To Steel or not in Holland

[Capswood]

Hi all:
Am new to this but here goes. My wife and I are thinking of buying a 10-15m motorcruiser for when we go to Holland each year to visit her family and friends.
we will be going for 4-6 weeks each year. Need some advice:
Steel or Polyester? She likes steel (she is dutch) I like Polyester, which is less maintenance year on year?
Leave the boat in the water or out for winter?
Shower in boat, important or not, assume most mooring sites have facilities?
Is height a big issue with bridges etc, seems most canals able to cope with up to 3.75m without too many waits at bridges, wife prefers 2.4m draft to get under most bridges.
Rough estimate of costs to have boat for year in Holland, mooring, tax insurance, winter prep etc.
I know it is a lot of questions, but would appreciate some guidance.

 

[overstag]

Polyester is less maintenance. Steel is very dependant on the quality of the paintjob, and even then.....
You`ll manage without a shower, but if you like visiting the towncenters in the quaint little Dutch towns you'll appreciate your own shower.
Height can be a problem. Generally speaking, less is more....
Mooring a 12 meter boat will cost approx 1200 euro`s for summer. Add an extra 600 for winter. You could leave it in the water and haul out once every other year or so. But it has to be winterized every year, mind you.
Tax is nil. Must be the only thing left that is not taxed in Holland. Insurance will be approx. 500 euro`s.

Where will you keep it?

 

[Bajansailor]

I am just wondering if it might not be easier in the long run to just hire a motor cruiser for the time(s) that you are visiting Holland, rather than keeping one parked there and just using it for 10% of the year?
Or, would it be viable to 'bring it back' to Britain (assuming you live in England) each year and park it nearby where you live?

 

[Grehan]

In brief . .
I'd go GRP rather than steel, especially if you're not going to use the boat that much. Counter to this argument is the fact that steel is 'the' material for Dutch cruisers, of which there are many available in Holland and the market is depressed (or was, last time I checked).
I think the 'just hire one' opinion could be a sensible one, leave the maintenance to someone else.
Top of our list, when we switched from raggie to stinky (apart from more space/volume to live aboard in) was a decent separate shower.
2.4m air draft is lower than it needs to be IMHO - Ours is 3m and we've been perfectly ok, so far.

 

[Capswood]

Thanks for feedback. We live in Australia so not practical to bring it home, Ha Ha.
The hire option is something to look at, will get back on that after research.
We are looking at a 10m Coronet 32 1979-81 model. Positives being headroom, I am 185cm so this is issue. Any thoughts.

 

[Bajansailor]

Sorry, I should have cottoned on from your profile that you live down under!

If you do buy a boat, fibreglass should be less maintenance than steel for sure, but you might get a bit worried if say you were in a lock with a bunch of steel boats, never mind that they might have good fendering.

Regardless of if you have fibreglass or steel, you will still probably have to spend a few days at the beginning of your holiday getting the boat up and running again, and fixing things that dont work. And a few days at the end putting her to bed for the winter (and fixing more things in anticipation....).
Hence a week gone already of your 4 - 6 week holiday.

Re hiring, it might be possible to come to an arrangement with a private individual for say 6 weeks usage each summer, rather than (say) going through an official hire company?

Re Coronets, Andrew Fanner on here (http://www.ybw.com/forums/member.php?u=898 ) has a Coronet Oceanfarer 32, is this the model that you have in mind? Andrew used to keep his on the upper reaches of the Thames.

 

[Capswood]

Thanks, sent him a message.
Checked out cost to charter boat during June-July, looking at about 1,100+/week.
Private arrangement could be option but not sure how to do this, any ideas.
Thanks for help all

 

[Swagman]

Re Private Hire

If you can advise the region you wish the boat to be located then let us know. You might find a local broker able to ask around for short term deals. We just bought a 13 metre steel boat over there and met up with several brokers during the exercise - happy to pass on details of who was good and who wasn't - pm me.
JOHN.

 

[Grehan]

. . but you might get a bit worried if say you were in a lock with a bunch of steel boats, never mind that they might have good fendering.

Sorry, disagree. Our GRP boat is as tough as old boots - as an ex hire it would have had to be ! Calamities in locks are usually of the 'hit the lock gate' or 'got stuck on the lock gate when the water level went down' variety. But very unusual, even then. More usual is 'operator' (skipper/crew) error, like most boating things.
You'd pay more for a steel boat (probably, maybe not definitely) and they're heavier so maybe higher fuel usage/cost. At the end of the day, it's the size/design/style/condition/etc. of the boat that's more significant than the material from which she's made. IMHO.
Re: Coronet 32 - I don't personally know the boat - but from looking on t'internet she looks like quite a decent craft and well made, but obviously quite old and possibly relatively pricey for her year (?). If you're only cruising inland the semi-planing hull and twin engines are a bit OTT, but this is not that significant. Her style/configuration looks good. Folks over on the Motor Boat forum might tell you more.
[edit]
Swagman - your Matilda is a very stylish boat! [:envy icon]