What boat to buy for a first timer??

[craig222]

Hi i am Craig am 28 i have got a girllriend and beautiful daughter and i have decided i would like to get a boat for us to spend some time on as a family and i was hoping that maybe i could get a little bit of advice and get to know some of you.

I would like a boat that i can do some work on myself, mainly cosmetically, not so much mechanically. I dont mind a little work but dont really know alot so would rather know that mechanically the boat is sound

I live in Lincolnshire and will be mooring my boat on the river ancholme, i want a cruiser for use at weekends round rivers and canals i also would like plenty of space like a 4 berth??

I would ideally like to spend 2-3k on the boat then maybe another 1-2k tidying her up...Is this realistic ?? Also what suggestions do you have on which boat i should go for do you think??

All the boats i see in this kind of price range are pre 1980 is this ok??

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thankyou

 

[lisilou]

Hi Craig.
I'm afraid I can't offer you any advice as to which boat would suit your requirements but I thought I'd say hi as for some reason your post seems to have been overlooked. There are many people on this forum with a wealth of experience to benefit from as I found when I first asked much the same question 3 years ago. Hopefully you will get some good (and always constructive) advice.
Good luck with your search and keep us posted. It's a fantastic way to enjoy life!
Lisa

 

[Solitaire]

I would ideally like to spend 2-3k on the boat then maybe another 1-2k tidying her up...Is this realistic ?? Also what suggestions do you have on which boat i should go for do you think??

All the boats i see in this kind of price range are pre 1980 is this ok??

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thankyou

Yes, but just be prepared to deal and wait. It is a buyers market, but even more so when the new season starts and folks are thinking about their mooring fees. January - March is a good time to go hunting as owners will be looking not to have have to spend their dosh on mooring fees.

The problem is that owners think their boats are worth more than somebody is prepared to pay! The right boat, in good condition with good service history will be sell and be a good deal for both parties.

 

[markcw]

Boating has been good to us as a family very enjoyable when the weather is good.

I think buying a boat and settting a cost to do the extra will be difficult, unless you have a survey done to cover and check all the things you may have missed if you look over it, and you will will only hope that things dont go wrong once on the water.

You will have to realy sit down and decide what luxury items interior you want like sink-toilet-seating-shower-tv-fridge and so on, and how confortable you want to sleep. we have a 2 birth cuddy(overnighter) 20ft and to be honist great to be on and the cuddy keeps every thing dry, but to sleep in, Yeh possible but for one night only max.

Then do you want a cuddy/sport cruiser or a river boat as they will all have there pros and cons, do you want something fast and able to tow toys with or something to cruise around on, or just a river boat, do you want to fisha lot, as on my boat theres no way i will have blood and guts and rag worn on the interior.

Set your self a challenge and find what kind of boating you want to do first.

mark

 

[craig222]

Hi Craig.
I'm afraid I can't offer you any advice as to which boat would suit your requirements but I thought I'd say hi as for some reason your post seems to have been overlooked. There are many people on this forum with a wealth of experience to benefit from as I found when I first asked much the same question 3 years ago. Hopefully you will get some good (and always constructive) advice.
Good luck with your search and keep us posted. It's a fantastic way to enjoy life!
Lisa

Hi Lisa thanks for your reply what boat did you end up going for then??

I am gonna just keep looking for a few weeks/months yet not gonna rush into it. I at the minute like the look of the Norman Conquest and 27ft, the birchwood 25 and also like the dawncraft look also. Need to get out n see some boats for real though and get the feel for them

 

[craig222]

Yes, but just be prepared to deal and wait. It is a buyers market, but even more so when the new season starts and folks are thinking about their mooring fees. January - March is a good time to go hunting as owners will be looking not to have have to spend their dosh on mooring fees.

The problem is that owners think their boats are worth more than somebody is prepared to pay! The right boat, in good condition with good service history will be sell and be a good deal for both parties.

Are owners generally prepared to move from there price do you think or is it usually pretty solid?

I would buy the right boat next week if i thought it was right for me but at the same time i am in no rush and dont mind if i dont find the right boat till like you say next year

Boating has been good to us as a family very enjoyable when the weather is good.

I think buying a boat and settting a cost to do the extra will be difficult, unless you have a survey done to cover and check all the things you may have missed if you look over it, and you will will only hope that things dont go wrong once on the water.

You will have to realy sit down and decide what luxury items interior you want like sink-toilet-seating-shower-tv-fridge and so on, and how confortable you want to sleep. we have a 2 birth cuddy(overnighter) 20ft and to be honist great to be on and the cuddy keeps every thing dry, but to sleep in, Yeh possible but for one night only max.

Then do you want a cuddy/sport cruiser or a river boat as they will all have there pros and cons, do you want something fast and able to tow toys with or something to cruise around on, or just a river boat, do you want to fisha lot, as on my boat theres no way i will have blood and guts and rag worn on the interior.

Set your self a challenge and find what kind of boating you want to do first.

mark

Yeah your probably right i aren't fully sure just yet what i want i guess not till i go look round some boats n get the feel for it.

Right now i feel i want something like a 25 ft cruiser just for cruising about on not bothered about speed or pulling any toys along. Just really that its nice and comfy on the inside. I know i am not going to get loads of room for the money i have but from what i have seen think you can make something pretty comfortable to spend a couple of days on.

I have seen some nice interior refits that have used the space really well. I basically need room to sleep three and like u say shower toilet and cooking area. After all got a massive garden outside to play in!

 

[lisilou]

Hi Lisa thanks for your reply what boat did you end up going for then??

We started on a 2005 Monterey 218 cuddy 21ft which cost us 17k. we did our PB2 course on her thru Mendez Marine which was invaluable. We'd done a lot of research before deciding what to go for including asking on this site and decided the sports cuddy was ideal to start. Although 17k is still a lot of money, we knew we'd stand a good chance of getting our money back if we decided boating wasn't for us. We had her for a season, knew we would never give up boating and upgraded to something plenty big enough to stay on for as long as we wanted. We could just have easily decided on a narrow boat tho tbh. Ever considered that? Oh, and when we did upgrade, we got our money back on the cuddy and very quickly (right place, right time I guess).

Lisa

 

[PCUK]

Coronet cruisers were very well built and have stood the test of time. Some were used in early power boat racing so they all have well designed hulls. You could probably find a good early seventies 24ft model within your budget that didn't need a lot of work. It will probably have a petrol engine but you can always change this at a later date once you get more used to boats in general. Don't worry about the age, it is the condition that matters! They are nice looking boats and ideal for both wide inland waters and sea.
The pic shows my 21ft model that I've been restoring for the last 15 years (don't ask!)

 

[moonraker 36]

dos'nt the ancholme run from gainsbourgh to humber.?
it's only 17miles long.
sounds like your looking for an inland crusier.
look @ seamaster 27
birchwood 25
princess 25(pilgrim 25)
freeman 22/23
and the norman's
an outboard powered boat will give you more internal space,but it will give you a bad back lugging all the jerry can's.the boats listed above usually are inboard diesel's.
would'nt look at mooring on the ancholme unless your planning on going out on the humber.
look at mooring on the fosdyke or s.yorkshire waterways.

p.s i would be looking at boats around 5k that did'nt really need a restoration budget.

just had quick look on the net..your prob looking more like 6-7k for a decent 25footer.
but you never know bargins do come up when you flash the cash..
best of look with the search.

 

[late-night-lochin]

Be very careful

Hi i am Craig am 28 i have got a girllriend and beautiful daughter and i have decided i would like to get a boat for us to spend some time on as a family and i was hoping that maybe i could get a little bit of advice and get to know some of you.

I would like a boat that i can do some work on myself, mainly cosmetically, not so much mechanically. I dont mind a little work but dont really know alot so would rather know that mechanically the boat is sound

I live in Lincolnshire and will be mooring my boat on the river ancholme, i want a cruiser for use at weekends round rivers and canals i also would like plenty of space like a 4 berth??

I would ideally like to spend 2-3k on the boat then maybe another 1-2k tidying her up...Is this realistic ?? Also what suggestions do you have on which boat i should go for do you think??

All the boats i see in this kind of price range are pre 1980 is this ok??

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thankyou

Hi Craig

Things start off sounding good but be very careful.

A good decription of a boat is "a big hole in the water that you keep having to throw money into".

As a rough guide, any upgrade or restoration jobs you will need to do will take twice as long and cost twice as much as you anticipated. Also, on a boat of the age that you are talking about; there will be plenty of things that could need repairing, upgrading or replacing. I know, my boat was built in 1977!

Then, there's the cost of just having the boat: mooring, insurance, normal maintenance and fuel. I don't know the cost of mooring in your area but my marina berth ain't cheap.

I think there may be a danger of you seeing an old boat that's in your price range, buying it then finding it soaks up money faster than you can earn it.

I know this is probably not what you want to hear but Im trying to tell you the truth.

Cheers

Chas

 

[chi-girl]

if its your first boat and its going to be used inland then you could compromise on the size and go smaller like 18ft like a shetland family four with a nice 25-50hp outboard 4stroke and you could be out all day for less than £25 in petrol.
you'll get 2-3 in the cabin and 2smaller children in the cockpit under the canopy.
look at LOADS of boats and maybe think about 17-20ft tralerable boats to start with until you know what suits your requirements.

 

[vandy]

Craig,

My advice would be:

1. Don't dream! A project boat is not as easy as you think. EVEN changing upholstery or painting etc. is not as practical as you think. The cost of marine paints, and other equipments are sometimes so high that you are better off buying a decent boat.

2. You can NOT ignore the mechanical parts. A second hand boat WILL def have some mechanical failures at some point , and usually most owners sell their boat because they find a mechanical problem and then think "Oh for GOD SAKE! why do I need a boat, let's sell it". Not always, but in many occassions.

3. Have you ever owned a boat before? Do you know the basics of handling etc.? You don't want to take your family on the boat and then end up having a stressful day because you can not handle it very well.

4. A First Boat should be something RELIABLE, SMALL, and Easy to Maintain. Preferably a Dinghy so you don't have to pay the mooring cost.

5. You will not be doing that much boating in the winter anyway. So don't just get tempted by Boats with CABIN! An Old cabin cruiser has its own problems (damp in the cabin, leak somewher, etc.)

So go for a small dinghy, or even an inflatable dinghy with a brand new engine so you don't have to even pay for mooring cost. Or Buy a RIB, it is almost an all weather vessel and you can use it anywhere.

 

[moonraker 36]

the best thing about the older boat is that the mechanicals will be very basic.
very d.i.y-able..even the elctric's will be very basic.
look at condition..before you worry about age...

 

[Searush]

I don't think it matters a toss what you buy for your first MoBo, it will be changed within the first 6 months anyway if what I've seen of other MoBo'rs holds true.

What boat you have depends entirely on what you use it for. Get that clear & the choice will be clear.

Age of boat is irrelevant - as to engines, condition is ALL. Interiors are easy to tidy up, leaks can be an issue, watch out for them & be sure you can fix 'em or look elsewhere.