Boat purcahse- any advice??

[MJG]

I'm sure somebody in here will be able to help with our quest to buy a boat. I'm sure there must be some Floridians in here who are of the boat owning fraternity or others who have and use boats whilst on their Florida vacation.

We want to able to predominantly cruise offshore [msncool]and hop across the English Channel occasionally. It would be nice to cruise inland waterways too.[clap]

Needs to sleep at least 4.

We have identified thus far we should be looking for-

A planing rather than a displacement hull.
Petrol over diesel (faster) but yes less economical.

A dealer referred to us needing a 'category B boat' - this being suitable for up to 140 miles off shore and a force 8 (After training and experience[msntongue]).

However it is not easy to determine the category of a boat when looking at the sale or new boar details. Can anyone advise as to how when looking at boat details as to how one quickly establishes if the boat is capable of the above. Just feel if we had this info. it would help us decide which boats we should travel to see.

Many thanks folks.

[thornton]

Presumably you are after a 'gin palace' and not a yacht.

If you have no experience of this type of sailing I would suggest you get in touch with the RYA and do a course or two first and see whether it really is your thing. Then when you have a qualification under your belt charter one for a weekend and see how you and the family get on.

There are also many other things to consider, mooring charges either on a swinging mooring or in a marina, insurance and the cost of fuel if you are using a motor boat. As from 1st November VAT is going to be added to diesel for boats. If you feel you won't get the full use out of owning one outright also consider boat share. That is the way we now own our sailing yacht and it consequently gets used far more than it would if only we owned it. Diesel is best as you have no electrics to consider for starting.

If you are thinking of offshore and inland use where would you consider keeping it? The south coast where you have easy access for crossing the channel is not suitable for inland waterway access.

Just a few things to consider before going any further.

[MJG]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by thornton
Presumably you are after a 'gin palace' and not a yacht.

If you have no experience of this type of sailing I would suggest you get in touch with the RYA and do a course or two first and see whether it really is your thing. Then when you have a qualification under your belt charter one for a weekend and see how you and the family get on.

There are also many other things to consider, mooring charges either on a swinging mooring or in a marina, insurance and the cost of fuel if you are using a motor boat. As from 1st November VAT is going to be added to diesel for boats. If you feel you won't get the full use out of owning one outright also consider boat share. That is the way we now own our sailing yacht and it consequently gets used far more than it would if only we owned it. Diesel is best as you have no electrics to consider for starting.

If you are thinking of offshore and inland use where would you consider keeping it? The south coast where you have easy access for crossing the channel is not suitable for inland waterway access.

Just a few things to consider before going any further.
[/quote]

Thanks Thornton the advice you gave is very much appreciated.

However the decision as to whether we want a boat has been made. Boating is "our thing" as you put it.

We've also been advised that it can be better to have the RYA courses with/on your own boat so your advice to charter and train before actually buying needs to be considered, thanks for that.

We've factored mooring charges and boat ownership insurance and the like into our our cost/ownership model.

The info. I'm really after is to how to distinguish a Cat B boat when I'm looking in the likes of Boat Trader, Motor Boats Monthly and the like.

[sammibabe]

I don't know how you can find out from the advert but if you see a boat that you think you may be interested in ring and talk to the owner. They know their boat and although may not know the category should be able to tell you whether it is suitable for what you want.
Course wise it might be advisable to find an instructor now and talk to them. My Dad used to teach and although would teach on people's own boats tended to do most on his own boat. Principles are the same whatever boat you are on. Presumably you have looked into having the boat (when you find one and assuming it is fibreglass) surveyed re osmosis?

[MJG]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by sammibabe
Presumably you have looked into having the boat (when you find one and assuming it is fibreglass) surveyed re osmosis?
[/quote]

Cheers thanks for the reply - indeed any prospective purchase would be subject to a full survey - I will, after your post, ensure this covers osmosis as you suggest.

[florida4sun]

It is very easy to buy the wrong thing! I know someone in Florida who did this twice and of course lost out on the resale value. The best bet is to join a club and get into the scene, only then will get a feel of what you really need. One thing I am pretty sure about is that I would only buy diesel. The torque is excellent and they are simple reliable and you can get good power out of them. They work without electrics which is a big plus. Unless I was going out on a weekly basis I would not consider buying, share schemes are much a much better option. In the Uk its not much fun boating until the summer months, so use is limited.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by MJG
I'm sure somebody in here will be able to help with our quest to buy a boat. I'm sure there must be some Floridians in here who are of the boat owning fraternity or others who have and use boats whilst on their Florida vacation.

We want to able to predominantly cruise offshore [msncool]and hop across the English Channel occasionally. It would be nice to cruise inland waterways too.[clap]

Needs to sleep at least 4.

We have identified thus far we should be looking for-

A planing rather than a displacement hull.
Petrol over diesel (faster) but yes less economical.

A dealer referred to us needing a 'category B boat' - this being suitable for up to 140 miles off shore and a force 8 (After training and experience[msntongue]).

However it is not easy to determine the category of a boat when looking at the sale or new boar details. Can anyone advise as to how when looking at boat details as to how one quickly establishes if the boat is capable of the above. Just feel if we had this info. it would help us decide which boats we should travel to see.

Many thanks folks.


[/quote]

[Tonish]

Are you considering buying in Florida and shipping to the UK? I was checking out prices when I was over in the summer - we bought a new sports runabout in the UK last year and the same boat was less than half the price in Florida. Had I known I would have looked into buying there.

I don't know what the tax situation is for importing a boat, but the basic prices were astonishingly cheap. Not too many diesels to be had though.

[MJG]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Tonish
Are you considering buying in Florida and shipping to the UK? I was checking out prices when I was over in the summer - we bought a new sports runabout in the UK last year and the same boat was less than half the price in Florida. Had I known I would have looked into buying there.

I don't know what the tax situation is for importing a boat, but the basic prices were astonishingly cheap. Not too many diesels to be had though.
[/quote]

MMmm food for thought indeed - a work colleague has suggested the same, but that was before the collapse of the pound against the dollar - worth looking into though.

Cheers.