UK Boat Types

[cstewart37]

I have been looking at the Sealine/ British boat building industry tread. Is it not time that British boat builders / Boat users realise that boating/ boat types in the UK have to change big time! The days of planning boats with two BIG engines is looking grim! Floating caravans that are doing little more than 25 hours per year would be far more suitable to a displacement hull with a single engine/shaft drive install. How many MARINA based 30-40ft boats are on the market with less than 100 hours after 6 years?
This is from someone that's running a boat with 630hp sterndrives!

 

[gravygraham]

You think there's a few boardrooms with an elephant sat in the corner?

My current boat I bought at just under fours old, with 32hrs on the clock. Our previous one I sold at five years old, with 110 hours. Both twin diesels.

 

[Greg2]

I know what you mean and for a long time shared your view. However, I have come to think that people will still want boats that are capable of speed but the will use it less. We are an example.....our Broom 41 is superb for living aboard and cruising the rivers but it is also an excellent sea boat that will deliver 18 to 20 knot cruising when we want it. I know a lot of people who seem to take a similar view.........

 

[z1ppy]

This is from someone that's running a boat with 630hp sterndrives!

blimey, what drives are you running to cope with that power? boat sounds fun!

 

[henryf]

You can always go slowly in a planing boat and enjoy economical cruising.

You can't go fast in a displacement boat.


Some might argue a displacement boats more comfortable in heavy seas. I wouldn't know, with a fast planing boat you have the option to outrun them and be safely tucked up before they arrive.

Henry

 

[jfm]

I think op is making the mistake of thinking logic or commercial sense applies to a boat purchase. It's a heart not head decision: buying a boat is just buying a big boy's or girl's toy. You have to really like the thing and like owning it, and if two monster engines is your thing, even if you can only run for 30 hours a year, then that's what you buy.

 

[Bertramdriver]

What wrong with semi D's Best of both worlds. Bertram's, Brooms and Nelsons among the best.

 

[cstewart37]

I should have said 315hp outdrives X 2 = 630hp total - 40kn flat-out 30kn cruise!
I like the idea of the Benny Swift Trawler 34 but would worry about the build quality given some of the posts on here lately! Why is there none of the British boat building yards caught onto this concept?
Last year I only managed 50hours but the two years previous I did a healthy 150 hours all year round. When I look round the marina and when out boating there are very few motorboats getting used!!!

 

[kashurst]

Customers choice -planning boats outsell semi and displacement boats by miles, yes many boats don't get much use but seems to me that many sailing boats are even more underused

 

[Momac]

You can always go slowly in a planing boat and enjoy economical cruising.

You can't go fast in a displacement boat.


Some might argue a displacement boats more comfortable in heavy seas. I wouldn't know, with a fast planing boat you have the option to outrun them and be safely tucked up before they arrive.

Henry

I agree with that. Also .......

A fast boat can make a jouney that a displacement boat might struggle to achieve.

And fast boats are much more sexy than displacement boats.

.

 

[rafiki_]

The other factor with some boats is that their owners are a bit frightened of the mooring process, so don't venture out. I also think the UK industry has a good variety of Mobo types, super yachts, custom yachts, the big 3 or 4, Broom/Haines/Westwood, Workboat based vessels, plus many more that I have forgotten to add (apologies if I have missed your pride and joy). Is there room for any more?

 

[MapisM]

A fast boat can make a jouney that a displacement boat might struggle to achieve.

Ermm... You might want to rephrase that, I reckon.

 

[No Regrets]

The big boat companies seem to want to make large more profitable boats.

And when you see what happened to a lot of the people who made smaller boats, you can't blame them! Renowned names such as Birchwood, Seamaster and Freeman, whose efforts are still bumbling up and down the rivers to this day, disappeared years ago (Viking bought Seamaster, but they ain't the same!)

However, smaller boats are still being bought from Europe, so somebody is making a bit of money out of them.

I feel it would be a good idea for somebody to make a decent 20-25 foot range again, decent stuff unlike Vikings et al. Trouble is, a 25' boat would cost £85k. You can buy a spectacular used boat for that!!

 

[Tender_aft]

A fast boat can make a jouney that a displacement boat might struggle to achieve..

Ermm... You might want to rephrase that, I reckon.

A displacement boat can make a journey that a fast boat might struggle to achieve too.....you all know it's each to their own.

I know that I want speed, but I love some of the SD and D boats too. The real truth is (same with cars; 4x4, people carrier, sport convertible and motorbikes; cruiser, sportsbike off roader) that I want one of each and even something with sails on too. They are all right for different uses, but we (most of us) can't have one of each, so we have to decide on one thing (at a time) and stick with it (for a bit).

The hardest thing in life is opportunity cost.

 

[MapisM]

Some might argue a displacement boats more comfortable in heavy seas. I wouldn't know, with a fast planing boat you have the option to outrun them and be safely tucked up before they arrive.

That's actually a common misconception.
With pleasure boating (as opposed to commercial boating), there is never a problem with heavy seas, whenever predicted.
You've got the option of staying put with any type of boats, in the first place.
It's when you have to deal with unpredicted rough stuff, that things can get really hairy.
In fact, outrunning really rough seas suddenly becomes a sort of oximoron.
One of the worst passages I've ever made was in a 31' sportcruiser, capable of 35+ knots cruise speed.
Returning to Italy from Croatia, with a last leg of 40nm or so.
It took us half an hour to arrive close to the middle of that leg, when I began to see white foam right in front of us.
The second half of it took close to four hours, going sideways and with green water floating around the cockpit.
Yes, I could have maybe outrun those conditions by reversing my route, returning as fast as possible to the starting harbour (which at that time wasn't an option, because I just had to go back), but you see what I mean...

 

[Whitelighter]

What wrong with semi D's Best of both worlds. Bertram's, Brooms and Nelsons among the best.

I'd argue semi'ds are the worst of both worlds. Not a proper displacement hull Si rolls like a pig and not a proper planing hull to to go anywhere at speed you have to beat the sea into submission whe burning the volume of fuel that a few small countries would be embarrassed about

 

[MapisM]

I'd argue semi'ds are the worst of both worlds.

To some extent, I agree.
SD boats are rather a market-driven that an engineering-driven idea, based on the fact that pleasure boaters are increasingly looking at boats with all the typical features of D boats (comfort/stability, low fuel burn, seakeeping, etc.). But at the same time, many of them just plain refuse to leave with the idea that they can't just push the throttles and cruise at 20kts, therefore the industry does its best to deliver what these clients want.

PS: pretty much the same as with modern cars, really. Just look at how many M-B AMG, BMW M series, etc. there are around: NONE of their owners do anything with them that couldn't be done with the non pimped up version. And some of them even complain that they burn more fuel and are too stiff...

 

[henryf]

That's actually a common misconception.
With pleasure boating (as opposed to commercial boating), there is never a problem with heavy seas, whenever predicted.
You've got the option of staying put with any type of boats, in the first place.
It's when you have to deal with unpredicted rough stuff, that things can get really hairy.
In fact, outrunning really rough seas suddenly becomes a sort of oximoron.
One of the worst passages I've ever made was in a 31' sportcruiser, capable of 35+ knots cruise speed.
Returning to Italy from Croatia, with a last leg of 40nm or so.
It took us half an hour to arrive close to the middle of that leg, when I began to see white foam right in front of us.
The second half of it took close to four hours, going sideways and with green water floating around the cockpit.
Yes, I could have maybe outrun those conditions by reversing my route, returning as fast as possible to the starting harbour (which at that time wasn't an option, because I just had to go back), but you see what I mean...

To quote your opening statement you had the option of turning around. In a displacement boat that might not have been the case in fact it might have compounded the problem if it resulted in a following sea once turned around.

If I cross the channel to Cherbourg, 60 or 70 miles I could do it in less than 3 hours. Slightly over an hour from either of the coasts. The weather can change in an hour but you would be unlucky to get it badly wrong, especially as the shore to which you are heading might shield you.

Contrast that with a displacement boat taking 10 hours for the journey. 5 hours from the coast is a long time for seas to erupt.

I agree with Whitelighter in Semi D craft possibly being a jack of all trades, master of none for the recreational boater who doesn't "have" to venture out come what may.

In terms of hours used 30 hours in a 30 knot boat covers the same ground as 120 hours in a displacement boat. 70 hours on the plane is 280 hours pushing through the water at 7 knots.

As a final offering the last few years have been tough. Captains of industry who once allowed themselves leisure time away from the coal face have had to roll up their sleeves and pick up the spade again to ensure survival. Boating is not alone as a leisure activity which will have seen a decline in time spent enjoying it. With this in mind a fast planing boat might allow a more concentrated use of that valuable time. For that reason and the points already raised I'm not sure I agree with the OP's thoughts.

Henry

 

[alt]

Speak for yourself! I have 2 x KAD 300's and clock on average 100 - 120 hours per year (about 80% of that at planing speed)

OK so this will be my first season with the KAD 300's but before that I had 2 x KAD 43's and that is what i'm basing my hours on. Before that I had a single KAD 32 and clocked slightly more hours.

On the flip side, I consider each second on-board my 'holiday time'. When I turn the ignition keys the last thing on my mind is consumption, but more so the enjoyment I get out of it. Life is too short to be worrying about euros

 

[MapisM]

To quote your opening statement you had the option of turning around. In a displacement boat that might not have been the case in fact it might have compounded the problem if it resulted in a following sea once turned around.

Well, in the specific example I made, the differences between the express cruiser I had at that time and my current trawler are actually VERY different - namely:
1) with the latter, I would have planned beforehand a 4 and a half hours trip, and that's what it would have been. Ok, make it 10 minutes longer, just for the sake of the head sea affecting the SOG a bit. With the first, a planned 1h15' cruise turned out in 4 hours and a half, and the possible alternative meant that after cruising for 1 hour I could have eventually found myself back at the same point where I started, missing a flight to Brasil, having to reschedule important work tasks, and so forth.
2) with the first, all what the boat managed was to survive the conditions (just), while with the latter I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't have even considered to turn the a/p off. And trust me, I really mean it.
Ok, the latter is a bigger/heavier/stabilized boat, so the comparison obviously isn't fair.
But if given the alternative of being in similar conditions with ANY comparably sized P boat, I still know which I'd rather be cruising on.

As a final offering the last few years have been tough. Captains of industry who once allowed themselves leisure time away from the coal face have had to roll up their sleeves and pick up the spade again to ensure survival. Boating is not alone as a leisure activity which will have seen a decline in time spent enjoying it. With this in mind a fast planing boat might allow a more concentrated use of that valuable time.

Good point. I fully agree with your foreword, but I'm not so sure about your conclusions.
I know some folks who match exactly your description, and you know what? Most of them are either trying to get out of boating entirely, or to jump on the slow boating bandwagon. No, hang on, considering both of these alternatives, make it ALL of them. It must be a behavioural version of the third Newton's law... Sort of!
And after all, despite all we like to think, boats - no matter how fast - are NOT a sensible way to go places.
They're the best way to fully enjoy the sea, no doubt about that. But arguably, in this respect, the slower the better.