Total newbie looking for tons of advice.

[Nosealegsyet]

Hi guys.

Ive always loved being on the water, and had a fascination for boats, and ive decided im going to buy one. And I would appreciate any advice you can offer me and guide me in the right direction. There's a few decisions that I have made , one is that it would need to be a motor cruiser, as opposed to a yacht. I am a lady and it will be me driving it, with my freind/family/grandchildren.(maybe not all together lol).
It would be nice to sleep on it, and im thinking about one that is towable, as I have a motorhome, and someone could tow the boat to the same destination as the motorhome. And that's all my requirements but prefer to spend around 30k, but if it means spending 50k for what I want then so be it!. I live on the South Coast of the Uk. Would really love some advice.Thankyou.

 

[volvopaul]

Hi guys.

Ive always loved being on the water, and had a fascination for boats, and ive decided im going to buy one. And I would appreciate any advice you can offer me and guide me in the right direction. There's a few decisions that I have made , one is that it would need to be a motor cruiser, as opposed to a yacht. I am a lady and it will be me driving it, with my freind/family/grandchildren.(maybe not all together lol).
It would be nice to sleep on it, and im thinking about one that is towable, as I have a motorhome, and someone could tow the boat to the same destination as the motorhome. And that's all my requirements but prefer to spend around 30k, but if it means spending 50k for what I want then so be it!. I live on the South Coast of the Uk. Would really love some advice.Thankyou.

Choose a boat wisely , look at as many boats as you can within your budget .
Set aside a budget to cover mooring, repairs , insurance , upgrades etc .
When you finally decide use a surveyor and engineer to check the machinery and sea trial the boat .
Get some training , speak to as many people as you can .
Do not be talked into buying anything you are not sure of .
Use a reputable yacht broker .
Depending on your cruising ground and how fast you want to go will decide what type of boat you decide .
In that price bracket you will be limited as to what is available.
If you want speed you will be looking a Targa type boats , if it’s slow pace you will get more accommodation for your money as the machinery will be less power and less complicated.
Money spent on surveys and research will save you a fortune in the long run.

I’m sure you will get plenty of advise on here .

 

[russ]

Money spent on surveys and research will save you a fortune in the long run.

+1

 

[Sailorsam101]

Accommodation is everything. Don't underestimate this point. Make sure you can live with the inside space available before you look at anything else.

 

[Dazzajohm]

Hi guys.

Ive always loved being on the water, and had a fascination for boats, and ive decided im going to buy one. And I would appreciate any advice you can offer me and guide me in the right direction. There's a few decisions that I have made , one is that it would need to be a motor cruiser, as opposed to a yacht. I am a lady and it will be me driving it, with my freind/family/grandchildren.(maybe not all together lol).
It would be nice to sleep on it, and im thinking about one that is towable, as I have a motorhome, and someone could tow the boat to the same destination as the motorhome. And that's all my requirements but prefer to spend around 30k, but if it means spending 50k for what I want then so be it!. I live on the South Coast of the Uk. Would really love some advice.Thankyou.

Although you say you have a fascination with boats, it’s unclear as to whether you’ve spent much time around them. If this is not the case, perhaps get some training - powerboat level 2 would be ideal and relatively inexpensive to give you a feel for boating, especially close quarter handling. Then, I can only back up Paul’s advise to look at as many boats as you can, even if initially it’s just walking around a marina to get a feel for what style you’re after. Definitely keep a budget for maintenance as it’s easy to get caught out by things going wrong.

 

[Nosealegsyet]

Thankyou, im going to be doing the level one and two in the summer with my son, he want's to do it too.

 

[oldgit]

Probably a good idea somewhere in the calculation to try and get some idea of just how many peeps want to be on your boat at any one time.
Depending on age of grandkids, you may need to have mum/dad aboard as reinforcements.
Towing (and launching/recovering) any boat is different kettle of fish completely to towing a caravan,it will place restrictions on the size of boat you buy, therefore the number of folks you can get aboard for day trips let alone sleeping aboard.
It is not impossible for someone to tow a large caravan onto site,unhitch and set it up solo.
You will not be sensibly doing that alone with any decent sized towable boat.
Going to guess size for size a boat weighs considerably more than caravan, something else to consider, more caravan sites out there than you can shake a stick at, launching ramps capable of taking a decent sized boat very few and far between.
Unless you want to put up with very small boat indeed would consider carefully the choice of towable boat... one other thing where are you going to keep it for the 50 weeks it is not in use.
One other suggestion, aware you live on the coast, but you might want to think about where you intend starting your boating career, a sheltered inland waterway is far more likely to give you the confidence to carry on and could possibly appeal more to your grandkids/ family than being thrown in at the deep end on the coast with its mysteries of tide and weather.
Good Luck.

 

[Bouba]

A boat with a toilet that is private and behind a door is essential. I don’t have local knowledge of your boat ramps but as said above it has to be large enough for a motor home and boat to manœuvre with parking nearby for the motor home and empty trailer. Launching is a two man job that requires practice (and can cause friction with a husband/wife combo :nonchalance.
I think a lot of us here started on American boats and I would recommend something like a Bayliner (there are others like Regal etc). Lots of indoor space and luxury for the size and money.
Most of all, remember it’s supposed to be fun and welcome to the forum and to this boating life!

 

[Montemar]

Launching a boat down a ramp is a two person job and takes a few attempts before one is proficient. To have a boat that is easy to tow and launch rather cuts down on its ability to sleep people and carry a loo. You will need to have a good look around to find the right boat and a decent trailer. We started with a Shetland family four size boat that trailered and could sleep two but no loo.
A Sealine S23 or similar meets your requirements and can be trailered but it is quite large to launch and retrieve but if only moved to a port for just the summer say then back home for the winter then it could be acceptable.
Good luck.

 

[Nosealegsyet]

Money spent on surveys and research will save you a fortune in the long run.

+1

Yes I will certainly do that thankyou

 

[Nosealegsyet]

Launching a boat down a ramp is a two person job and takes a few attempts before one is proficient. To have a boat that is easy to tow and launch rather cuts down on its ability to sleep people and carry a loo. You will need to have a good look around to find the right boat and a decent trailer. We started with a Shetland family four size boat that trailered and could sleep two but no loo.
A Sealine S23 or similar meets your requirements and can be trailered but it is quite large to launch and retrieve but if only moved to a port for just the summer say then back home for the winter then it could be acceptable.
Good luck.

How strange is that i was looking at an S3 last night. OMG what a beauty. I dont know anything about boats, but compared to others i'd seen for me it stood out.What i had though was keeping it in a dry dock in the winter, (is dry dock the correct terminology ), and then launch it went needed. The marina where i would keep her which is Littlehmapton, does the launch and retreive for you as a free service, as many times as you like, so would that solve the problem. I am a very confident road driver, would any of that knowledge spill over to boating or not?

 

[Nosealegsyet]

A boat with a toilet that is private and behind a door is essential. I don’t have local knowledge of your boat ramps but as said above it has to be large enough for a motor home and boat to manœuvre with parking nearby for the motor home and empty trailer. Launching is a two man job that requires practice (and can cause friction with a husband/wife combo :nonchalance.
I think a lot of us here started on American boats and I would recommend something like a Bayliner (there are others like Regal etc). Lots of indoor space and luxury for the size and money.
Most of all, remember it’s supposed to be fun and welcome to the forum and to this boating life!

Thankyou im glad to be here! Looking to get loads of knowledge if i can.Currently i have no idea what brands are american and what brand are british etc, could you advise please.

 

[Nosealegsyet]

Probably a good idea somewhere in the calculation to try and get some idea of just how many peeps want to be on your boat at any one time.
Depending on age of grandkids, you may need to have mum/dad aboard as reinforcements.
Towing (and launching/recovering) any boat is different kettle of fish completely to towing a caravan,it will place restrictions on the size of boat you buy, therefore the number of folks you can get aboard for day trips let alone sleeping aboard.
It is not impossible for someone to tow a large caravan onto site,unhitch and set it up solo.
You will not be sensibly doing that alone with any decent sized towable boat.
Going to guess size for size a boat weighs considerably more than caravan, something else to consider, more caravan sites out there than you can shake a stick at, launching ramps capable of taking a decent sized boat very few and far between.
Unless you want to put up with very small boat indeed would consider carefully the choice of towable boat... one other thing where are you going to keep it for the 50 weeks it is not in use.
One other suggestion, aware you live on the coast, but you might want to think about where you intend starting your boating career, a sheltered inland waterway is far more likely to give you the confidence to carry on and could possibly appeal more to your grandkids/ family than being thrown in at the deep end on the coast with its mysteries of tide and weather.
Good Luck.

The waterway idea is very good. Currently where i would intend to keep it which is Littlehampton, they do all the laucnh and recover for you as part of the rent, but only during the times they are open, and its tidal, if you are back late they let you moor free for one night.In which case if i was to start with inland waterways, would i then tow the boat to a waterway and then i would have to launch it myself for there, ?

 

[DavidJ]

I’m thinking Sealine S23, S24 S25 also called S230 and S240 just to totally confuse. Have a look at the britboats site for the difference. I had a S23 for 8 years great boats. Sealine are renown for interior space.

 

[henryf]

Being able to tow the boat really does limit your choice, particularly when you factor in being able to stay aboard over night. Boats are small enough but limit your size even further by having it towable may be a step too far. Given you would be at the upper limits of what can be towed your launch and recovery onto a trailer would be more difficult than a smaller "speed boat".

The dry stack system is widely available whereby boats are stored ashore and launched / recovered for you. I'm not sure I'd choose Littlehampton as my first base though. Once out at sea you have a lot of open water and nowhere to go. Choose somewhere in the Solent and the waters are more sheltered, there are lots of places to visit and distances are shorter. There are also other people out and about should you need help.

Try to narrow your usage down rather than trying to buy a boat that is all things to all women and which ends up no good for anything.

Training courses are definitely the way forward. It might even be worth thinking about chartering a boat rather than buying one depending how many times you will actually use it. You also have the advantage of being able to punch above your weight size wise.

Henry

 

[oldgit]

The waterway idea is very good. Currently where i would intend to keep it which is Littlehampton, they do all the laucnh and recover for you as part of the rent, but only during the times they are open, and its tidal, if you are back late they let you moor free for one night.In which case if i was to start with inland waterways, would i then tow the boat to a waterway and then i would have to launch it myself for there, ?

Personally would very inclined to hire a boat on the Broads or the Thames or some other inland waterway for weekend or week before making any decisions about boat style,size, cost etc etc.
Take a few "crew" with you and see how you all get on.
It will not be cheap, but could well save you from making a immediate big mistake now and save a fortune later on.
You do not need any qualifications to hire a boat.So can get on with it now.
You can still carry on looking at boats in the meantime , but suspect some of your initial thoughts on a suitable boat may change very quickly.

 

[BruceK]

I'm struggling to marry the motorhome bit with the sleep aboard bit. Anything you can comfortably trailer and launch / retrieve will not be as accommodating to sleep on as the motor home and a motorhome does not make for a good slipway vehicle either which will limit you to launch and retrieve serviced slipways. Although it goes against what you are after I'd be looking for a comfortable trailer-able day boat, or separate the two from the same equation.

 

[Nosealegsyet]

I'm struggling to marry the motorhome bit with the sleep aboard bit. Anything you can comfortably trailer and launch / retrieve will not be as accommodating to sleep on as the motor home and a motorhome does not make for a good slipway vehicle either which will limit you to launch and retrieve serviced slipways. Although it goes against what you are after I'd be looking for a comfortable trailer-able day boat, or separate the two from the same equation.

Hi Bruce. I apologise, it might be the way ive written it. I wasnt thinking of using the motorhome to tow the boat. My god it would be a death wish.My motorhome is 9 metres long, i dont think i would feel comfortable towing anything on the back of her. I see the motorhome as being a separate holiday to the boat, unless there was a lot of us, and i would drive the motorhome to the site, and somebody else would tow the boat to a slipway nearby im guessing. The reality of it though might not even work lol!.Im still in the very early stages, and very green lol!

 

[Nosealegsyet]

Personally would very inclined to hire a boat on the Broads or the Thames or some other inland waterway for weekend or week before making any decisions about boat style,size, cost etc etc.
Take a few "crew" with you and see how you all get on.
It will not be cheap, but could well save you from making a immediate big mistake now and save a fortune later on.
You do not need any qualifications to hire a boat.So can get on with it now.
You can still carry on looking at boats in the meantime , but suspect some of your initial thoughts on a suitable boat may change very quickly.

This is what i didnt do with my motorhome, and i made a huge mistake , and had to change it the following year, i dont want to make the same mistake again. Hiring a boat for the day we will doing in the summertime for sure

 

[No Regrets]

Don't buy a boat with no experience and attempt to take it out to sea.

Buy a boat ion the Thames and enjoy a year or so getting the hang of it, with some Lower Thames tidal forays under the assistance of a club.

You may survive OK :encouragement: