Sea Boat Help!
Discussion
Dear water people.
I'm looking at getting a *tester boat* to experiment with a bit of fishing. I've been out bazillions of times on other people's boats but never taken much notice of them.
I'm really looking for something that will never go more than a mile off shore and will probably never do more than 25 miles of pootling in one go.
I want it to be unsinkable, simple and suitable for a complete idiot novice.
So it needs to be...
SMALL enough to be launchable (and recoverable) by one man on a muddy slipway.
LARGE enough to be a mile out to sea fishing.
And at this point, the cheaper the better - as it will certainly be sold next year to either forget the hobby or upgrade to another boat, somewhere around £1000?
Possible?
Don't mind a project if it's just painting and cleaning up and fiddling.
Help.
I will be told I am daft but I am after the exact same thing and have been looking at Shetland 535's with something like a 30-50 hp outboard, oh and a single axle trailer, twins are a bugger to move around off the tow vehicle.
Buy a VHF and do the radio course and get a licence, it could save your life.
Buy a VHF and do the radio course and get a licence, it could save your life.
I wouldn't get too hung up on "unsinkability" - it basically means the boat will stay afloat, but may still be swamped with water, so you would not be staying toasty and warm and could still die of hypothermia or drown if not wearing a lifejacket. It would be far better for you to focus on having the right safety kit (lifejacket, vhf, flares, plb if you're really worried) and the knowledge to use them (by doing an RYA Powerboat 1&2 course).
As to stability, fishing boats will be petty stable, but may give an uncomfortable ride as a result (due to a tendency to slam over waves) but, at the end of the day, a 15ft boat is a 15ft boat and not something you want to be out in when it's even moderately rough. Which comes back to the need to do a course and take advice from other boaters.
As to stability, fishing boats will be petty stable, but may give an uncomfortable ride as a result (due to a tendency to slam over waves) but, at the end of the day, a 15ft boat is a 15ft boat and not something you want to be out in when it's even moderately rough. Which comes back to the need to do a course and take advice from other boaters.
A mile out to sea in something costing £1,000? Not likely I'm afraid. Up your budget to something around £2,000 and you might find something suitable. Even then, it's going to be an old 2 stroke on the back, which means potentially unreliable and you'll find it difficult to get parts for it and sat on a rotten trailer that will be dangerous to put on the road.
I'd be looking for something like a Seahog/Seajeep, Wilson Flyer, that sort of thing, as that's probably all that will be in budget. Cathedral hulls are pretty stable at rest, but not much good in the chop really, they tend to slam.
I would be looking carefully at the engines and trailers on a boat at this price point. Boat trailers can be lethal and I'm amazed at what I see people bring into work. How people think it's ok to put these on the road is beyond me! You wouldn't drive around in a 10 year old car you continuously dunk in the sea with a rotted chassis, knackered wheel bearings and no brakes. Check things like starter motors, steering, power trim on the outboards. All can be tricky and costly to replace, if indeed you can still get the parts.
This looks like a good original boat, shame about the engine, but that's what you're going to have to expect at this price point: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15ft-Seahog-Hunter-Fast-...
I'd be looking for something like a Seahog/Seajeep, Wilson Flyer, that sort of thing, as that's probably all that will be in budget. Cathedral hulls are pretty stable at rest, but not much good in the chop really, they tend to slam.
I would be looking carefully at the engines and trailers on a boat at this price point. Boat trailers can be lethal and I'm amazed at what I see people bring into work. How people think it's ok to put these on the road is beyond me! You wouldn't drive around in a 10 year old car you continuously dunk in the sea with a rotted chassis, knackered wheel bearings and no brakes. Check things like starter motors, steering, power trim on the outboards. All can be tricky and costly to replace, if indeed you can still get the parts.
This looks like a good original boat, shame about the engine, but that's what you're going to have to expect at this price point: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15ft-Seahog-Hunter-Fast-...
Edited by zed4 on Wednesday 1st May 17:10
Good advice - keep it coming, it's very appreciated.
zed4 - That link you've put up looks a lot like one or two boats I've seen at £900 - £1200.
Notwithstanding the trailer (as I could weld up anything to be super strong and safe) can you tell me the things about that boat that make it good for what I need?
What should I look for?
Also, is a mile out to sea to far, with hindsight I think I would be more likely to be a few hundred meters off the cliffs looking for mackerel...
Gorvid said:
Also, is a mile out to sea to far, with hindsight I think I would be more likely to be a few hundred meters off the cliffs looking for mackerel..
Not much difference between a few hundred metres and a mile or 10 miles if the weather is good. It just takes you longer to get there. If a squall comes up and you are an hour or more away from safety then you will be in for a rough time in a small open boat however.It comes down to knowing your own ability and that of your boat, which you can really only get from experience. Respect the sea and don't take unnecessary risks and you will be OK - ie look at the weather forecast every time before leaving, and don't let bravado make you push on when the prudent thing is to turn back.
Know your boat inside and out, and keep it in good condition - you don't want to have to call the RNLI the first time you get a minor mishap, which turns out to be something trivial and easily preventable.
I lose hours on findafishingboat.com
this would do the job http://www.findafishingboat.com/grp/DB54055
You wont find anything suitable for £1000 though.
this would do the job http://www.findafishingboat.com/grp/DB54055
You wont find anything suitable for £1000 though.
So do I!
I rather fancy a Buccaneer 16, Treeve 16, or a Cygnus 16. Been in both the Treeve & the Buccaneer (both with inboards)& they are very nice small fishing boats & are commonly seen as registered fishing boats in Cornwall. Not within the OPs price range though. If I lived nearer to the sea I would sell the Dory & buy one.
Whether you might find an older Plymouth Pilot? They do come up from time to time at reasonable money.
Don't buy anything too small.
A lot of the small cheapies are really inland waterway boats. Very little draft & more or less flat bottomed. You'll find their stability something of an issue & with any wind you'll either need a drogue out or a LOT of lead to get the bait down. The latter is something I find with my Dory, flat planing hull & when drift fishing I usually have a large drogue out.
Be careful with fixed cuddies with fixed fronts as getting to the bow can be something of an issue!
Dories are usually very stable due to the hull design & the usable deck space is generally more than a conventional shaped boat of the same length. Downside is that they tend to bang when running into chop or wave & are rather wet when doing so!
I rather fancy a Buccaneer 16, Treeve 16, or a Cygnus 16. Been in both the Treeve & the Buccaneer (both with inboards)& they are very nice small fishing boats & are commonly seen as registered fishing boats in Cornwall. Not within the OPs price range though. If I lived nearer to the sea I would sell the Dory & buy one.
Whether you might find an older Plymouth Pilot? They do come up from time to time at reasonable money.
Don't buy anything too small.
A lot of the small cheapies are really inland waterway boats. Very little draft & more or less flat bottomed. You'll find their stability something of an issue & with any wind you'll either need a drogue out or a LOT of lead to get the bait down. The latter is something I find with my Dory, flat planing hull & when drift fishing I usually have a large drogue out.
Be careful with fixed cuddies with fixed fronts as getting to the bow can be something of an issue!
Dories are usually very stable due to the hull design & the usable deck space is generally more than a conventional shaped boat of the same length. Downside is that they tend to bang when running into chop or wave & are rather wet when doing so!
Edited by paintman on Wednesday 1st May 21:38
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
Gorvid said:
Anyone here go out on "Ribs" ???
I believe PH'er DannyEates (or similar) is you man for RIBShttp://www.bhg-marine.co.uk/bhg_staff.html
I fish off a RIB for a bit of fun too but always like a fiberglass center console boat for biffing about in rougher waters.
I hadn't really thought of RIBS, but I spent yesterday watching a series of them smashing through the waves in the bay / zipping about fishing offshore / zooming up the estuary, and realised that they appear perfect for me...
I'm looking at a couple of 3/4 metre ones with 15/20hp units.
What's the advantage of centre console and wheel as opposed to tiller steer?
Gorvid said:
I hadn't really thought of RIBS, but I spent yesterday watching a series of them smashing through the waves in the bay / zipping about fishing offshore / zooming up the estuary, and realised that they appear perfect for me...
I'm looking at a couple of 3/4 metre ones with 15/20hp units.
What's the advantage of centre console and wheel as opposed to tiller steer?
tiller steered rib = sit on the (bouncy )tube and the boat is trimmed poorly in many cases I'm looking at a couple of 3/4 metre ones with 15/20hp units.
What's the advantage of centre console and wheel as opposed to tiller steer?
consle and remotes mean you can sit on the centre line and the boat is trimmed far better
Consul versus Tiller Steer; If you're looking at 15/20 engines then weight comes into play...
On our training rigiflexs we were using 20s on 1.75m with consuls.... decided to try and reduce fuel costs so wanted to drop to 15s.... tried one and turned it into a useless piece of floating junk.... so ditched the consul and marginally better but still struggled to keep up with some boats when coaching and didn't have enough pulling power to be safe.... so got rid of the 1.75 and gone for 1.3s with 15s tiller steer.... superb bits of kit.... fast and nimble and seem to have enough pulling power.. so far my record is 2 Wayfarers upwind in a blow not sure if it would have made a 3rd but there again the 1.75/consul/20s wouldn't.
Also, with tiller steer if you're looking at a smaller boat then the lack of consul means more space for you/passengers...
On our training rigiflexs we were using 20s on 1.75m with consuls.... decided to try and reduce fuel costs so wanted to drop to 15s.... tried one and turned it into a useless piece of floating junk.... so ditched the consul and marginally better but still struggled to keep up with some boats when coaching and didn't have enough pulling power to be safe.... so got rid of the 1.75 and gone for 1.3s with 15s tiller steer.... superb bits of kit.... fast and nimble and seem to have enough pulling power.. so far my record is 2 Wayfarers upwind in a blow not sure if it would have made a 3rd but there again the 1.75/consul/20s wouldn't.
Also, with tiller steer if you're looking at a smaller boat then the lack of consul means more space for you/passengers...
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