which 1st family boat ????

I'll come back to my earlier post...

A year ago i had exactly 40k and wanted a twin diesel boat that could sleep six in three cabins.

This is kind of the spec the OP is looking for. Most boats had the open two cabin layout which was not what we wanted.

We also wanted a boat that had been looked after and had modern equipment inside and out.

We didn't need a flybridge so that limited us somewhat. We looked at everything we could and settled for a 1991 targa 30. There really wasn't much choice for our spec and price.

Move up to 60k and the market opens up but for 40k there is not much about....trust me as i looked.

So far i'm more than happy with what i bought...everything works and everything is well built and is lasting well.
 
Found It!

Or at least I have found I think is probably the best you can get for your budget.

http://www.boats.co.uk/boats-for-sale/sea-ray-315-sundancer-489

There are so many pros with this boat. Budget wise, it's spot on. £40k should buy it, perhaps less. Also boats.co.uk are excellent to buy through, and will help you with post purchase stuff as well as any training or help you may need. This offers an unusual layout in the 30ft market, though not unique. Same layout as the Bavaria I link to earlier and the very popular Bayliner 285, with some subtle differences.

Firstly, it offers the 5 berths you need for your family: 2 in the mid berth double, 2 on the v berth in the forepeak and 1 on the convertible dinette. Ok, so it's open plan, with curtains rather than doors but this might be an advantage - my kits never liked being shut it so we had to wedge doors open anyway and as Bruce says, and open layout makes the boat lighter and nicer to be in.

Other plus points: age, 2005 is much newer than other stuff discussed. It also has a good single diesel, I know you mentioned twins but a big diesel uses less fuel, less maintenance and just as easy to drive once you learn how. I can't see a bow thruster but you easily fit one (boats.co.uk would do this - maybe negotiate it as part of the deal) and it seems to have a decent spec with a modern interior.

It's not often I get surprised by the value of a boat but I really reckon for £40k you'd be hard pushed to beat this if you can live with the couple of compromises.
 
Re: Found It!

Good outfit to do business with,got to be a worth a day out in the badlands of Essex. and with the sheer number of boats on display up there ,there just might be something for you.
Nice little cafe with views of the Crouch just across the car park .
Some of us have spent a little time in the cafe wondering what the hell we had just done !. :)
 
Re: Found It!

That Boat only has one engine and he wanted two. For 40k there are lots to choose from with a single engine..but with a twin makes it really hard.
 
Re: Found It!

Sailorsam101 said:
That Boat only has one engine and he wanted two. For 40k there are lots to choose from with a single engine..but with a twin makes it really hard.
Click to expand...

I did say that was a compromise, but I would still look at the boat. It ticks the rest of the boxes and and a failure on 25 year old engines is more likely than on 10 year old lumps. Plus for s first boat running costs would be significantly less.

Assuming the op can live with the compromise.
 
Re: Found It!

I don't disagree with you point at all.

There are some options about but as i mentioned not many. If you want space and a twin then you must go older as i did. If you want space and a single then 40k is more than enough to get something nice.

From what i saw i'd say the following is currently the case when looking at twins..

25k Old but OK and 30ft
40k Old OK and 35ft
60k Newish and about 33ft
80k Newish and about 36ft

One point about engine reliability that you make. Are my to 13 year old AD41P's with 500 hrs on each less reliable than a 10 year old KAD equivalents with 1000 hrs on each?

I'd say it's engine hours and lack of maintenance that have a bigger impact on reliability than the actual age of an engine.

But i stand to be corrected.
 
Re: Found It!

No, I'd say your 13 year old AD41s are just as reliable as the KAD300, as they are similar ages.
The KAD300 is not significantly more complex - though a twin engine setup means it is more likely to have a problem was you have two units, but again it significantly so.

All the boats suggested so far are 1989-1994 so there you are talking about engines that are 22-28 years old and then I would say that the 2005 engine will, in all probability be less troublesome.

Engine hours, my experience is low engine hour boats have often not had regular maintenance as owner believe not doing the hours means not servicing it.
 
Re: Found It!

I agree....i searched for a good boat and got lucky.

My targa was re engined in 2003 with some of the last AD41P's that were made. Since then the previous owners have really looked after them and it shows...lots of receipts for annual service parts etc.

I did however see a fair few boats with old, rusty, high ish hours engines...these boats were going for the same price as the one i got...again i got lucky..but i did my homework first.

I decided to buy my targa after a 30 min sea trail and a 1hr good look about as i knew a good one when i saw it.

Lots of rubbish out there i'm afraid to say.

There is a Corvette 32 in kemps..just rotting away...stripped inside and looks like its under restore but never seen a sole on it ever and the algae on it is getting more and more...such a shame.
 
Re: Found It!

I am not entirely convinced about the old engine argument. I have KAD42's on mine circa 1992. Although they have had a rebuild and I have had to replace some peripheral parts, the engines are very simple. What is a great pleasure is how everybody who has been aboard, and usually from newer boats, all comment without prompting at how good the engines sound and perform. But to look at the engines, they look like they are 92 vintage. Then you see some rather dishy looking motors, all bedecked in shiny covers gleaming as if just out the factory and by god they run and sound terrible. Sounds lumpy moving to strangled cat. There is no real substitute for taking the boat out for a sea trial when out shopping to get the true measure of an engine.
 
Re: Found It!

I'm not saying well looked after older engines like your aren't worth a look, just that in terms of probability an engine twice as old is likely to need more maintenance.

Of corse you can pick up your brand new boat and have problems with your mint D6 as well, but it is less likely.
 
Re: Found It!

Sorry, what I meant, is don't let the look of an old engine put you off. Mine have been repainted numerous times and show their age cosmetically.

They aren't the prettiest are they?

20151003_151800.jpg


vs what they looked new

1991.jpg
 
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Re: Found It!

Whats the engine that sounds like a bucket full of bolts at low revs using the supercharger ,then makes an even worse racket when the super charger cuts in and it can never quite decide which mode it wants to be in,is it the same one where the tappets never get serviced due to the sheer amount of time taken to strip away all the stuff to get at them ?
 
Re: Found It!

oldgit said:
Whats the engine that sounds like a bucket full of bolts at low revs using the supercharger ,then makes an even worse racket when the super charger cuts in and it can never quite decide which mode it wants to be in,is it the same one where the tappets never get serviced due to the sheer amount of time taken to strip away all the stuff to get at them ?
Click to expand...

Dunno, but I'm sure you will tell us it's connected to legs too.
 
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