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JaniedeL

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Hi
Im after some advice please. My husband and I have rented cabin cruisers both here and in France for the last 10 years and are now considering buying. However our knowledge is very limited. We live in Salisbury. We envisage using the boat most weekends when its not TOO cold or blowy. We would like to sleep and cook on the boat. Would we be better getting a smaller boat that we could trailer or a larger boat and paying for moorings. Where could we moor and where could we motor to on the South Coast? Can you suggest what first boat we should go for? See, I told you we didn't know much!!! ANY help would be so much appreciated. Thanks. Janie
 
If you want to eat, sleep and live on the boat regularly, you need something at least 25ft, probably more. This really means keeping it permanently afloat, as trailing a 25ft boat regularly is not a small undertaking. The south coast is full of places to moor, so look at an area that is easy to get to from where you live. If money is tight, avoid the central area around the Solent. From Salisbury, maybe look at Weymouth/Portland.

What to buy? That's the biggest question of all and will depend on budget, amongst other things. Perhaps give a ballpark figure and you may get some good suggestions.
 
Thank you for your reply, CLB.

We would probably keep it mainly moored but would like the opportunity to occasionally take it to different places.

We have a budget of around £10k.
 
You might find it more useful to post on the Motor Boat forum. Not that people here aren't friendly, but it's mostly sailors here. As well as the boys with big cigars and a million quid's worth of plastic looking like a melted trainer, there seems to be a lively community of smaller boat owners on the MoBo forum too.

Good luck!
 
If I lived close to the south coast of England I think I'd just charter a boat when I wanted to go sailing.
 
Your nearest base wd be Christchurch. Plenty of small/medium sized mo-boats on the river. Yes, you wd be better off on a mooring than trying to launch and recover every time.
 
These are profound questions and some boat owners never get the answer after years of experience and trying different types. Ideally you want both types.
Pro for a small boat is the ability to tow it almost anywhere. Cheaper to own and a pleasure to do maintenance at home. You may even be able to use the canal network if it is narrow enough. The con is that a boat small enough to tow will be cramped and uncomfortable to camp in. You will need somewhere to store the boat when not in use.
Once you go for a moored boat the size is no limit costs just increase exponentially but so does comfort.
However around here I see 25ft Mobos on a triple axle trailer towed behind a 4x4 trundling down to the local boat ramp. Perhaps not so convenient in UK but doable. (and expensive to buy)
There is a kind of pleasure in owning one's own boat. You are not restricted and you can modify it as you wish.
Perhaps you should look at trailer boats with accommodation and consider towing same. You might find you get an answer quickly from partner. good luck olewill
 
I looked at the possibilities when I was ill and wondered if I'd be up to sailing again. Running a motor boat on a limited budget is always going to be difficult. I think I'd forget any thoughts of a planing hull - fuel costs go up exponentially with speed, but a little boat that can chug around at 5 knots shouldn't break the bank. That Channel Island 22

Even if you get a trailable boat, anything with accommodation is going to be heavy and launching/recovering in less than ideal conditions is not for the faint hearted. If you've got somewhere to put the boat and a big 4x4, trailing home for the winter would be practicable, but I'd look for a cheap mooring. There are some on the Itchen in Southampton, but cheap moorings attract people who are looking for a cheap home, and some of them aren't above financing their next fix at your expense. OTOH, a liveaboard you can trust in the next berth is a very good thing!

Renting sounds good - no capital outlay or maintenance costs, but charter boats are generally new(ish), so not as cheap as one might wish.

One final thought, you aren't too far from the Kennet & Avon canal. small canal boats can be had for very sensible prices if you don't mind a bit of TLC and have small engines, so tend to be cheaper to run - possibly a much cheaper way to get afloat than a sea boat. I know nothing about mooring costs, so do find out before committing! Don't be seduced by the continuous cruising idea of not having a mooring - too many "hippies" have tried it and it's well policed.

One final thought. Don't be tempted by a bargain project boat "90% complete". There are exceptions, but if the project only takes twice as long and costs twice as much as your worst nightmare, you'll have done well.
 
Some good advice so far. Here’s my two penny worth.
Boats always look better in brokers’ photos than in real life.
Owners can see their own boats through rose tinted spectacles when all you see is a pile of .........
Make sure the engine is ok. A replacement is going to cost you!
It’s ok to buy a boat which needs a few cosmetic things doing but don’t buy a project boat if you want to go boating.
The price is always negotiable.

And don’t forget.

Don’t buy a project.
And he price is always negotiable.
 
Just one further comment here regardless of moored or trailered boat outboard power is becoming far more desirable than diesel for smaller boats. Yes they use more fuel but with modern 4 stroke especially fuel injected larger engines they are very economical. Especially so when related to all other costs. Plus the advantage of getting the engine out of the cabin and out the back. This latter also reducing much concern over fire risk. However when buying a small motor boat with the exception of RIB a GRP boat will be very forgiving of old age and abuse but you may have to budget on a new engine.
olewill
 
CI 22 worth a look, they have a good reputation and at that sort of price should be easy to sell on without any real
financial loss.
You need to think about how fast, and correspondingly how far, you want to go Vs fuel costs, speed is expensive! Worth learning about differences between displacement, semi displacement and planing hull designs.
For trailerable boats have a look at old Shetlands, they have a good reputation for decent boats.
 
One other point.

You mention that you've hired cabin cruisers but have not really stated if you've got experience on rivers or on the sea.

On the assumption that you don't have sea experience ....

If you're goin to use a boat at sea do factor in that a single engine boat at sea is considerably riskier than one with 2 so don't fall for an old river boat and simply take to sea without some modification. You don't need a brace of huge outboards on the stern - at the sort of size you're looking at a second o/b of maybe minimum of 5-6 hp should provide get you home power if the boats main engine does fail.

If at sea, you should also factor in the cost of some training. Ideally for both of you to do the RYA day skipper theory which will teach the basics of tides, rules of the road, navigation etc but just 1 of you to attend is fine if budget tight - the other can just read the material!
Then maybe the dayskipper course or if funds / time tight the Level 2 powerboat course which introduces boat handling skills.

Also don't forget costs like navigation equipment if the boat doesn't have any ( GPS, compass, depth sounder, paper charts and an almanac) as a minimum. Also if at sea, give serious consideration to buying VHF radio ( that also needs a course) so that you can listen to what is going on around you and call for help. also many Marinas like you to radio in if you're visiting to ask for a space.

All of this would be useful on rivers / canals too of course but ultimately if a river boat breaks down it will blow into the bank and you can walk home. There is also usually very little commercial traffic and that is usually small in the UK so much less risky.

Most importantly though - have fun!
 
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