which boat

[hg2016]

Can anybody help me with my first boat. I'm looking to buy a sports cruiser 24-30 ft. something like a 'searay 240 sundancer' , bayliner or sealine or any others anyone could recommend. I'm sure you all know the sort of thing I mean.
I would like to have it on the south coast, ideally Dorset ish. Diesel or petrol, I'm not really sure on the fuel consumption but I do know that its not going to be cheap. Looking to use it for weekends with the mrs and sometimes friends and family for relaxing cruising and the odd blast of fun along the way. Nothing to ambitious like crossings or anything like that. just some nice bay hopping around the south coast.
I would be very grateful for any help and advice.

 

[jrudge]

I am not an expert in boats of this size so I will leave it to others.

Just bear in mind 24-30 feet is not that big a space and with you, the mrs and "friend and family" for the weekend this will be pretty crowded.

Also bear in mind most people buy a boat, realise they want a bigger one, sell it ( time, depreciation and brokers fees) etc. so try to get realistic and buy up the first time around if affordable.

Try to understand your true usage and decide on the size you need - it will save you money in the long run and lead to happy friends and family ( who are of course not picking up the tab!).

Petrol vs Diesel - most boats in this size range are made in the USA and they dont know what diesel is! In general terms you pay less for a petrol engined boat, but it uses a heap more fuel, and petrol explodes whereas diesel doesn't.

Older 33 ish feet Sealines and Fairlines will probably give you better accommodation and be diesel.

 

[hg2016]

Thanks very much for your reply and advice.
I have given good consideration on the size of boat. My budget is between 15-20 £k. as for weekend usage it will only be me and the mrs. family or friends would be just for the day really. steady cruising. a moving picnic on the ocean with some swimming and fishing.
I'll have a good look at the boats you've mentioned to see if anything is in my price range.
Thanks for your Help.

 

[MJGH]

Can anybody help me with my first boat. I'm looking to buy a sports cruiser 24-30 ft. something like a 'searay 240 sundancer' , bayliner or sealine or any others anyone could recommend. I'm sure you all know the sort of thing I mean.
I would like to have it on the south coast, ideally Dorset ish. Diesel or petrol, I'm not really sure on the fuel consumption but I do know that its not going to be cheap. Looking to use it for weekends with the mrs and sometimes friends and family for relaxing cruising and the odd blast of fun along the way. Nothing to ambitious like crossings or anything like that. just some nice bay hopping around the south coast.
I would be very grateful for any help and advice.

I had a Searay 230 Sundancer with the smaller 4.0 litre V6 petrol engine many years ago, which was the fore runner to the 240. It was an excellent boat, went well, looked the part and was an easy boat to tow behind a suitable vehicle if you want to keep mooring costs down or vary you cruising area. I believe you can get a 240 with a diesel option but it is a bit under powered, there is also a V8 5.0 litre petrol option if you want to fly. For me the V6 petrol was a good all rounder.
Five of us ( 4 x adults & 1 x 10 x year old) spent 10 x days in Loch Lomond on it. Once you got organised it was not a problem providing you used shore side toilet and washing facilities.
Good luck with your search.

 

[jcwads]

Hopefully I can provide some help. Bought my first boat in July - a 27ft Sports Cruiser by Monterey. It's an American boat but they come up very premium in quality. I am fortunate to have a Volvo Penta D4 260 diesel engine, which is quite rare in the American boats. So you get superb torque and power, but the benefits of diesel efficiency when cruising.

I looked at a lot of options, and to be honest at around the £30k - £50k mark you would get a variety of options for this type of boat. Another that took my fancy was the Jeanneau Leader 805, which is another 27ft but with a wider beam, and nice space on deck. Its all down to budget. The diesel engines do tend to command a premium over petrol and are harder to find.

I would just get out and spend some time of a few of them. We have come back from a week away on ours with no probs. Another forum member (Chas25) used to have the same boat as me, and he was away for 2 weeks on his. If it was more than 2 of you, you may get cramped for more than a long weekend.

Good luck!!!

 

[hg2016]

Hello MJGH,
thanks for that. can you remember the cruising and top speed of the 230 you had. and what was the mpg or gph at cruising speed. also I would be very interested to know the cost of having it at loch lommond for a week as I was up there a few weeks ago. stunning. did you ever have it at sea.
regards

 

[hg2016]

Hello MJGH,
thanks for that. can you remember the cruising and top speed of the 230 you had. and what was the mpg or gph at cruising speed. also I would be very interested to know the cost of having it at loch lommond for a week as I was up there a few weeks ago. stunning. did you ever have it at sea.
regards

 

[russ]

I had originally set my sites on a smaller cuddy type boat but as said you always wished for a larger boat after a short time. So I took to searching for a small 4 berth cruiser and ended up with my Bayliner 265. She has most of your home comforts e.g fridge, TV, hob, shower and WC etc. Large enough for weekends away and yet small enough to legally tow on the UK roads for cheaper transportation.
Owned her for 5 years now and only selling for the next step up the boating ladder.
Keep in mind your mooring and servicing costs. In my short term of boat ownership I would allow £100-£150 for a weekends pottering around on short trips. Cruising at 20 knots and then some 6-8 knot relaxed slow cruising. I would also top up the fuel using Jerry cans even I didn't go out anywhere, which helps spread the bill.

Happy to answer any of question if I can.

hg2016, have you any boating experience?

 

[hg2016]

Hello russ,
thanks for your input. This is both my first Forum experience and will be my first boat. We have been looking at boats and thinking about it for several years, we both love the water and after a life threatening illness with my mrs (now fully recovered) we have decided that its time to go for it. I've been out on plenty of fishing boats at sea and when we are on holiday a boat trip is always top of the list for us.
There's so much for me to learn about buying a boat. e.g the difference between sterndrive' outdrive, z drive. Fuel consumption and performance with diesel against petrol. Even the abbreviations. What does amp; mean. Any advice is welcome. The boat I find most pleasing to my eye at the moment is a Searay 240 Sundancer but I do like sealine and bayliner too but finding these with a diesel is hard. Nearly as hard as getting mpg or gpa figures. Does it need to be a diesel? I dont really know. Do Marinas rip you off on fuel price? I dont know that either. But one thing is for sure, we really really want one and it is going to happen. I've just got to make sure its the right one so any help on any aspect would be fantastic. thanks for taking the time to post.
Kind Regards

 

[MJGH]

Hello MJGH,
thanks for that. can you remember the cruising and top speed of the 230 you had. and what was the mpg or gph at cruising speed. also I would be very interested to know the cost of having it at loch lommond for a week as I was up there a few weeks ago. stunning. did you ever have it at sea.
regards

I am sorry but it was many years ago and to be honest I was more interested in the fun than what it cost.
I stayed at Ardlui marina at the top end of the loch, the food there in the evening was excellent.
We were lucky with the weather and spent the days cruising around the many islets in the loch.
Also used the boat on the East coast on the River Blackwater.
Never tried any serious sea work but for the use it had with me it performed well.
Even now the 230 / 240 remains IMHO one of the best looking boats in this class and will always make a great starter boat.
Sorry not to be able to help more with detail.

 

[hg2016]

Thanks,
and I agree. the 230 and 240 both tick all the boxes for me. Great look and they look good inside too with nice uncomplicated interior that looks fairly easy to keep clean and maintain. Thanks for all your help.

 

[Step1]

Hi Hg2016 and welcome to the forum. I was in a similar position to you about 2 years ago. Decided I had to have a boat and I too considered a 240. I just think the lines on them are very nice also. My advice is to spend as much time as you can reading all the good advice on this forum it really is a fantastic source of information and then get out and go and look at as many boats as you can. The problem I found was that the boats look great in the pictures, but are a very different story in the flesh. This usually leads you into looking at newer and bigger boats.

In all honesty for your budget, I think you will struggle to find a diesel 240. Do a search on here. A forum member was trying to sell his, which looked very well cared for. It depends how far your budget will stretch but whilst the 240 is a nice boat, for twice your budget but a lot better boat I'd look at a Fairline Targa 29 or Sealine S28. With Twin diesels they will still cost less to run fuel wise as a V8 petrol, you get a bigger boat for friends and in my opinion the Targa still has lovely lines 20 years on.

Good luck with your search, but there is honestly no substitute to getting out there and looking to see what your budget will get you.

 

[CLB]

Quite a difference between 24 and 30 ft. They are in a different class IMHO. A 24footer will be fine for a couple, or even four for day trips, but if you want to have more than two overnight you would need to look at something above 27ft.

For the budget I would look at a Fairline Targa 27, Falcon 27 or Sealine 285. Might have to be petrol in your price range but you may get a diesel if you are lucky. Boats like these are a big leap up from Searay 240, Bayliner 245, Sealine S24 etc etc

 

[hg2016]

Hello Step1 and thanks for the welcome to the Forum.
I've just had a look at the T29, T30 and the S28. They're pretty special but unfortunately over twice my budget. But the Mrs and I have selected the T30 as our final boating goal. 'Dreams Dreams' but you never know. But not yet. Need to keep things real for my first boat.I know the fairlines are quite decent as I worked in Corby building the Targa 52 for a couple of years. Lovely boats.
I think you're right about finding a Diesel in the searay240 for my budget but I might get lucky. I dont mind taking a petrol but I'll have to do the homework on the fuel consumption first. So hard to get any figures on this.
I will take your advice on getting out and looking at them. Been to see a couple in St Ives in Cambridgeshire just to get an Idea. One was a Doral Monticello 28ft. Dont know anything about these but it was lovely all around. Mercruiser 350 Magnum MPI petrol engine. I would imagine its ok chugging up the great ouse but a little thirsty on the sea. Out of my range at £34,000 but its good to look. The other was a Searay 215 Express 21ft. 5L V8 Mercruiser. Again a very well presented boat and cheap at £14,950. A little small though and without a sea toilet, cooker or shower. But I bet it goes like a rocket with that lump in it.
By the way, just as you said, The Targa still looks like it could have been built yesterday. http://www.boatshop24.co.uk/motorboat/fairline-targa-30/107491.Fantastic looking boat for a 2000 model.

 

[adey]

Welcome.
I had a SeaRay 260 as my first boat and loved it. I wouldn't worry about diesel vs petrol too much. A diesel is nice to have for long trips but you won't be going far and petrol is quieter and when you get on the revs you'll hear a beautiful V8 noise, rather than something resembling farmyard equipment.
Whenever someone posts on here about buying a boat, the answers are often along the lines of "double you budget and buy a bigger boat" but I think the SeaRay 240 would be a great first boat for what you want it for. My advice would be to get one with the vacuflush toilet option if you want to keep the Mrs happy (and you do!)
Have you thought about training (PB2?) or where exactly you'll keep it? Both important.
Not sure if there are any dry stacks near where you want to be but they can work well on that size boat.
Might be worth looking at this 260 since it's in Poole? No connection to me but it has all the options plus an added bow thruster (nice to have on a single sterndrive and when new to handling). A little pricey maybe at £25k so I'd try an offer in your price range.
http://www.yachtworld.co.uk/boats/1999/Sea-Ray-260-Sundancer-3005237/United-Kingdom#.V9PCWtQrLs0
The 260s are usually better specced than the 240s (windlass, vacuflush, oven) plus they have vinyl cabin lining rather than carpet (which can get damp and smelly). The price premium over the 240 is small and you should get one in your price range.
Good luck.

 

[hg2016]

Hi adey,
thanks very much for the info. Ive had a look at the 260 from the link you sent. Looks nice and it has a good spec. Love the bow thruster.
I agree with your take on the engine sound. You cant beat a V8 petrol burbling in the background. Its hard for me to know which way to go as I want to make sure I can afford to enjoy it, that is why I have started my research early. As for the doubling of the budget I have already done that and more. Last year the plan was a little river cruiser but I new even then that I wanted something more than that and fortunately so does the Mrs.
As for the PB2 Ihavent got a clue what that is. I havent done any research on that side of things yet.
I'd like to keep the boat down the south coast somewhere. Dorset (ish) maybe. Another part that I need to research a bit more. If i haven't got anything sorted by the time I make my purchase I'll just have to keep it at home for a while, even though in Northants We're a fair trip from the coast.
Much for me to learn.
Also, can you or anyone else help with the difference between Stern Drive, Out Drive and Z Drive. And some abbreviations. what does 'amp' mean. I've seen this quite a few times and I can usually work things out but not that.
Regards

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Also, can you or anyone else help with the difference between Stern Drive, Out Drive and Z Drive.

No difference - those are different terms for the same thing (also called a 'leg').

 

[hg2016]

Thanks Jimmy tb.
any idea what the abbreviation 'amp' means?

 

[adey]

You haven't given an example of the 'amp' but it could be '&amp', an HTML code thing and if so, ignored. It doesn't really mean anything in context of an advert.
PB2 is Power Boat Level 2 and is a training course that would suit the type of boat you're looking at.
http://www.rya.org.uk/coursestraining/courses/powerboat/Pages/Level2.aspx

 

[hg2016]

Hi adey,
'&amp' is exactly how it has been appearing. I feel a real mug now.
I will look into the PB2.
Regards