The motor boat bug is calling me.

[phedge]

Hello and thank you for taking time to read my first post.

My main question is am I dreaming or can I start this hobby at the level I would like? I have read most of the posts on this forum and like others I don't like loans other than my mortgage. So that said I have 40-44k for a boat and from what I have read/found I believe I can comfortably afford the fuel, berthing and yearly maintenance of a motor boat.

My aim is to get a boat that is capable of reaching Guernsey as I have family there and would like to weekend over the summer. Taking that into account I would like to get there fairly quickly and on arrival be able to sleep aboard for 2-3 nights.

Looking at various websites it seems to me that I would be after a 9-12m boat with diesel engines capable of cruising around 20knots. With my funds I am looking at boats up to 50k and there are quite a few available, however they fall into 2 camps. Boats I have heard of such as sealine, sunseeker and fairline then boats that are new to me. The "mainstream" if I may use that word boats seem to be at best 1992 builds whereas the others seem to be as new as 1998.

My questions if you would be so kind are:

1) Should I aim for well known makes on the assumption they are built to last or newer models again assuming they have more life left

2) I have estimated approx 4k for mooring in the Poole area, and 2-3k for servicing each year. Is this realistic

3) Finally should I wait another year and aim for a 60k budget for the boat?

Your experience and knowledge would be most gratefully received.

Kind regards

Paul

 

[hlb]

Now that boats have dropped considerably in price, I think you could do it quite easily. Go for a good make like Princess or Fairline. Shaft drive, then no problem with old outdrives, besides they handle much better and are more sea kindly.

To be reasonably comfortable in most seas, think 35ft'ish or more.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Yes I think you're being realistic but don't forget that you'll be spending £2-3k pa on fuel and maybe £600 on insurance. I'm not sure you will get a 12m mooring for £4k per year but 9m should be possible. Your maintenance budget is reasonable unless you get a major breakdown and it won't cover any improvements you want to make to your boat. Also you will have to budget for an initial spend of maybe £1-2k on things like lifejackets, waterproofs, tuition etc. Don't skimp on these items. Lastly you will have to consider depreciation as well which won't hit you until you sell the boat but could easily be 5-10% pa
As this is your first boat, it is very likely that you go through 2 or 3 boats quite quickly as you discover what kind of boat you really want and that only comes thru experience. The best advice to minimise depreciation is to buy a mainstream builder and the names you have mentioned fit that bill and with your budget, definitely go with diesel rather than petrol. There are many other good manufacturers out there. To name a few others you could look at Scandinavian makes like Nimbus, Aquador or Windy and French makes like Jeanneau or Beneteau and the Spanish builder, Rodman. All these names are popular in the UK.
The good news is that the boat industry is in recession as you might imagine and there will be good bargains out there so shop around and offer well below asking price initially. Go to the London boat show in January, have a look around to get some idea of what kind of boat you might like. Don't be too put off by high new prices because large discounts should be available and secondhand prices for the same models will be much cheaper
Good luck, keep us posted

 

[robyonfrome]

Firstly I would definitely go for one of the mainstream boats as I believe it is always easier to sell when you need to, I went for sealine with that in mind. The newer boat you can afford the better, I would say but I would not sacrifice size for age. I wanted a boat that had lots of room as we go away on it most weekend including now, even though last weekend was freezing it was cosy with the ebo & mains heating. If you want to go across the channel you definitely need twin engines, the guy who had the boat before me crossed many times but Im a bit reluctant. My boats a sealine 29 ambassador very roomy for that size, but because of its age 1990 I have had to renew many things, My ideal boat would be 10 years younger with a single diesel engine for economy and maintenance.

 

[goochie]

Definitely doable I would say. If you're prepared to go a bit older then you could pick up a goodish Fairline Corsica, Princess 35 or Sealine 290 / 310 for that money. If you wanted something a little newer and didn't mind a single engine, then you could definitely make offers on dealer stock of used Beneteau 9 series or Janneau Merry Fisher 925 and get somewhere. Also available would be an older Storebro / Nimbus etc. Anything with twin Volvo AD41's should do Channel Islands with no problems, just check the tank sizes carefully as some older boats had quite small tanks.

 

[RobWales]

Twin engines to cross the channel is no doubt preffered but not at must.
Previous owner of the boat I've only just sold (Bayliner 2858 with a yanmar 315 installed 2006) took it across on numerous occasions.
OK peace of mind being a relitavley new engine.
Ellesar who is a forum member on here has the exact same boat and yanmar engine combo for sale at a very good price,suggest you send him a PM for details.
Rob

 

[nonitoo]

This year I have crossed the Channel 8 times in my Bayliner 275 with single 200 hp Mercruiser diesel.

Tom

 

[neale]

[ QUOTE ]
This year I have crossed the Channel 8 times in my Bayliner 275 with single 200 hp Mercruiser diesel.

Tom

[/ QUOTE ]

I have also crossed the Channel many times in a single engined boat but I can understand the comfort gained by having 2 engines, even taking into account the extra fuel and servicing costs and the lower top speeds.

 

[andy59]

[ QUOTE ]
This year I have crossed the Channel 8 times in my Bayliner 275 with single 200 hp Mercruiser diesel.

Tom

[/ QUOTE ]maybe if some of us single engine boaters get together to cross the channel then we will have more than 1 engine /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[strakeryrius]

Quote:
I have estimated approx 4k for mooring in the Poole area

Not if you go up to 11m or approx 35' in a marina in that area - its more likely to be at least £5K - some of them want as much as £7K for a boat that sort of size.

 

[petem]

£44k should (just with a lot of haggling) get you into a decent mid to late Targa 29. Easily capable of crossing the channel and will give you some comfort for a 3 night stay.

If you're lucky you might even turn a small profit if the markets picked up when you sell it.

Pete

 

[nonitoo]

Indeed so, my only reason for posting was that, while it would be good to have two engines, one well maintained engine can be a more economical alternative.

It really all depends on your planned usage and having confidence in your power plant.

Tom

 

[phedge]

Thank you all for your comments, its really good to hear that I am on track. My wife and I will be looking at boats during the Christmas holidays and who knows may even get lucky.

Paul

 

[breezer5012]

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