fully open sides so shade and sun,

 

[oldgit]

Now just got to await the outcome of Pauls search.
Brooms are off the list.............

 

[Chris_d]

Yes

Now just got to await the outcome of Pauls search.
Brooms are off the list.............

Got a feeling we will be looking at the same boats as Paul in the new year, bugger!

 

[oldgit]

Would appear from the listings to be a lack of choice for anybody upgrading to something mid range a little bigger and a bit nicer..
Lots of small "starter" boats and some fairly expensive top end stuff on sale but very little now in the traditional £75 -150 K sports or Fly Prinline section once found the Thames.
Princess 415/410 et al, Fairline Targas and F36 Sedan/ Turbos and a complete absence of smaller Corniches and P35/P388.
As for even finding a Phantom 38/ 43 or Princess 420
Even the hard to shift if nothing else around choice of Sealine 43s are disappearing.
Big advantage of buying a Thames boat for use on the Thames would be its already been modified for Thames use ie. Hinged Arch.
Anything likely to be put on the market has been sold over last 3 three years and now no choice but to look further afield. ?

 

[Chris_d]

From our brief conversation with one Thames based broker it appears the market has cooled massively compared to last year, however asking prices are staying stubbornly high, have spotted a few exceptions but they have been snapped up fairly quickly.
My feeling is that low ball offers are coming back and this will bring the prices down but it will take a while as those that overpaid in the last two years will be reluctant to take a loss.

 

[Pump-Out]

Well, for a true Thames boat, with twin screw and flybridge:
Sunstar – a 45ft Bates Starcraft - Henley Sales & Charter

But you'd have to deal with a timber hull.

 

[Chris_d]

Well, for a true Thames boat, with twin screw and flybridge:
Sunstar – a 45ft Bates Starcraft - Henley Sales & Charter

But you'd have to deal with a timber hull.

Thats a lovely boat and the asking price has nearly halved! Shame he rebuilt the original Perkins though and didn't put modern engines in it.

 

[Parabordi]

Thats a lovely boat and the asking price has nearly halved! Shame he rebuilt the original Perkins though and didn't put modern engines in it.

I always wondered what the name was, totally unreadable when you pass.

 

[Chris_d]

I always wondered what the name was, totally unreadable when you pass.

Yes if I bought that boat I would rip that sticker off before the first trip

 

[volvopaul]

Well, for a true Thames boat, with twin screw and flybridge:
Sunstar – a 45ft Bates Starcraft - Henley Sales & Charter

But you'd have to deal with a timber hull.

That’s ex radio 1 do Chris Evan's boat outside his house at Marlow.

 

[Chris_d]

That’s ex radio 1 do Chris Evan's boat outside his house at Marlow.

Yes, he has actually moved up to Temple now and also owns the moorings there.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

Nice boats those Starcrafts. Originally the larger ones had a nice little Stuart Turner single cylinder 2 stroke driving 12v dynamo for charging the batteries. A lovely little thing with a nice control panel with ammeter and voltmeter. Very quiet as petrol and not greedy. Handy thing to have on a boat which is quite luxurious. I noticed one where they had taken it out and put in a little cocooned diesel set. Not as nice but then these days people want more and more mod cons. I suppose they might have had a hairdryer! On a boat ! That's shocking bad form.

 

[Newbroom]

Thats a lovely boat and the asking price has nearly halved! Shame he rebuilt the original Perkins though and didn't put modern engines in it.

Those engines came out of Carician (40ft Starcraft) when I re -engined her in 96/97 with a pair of Volvo TMD40s. I sold the Perkins engines to the then owner of White Minx.

 

[oldgit]

But you'd have to deal with a timber hull.

Much of OGs early boating was done in wooden boats, a never ending labour of love especially when buying a classic boat.

Double Diagonal...probably more susceptible to rot than Clinker or Carvel.
"The second biggest downside is when repairs are needed. A rotten strake on a carvel planked hull is simple to repair, simply remove the plank and replace it with a new one. On double diagonal, if a plank on the inside begins to rot, all the outer planks that cover that board need to be removed just to gain access to that board. This adds considerable labor to the process, and the costs go up as well as new bedding compound will be needed to re-bed the entire area that had to be opened up. "

 

[Chris_d]

Those engines came out of Carician (40ft Starcraft) when I re -engined her in 96/97 with a pair of Volvo TMD40s. I sold the Perkins engines to the then owner of White Minx.

Out of interest what engines did Sunstar originally have? It seems to have been one of the hirefleet and not built as a private boat.
My parents used to have an ex hirefleet Starcraft 30 and it was built differently to the private boats, carvel hull planking etc...

 

[Chris_d]

Actually forgot to just look here: Starcraft Owners Club See it had BMC 2.5 diesels originally.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

I thought they had Rootes 6 cylinder petrol engines in them when built.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

Much of OGs early boating was done in wooden boats, a never ending labour of love especially when buying a classic boat.

Double Diagonal...probably more susceptible to rot than Clinker or Carvel.
"The second biggest downside is when repairs are needed. A rotten strake on a carvel planked hull is simple to repair, simply remove the plank and replace it with a new one. On double diagonal, if a plank on the inside begins to rot, all the outer planks that cover that board need to be removed just to gain access to that board. This adds considerable labor to the process, and the costs go up as well as new bedding compound will be needed to re-bed the entire area that had to be opened up. "

If I remember right they were teak which is OK for double diag construction. Maybe they were mahogany.

Wooden boats are a nightmare. Its really nice when people can throw enough money at them to look good but other than that it would be a nightmare. I've owned about 25 boats over the years and only one was wooden. A clinker built "Twinkle ten" rowing boat by Wrights of Ipswich which the owner before me had obliterated with epoxy resin. Nice enough boat.

Since then my boats with accomodation have been steel and the pleasure craft for daytime use are GRP.

HRR worked this out with the umpire launches. The new ones are GRP. At the end of the day GRP for lighter craft is actually an incredibly sensible material.

For durability and larger boats you can't beat steel.