What cabin cruiser

[AlanRo]

I have never owned a boat of any kind. I search and search looking for a boat I like the look of. I would like to mainly do the French canals. I’ve seen a boat I like the look of a 2006 Jeanneau 34 S but whilst researching this cabin cruiser I see a thread were someone advised that the engines were too powerful for the canals, is there such a thing?

What boat would you suggest for 4 adults or possibly 6 to cross the English Channel and drive in French Rivers.

 

[Neeves]

I think you might get more advice if you raise your query on the Motor Boat section of YBW.

Jonathan

 

[Greg2]

Lots of seagoing boats with larger engines quite happily poodle around inland waterways and our boat has twin 265hp engines and we do inland as well as coastal.

Worth bearing in mind that some with large engines have a lot of power at tick-over so you can find yourself doing 4-5 knots without trying.

The dimensions of the boat relative to the intended area of cruising will be more important i.e. making sure it will go under bridge and have enough depth of water to float.

 

[Momac]

Plenty of sea going boats are kept and used on rivers .
Better to have too much power than too little.
A 34ft sports cruiser is fairly big for a first boat . Assuming you propose to gain experience in the UK before crossing the channel.

We have slept 6 adults our similarly sized boat but that was for one night and people we know very well. A bit cramped for any longer than that.

 

[Parabordi]

My golden rules. No petrols, no outdrives, no Volvos.

 

[Ferris]

Jeanneau 34s looks like its a great boat to do 30knots but its doesn't look ideal to do 3-4knots down a narrow shallow canal. Lack of a keel and twin outdrives would mean it could be relatively difficult to helm at low speeds. Also its minimum speed would likely be 5-6knots which is probably over the speed limit in most canals. Fine if you were just transiting from UK to med etc. but if the plan was to spend a lot of time on inland waterways in Europe its way off the mark. Best boats for inland IMO have 1 shaft driven prop, a long keel and a small engine - look at what the local hire companies use.

Boats that can satisfactorily do both sea and inland are relatively rare, expensive and may have compromises such as twin engines and hulls designed for high speed. They do however exist, look at Broom boats, for example, which can perform well inland and at sea.

My 2c is to buy a suitable boat in Europe (cheaper and no VAT nonsense) to do the canals and when you're done with it, sell it and buy something else for the sea.

 

[Parabordi]

Jeanneau 34s looks like its a great boat to do 30knots but its doesn't look ideal to do 3-4knots down a narrow shallow canal. Lack of a keel and twin outdrives would mean it could be relatively difficult to helm at low speeds. Also its minimum speed would likely be 5-6knots which is probably over the speed limit in most canals. Fine if you were just transiting from UK to med etc. but if the plan was to spend a lot of time on inland waterways in Europe its way off the mark. Best boats for inland IMO have 1 shaft driven prop, a long keel and a small engine - look at what the local hire companies use.

Boats that can satisfactorily do both sea and inland are relatively rare, expensive and may have compromises such as twin engines and hulls designed for high speed. They do however exist, look at Broom boats, for example, which can perform well inland and at sea.

My 2c is to buy a suitable boat in Europe (cheaper and no VAT nonsense) to do the canals and when you're done with it, sell it and buy something else for the sea.

Totally agree

 

[scottie]

I would suggest that its good advise in the same way as a Lamborghini is not best for driving in small cobblestone streets.
You are now entering the area of prejudices however

 

[Greg2]

I will respectfully disagree. We have had two twin outdrive sports cruisers (Fairline Targa 35 and a Sealine S34) that we used at sea and inland on the Broads and in Holland and they were absolutely fine. Slow speed handling was okay, the Targa not being quite as good as the the S34, which was actually a joy to handle at low speeds. Importantly they weren’t doing 5-6 knots at tickover - more like 3-4. Not designed for inland but perfectly capable of operating in such waters and there are plenty such boats inland on the Broads and the Thames.

Of course, our two Brooms were a bit better overall boats for inland use and our current Hardy with a semi-displacement hull with a keel and excellent access around the decks is equally good.

I would suggest that a more important consideration is how easy it is to access side decks and the fore deck for rope handling and negotiating locks. I would also check out the handling characteristics of a particular boat given the difference we experienced between the Targa and S34.

Each to their own and I am not challenging Parabordi, because Volvos aren’t always our first choice, but in my experience they are good motors with excellent parts availability. That comes at a cost but having been able to replace a fried alternator with one off the shelf from a VP dealer at the marina we arrived at to start a holiday in Holland I was happy to pay what it cost

 

[Momac]

Often it seems people give advice about inland waterways boating when they have no experience of it themselves . I agree with Greg that boats designed for sea can be perfectly usable on a river.

Nothing wrong with Volvo Penta really so in general don't understand why anyone would exclude them from a choice of boat as that would exclude a great many boats.

 

[Alicatt]

The main speeds for the inland waterways here are 5km/h or no wake zones, 8km/h on the smaller canals, 10km/h or 12 km/h on the main canals, with some going up to 20km/h in places, speeds are all measured as speed over the ground this is for pleasure boats, commercial boats have different speeds for the same canals.
Also canals have flow and therefore speed in one direction can be different than in the other, the main canal we go on to can flow at up to 2km/h while not a big difference, to a little boat like mine it is huge for excursions onto the rivers we have to plan and pick times of low flow or plan a different route that lets us use the flow to get to our destination.

my boat is Volvo Penta engined, and the little 45 year old 13hp engine gets me to hull speed.

 

[Ferris]

I will respectfully disagree. We have had two twin outdrive sports cruisers (Fairline Targa 35 and a Sealine S34) that we used at sea and inland on the Broads and in Holland and they were absolutely fine. Slow speed handling was okay, the Targa not being quite as good as the the S34, which was actually a joy to handle at low speeds. Importantly they weren’t doing 5-6 knots at tickover - more like 3-4. Not designed for inland but perfectly capable of operating in such waters and there are plenty such boats inland on the Broads and the Thames.

Of course, our two Brooms were a bit better overall boats for inland use and our current Hardy with a semi-displacement hull with a keel and excellent access around the decks is equally good.

I would suggest that a more important consideration is how easy it is to access side decks and the fore deck for rope handling and negotiating locks. I would also check out the handling characteristics of a particular boat given the difference we experienced between the Targa and S34.

Each to their own and I am not challenging Parabordi, because Volvos aren’t always our first choice, but in my experience they are good motors with excellent parts availability. That comes at a cost but having been able to replace a fried alternator with one off the shelf from a VP dealer at the marina we arrived at to start a holiday in Holland I was happy to pay what it cost

Depends on what the OP wants to do. For multiple channel crossings and limited river use it would make sense to prioritise seakeeping / speed etc. over low speed tracking ability / minimum speed under power / prop protection / accommodation. If the plan is to remain inland long term and the OP has to buy a boat anyway then why would you buy the former?

On the subject of minimum speed, our river boat its 1-2knots, which means you have steerage in low speed situations, such as entering locks or passing other boats at pinch points etc.

Another consideration is trip duration and the type of accommodation a boat provides. Inland you possibly run for longer periods so you move about the boat, preparing meals, doing tasks, reading a book, napping etc. On a typical river boat you usually have a view out from indoors through big windows, unlike sports cruisers in general, which I feel as important as you will presumably want to view scenery inland.

 

[Wavey]

To anyone considering a boat for inland and coastal/cross channel use I would suggest they have a wander around any reasonably sized inland marina on a river (not canal). Somewhere like Penton Hook on the Thames with several hundred berths would be perfect. You would be surprised how many boats designed for sea use (Cat A and B) quite happily spend their days pottering along the river at 4 or 5 knots.

From memory, draft and air draft are important considerations on French rivers and canals. I also understand the more robust the better so steel may be a better option than grp if spending a long time abroad. There’s a reason why the Dutch primarily build in steel although I appreciate others may disagree.

 

[Alicatt]

To anyone considering a boat for inland and coastal/cross channel use I would suggest they have a wander around any reasonably sized inland marina on a river (not canal). Somewhere like Penton Hook on the Thames with several hundred berths would be perfect. You would be surprised how many boats designed for sea use (Cat A and B) quite happily spend their days pottering along the river at 4 or 5 knots.

From memory, draft and air draft are important considerations on French rivers and canals. I also understand the more robust the better so steel may be a better option than grp if spending a long time abroad. There’s a reason why the Dutch primarily build in steel although I appreciate others may disagree.

Most of the boats at our marina in Belgium are steel hulls with aluminium superstructures, single engined and with a shallow draught, the majority of them are too high in air draught for some of the French canals though. It is not just the air draught though, it is the width of the superstructure at height against the small round openings on some of the French bridges.
Mind you, some of the boats have managed to sail from our canal down through France to spend the winter in the Med.

 

[Galley Slave]

I’m selling my Sealine s34 with AD41’s. She is a lovely boat and we’ve used her on inland and are currently coastal based. We are not using a broker at the moment as we prefer to sell at a realistic price.

 

[[199490]]

I have just been through exactly the same thing - see a thread called Boat Recommendations in the motor boat section. I have bought an Aquador 32 but the Nimbus 320, 305 and 335 were all likely candidates depending on your budget. I also looked at Jeaneau Nc9 and Nc11 but was steered off stern drives for maintenance reasons. Depending on which French canals you are going to be on, air draft (max about 3.25 on Canal du Midi) and draft ( 1.0m possible on Canal du Nivernais). I had further requirements in that I want to solo at times so wanted easy deck access and the ability to fit remote controls, the Aquador has side doors and am weighing up just remoting the thrusters or going full Dockmate

 

[[199490]]

My golden rules. No petrols, no outdrives, no Volvos.

Why no Volvos? The Aquador I have bought has a D6. Agree on petrol and outdrives though.

 

[[199490]]

Most of the boats at our marina in Belgium are steel hulls with aluminium superstructures, single engined and with a shallow draught, the majority of them are too high in air draught for some of the French canals though. It is not just the air draught though, it is the width of the superstructure at height against the small round openings on some of the French bridges.
Mind you, some of the boats have managed to sail from our canal down through France to spend the winter in the Med.

My first experience in France was on a traditional British steel hulled canal boat and the eclusiers always put you first as there is no chance of the plastic boats damaging you whereas the reverse is not true. Since then been back three times in plastic boats without problems but always stay clear of the really big LeBoats which always seem to have the worst drivers. And, yes, air draft and width is an issue particularly on Canal du Midi. I checked all the boats I looked at against this (Capestang)

 

[Parabordi]

Why no Volvos? The Aquador I have bought has a D6. Agree on petrol and outdrives though.

Boats I have had with Volvos always expensive parts and servicing, plus ropey designs eg woeful MS4 gearbox. Other engines offered much better experience eg Mermaids, Thorneycrofts, Nannis, Yanmars. Its my checklist based on previous pain.

 

[Wavey]

I had further requirements in that I want to solo at times so wanted easy deck access and the ability to fit remote controls, the Aquador has side doors and am weighting up just remoting the thrusters or going full Dockmate

Excuse the thread drift.

I have a friend with a 60ft Dutch barge. He has remotes on his bow and stern thrusters and his party piece is to stand on the bank, untie the ropes , move the boat mid stream, turn it around and bring it back in. He can do this even when there’s a knot or two of stream running.

As the bits to remote control your thrusters are cheap as chips on eBay I’d suggest trying that first. Dockmate and its alternative are expensive and you may find you can manage perfectly well without it.