The Perfect Fishing Boat ?? Colvic Vs Plymouth Pilot

fishingboat101

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Does it exist? maybe so, however not having much look finding the 'one'. I have a few makes I like, however some of the essential things I would need on the boat some have one essential and the others another.

two of the boats i had in mind are the Colvic Seaworker 22 and the Plymouth Pilot 18. here are my thoughts..

A displacement boat, which is essential with me as where I live we get rain and chop 350 days of the year (Ireland) , therefore she would need to be comfortable and sturdy in a chop as well as not prone to heavy rolling. Both boats score well here as they have nice hull shapes that in my experience of other displacement boats should be sturdy. I have never been in either on the water so maybe if anybody has they could share some thoughts here?

The enclosed wheelhouse is a must for me, just a pure want more than a need. both the Pilot and the Sea worker fit the bill here.

Ideally id like to have a small V-Berth in her up forward, headroom in the berth area is not essential. here the Sea-worker hits the mark. she has a lovely set up with the accommodation, everything you would ever want with her toilet, space for a cooker and berth. I am aware you loose a bit of deck space but it doesn't bother me much as 3 would be the max I would have onboard fishing. the V berth is for myself and the missus as we might take a trip to some islands near us in the summer and stay on board.

Speed - The big one, now I know that with displacement hulls you sacrifice speed for stability. I am not looking for Warrior or Alaska speeds. 12 knots would be ideal. From what I read on the other sites and the videos I have seen the Colvic Seaworker is plenty fast for what I want. however the Pilot is just a tad on the slow side at 7 knots. I am not a big engine buff, I know that theres only so fast a hull will go, so putting a bigger engine on a pilot probably wont work, but I am curious has anyone done it and if so how did it turn out? did you get much extra speed?

Trailer - This is extremely important and where the Seaworker falls big time. The boat needs to be relativity easy to transport by myself. The pilot comes in at a respectable 750kg (approx.) therefore just on the limit for braked trailer as opposed to the Seaworker in at around 1.2 ton (so I have been reading). This alone would make the Plymouth Pilot more attractive to me as they often come with good road trailers and even to buy a road trailer for one would be relatively easy to come across and not uncommon to get a bargain for a second hand one. This is also an important factor because I will most likely be buying the boat from the UK as the selection here in Ireland is not great. I am not sure about the law in the UK but with us in Ireland we need a license to tow a trailer when the combined weight of the boat and the car towing is greater than 3.5 ton and I drive a transit which comes in at 2.6 ton so I have not much room to play with and the Seaworker would put me way over that limit. Now having said that to get a license is not a problem its more of an inconvenience..

Another point on the trailer is that I would like to be able to tow the boat with me if I go to my childhood home which is 300km from where I live now, again the Pilot triumphs the Seaworker here.

Engines - I would preferably like a yanmar or beta engine as they are reliable and easy to get parts for. so boats that usually come with those engines as standard would be ideal. no SAABS - had terrible experiences with them.

Now I know I am very picky and precise about what I am looking for but I am sure there has to be a boat out there for me, I have owned a few boats before and now I am looking for the fore mentioned 'perfect boat'. There is so many brands and boats out there and I am aware of the main points of the displacement boat being naturally heavy and have a maximum speed regardless of the engine, however if anyone, anywhere has any thoughts, suggestions, comments, conundrums I would be very grateful and it would go somewhat towards solving this dilemma of mine.

Budget is 10 thousand so if anyone can suggest boats that are generally under that price tag.

Cheers,

D.
 
I think you’ll find the 750kg limit for and unbraked trailer is the all up weight INCLUDING the weight of the trailer.

My braked trailer is rated 2.8 tonnes but the trailer weighs 300 kg so I’m limited to a 2.5 tonne load. Check the towing limits for the towing vehicle too..

What’s the problem with a braked trailer anyways?
 
Your need for speed is interesting and I feel that with the displacement boat you wish for, you are unlikely to get your desired 12 knots.

Within a number of variables, there is a mathematical relationship between the waterline length of a boat and its maximum displacement speed. 6 knots for the 22 and about 5 knots for the 18 sound about right. If you hear people saying about the speeds they have achieved with their boats that is much beyond these they have either had a strong tide behind them or, bluntly, they're lying.

Beyond this speed, the boat must plane across the water rather than continue displacement progress. It's basic physics and we can't escape from that: Crunching Numbers: Hull Speed & Boat Length - boats.com).

I too have a wish list for my next boat. The 30' sailing yacht I'm looking for was built in many configurations and to date, I haven't yet seen the configuration of engine/deck/steering/price that I really want but I keep looking, knowing that one day I'll see something that 'right enough'. Good luck in your search.
 
A few years ago I sold a GUY COUCH 6.6 Fishing Boat. (i wish I had kept it) built in France in 1986 It was made at a yard which made small patrol boats for the French navy. Well made. It had an Inboard Iveco 72 hp diesel and the transom at the back would take a 9.9 Outboard. Big Cockpit. Would do 10 knots. Twin stainless steel tanks. The grp had no signs of osmosis. It went for under £10,000 Shame that they did not import them to the UK.
It weighed around 2200 kilos and I had a trailer which would carry 2800 kilos.
 
Regarding towing, don’t forget that it’s not the actual weight of the trailer and load that matters. It’s the maximum permitted weight of the tow vehicle plus the maximum permitted weight of the trailer plus load that is used for the calculations. Your transit is plated at 2.6 tonnes leaving you only 900 kg of trailer plus boat: that’s not going to happen. Because the total weight is over 750kg you’ll need brakes and most entry level braked boat trailers will have a plated weight of about 1.2 tonnes. That puts them outside your current licence, so you will probably need to get the towing licence test before you can tow any boat which will meet you requirements.
 
Give some thought to an older Orkney - the Day Angler 19 or even 21. Might find one in budget. I bought my 20 for not too much more than that.

A much more modern take on what you are looking for - and semi-displacement, so best of both worlds. I had a PH20 and was very fond of it.
 
Those Hardy 20's that come in various guises spring to mind, they certainly look (to me anyway) like a "proper" wee boat, possibly too heavy. Often see them with a largeish o/b (50hp or something) on the back...
 
I have spent time on just such a search and have given up for now. Many of these are quite old. Most of these boats have well made hulls though the fit out could be self-build and can be of questionable quality.

The Plymouth Pilot is a 'name' and hence more expensive. They are very nice though wheelhouse quite exposed with no rear wall. No standing height at the wheel either but you can helm from the stern. Even with 20hp you are unlikely to break 5/6 knots. It is worth noting that a number of them, owned by fishermen, have significant additional ballast.

The Seaworker is a hefty thing and really not something one would like to tow. The older full displacement Seaworker often has 80hp of marinised Ford transit/taxi engine in it. With this lot it will do 6/7 maybe even 8 knots through thick and thin. The later semi displacement hull fitted with 130 hp and trim tabs will apparently plane and has been said to achieve 20 knots though...I have no experience of this(?!)

Not many Seaworkers have an enclosed wheelhouse. The boat feels quite big and reassuring. It is not really a relaxing boat. Standing at the helm your nearest neighbour is a big old clattery transit engine in a box. Even though I am half deaf this makes it a very noisy boat.

The Maritime 21 can be a very nice boat indeed, enclosed helm, 20 or 30hp full displacement. Feels much smaller than a Seaworker and bigger than a Pilot. Version with longer foredeck has two bunks.

The Trusty 21 is worth looking at.

The Mitchell 23 which I fear is becoming something of a classic and hence noticeably more expensive.

You have to decide about boat speed before you go much further. If you want to go faster than 6-8knots then all these displacement boats are not really for you. If you want a safe 'plugger' then they may well suit.

The maths is easy. The simplest equation is:

Hull speed = 1.34 x the square root of the waterline length. Emphasise waterline length not overall length.

My favourite at the moment? The Maritime. It is quieter under way, well made, sheltered wheelhouse, not too big...but not a speed machine by any measure.
 
Regarding towing, don’t forget that it’s not the actual weight of the trailer and load that matters. It’s the maximum permitted weight of the tow vehicle plus the maximum permitted weight of the trailer plus load that is used for the calculations. Your transit is plated at 2.6 tonnes leaving you only 900 kg of trailer plus boat: that’s not going to happen. Because the total weight is over 750kg you’ll need brakes and most entry level braked boat trailers will have a plated weight of about 1.2 tonnes. That puts them outside your current licence, so you will probably need to get the towing licence test before you can tow any boat which will meet you requirements.
It's slightly more complex than that: Towing with a car
 
I think you’ll find the 750kg limit for and unbraked trailer is the all up weight INCLUDING the weight of the trailer.

My braked trailer is rated 2.8 tonnes but the trailer weighs 300 kg so I’m limited to a 2.5 tonne load. Check the towing limits for the towing vehicle too..

What’s the problem with a braked trailer anyways?
Hi John, Thanks for Reply. Yes I am aware of that, the porblem lies not with the breaked trailer, this is fine , the problem for us here in Ireland the law is that the Maximum Weight of trailer plus load cant be more the 750kg however, you may tow a trailer with a load greater than that provided the combined weight of the vehicle plus trailer plus load is not more than 3.5 ton.
So therefore I am limited to a maximum trailer plus load of 900 kg because my vehicle is 2.6T. after this I would need to sit a theory test for a trailer licence and then a test, therein lies my problem.
 
Your need for speed is interesting and I feel that with the displacement boat you wish for, you are unlikely to get your desired 12 knots.

Within a number of variables, there is a mathematical relationship between the waterline length of a boat and its maximum displacement speed. 6 knots for the 22 and about 5 knots for the 18 sound about right. If you hear people saying about the speeds they have achieved with their boats that is much beyond these they have either had a strong tide behind them or, bluntly, they're lying.

Beyond this speed, the boat must plane across the water rather than continue displacement progress. It's basic physics and we can't escape from that: Crunching Numbers: Hull Speed & Boat Length - boats.com).

I too have a wish list for my next boat. The 30' sailing yacht I'm looking for was built in many configurations and to date, I haven't yet seen the configuration of engine/deck/steering/price that I really want but I keep looking, knowing that one day I'll see something that 'right enough'. Good luck in your search.
Hi Langstonelayabout, a very interesting read here, I believe off the top of my head you have to divide the LWL by HP I think and then multiply by 1.35 for the maximum speed, I will have a read of your article i am sure it is probably in there.. 12 knots would be a push, I would settle for 10 as I have seen the Colvic Seaworker do about that in plenty of videos on youtube. 12 is more of just an ambition. my own boat at present will do about 9 knots, she is a pebble coble, smashing boat , just a little on the smaller side now. Thanks for feedback!!
 
Colvic Seaworker 22 for sale UK, Colvic boats for sale, Colvic used boat sales, Colvic Fishing Boats For Sale Colvic Seaworker 22 - Apollo Duck
I have fished off a colvic 22, called Tom Pepper, with the above engine fitted, although i seem to think it was 90hp, good stable boat for fishing, noisy, but sound deadening would help, can be towed with a Landy type vehicle.
Davy, Yes that is a problem with the engine being too noisy however I would put up with it as I don't think you will have a quiet inboard. ah the transit is a 2.2lt so she would do the job it think. I have seen your boat she is cracking, really well looked after! thanks for sharing!
 
Regarding towing, don’t forget that it’s not the actual weight of the trailer and load that matters. It’s the maximum permitted weight of the tow vehicle plus the maximum permitted weight of the trailer plus load that is used for the calculations. Your transit is plated at 2.6 tonnes leaving you only 900 kg of trailer plus boat: that’s not going to happen. Because the total weight is over 750kg you’ll need brakes and most entry level braked boat trailers will have a plated weight of about 1.2 tonnes. That puts them outside your current licence, so you will probably need to get the towing licence test before you can tow any boat which will meet you requirements.
Hi Duncan, Thats a fair point actually, you would be quick to forget that, I am probably over the limit now with my coble, however the trailer isn't stamped so it is hard to tell. Thanks for that will have to keep it in mind. I probably am just better off going for the licence!
 
A few years ago I sold a GUY COUCH 6.6 Fishing Boat. (i wish I had kept it) built in France in 1986 It was made at a yard which made small patrol boats for the French navy. Well made. It had an Inboard Iveco 72 hp diesel and the transom at the back would take a 9.9 Outboard. Big Cockpit. Would do 10 knots. Twin stainless steel tanks. The grp had no signs of osmosis. It went for under £10,000 Shame that they did not import them to the UK.
It weighed around 2200 kilos and I had a trailer which would carry 2800 kilos.
Jim, Have you any pictures of the boat. I cant seem to find anything on the net about those types of boats. Thanks for the feedback.
 
Give some thought to an older Orkney - the Day Angler 19 or even 21. Might find one in budget. I bought my 20 for not too much more than that.

A much more modern take on what you are looking for - and semi-displacement, so best of both worlds. I had a PH20 and was very fond of it.
Hi Solent Sailor, Yes I am quite familiar with them, 2 mates of mine have a Day angler 19 however I was never a big Orkney Man. Having said that and in total contradiction of my post, I do quite like the 520TT however I cannot understand why they all have the steering console aft of the Cuddy, The Cuddy on the 520tt is quite big and in my opinion there is plenty of space inside to have the steering and throttle inside. Its a shame really, I just have to have the wheelhouse, maybe it stems from a career at sea! cheers for the comment!
 
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