Boats

[181ce]

Hoping for some boat owners chew the cud with.

In my head is a merryfisher/arvor/benetau diesel inboard 7M or so.

In reality it will be something waaaaay more modest due to my very limited means,Shetland,Fletcher,seahog etc .

Circa 16-19 foot cuddy cabin 

Hopefully 4stroke power trim/tilt 60ish hp.

Needs to be cat C take 5 have a reasonable turn of speed not Rob me and be launches let/recoverable singlehandedly.

On the plus side I have a Landrover and a HGV licence so weight bulk per se ain't a problem.think Ive discounted inboard diesel displacement the craft need a bit of speed.

Wild card would be the likes of a bayliner Capri etc and dieselise it (mechanic by trade)

 

[Ttaskmaster]

Well, I know nothing about boats, but was intrigued by your post and just spent the last few hours trawling (pun intended) boat sites...

Not a personal fan of the cuddy, as I think I'd prefer an enclosed steering station... I never trust the weather!

I certainly wouldn't say no to that Merry Fisher 1095, though, that's for sure!!

 

I did check out the Beneteau range, including the Monte Carlo and was almost sick... mainly over half the garish designs, rather than the prices. Really not a fan of flydecks, either - They look unstable!

However, I promise that if I win the lottery, I'll buy one and invite you for a braai party on the barbecue deck!!

 

I found a few nice-looking 7m Arvor models selling, for less than a new car costs... over on www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk - I assume you know about sites like that.

 

 

 

[181ce]

All too well,if you want an eye opener re comparative prices try youboat.fr

[lol-lol]

I don't like to go to sea in anything less than 200m and with at least 10000  hp.

Mind you RIBs are fun not too far from shore.

 

Waves of 20m Winter North Atlantic teach respect.

[181ce]

I live 30mins from the 2nd biggest natural harbour in the world (reputedly),that should keep me entertained for a spell don't envisage going very far offshore until I retire and swap my house for a great big 5vck off trawler yacht......................................

[BJM]

I used to have a boat, but sold it about 4 months ago.

 

 

Never could stand the Superb's handling.

[lol-lol]

8 hours ago, BJM said:

I used to have a boat, but sold it about 4 months ago.

 

 

Never could stand the Superb's handling.

 

Mk 1 superb. Done that. 

[Ttaskmaster]

23 hours ago, 181ce said:

All too well,if you want an eye opener re comparative prices try youboat.fr

 

I prefer the UK version, as I can understand that!!

But yeah, the stupidly big expensive things are indeed stupidly big and expensive...

I'm basically interested in a coastal-campervan, a channel-caravan, a waterway-weekender - Once you start getting berths/cabins specifically for some bloke who drives your boat, it's gone over the line into impracticality for me... at least at this early stage, I think. I don't mind having three cabins and up to 8 guests, or whatever, but if you need several different steering stations, more drinks fridges than the local pub, and accommodation for 'staff', you've got more money than I could even imagine!!!

 

So what do you want this boat for, anyway? Fishing?

 

 

16 hours ago, BJM said:

I used to have a boat, but sold it about 4 months ago.

Never could stand the Superb's handling.

 

"That's not a boat... "

 

We had an old Merc C250D once - THAT was a boat!!!.

Even on heavily potholed roads, it never bounced and clunked along... it just sort-of... floated... gently up and down, like a small-engined pontoon. And it was this flippin' huge wide thing.

The Superb is like a rigid raider by comparison!

[181ce]

Fishing,sightseeing,frequenting the local hostelries,taking the sun.

 

[Ttaskmaster]

23 hours ago, 181ce said:

Fishing,sightseeing,frequenting the local hostelries,taking the sun.

 

What sort of range would you get on the sort of boats you're looking at? I assume you can't just nip to the South of France or Malta in something like these?

 

Is there an easy way to figure out what sort of range these things can do on a full tank? I assume it's safe to carry extra fuel?

 

[KenONeill]

@Ttaskmaster The fuel consumption of a boat is normally measured in gallons per hour at cruising revs rather than distance per unit volume. There are a number of reasons for this, including the effects of wind and tide changing your actual speed over the ground relative to the nominal speed from your shaft RPM.

 

As to how "safe" it is to carry extra fuel, that depends on what fuel you're using.

[181ce]

What sort of range would you get on the sort of boats you're looking at? I assume you can't just nip to the South of France or Malta in something like these?

 

 I'm looking at a few grand trailable boat range mabey 100 miles or so,you'll get to France but I wouldn't.

 

long range displacement type boats are available instead of your house 40ft trawler yacht would happily make America or 2500+ miles at 8knots and mabey 3mpg.

your gin palace planing hull 25 ft up yokes 30knots at  .5mpg mabey 150 miles or 300mikes at 12knots.

the other end of the spectrum is a small full displacement boat 24 ft boat might have a little 20hp diesel do like 7knots flat out and run all day on a cup of diesel.

 

Its a case of pick your boat to suit your specific need.

[Ttaskmaster]

4 hours ago, KenONeill said:

@Ttaskmaster The fuel consumption of a boat is normally measured in gallons per hour at cruising revs rather than distance per unit volume. There are a number of reasons for this, including the effects of wind and tide changing your actual speed over the ground relative to the nominal speed from your shaft RPM.

As to how "safe" it is to carry extra fuel, that depends on what fuel you're using.

 

Yes, but there must be at least some vaguely basic way to sort-of maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe finger-in-the-air guestimate that your little 7m boat just might not be capable of motoring all the way to Malta, and is best kept to short fishing trips a mile or two off the coast, no?

I know you can cross the Channel in a modded Toyota Hilux and get all the way to America in just a little dinghy with a clockwork propeller... but I also know it's probably not the best, safest, quickest, or most comfortable idea.

 

In other words, assuming relatively decent seas and steady average speed, will a tiny little Glastron be enough for a long trip, do I need a smaller Jeanneau and just hug the coast, do I need a larger Jeanneau... or am I really looking at selling both my fleets of gold-plated McLaren F1s?

Every boat I look at says it can "take to the seas", but some look so piddly I think I'd be mad to go further than around the Isle of Wight!

 

Fuel - I would assume petrol or diesel... Could you not fit a couple of, say, 20gal reserve tanks or something? No stowing of some 5gal Jerry cans?

 

1 hour ago, 181ce said:

 I'm looking at a few grand trailable boat range mabey 100 miles or so,you'll get to France but I wouldn't.

 

 

I see...

So you could hop the St George's Channel, perhaps, without too much trouble?

 

2 hours ago, 181ce said:

Its a case of pick your boat to suit your specific need.

 

What would you pick for, say, 4 people and a few days away, going from Portsmouth to... I dunno, Le Palais, at about 350nm distance?

Just trying to figure out how rich a hobby this stuff is and whether this is a pipe dream or something potentially viable.

[181ce]

19 minutes ago, Ttaskmaster said:

 

Yes, but there must be at least some vaguely basic way to sort-of maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe finger-in-the-air guestimate that your little 7m boat just might not be capable of motoring all the way to Malta, and is best kept to short fishing trips a mile or two off the coast, no?

I know you can cross the Channel in a modded Toyota Hilux and get all the way to America in just a little dinghy with a clockwork propeller... but I also know it's probably not the best, safest, quickest, or most comfortable idea.

 

In other words, assuming relatively decent seas and steady average speed, will a tiny little Glastron be enough for a long trip, do I need a smaller Jeanneau and just hug the coast, do I need a larger Jeanneau... or am I really looking at selling both my fleets of gold-plated McLaren F1s?

Every boat I look at says it can "take to the seas", but some look so piddly I think I'd be mad to go further than around the Isle of Wight!

 

Fuel - I would assume petrol or diesel... Could you not fit a couple of, say, 20gal reserve tanks or something? No stowing of some 5gal Jerry cans?

 

 

I see...

So you could hop the St George's Channel, perhaps, without too much trouble?

 

 

What would you pick for, say, 4 people and a few days away, going from Portsmouth to... I dunno, Le Palais, at about 350nm distance?

Just trying to figure out how rich a hobby this stuff is and whether this is a pipe dream or something potentially viable.

Sargo 31 springs to mind £187000 starting.

Or an ancient trawler for £10k

Edited 24 August, 2018 by 181ce

[Ttaskmaster]

On 24/08/2018 at 22:52, 181ce said:

Sargo 31 springs to mind £187000 starting.

 

That's big enough, is it? Not bad....

 

OK, so where do I start? I assume there are various courses and licences I need before I can go bimbling about in the seas?

[lol-lol]

2 hours ago, Ttaskmaster said:

That's big enough, is it? Not bad....

 

OK, so where do I start? I assume there are various courses and licences I need before I can go bimbling about in the seas?

RYA Yachtmasters is a common route, even for motorboat owners.

[181ce]

3 hours ago, Ttaskmaster said:

That's big enough, is it? Not bad....

 

OK, so where do I start? I assume there are various courses and licences I need before I can go bimbling about in the seas?

No idea what they're called in Englandshire,but over here there's an inshore motorboat,offshore motorboat,and radio licence.

Yes you can buy a boat and point it at the horizon with no training or qualifications whatsoever here.........beggars belief.

 

You should sign up for this free online magazine.

Motorboat owner.co.uk

 

 

[BriskodaJeff]

I was advised many years ago "if it flies, floats or f***s, you're much better off renting it by the hour". I don't do the floating thing, and I'm certainly not going to comment on option 3, but in flying terms, unless you use an aircraft a *lot*, ownership is significantly more expensive than rental. Maintenance costs in particular can be brutal. To counter this, some start off by joining a syndicate to share costs. On the upside, a well-maintained aircraft or boat could easily be worth as much or more at sale time as it was when you bought it. Again - no comment on option 3...

[Ttaskmaster]

I've just been told off my the Mrs for looking at the Sealine C530... Apparently we won't be allowed to take the dogs, either. :(

 

 

[181ce]

Jeez are you not gonna start modest ?,

Dogs love the water they'll be fine with their lifejackets ,yes it is a thing

 

[Ttaskmaster]

On 29/08/2018 at 19:08, 181ce said:

Jeez are you not gonna start modest ?,

Dogs love the water they'll be fine with their lifejackets ,yes it is a thing

 

Modest? Hey, this is just window-shopping, at this point!

Besides, I need something that can cover distance at a reasonable speed. Even at 30kts, an example trip from Portsmouth to Bergen is 26 hours continuous - I assume I'd have to 'pull in' at two or three ports along the way though, rather than be at the helm for many many hours?

 

We'll also want at least two cabins, probably three, and this C530 even has space for a crew cabin at the back in case my seamanship isn't up to scratch.

Personally, I hate the look of flydecks. I also want a saloon that has a back door so it can close completely (we're bound to have bad weather at some point), that side door by the helm rather appeals (even a half-height one I can just stick my head out of) and an interior that doesn't just look like they got IKEA to transplant the latest London hotel designs. Most older boats look like a cheap motel room from the 1960s and most newer ones look like BMW bought shares in the boatbuilders!

 

I'd found some ex military boats that weren't hideously expensive, but I don't think the wife would be seen dead in one of those!

 

As for the dogs - All three of ours are strong swimmers and one is a Labrador, so general water isn't a problem so long as we have a shower on the swim platform to wash the salt off.

It's more about where they'd go to take a dump... I can't exactly pull over to let them outside!! 

 

 

 

[VWD]

On 22/08/2018 at 19:29, lol-lol said:

I don't like to go to sea in anything less than 200m and with at least 10000  hp.

Mind you RIBs are fun not too far from shore.

 

Waves of 20m Winter North Atlantic teach respect.

Try this, used by my grandfather to catch herring in the early days of the 1900 's, in the waters around the Hebrides.. This was his second boat. the original was a lot smaller.

[lol-lol]

7 hours ago, VWD said:

Try this, used by my grandfather to catch herring in the early days of the 1900 's, in the waters around the Hebrides.. This was his second boat. the original was a lot smaller.

 

 

Done a bit of patrolling in the Hebrides in this.......

 

Some interesting nautical occurrences in the Hebrides ie whirlpools and freaky weather.  Trip to Rockall to fly the flag!  

Edited 26 September, 2018 by lol-lol

[Ttaskmaster]

7 hours ago, lol-lol said:

Done a bit of patrolling in the Hebrides in this.......

 

Wow, how much is one of those, I wonder.....

I have actually seen some ex-military boats for sale, as well as companies offering new builds, and many cost less than a 75' luxury motor yacht...!

[VWD]

Cal Mac used to run an ex minesweeper ( Loch Arkaig) on the inner Hebrides run some 30/40 years ago. Problem was that they'd added to the superstructure and in a breeze of wind it helled over like an old sailing ship .

Tt- it might be cheaper to look at some of the redundant fishing boats.

Edited 26 September, 2018 by VWD