Buying my 1st ever boat - help steer me the right direction!
Discussion
A little bit of background 1st.
I live on the edge of Lough Neagh in N Ireland. It’s an enormous fresh water lough, somewhere in the region of 20 miles x 15 miles so plenty of exploring to be done. My house is literally 600 yards away, or about a 1 mile drive to get to the slipway. The question I’ve been asking myself – why have I left it until now to buy a boat!!?
Especially when I consider that there are zero fees to use the slipway. There is a boat club too, which is £185 a year membership and you can dry store your boat there for £5 per ft for the year, or alternatively, store it on the jetty for £10 per ft for the year. I didn't realise it would be so inexpensive. Or I could store it on my driveway a mile away for nothing. I do like the idea of storing it at the boatclub just to (1) not have a boat on my drive (2) I’m sure the neighbours would prefer that too and (3) less chance of it being stolen as my drive has no gates
With that in mind, the cost of ownership of a boat in general will be a bit more palatable compared against if I stored it at a Marina on the sea, plus all the additional costs that come with using a boat at sea. Maybe sea boating is something for the future, but with so many Loughs in Ireland and adjoining waterways between them, theres enough exploration available to keep me busy for a few years at least.
The consideration I have is for what type of boat. I’ve talked above about exploring places etc but I’ve also 2 kids to entertain, one is 9 and one is 13. With close proximity to the Lough, I can see us getting up on a Saturday morning and heading out for a quick half day and so some wakeboarding or water skiing. Something I loved doing myself as a child when my Uncle used to take us out on a boat all the time. I still fondly remember the day as a child when I dropped a ski by accident and kept going on a single ski and the buzz that gave me. I would love for my kids to experience watersports too as its such good fun, as well as being good for your health in general.
So it comes to what kind of boat and of course, what kind of budget. Up to £10k is fine, although for £6k, there a plenty of options for a speedboat so I would prefer the lower end. With that said, probably best to up it to £10k if I go for a cabin cruiser.
What I’ve been looking at:
Deck boats – I like the idea of extra space for passengers for a bit of day exploration, and on the days I’m bringing the kids out for watersports, even a moderately powered one would be enough for me and 1 child on the boat, the other getting towed. I’m thinking 30-50hp would be sufficient?
Bowrider – again, like the deckboat, enough space for passengers, albeit a little less than a deckboat and will be spot on for watersports – probably better due to its better handling and the fact that if the skier falls in the water, its agile enough to nip back round and scoop them up in no time
Rib boat – Is this something else to consider – I’m not exactly seeing the attraction of a rib but maybe I’m missing something?
Cabin cruiser – now this sounds perfect and you can get a surprisingly large amount of boat for little money on the used market, and with a bit of shelter, you aren’t bound by the weather quite as much. Lots of obvious pro’s for a cabin cruiser but one thing that worries me is agility/watersports. If my child gets dumped in the water frequently, is it going to be a real pain circling back to pick them up? Will it be akin to driving a 7 seater suv round a go kart track? At what size does a cabin cruiser become useless for watersport?
Another negative is that to do watersports in a cabin cruiser, you’ll likely need a much meatier engine and with that, comes additional running costs.
So that’s what I’m considering. I’ve also looking into licensing and you literally don’t need anything to go on Lough Neagh. You just buy a boat, stick it in the water and off you go. Crazy. As a 1st time boat buyer, safety is the No1 priority so I’ll be a virgin on the water so something easy to handle and easy to learn how to boat with is also key. I’m sure I can get someone from the boatclub to ‘train me up’ on my new boat, whatever that ends up being.
So overall, what I would like to hear is other peoples experiences when buying a boat. It seems that some people go through a few different boats before they find ‘the one’ so I’m just interested in peoples general anecdotal experiences when they got into boating for the 1st time, and what they learned.
I do understand that I want to cruise in comfort and I want to do watersports too, and those 2 things sort of clash a bit so how do people find a compromise between them? Maybe I just go ahead and resign myself to a bowrider or deckboat, knowing that it’ll be spot on for watersports, and it will also be perfect for day cruising in good weather, and just resign myself that when the weather isn’t great, there won’t be any day excursions?
Thanks for any hints or tips you can provide!
I live on the edge of Lough Neagh in N Ireland. It’s an enormous fresh water lough, somewhere in the region of 20 miles x 15 miles so plenty of exploring to be done. My house is literally 600 yards away, or about a 1 mile drive to get to the slipway. The question I’ve been asking myself – why have I left it until now to buy a boat!!?
Especially when I consider that there are zero fees to use the slipway. There is a boat club too, which is £185 a year membership and you can dry store your boat there for £5 per ft for the year, or alternatively, store it on the jetty for £10 per ft for the year. I didn't realise it would be so inexpensive. Or I could store it on my driveway a mile away for nothing. I do like the idea of storing it at the boatclub just to (1) not have a boat on my drive (2) I’m sure the neighbours would prefer that too and (3) less chance of it being stolen as my drive has no gates
With that in mind, the cost of ownership of a boat in general will be a bit more palatable compared against if I stored it at a Marina on the sea, plus all the additional costs that come with using a boat at sea. Maybe sea boating is something for the future, but with so many Loughs in Ireland and adjoining waterways between them, theres enough exploration available to keep me busy for a few years at least.
The consideration I have is for what type of boat. I’ve talked above about exploring places etc but I’ve also 2 kids to entertain, one is 9 and one is 13. With close proximity to the Lough, I can see us getting up on a Saturday morning and heading out for a quick half day and so some wakeboarding or water skiing. Something I loved doing myself as a child when my Uncle used to take us out on a boat all the time. I still fondly remember the day as a child when I dropped a ski by accident and kept going on a single ski and the buzz that gave me. I would love for my kids to experience watersports too as its such good fun, as well as being good for your health in general.
So it comes to what kind of boat and of course, what kind of budget. Up to £10k is fine, although for £6k, there a plenty of options for a speedboat so I would prefer the lower end. With that said, probably best to up it to £10k if I go for a cabin cruiser.
What I’ve been looking at:
Deck boats – I like the idea of extra space for passengers for a bit of day exploration, and on the days I’m bringing the kids out for watersports, even a moderately powered one would be enough for me and 1 child on the boat, the other getting towed. I’m thinking 30-50hp would be sufficient?
Bowrider – again, like the deckboat, enough space for passengers, albeit a little less than a deckboat and will be spot on for watersports – probably better due to its better handling and the fact that if the skier falls in the water, its agile enough to nip back round and scoop them up in no time
Rib boat – Is this something else to consider – I’m not exactly seeing the attraction of a rib but maybe I’m missing something?
Cabin cruiser – now this sounds perfect and you can get a surprisingly large amount of boat for little money on the used market, and with a bit of shelter, you aren’t bound by the weather quite as much. Lots of obvious pro’s for a cabin cruiser but one thing that worries me is agility/watersports. If my child gets dumped in the water frequently, is it going to be a real pain circling back to pick them up? Will it be akin to driving a 7 seater suv round a go kart track? At what size does a cabin cruiser become useless for watersport?
Another negative is that to do watersports in a cabin cruiser, you’ll likely need a much meatier engine and with that, comes additional running costs.
So that’s what I’m considering. I’ve also looking into licensing and you literally don’t need anything to go on Lough Neagh. You just buy a boat, stick it in the water and off you go. Crazy. As a 1st time boat buyer, safety is the No1 priority so I’ll be a virgin on the water so something easy to handle and easy to learn how to boat with is also key. I’m sure I can get someone from the boatclub to ‘train me up’ on my new boat, whatever that ends up being.
So overall, what I would like to hear is other peoples experiences when buying a boat. It seems that some people go through a few different boats before they find ‘the one’ so I’m just interested in peoples general anecdotal experiences when they got into boating for the 1st time, and what they learned.
I do understand that I want to cruise in comfort and I want to do watersports too, and those 2 things sort of clash a bit so how do people find a compromise between them? Maybe I just go ahead and resign myself to a bowrider or deckboat, knowing that it’ll be spot on for watersports, and it will also be perfect for day cruising in good weather, and just resign myself that when the weather isn’t great, there won’t be any day excursions?
Thanks for any hints or tips you can provide!
Something like this would be my suggestion. Can't comment on it's ability for water skiing (I would guess it would pull a doughnut or small child on skis ok) but would be more use as an allrounder for fishing/day trips than an out and out skiboat.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jeanneau-Merry-Fisher-5...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jeanneau-Merry-Fisher-5...
pequod said:
Something like this would be my suggestion. Can't comment on it's ability for water skiing (I would guess it would pull a doughnut or small child on skis ok) but would be more use as an allrounder for fishing/day trips than an out and out skiboat.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jeanneau-Merry-Fisher-5...
Lol - knew it would take long before PH recommended me to increase my budget https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jeanneau-Merry-Fisher-5...
Thats a cracking boat you posted - I really like that. 2 people keeping dry up top (or more with the rear covered) and a good bit of room below for eating/taking shelter. I also like the fact you can still access the bow, where you could throw a couple of cushions down and chill - the design is almost like a bench seat up there. Plus there is a great hand rail there too. And plenty of room behind the driver as well. Really nice design.
The only issue is the price - an engine like that wouldn't be too bad actually for annual maintenance costs yet still big enough to make good progress on the water - its just whether I can justify the initial £15k for my 1st venture into boating! I don't think the running costs would be scary though - so thats a real positive.
Great boat and food for thought - that overall layout is something that I really like.
Strongly recommend you take the RYA Powerboat 2 course before deciding on a boat. It will give you boat handling and safety basic knowledge (like MOB routine), vital when having two youngsters on board. Better still, do the radio course too.
Powerboat 2 done locally gives you the chance to learn in the conditions you are likely to encounter. Then you can assess better the type and size of boat best suited to your needs, whether inshore or offshore. There are so many to choose from. The local RYA instructors will have ideas about good starter boats which work well in local conditions and where you intend to navigate.
Powerboat 2 done locally gives you the chance to learn in the conditions you are likely to encounter. Then you can assess better the type and size of boat best suited to your needs, whether inshore or offshore. There are so many to choose from. The local RYA instructors will have ideas about good starter boats which work well in local conditions and where you intend to navigate.
HocusPocus said:
Strongly recommend you take the RYA Powerboat 2 course before deciding on a boat. It will give you boat handling and safety basic knowledge (like MOB routine), vital when having two youngsters on board. Better still, do the radio course too.
Powerboat 2 done locally gives you the chance to learn in the conditions you are likely to encounter. Then you can assess better the type and size of boat best suited to your needs, whether inshore or offshore. There are so many to choose from. The local RYA instructors will have ideas about good starter boats which work well in local conditions and where you intend to navigate.
Just checked that out, thanks. I can do the I and II course at the local boat club, so that's good news - don't even need to travel.Powerboat 2 done locally gives you the chance to learn in the conditions you are likely to encounter. Then you can assess better the type and size of boat best suited to your needs, whether inshore or offshore. There are so many to choose from. The local RYA instructors will have ideas about good starter boats which work well in local conditions and where you intend to navigate.
I think a radio makes sense too, and was thinking about a little 2hp back up engine as a just in case. Would hate to be stranded away from the shore.
There is a Quicksilver 510 cruiser for sale close by, only €7.5k and looks like a great little starter boat. No idea if they are a good boat, but quite light, 17ft ish. It's got a 60hp on the back.
These aren't the actual pictures, just from Google images.
This boat any good?
As suggested above, enrol in a course to start with and that will answer many of your questions as to what boat you want versus which craft is most suitable for where you are intending to get afloat. The instructors will have a lot of experience of Lough Neagh (I would hope) and are best placed to advise you.
pequod said:
As suggested above, enrol in a course to start with and that will answer many of your questions as to what boat you want versus which craft is most suitable for where you are intending to get afloat. The instructors will have a lot of experience of Lough Neagh (I would hope) and are best placed to advise you.
Yes, and probably worth a trip to the boat club to talk to members and get their experiences too. The launch is from a river, and there is a public slip way and on the opposite side, the private boat club slipway.
Further down stream there is a old army base, where the Army used to launch vessels in WW2 and the river was excavated as well as framed at the mouth with huge rocks as it enters the Lough, so it's good for vessels much larger than anything I would use. For the actual slipway launch, the public one is quite a smooth gradient, ie, a lot less steep than some really steep ones you see- not sure if thats a good or a bad thing?
This pic is the river, and on the left, to the right of the blue boat, is where the boat club launches from.
And this pic is the public slipway (you approach from the left where the birds are) so quite a benign gradient. The lough itself is just ahead, at the top of the picture.
pequod said:
As suggested above, enrol in a course to start with and that will answer many of your questions as to what boat you want versus which craft is most suitable for where you are intending to get afloat. The instructors will have a lot of experience of Lough Neagh (I would hope) and are best placed to advise you.
^^^This.And join the club. Pick people's brains & see if they will show you around their own boats - a trip out would be a bonus.
Don't just rush out & buy a boat, very likely you'll quickly regret it.
soupdragon1 said:
Cabin cruiser – now this sounds perfect and you can get a surprisingly large amount of boat for little money on the used market, and with a bit of shelter, you aren’t bound by the weather quite as much. Lots of obvious pro’s for a cabin cruiser but one thing that worries me is agility/watersports. If my child gets dumped in the water frequently, is it going to be a real pain circling back to pick them up? Will it be akin to driving a 7 seater suv round a go kart track? At what size does a cabin cruiser become useless for watersport?
Another negative is that to do watersports in a cabin cruiser, you’ll likely need a much meatier engine and with that, comes additional running costs.
Cabin Cruisers can be very manouverable if they have an outdrive (or outboard) on the back. You can pretty much spin them in their own circle. They'd be my choice for pootling about.Another negative is that to do watersports in a cabin cruiser, you’ll likely need a much meatier engine and with that, comes additional running costs.
Watersports would limit your choices a bit more with cabin cruisers though. How about get one with davits and hand an 8ft rob/dinghy off them and use that?
paintman said:
pequod said:
As suggested above, enrol in a course to start with and that will answer many of your questions as to what boat you want versus which craft is most suitable for where you are intending to get afloat. The instructors will have a lot of experience of Lough Neagh (I would hope) and are best placed to advise you.
^^^This.And join the club. Pick people's brains & see if they will show you around their own boats - a trip out would be a bonus.
Don't just rush out & buy a boat, very likely you'll quickly regret it.
I'm interested in peoples views of how their boating journey started, what they started with and if they changed, why did they change?
I mentioned in my 1st post that safety is my No1 priority and I'm very risk adverse when it comes to my kids so I can see myself for the 1st little while only going out in still conditions and staying very close to the shore, just until I'm accustomed to being out on the water.
I was out on boats all the time as a kid, but obviously as a passenger, rather than driver and I've a good understanding how powerful even small looking waves can be. So as a novice driver - I would not be going out in choppy conditions at all, regardless of what boat it is. Slowly slowly learning would be my approach.
There have been some great tips already and what I want to understand a bit more is just other peoples journey as they started boating for the 1st time. Eg. What type of boat did you get and how long was it suitable for your needs?
crofty1984 said:
soupdragon1 said:
Cabin cruiser – now this sounds perfect and you can get a surprisingly large amount of boat for little money on the used market, and with a bit of shelter, you aren’t bound by the weather quite as much. Lots of obvious pro’s for a cabin cruiser but one thing that worries me is agility/watersports. If my child gets dumped in the water frequently, is it going to be a real pain circling back to pick them up? Will it be akin to driving a 7 seater suv round a go kart track? At what size does a cabin cruiser become useless for watersport?
Another negative is that to do watersports in a cabin cruiser, you’ll likely need a much meatier engine and with that, comes additional running costs.
Cabin Cruisers can be very manouverable if they have an outdrive (or outboard) on the back. You can pretty much spin them in their own circle. They'd be my choice for pootling about.Another negative is that to do watersports in a cabin cruiser, you’ll likely need a much meatier engine and with that, comes additional running costs.
Watersports would limit your choices a bit more with cabin cruisers though. How about get one with davits and hand an 8ft rob/dinghy off them and use that?
To be honest, I could actually see that as something I would do down the road a bit. If I was to start off with a cabin cruiser as a 1st boat, it would probably have to be a small one. I don't know. I've no idea what the different boats are like to drive you see....and the difference between an 18ft cabin cruiser and a 22ft one. I would guess, quite a bit different?
May I be really boring for a moment?
I survived an accident at sea ONLY because I was wearing a life jacket. I would not be here now had I not been wearing one.
If you get a boat (and I hope you do, they're great fun) please do ensure that you and all aboard wear a life jacket - no matter how calm and friendly the water looks?
Please.
I survived an accident at sea ONLY because I was wearing a life jacket. I would not be here now had I not been wearing one.
If you get a boat (and I hope you do, they're great fun) please do ensure that you and all aboard wear a life jacket - no matter how calm and friendly the water looks?
Please.
NDA said:
May I be really boring for a moment?
I survived an accident at sea ONLY because I was wearing a life jacket. I would not be here now had I not been wearing one.
If you get a boat (and I hope you do, they're great fun) please do ensure that you and all aboard wear a life jacket - no matter how calm and friendly the water looks?
Please.
Christ yes!I survived an accident at sea ONLY because I was wearing a life jacket. I would not be here now had I not been wearing one.
If you get a boat (and I hope you do, they're great fun) please do ensure that you and all aboard wear a life jacket - no matter how calm and friendly the water looks?
Please.
That'll be the very 1st thing. I've been watching YouTube videos and so many people don't wear them so I see why you posted that.
We went on a boat trip on hols a while back. I asked about life jackets and there were loads of them. I had mine on before we even left shore. 2 things really scare me. Drowning, getting buried alive, and heights. Ok, that's 3. But yeah, drowning scares me!
I've got no answers for you, I'm afraid. Is that six mile water in Antrim? If so, you're a lucky man to live there. We stayed at the caravan site there in a motorhome a few weeks ago, and found it absolutely beautiful. The people in the town were fantastic, and the dog was taken with the squirrels in the castle gardens.
s2sol said:
I've got no answers for you, I'm afraid. Is that six mile water in Antrim? If so, you're a lucky man to live there. We stayed at the caravan site there in a motorhome a few weeks ago, and found it absolutely beautiful. The people in the town were fantastic, and the dog was taken with the squirrels in the castle gardens.
Yeah, I've lived here all my life and you sort of take things for granted. The shops aren't the greatest, but the nature side of things is a real plus point for Antrim. We got a puppy in May so out on dog walks along lough neagh, Castle Gardens, six mile water and if you go a bit down stream, you get to salmon boxes and another stretch of really nice river walk. What with lockdown, getting a dog etc, you end up enjoying the simple things in life again. Just getting fresh air and enjoying nature.
Glad you enjoyed your trip here!
citizensm1th said:
If you are going to use it for family days out get something with a toilet on it.
Yes, the missus mentioned this. She likes that idea. I'm kind of 'do a pee before you go' and you can do another at a stop along the way but the convenience of a loo is great. It also means a bigger boat though - so it's getting the right balance too.
soupdragon1 said:
Yes, the missus mentioned this. She likes that idea. I'm kind of 'do a pee before you go' and you can do another at a stop along the way but the convenience of a loo is great. It also means a bigger boat though - so it's getting the right balance too.
Good that you are forming a list of 'must haves' on your preferred choice of boat which will help concentrate the search. With the budget you have mentioned I suspect you will find it tricky to get a built in heads (toilet for you landlubbers!) but a portable chemical loo in the cabin will do to start with. I'm sure the kids would also be quite happy to pee in a bucket which you can empty overboard but your good lady might object to such basic amenities!!?Get the dog a lifejacket too!
soupdragon1 said:
Christ yes!
That'll be the very 1st thing. I've been watching YouTube videos and so many people don't wear them so I see why you posted that.
Really glad to hear it.... That'll be the very 1st thing. I've been watching YouTube videos and so many people don't wear them so I see why you posted that.
I made a promise to myself that I would become an evangelist for lifejackets after my accident - so will often pop up on threads like this saying please wear one. I lost one of my best friends at sea (actually not lifejacket related)... things can go catastrophically wrong very quickly. Being well prepared and a tiny bit OCD is a good thing.
Good luck with your purchase, being on the water is, despite my negative (ish) post, a great place to be.
Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff