Any motorboat experts? Help me choose.

[Jaguar steve]

Knee injury means I've got to stop sailing - just can't take the risk of any more damage from leaping around on the foredeck struggling with sails in lively weather. Fallen overboard once this season when my knee gave way and that's enough.

So, thoughts turn to motorboats. I know exactly what I don't want - anything with even the faintest whiff of Romford Navy about it is out of the question, but somthing along the lines of a 2/4 berth, economical semi displacement cruiser/work boat with good sea manners might not be.

It'd be kept on a swinging mooring in one of the north Essex or Suffolk rivers and mostly used in the Thames Estuary. If it had the draft and air draft capability of entering the UK canal network somewhere round London for some river and canal cruising for a week or so's holiday that'd be a very big plus point.

I know fkall about motorboats - so what to look at? What engine size for a 25 foot or so boat is reasonable and how much fuel will it use per hour? Does the sailor's guestimation that every 10hp = 1 gallon an hour apply to motorboats too?

I'd be happy with a 5/6knt cruise speed and I don't mind if it's not pretty either, boats are for using not polishing IMO. Something like a Colvic Watson maybe?

Over to you Chaps

[Simpo Two]

Jaguar steve said:

2/4 berth, economical semi displacement cruiser/work boat with good sea manners might not be... draft and air draft capability of entering the UK canal network somewhere round London for some river and canal cruising for a week or so's holiday... 5/6knt cruise speed

Actually my boat meets all those requirements, a Freeman 23. However you'd need to regard it as a 'classic'; if it was a car it would be between an MG and a Mk2 Jaguar. Lovely mahogany interior is to be cherished not kicked to bits with steel-toed boots!

And yes, a 23 has been across the Channel though for offshore work I'd want twin engines.

Many models to choose from: www.freemancruisers.com

[Fishtigua]

Try some chunky boats from Scandinavia

http://www.minoroffshore.fi/minor-27-wr.html

or

http://www.targa.fi/Boats/27_1

Not cheap but very good

[shouldbworking]

Why yes, I am a motorboat expert....

ah.. wait... nevermind

[hidetheelephants]

Not an area I have much knowledge of, but how about a Colvic Northerner? What is this Romford Navy of which you speak? Is it related to the (River)Leven Pirates? The standard vessel of a pirate is a tired ex-ship's lifeboat with what at first glance resembles a garden shed mounted on it, but on closer examination is revealed to be a shack assembled from drift wood and held together with polypropylene rope salvaged from a beach.

[Jaguar steve]

hidetheelephants said:

Not an area I have much knowledge of, but how about a Colvic Northerner? What is this Romford Navy of which you speak? Is it related to the (River)Leven Pirates? The standard vessel of a pirate is a tired ex-ship's lifeboat with what at first glance resembles a garden shed mounted on it, but on closer examination is revealed to be a shack assembled from drift wood and held together with polypropylene rope salvaged from a beach.

Now that's the sort of boat I had in mind..

Romford Navy? Ooo Nasty.. Think a combination of East End market trader / London taxi driver / cockney wker Essex boy with more money than taste or sense. Starts his nautical career on a secondhand jetski with a bit of history he bought on a whim from a dodgy geezer in a layby on Rainham Marshes then graduates to an hideously overpowered and overstyled speedboat that's kept on a much too small trailer with flat tyres left half blocking the road beside his caravan holiday home in the Essex badlands.

He'll go 'dahaan th 'faakin 'van most weekends with his skinny orange Romford Dog bird and a litter of disgusting children who run amock whilst him and his mates get pissed up in the bar. His weekend usually features either a fight, a tow back to shore having run out of fuel, a bit of Domestic or his bird having it off with his best mate behind the clubhouse bins - or if it's a Bank Holiday and he's up for 'avin it 'faakin large - possibily all four.

Once the wheeling and dealing has made enough cash he'll get serious. That'll mean joining a Yacht club or getting a marina berth. He'll spend enough money in the bar for membership not to be a problem. By now he'll have - unfortunately for the rest of us - got his hands on a large chrome and gadget encrusted planing motor cruiser with two huge engines. It'll be called somthing totally OTT like a Sunseeker Royalle or Bayliner Big Cock.

He still won't have a fking clue about basic seamanship, col regs or etiquette. He still won't know how to read a chart, work the tides or put a life jacket on and he won't give a fk about the speed limit through the moorings. His navigation skills will consist of asking sombody in the bar the night before where they are heading and tail (stern?) gating them closely when they leave.

In short a Complete Twunt. And if you ever sail in the Thames Estuary or the Essex rivers you'll see there's an awfull lot of Romford Navy about.

HTH

Back on topic...

Edited by Jaguar steve on Tuesday 2nd November 06:30

[Simpo Two]

Jaguar steve said:

orange Romford Dog bird

I think I had the misfortune to photograph one of those once.


ETA That Colvic looks quite handsome, though not much to hang on to if you have to go up the front. Same cooker and handpump as mine!

Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 2nd November 09:42

[XJSJohn]

was brought uparound these sort of boats as a kid, a little larger but we toured most of Europe on a Profile 33 in the late 70's and early 80's.



33 ft, tough as old boots, 2 x merc OM636 diesels, 7 knots everywhere and through everything, 1.8gallons / hour (both engines together)

Over engineered to the max, the gelcote is so thick on them that there is no chance of osmosis.

Bilge Keeled so easy to dry out with minimum of fuss too!

We did channel, north sea and baltic crossings (all be it slowly) and cruised from eastern sweden to the greek islands over many years, including all over the european inland waterways of Netherlands, Germany and France. (ohh and on one trip we got her past Oxford on the thames, although the last bridge involved filling the bilges then getting 40 people from the beer garden we were mored next to to come onboard to get the air draft down )

a few here

http://www.allboats.com/en/profile/33

[Jackleman]

You could look at Hardy Marine, also Broom.

[MOTORVATOR]

Jaguar steve said:

I know fkall about motorboats - so what to look at? What engine size for a 25 foot or so boat is reasonable and how much fuel will it use per hour? Does the sailor's guestimation that every 10hp = 1 gallon an hour apply to motorboats too?

About half that once you get on to us Romford navy types wiv big injines. Me 550 geegee detroits in me blinged up Sunseeker burn around 25 gallon per hour each at full chat innit.

If you know nothing of motorboats you need to be aware that a 25ft semi displacement will not handle a sea anything like as well as a 25 ft sailing boat. It will pitch and roll about in a heavy sea due to not having sails to steady it. The higher the centre of gravity the worse it will be. Think of these 25 ft fishers with a flybridge for the worst.

Us Essix bouys obviously look to a deep vee planing hull to cut through the sea but also go that much quicker so you can make a run for home if the weather closes in so we never miss that fight at the bar.

Extended cruising offshore definately requires twin engines for safety but they are also useful for towing in the odd dopey ex wafi that hasn't thought things through.

Oh and the chrome is on me caravan not me boat. That's all 316 stainless.

[XJSJohn]

Motorvator, to be fair, the romford navy does exist and is very accurately depicted by the op!

But as you say, one shouldn't tar all stink boats with the same brush, much the same as with all WAFI's

However, your response did make me laugh a valid point in differentiation!

[F i F]

Fairline Mirage?

Here is a blog from a guy who has managed to own two of them. Silver Dream that he sold last year was truly in ace nick by the time he'd finished with it.

http://www.plesbit.net/


+1 on the Colvic Northerner btw, I've always fancied one of those as a no nonsense jobbie, but the single engine issue always put me off. Not insurmountable admittedly.

Having said that the Targa range as mentioned by another gets good feedback but expensive and accommodation is a bit sparse, more fishing/work boats than cruisers, and definitely NOT Romford Navy, more Metropolitan Plod Marine Support Unit who use Targe 31.

[hidetheelephants]

F i F said:

Having said that the Targa range as mentioned by another gets good feedback but expensive and accommodation is a bit sparse, more fishing/work boats than cruisers, and definitely NOT Romford Navy, more Metropolitan Plod Marine Support Unit who use Targe 31.

+1 on the Botnia, they're ace.

[MOTORVATOR]

XJSJohn said:

Motorvator, to be fair, the romford navy does exist and is very accurately depicted by the op!

But as you say, one shouldn't tar all stink boats with the same brush, much the same as with all WAFI's

However, your response did make me laugh a valid point in differentiation!

Oh don't worry it didn't wind me up as I have the knowledge that I'm an ex WAFI too. I just went over to the dark side.

Been on the water for over 40 years and have owned and run small sailing dingies, 35 foot sailing cruisers, rescue launches, offshore powerboats for racing and more recently Sunseekers. So I'm all for people on the water getting on with each other.

Don't like the Romford navy as much as the OP but also don't like the 5 or 6 50 year old ladi dah idiots moored behind me that bought themselves a 30 ft yacht three years ago and have proceeded to wreck so many boats in the marina due to being incapable of handling it whilst giving everyone a cheery wave. And they still can't manage to bungie their bleeding halyards and control ropes before leaving the marina.

Anyway back to the OP question have you considered something like a Nelson 34?

[Jaguar steve]

What's a WAFI?

Budget is going to be no more than £10k ish and I realise I'm not getting a shiny Marina Queen for that. If I spent more I know I'd be fretting about not using the boat every moment I had spare. TBH it's probrably not going to get a lot of use anyway, but friends have suggested a boatshare partnership which I'm thinking about which will perhaps change how it's used in the future.

I can see the need for two engines if you're relying on power, all I've ever had is a 5hp outboard - us manly sailors just sail away from any lurking grief - but why just for offshore? if you're in the Thames Estuary for example there's usually a sandbank within a couple of miles downstream waiting to rip your hull open if your motor packs up in rough weather.

Found a Colvic on Boatshed that may be worth a look but as Mrs JS pointed out have realisticaly to sell my sailing cruiser first.

Food for thought here Chaps. Keep it coming.

[XJSJohn]

Jaguar steve said:

What's a WAFI?

Its a royal navy term for us stick and rag merchants!

Wind Assisted fkin' Idiot

[MOTORVATOR]

You're right I would term Thames Estuary as offshore or certainly the marathon powerboat racers did this year.

10k is going to limit the options somewhat if you are going twin diesel. Little point having two engines for security both of which are fecked. A thought could be if you are little use is to go petrol and maybe auxillary engine.

Having said that maybe one of the old princesses would suit.

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/BBQ044

or twin petrol

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/PAA6158

[Jaguar steve]

MOTORVATOR said:

You're right I would term Thames Estuary as offshore or certainly the marathon powerboat racers did this year.

10k is going to limit the options somewhat if you are going twin diesel. Little point having two engines for security both of which are fecked. A thought could be if you are little use is to go petrol and maybe auxillary engine.

Having said that maybe one of the old princesses would suit.

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/BBQ044

or twin petrol

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/PAA6158

Big petrol power is right out. I've got enough on board at the moment - about two gallons - for me not to want to have any more.

[Simpo Two]

I don't know about offshore, but inland, petrol is much harder to find at marinas and also makes life tougher under BSS regs - for example you can't have a gas fridge, it has to be elctric. In fact I can't think of any advantages for petrol at all.

[AnotherClarkey]

The Channel Island 22 is a kind of 'mini Nelson' semi-displacement cruiser with a good reputation. If memory serves there are some around with twin shaft drive diesels.

Even though I am more of a sailor myself I have always fancied something like a Fairey Huntress of Tremlett 21 Sea Launch with a 6 cylinder n/a diesel for cruising about at a steady 15-20 knots and actually getting places.

For a lighter outboard powered option maybe a Hunter Landau 20?