any boat fans / sailors / pirates?

[KeepItSteel]

Well, having lived on a narrowboat for the last 6 years, I would say go for it. A little cabin cruiser need not be expensive, perhaps something like a Dawncraft, somewhere between 16 - 20 foot. If you have a driveway you can tow such a small boat out of the water with a car, thereby saving a fortune on moorings. You could get a serviceable cruiser in this league for less than £2000.

Although saying that, I have as much fun on my canoe, which can go to most of the places a powered boat on the Thames can and lots they can't and cost £400 secondhand, with no petrol or maintenance costs. Insurance and a gold license (the equivalent of road tax) is £35, whereas a powered boat will be at least five times that.

I'm just outside Oxford on the Thames tonight, about to go up Duke's Cut in the morning. If you are near and want a chat about boats, drop me a line.

I may just do that!
I like the sounds of something I can tow with a car...for circa £2k.

 

[dyna-ti]

60knots easy

60 knots easy???????????????

That would make it the fastest in the world just about.

Well maybe not 60 but well over 50 anyway.
and 60knts is NOWHERE near the fastest,mates boat did 40

 

[JamesM]

I used to share a 20', 200bhp ski boat with some mates, about 15 years ago. We'd put £80 in the tank before we reached the slipway, and visit the fuelling jetty, at £120 a pop , once or twice thereafter, in a day.
Skimming across the briny at 60mph on a carpet of bubbles soon loses it's appeal when you realise it's costing a quid a minute.

:roll: £2 a minute these days. This is my Phantom 20. I took the motor apart a few years ago to re-bush the midsection and with current fuel prices havent really had the motivation to put it back together. It would do 70mph trimmed out on flat water. I used to use it mainly when it was rough though as it was more exciting and cheaper, you didnt use full throttle as much and 30 minutes in a 4" sea at 50+mph was enough of a buzz to last me for weeks.

What boat did you have?

Also, for all things powerboaty check out www.boatmad.com

 

[KeepItSteel]

Great photo!

The cost of fuel eh? It kinda ruins everything right?

I would probably put up with all the crap that society/government has to offer, as long as i could get my kicks with affordable fuel.

IMO, If the government dropped fuel taxation almost completely (somehow) we would be a nation of happy bunnies

 

[hamster]

The main thing is not to "over-boat". Unlike cars, buying one is the beginning of the ownership experience, not the end. If you decide your budget, then spend half of it on the boat, you will end up happy. Otherwise the things can end up as money pits. Also, the bigger the boat, the more it costs to run, move, store, etc etc. they also are seriously restricted where they can go.

Think very hard before buying a boat in bad condition. Usually there is more wrong than you can see (and you'll only find it when you start fixing it). Also the previous owner may well have bodged a whole load of stuff. In my experience it's always best to buy one in good condition. The owner is likely to have maintained it properly, including the stuff you cannot see.

Find a knowledgeable friend to go with you when looking at a boat, who can also act as a voice of reason.

Personally I hate anything to do with marine engines, sailing or rowing is simpler, cheaper and more fun. Sailing dinghies are FAST, my catamaran was as fast as a 55' yacht, my 12' racing dinghy as fast as a 30 footer. Mind it didn't have to lug a bog, kitchen and bunks around.

Boats drink fuel. Water is sticky stuff and 8mpg is good going. A 5hp 50cc outboard will get you around 15mpg. So think hard next time you see one of those gleaming monster outboards....

As a first step, do a few courses. This allows you to try things out without committing to buying. You also won't be a "captain calamity" when you venture off on your own!

 

[MikeD]

if you get the chance to go in a fireball (my old dinghy) you'll find the true meaning of speed esp if they have an asimetric sail set up and spinicar

Fireballs are ace, although I don't know what you mean by "asimetric sail" - the Fireball's got a regular symmetrical kite. Here's our old one (now sold on account of being epically useless with small children):



And some breezy gybe mark action:



And someone having arsed it up slightly:



Don't know anything about powerboats except that they're expensive and smell RIBs as safety boats for dinghy racing are fine, though

 

[dyna-ti]

A mate had a 10m racer/cruiser,but this thing was out and out shit off a shovel,more suited to racing really.We took many prizes off the west coast before they got fed up with us winning all the booze and changed the handicap system against up[committee decision/ the barstewards ]
Mate spend thousands on the rig.precision ball bearing races everywhere,carbon fiber fancy sails and rope/cordage,and we practiced religiously
A trailer/sailer is a good way to get into sailing.Once launched you can go just about anywhere around Britain
Who needs a passport to leave this country

 

[hamster]

10m cruiser-racer. Bet it still didn't plane though.

I loved it when I owned a twin-trapeze catamarian when i lived in Singapore. But the water here in the UK is too cold for that.

 

[dyna-ti]

10m cruiser-racer. Bet it still didn't plane though.

I loved it when I owned a twin-trapeze catamarian when i lived in Singapore. But the water here in the UK is too cold for that.

Indeed it does
Down big waves with the spinny

Im seriously impressed with these sport boats .One time as the fleet are motoring out of port to the race course we were passed by 3 of them,they were fing creaming along with hardly a stitch up :shock:

Later on ,one of them got too close when crossing in front of a 15m and got T-boned
And that was the end of that
Amazing sailing in New Zealand by all accounts,if i ever win enough money to buy a good boat ,it would be sailing there

2nd only to the west coast of Scotland of course

 

[domparsley42]

i wakeboard behind an 04 bayliner capri