Torbay
New member
We’re considering our first boat purchase and I’m hoping to pick the brains and opinions of those that can help on the forum to set us in the right direction of trying to identify suitable boats and other essentials to consider. A long post -perhaps I should split into different threads but I'll try this! Appreciate your patience.
Firstly I’ll probably take a course of action that will be considered by the majority of very sensible people to be absolutely dumb and daft. The logical first purchase should be second-hand, and I might go that route if something really good catches the eye, but to be fair it’s unlikely. What I tend to do is jump in and follow intuition. So for example I bought a car 10 years ago I couldn’t afford – logic says I shouldn’t have bought - but I love it and I’ll look after it and use it ‘til it stops. So in the long run it’s not been expensive and given lots of pleasure. I’ll probably do the same with the boat but therefore need to do as much research as I need to until I’m comfortable with the leap and then by a new boat. If all goes wrong then I’ll lose some money and this’ll upset me. But I put our hard-earned savings and some pension into peps isas and shares etc and got absolutely no joy out of seeing that shrink so boat depreciation isn’t going to be the key consideration in the decision process particularly at least I’ve sat in it and used it!
So I’m looking at some of the basic considerations. I can give some “knowns”. Anything we purchase is very very unlikely to ever sleep 6 people. It will sleep two people 99% of the time and very rarely two more. I’m really after something that will provide bags of open saloon space balanced away from cabin space. So two cabins rather than 3 I think would be perfect. The budget will probably limit me to somewhere between 38 foot and say 42 foot. I was impressed with a note in another thread, which basically said that the whole idea of boating is the journey and not the arrival and so believe that speed is secondary to say space, except when speed provides additional safety. So I think I’m looking for flybridge rather than sports cruiser.
I’m going to ensure my wife and I am properly trained and I’ll also prioritise safety gear.
What is in my medium term plan is that I’d like to be able to travel down to the med say for the spring and stay there for some time and then perhaps return back here for the summer. So I think whatever I buy should be capable of making that type of trip. What is even further in the back of my mind, is “if we really grow to love the life could we live on the boat and give up our house”? If so sometimes spending a touch more initially would stop the need for an interim upgrade later. So is a boat of this size a viable full time living option later on.
So my question is first will a boat of this size range provide me with a solution to most of these aspirations ie cross channel, Biscay, potential main residence?
Secondly what makes and models of craft should I look at. I’d prefer less boat higher quality rather than more space and less quality. In car terms I’d say merc bmw or Volvo.
Thirdly all manufacturers offer engine options. Some seem to be different engine options including surface or tunnel. The Sealine C39 offers these as options. How does one decide?
Having read these questions I realise that perhaps I should have split them into separate threads – but I’d appreciate any thoughts from others who have either “been through this” or can offer advice.
Firstly I’ll probably take a course of action that will be considered by the majority of very sensible people to be absolutely dumb and daft. The logical first purchase should be second-hand, and I might go that route if something really good catches the eye, but to be fair it’s unlikely. What I tend to do is jump in and follow intuition. So for example I bought a car 10 years ago I couldn’t afford – logic says I shouldn’t have bought - but I love it and I’ll look after it and use it ‘til it stops. So in the long run it’s not been expensive and given lots of pleasure. I’ll probably do the same with the boat but therefore need to do as much research as I need to until I’m comfortable with the leap and then by a new boat. If all goes wrong then I’ll lose some money and this’ll upset me. But I put our hard-earned savings and some pension into peps isas and shares etc and got absolutely no joy out of seeing that shrink so boat depreciation isn’t going to be the key consideration in the decision process particularly at least I’ve sat in it and used it!
So I’m looking at some of the basic considerations. I can give some “knowns”. Anything we purchase is very very unlikely to ever sleep 6 people. It will sleep two people 99% of the time and very rarely two more. I’m really after something that will provide bags of open saloon space balanced away from cabin space. So two cabins rather than 3 I think would be perfect. The budget will probably limit me to somewhere between 38 foot and say 42 foot. I was impressed with a note in another thread, which basically said that the whole idea of boating is the journey and not the arrival and so believe that speed is secondary to say space, except when speed provides additional safety. So I think I’m looking for flybridge rather than sports cruiser.
I’m going to ensure my wife and I am properly trained and I’ll also prioritise safety gear.
What is in my medium term plan is that I’d like to be able to travel down to the med say for the spring and stay there for some time and then perhaps return back here for the summer. So I think whatever I buy should be capable of making that type of trip. What is even further in the back of my mind, is “if we really grow to love the life could we live on the boat and give up our house”? If so sometimes spending a touch more initially would stop the need for an interim upgrade later. So is a boat of this size a viable full time living option later on.
So my question is first will a boat of this size range provide me with a solution to most of these aspirations ie cross channel, Biscay, potential main residence?
Secondly what makes and models of craft should I look at. I’d prefer less boat higher quality rather than more space and less quality. In car terms I’d say merc bmw or Volvo.
Thirdly all manufacturers offer engine options. Some seem to be different engine options including surface or tunnel. The Sealine C39 offers these as options. How does one decide?
Having read these questions I realise that perhaps I should have split them into separate threads – but I’d appreciate any thoughts from others who have either “been through this” or can offer advice.
