Where to launch a sports boat?

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markizok

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Hi guys,

My girlfriend and I are looking at getting into boating. We have seen a few boats like the Larson 186 and the Bayliner 185 but we just wanted some advice on where we could use it.

We live in Leeds and i know you can launch in Scarborough as well as at the lakes, but are there other places we could use it. Also, if we wanted a week or 10 days away, is France too far realistically if we are towing it – I am thinking Antibes but are there other areas??

Any advice welcomed.

Cheers
Mark
 
there is a website called boatlaunch, that might help.
More of a question, might be where has suitable waters. 18ft can seem very small in anything other than pretty calm weather, or well sheltered locations.
Not to say that there arent such places, and plenty of fun to be had, but its probably true that you should realise the limitations.
 
What do you plan to use it for? If you want to use it on the sea, then a RIB may be more suitable, or a cuddy cabin boat, which avoids the problem of waves spilling into the bow, and also means you can have a portable toilet, which is essential if you want to spend all day on the boat.

Towing an 18' boat should be no problem. Antibes is a long way from Leeds at 60 mph, but perfectly feasible, you'll almost certainly have to break the trip up by stopping overnight somewhere, although a forumite on here apparently tows his boat from Belgium to Croatia, over 1,000 miles, non stop!
 
I have a Bayliner 185, albeit I have only had it for this summer.

It is easily towed behind my 4x4, easily launched and recovered. The only problem I have is remembering it is behind me when towing!

When we looked we decided that the cuddy, in boats less that 20ft, was a bit of a waste of space as we would be very unlikely to use it for what amounts to rough camping.

With a Bowrider the weather is a consideration. As it is a small boat sea chop becomes a factor and you have to watch the conditions carefully. Having said that we have had fun around Poole, Bournemouth and Swanage this summer. We have a cover for the front and a sprayhood meaning we can "close" the boat down quite a bit if the conditions worsen.

Here it is with the sprayscreen up (but no front cover on!)
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I use boatlaunch.co.uk as a good reference for launch sites.

The only limitation is the toilet, however on the Thames where we hang out there are facilities at the locks and out at sea we have waded ashore and used the beach facilites as it can be beached (carefully) being a small boat. You should be aware that boating in a small boat is a wet pastime, this is not boating in your finest designer Sunday best.

Martin
 
If you are going to be towing the boat any distance to the sea, you will have to be prepared for the fact that a lot of the time the conditions aren´t going to be good enough to actually use an 18ft boat as you will really need practically flat calm conditions.

A cuddy does give more flexibility having storage (and somewhere to keep the chemical toilet/bucket). The cuddy on mine is plenty big enough for two adults, plus storage for a lot of junk, like kneeboard, ringo, inflatables etc etc.

A bowrider gives you more lounging space, but can be more of a liability if things get rough, so you really take your pick of what you want the boat for.

I towed my boat 1000km across Spain no problem. Could have done it in a day, but broke the journey up by overnighting 2/3rds of the way down. It was worth it just to be able to swim in the sea without a wetsuit on :)
 
Hi guys, thanks for all the comments. After what you have said as well as some research we decided to pop to our local dealer and they had a bayliner 240 and larson 240 in the showroom - it’s a bit more than we planned to spend but it would give us more flexibility and the girlf would be more inclined to go on it if it was "perfect" tanning weather. Having the cabin and a fridge is a deffo plus..... and with this kind of boat I think we may even just do the odd canal trip from Boroughbridge and York, as well as Wales and France. Its all very exciting!

Out of interest though i have a nissan navara that i use for towing my gokart - that would pull a 24ft boat okay wouldn’t it?

Also i will be storing the boat at home, but can you give a rough guide to annual running costs? Insurance seems to be a grand or so, fuel is fine, it’s more the other stuff. I have never had a boat before but i assume it will need a yearly service and or MOT type thing - is this expensive?
 
Insurance a grand! - mine is only £180

As for towing its all in the weight, I would have thought a 24ft boat was on the limit for most vehicles.

The "MOT" aspect depends on where you use it - you will need a Small Boat Safety Certificate for some inland waterways - otherwise you do not have to have anything.

Servicing - I would reckon on an annual service but most of the items are not beyond the average home mechanic if you are that way inclined

Martin
 
TBF i did only check one site and i ticked every box..... Id rather over estimate than not!

As for the maintainance, it seems there is less than i thought.... Just need to find that one we want! Just spoke to the garage, ill get 15mpg if im towing 3000kg..... could be quite an expensive hobby even before we get anywhere!
 
Trust me its a very expensive hobby ;)

But . . . worth every minute :D

Oh and I'm new to boating to, got a 21ft Rinker and the insurance was £230, I also found that some sites were quoting some quite ridiculous figures so it definately pays to shop around, I got mine via http://www.insuremyboat.co.uk/
 
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Both of the boats you are looking at will be very close to the UK towing limit of 3500kg on the trailer, I think your Navara will only tow 2600kg, so the rig will be illegal. Although I have always towed oversized rigs, please be aware of possible issues with insurance and the law if you are caught or even worse have an accident.
 
Hmmm, well I am new to this so i dont want to overstretch myslef by going to big....

They are they boats that have cropped up a few times - can you reccommend any similar boats but smaller?

Oh yeah, and thanks for the insurance link!
 
Insurance wont cost anywhere near that amount. Be around the same as your Navara or less.Try www.craftinsure.co.uk (think thats right) I have a d22 navara to tow my 23ft Crownline cuddy.Shes a bit slow to get going, towing, but fine after but i wouldn't want to tow much more(2.5tons).As she's quite a big boat,i leave her parked for the summer as towing every time you want to use her would be a drag. The bigger the boat, the bigger the engine you'll need, and boats are thirsty. A 24 ft boat like you mention will have at least a 5ltr engine burning around 14 gph at full chat, tho most of the time you'll be cruising and using a lot less.
I'd suggest you look around different sized boats to get a feel for space and comfort first, but there are plenty of 21-23ft cuddy boats out there to fill your requirements that will be fairly easy to tow,and recover !
I wouldn't take a small bowrider out to sea,you'll come back soaked if a little choppy :-)
 
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its a fair point. i have been looking at the local yard as well as the one at the lakes - boatshop24.co.uk seems okay, are there any others?
 
Hi, I have a Bayliner 265 with a trailer, Currently is it moored at Aquatics and up for sale becuase of work, and another little one on the way, so wont have much time in the next 2 years but will buy another Boat in a couple of years when things have settled down a bit.

I live near Boroughbridge and bought the boats to trailer, in all truth it is too big to tow regularly. I have towed it behind my Range Rover and Discovery which both handled it ok but it was a always a worry!! I had it at Boroughbrige Marina for about 4 months before I got bored of 4mph speed limit and all you can see from the Marina to York is the grass on the river Banks!!

The lakes are good but due to the speed limit you are not meant to go quickly but they only appear to police this during the day at weekends, most people up thier say during the week and after 5/6pm you should be ok!!

But my personal choice would be the Lakes. If you are on the sea you must check the forecast before you leave. 3 people died last year/maybe the year before leaving Whitby habour in a Bayliner 245 when they didnt check the forecast and hit 30ft waves outside the habour wall!!

All the best and I hope you find a suitable boat.
 
Markizok...

If your vehicle is the new shape Navara with a 2.5 litre diesel it should be legal to 3000kgs and will pull it easily. The late model utes are tall (high) in first gear, you cant really tell until you try pulling 3 tonnes up a slight incline from start off. They are a little clutch hungry (will burn them out) if you are not careful.

Incline starts in low range (very carefully), until onto flat going, then change back to high.

Check the boat combo weight on a weigh-bridge prior to purchase, and allow for fuel and gear, don't just take the salesmans word for it (24 foot rigs).

Trailer boating makes a lot of sense, if you can cope with the towing issues.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on.
 
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