HELP WITH BOATS

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Wolfman Woody

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I'm thinking of buying a second hand boat (yes "Boats, Bloody Boats") for the river and happen a bit of carp rustling.

Something between 14 and 18 feet with a front cabin of sorts, outboard etc.

Any ideas on type of hull, make etc.?
 
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Joskin

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I have a Shetland 535 2 berth cabin cruiser that is around 18 ft. ideal for the river and lakes and can even be used on the sea. There is plenty of room to fish from the deck all though the cabin is fairly small it is large enough to get inside and out of the way of the rain. It also has an 50hp engine that gets us around Irish loughs rapidly and we can even use the thing for water sking. I paid ?1200 on Ebay for the boat, trailer and engine including a brand new echo sounder, VHF radio, life jackets and loads more.

what ever boat you buy be sure that you get a good engine because the outboard is the expensive bit.
 
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si

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i have a pacifica 550 2 berth 19ft grp cruiser only a 10hp mercury.but i love it its the greatest fishing toy you can have it can get you into everyswim you like on just about any part of the river .19fts small enough for a trailer and you will find yourself at the bottom end of the morring fees (i pay ?390 )per year if you are lucy enough to have enough land of your own you can cut down on yearly fees by loads by only buying one day licences .and then you will need it to hve a BSCboat saftey certifiate the boats equiv to a MOT but the bonus is it last 4 years. the same applies to buying a car if it doesnt have a mot /bsc you wont really know what you are buying without haveing a boat mechanic with you so try to buy one with a bsc on it already before i bought mine i looked around all of the marines to get an idea some times the really scruffy looking ones can turn up the best deals !!
one weekend and a few mates could have a small boat stripped and painted for around ?80 .i hope if you buy one it gives you as much pleasure as it has me
joskin my buisness partner has a shetland 535 nice boats loads of fishing room at the back

sorry about the babbling hope this helps
 
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Ron Troversial Clay

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I've owned several boats in my life but the ultimate was a 25 foot bass boat with a 150 hp Yamaha V6 outboard.

This beast would do 75 mph on plane over water. It had two swivel seats, fully carpeted, with a Lowrance fish finder, pH meter, foot operated trolling motor on the front, down rigger trolling kit, live well and lock up storage for 20 rigged rods.

The petrol tank took 250 litres and we could get through that lot on a weekend.

You had to strap yourself in and put on crash helmets and full safety jackets when motoring. We used to blast the full length of Sterkfontein Dam - 45 miles in about 30 minutes.

Oh happy memories.
 
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mel Crighton

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cheeky monkey .....fancy a bit of rustling do you then you need something fast how about ex Marines fast raider and i mean fast 35 knot 18ft 450 hp.......no cabin though get in the way when you have to do a runner yet whose going to catch you ....
 
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Joskin

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oh yer
annother cost if you want to put a boat in the river is the water licence, safety certificate and insurance
 
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Wolfman Woody

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I'm putting all this into my calculations. Would you say then that a 50 hp or thereabouts is muscle enough for a 19 footer say? I have details of a 535 and also looking at Sea Hog Shortie and a Nab. So many. ???????

I seen one with 120 hp engine and I like the idea, Mel, of an ex-marines boat, but the EA Waterways inspectors aren't going to appreciate it. They will catch me at the next lock unless I can get it up the salmon ladders.

Always fancied going up the Grand Union in an MTB emptying it on the way. :eek:)
 
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Nick Austin 2

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Munkey, iv'e had a few boats on the thames, a nineteen footer really dosn't need a massive engine... we ran a mercury 9.8hp no problem... there again, the speed limit is only a walking pace, so the only time you really need power (in this circumstance), is in bad weather going uphill!..

Safety cert and insurance can be a pain... It's actually EASIER to get an older boat through the safety cert... the less stuff on the boat, the less there is to test!.
 
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Wolfman Woody

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Uphill? That means there's a downhill too.

Must try this water skiing then sometime.



On the slightly more serious side, these I'm looking at have spent some time at sea where bigger engines are a must. So long as I have some power I'm not too bothered. As you say Nick, the limit's a walking pace.
 
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si

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the less stuff on the boat, the less there is to test

couldnt agree more nick gas especialy

get a removeable gas stove and remember to take it of the boat before the inspection.
i dont know what engine size you would need for the sea but i rekon a 40 hp upwards with a spare engine aswell but for rivers imho a 10hp is fine they still get you to a good pace
 
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jp

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Ron, that's faster than your car, and not so eco friendly by the sound of it.
 
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Nick Austin 2

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Exactly SI... on my old boat,(which was a sixties or seventies fairline)... we took the cooker out and used portable gas, it saved on getting pipework and regultors replaced. Tidy wiring,marking up of fuel tanks etc etc,

A word of warning, ask your tester what fire extinguisher he wants to see BEFORE you go buy one, not all "halfords" type ones are acceptable!
I think generally the testers are ok, most are boat owning plumbers (you had to be corgi regd originally i think to do the testing)... Most will point you in the right direction of what needs to be done to get the cert....

On another note... if the boats have been used in the sea, remember that the salt corrodes ally fairly well, The hull wont suffer, (unless it's VERY OLD!)... but the engine and any chandelry could need a bit of care. This may be relevant to something like a leeky output shaft seal, that looks like a simple job, but results in the problem being a corroded casing rather than a shagged seal?..

Boats are fantastic fun, and a great aid to fishing, i regret selling mine, but you really have to get the use out of it to warrant keeping it, esspecially in a marina round these parts, as munkey will know!
 
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Wolfman Woody

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I'm hoping to avoid the expense of a marina and hoping to moor it at the hotel I fish from.

Most of the boats I've listed so far are reasonably new and I have got my image to keep up (he says picking his nose yet again).

Some I have looked at have big engines 120hp +, but the average seems to be 40-60. It doesn't bother me and might come in handy if I take it to the coast.

Expect I'll have to find a local tester then, but should be one in Bourne End or Cookham / Maidenhead area. I'll bear that in mind about stripping it down though, thanks lads.

Of course, it may all come to nothing yet or I might just end up with a rowing boat type thing. " And we'll all pull together..."
 
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jason fisher

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i'll have a look for one of my old mags jeff see if ican find it and bring it along monday it's a sea fishing boat mag.
you don't need more than a 30 to fish the thames and a 50 will do fine for inshore sea fishing.
 
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mel Crighton

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Cheeky Monkey had a word with 'Q' best he can come up with to get over the salmon ladder problem is an American DWAK Amphibious vehicle. any good.......
 
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Wolfman Woody

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No. I'll get a barbel to tow me up. Ours have got a bit of muscle y'know.
 
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Ron Troversial Clay

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Yes JP such boats are OTT. The Yanks regularly use much more powerful boats. Check out Bassmaster web site.

I have seen bass boats with 250 HP V8 outboards doing over 90 mph. Bloody awesome they were.

My most happy memories were spent with a friend. We had a cabin cruiser that would do 65 mph. We had a 115 Evenrude on the back as well as a 5 hp Yammy chugger. You could sleep in it.

The problem with big outboards is the amount of fuel they drink. Again this can be awesome. 4 miles to the gallon is about average.
 
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Hutch

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"We used to blast the full length of Sterkfontein Dam - 45 miles in about 30 minutes."

Come up to Cumbria Ron in the summer theres a competion for telling the tallest tales - You would win it hands down "Mate"
 
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