Which boaty thing to buy/build?

[Paul H (admin)]

Due to a positive takeover bid for the company I work in, my shares will be cashed in for a very healthy sum...enough to literally buy a 35ft 6-berth floating gin palace of 1980s vintage.

So what do you all suggest for a boat-wise investment of the £££?

The only plan that comes to mind is one of the near-silent Honda generators to charge MilliBee's traction batteries at discreet HBBR-friendly times. At 7m distance they make less noise than normal speech....


-Paul

[Jeremy]

I'm not sure that one can ever call any boat an investment, at least in monetary terms.   Every boat I've owned has been a way to spend money (and have some fun), but none have ever been sound financial investments.

A few weeks ago we were having dinner with some friends who own a 30 odd foot yacht, and have done for years.  The live on the South Coast and are keen sailors, so use the boat a fair bit.  During the conversation the topic of cost of ownership came up, and after a bit of a chat we all concluded that ownership, even for their fairly regular use (like me he's retired) was more expensive than charter.  What's more, with chartering you get the chance to sail from places farther afield, not worry about maintenance, or how the boats doing on a mooring (or worse, whilst laid up ashore during a storm).  

Every time I've felt the need to go for a sail in a "big" boat in the past 30 years or so I've just chartered one, ranging from a 28ft fairly traditional Broads yacht to a 62ft classic Laurent Giles boat (this one: http://www.britishclassicyachtclub.org/register/pazienza.htm).  The deep joy of being able to sail with no worries about looking after the boat when the charter is over is, itself, of great value, in my view.  Not only that, but my total expenditure on sailing "big" boats has been far less than my friends cost of owning their own boat.

As the saying goes, if it flies, floats or f**ks then your better off hiring................

[Port-Na-Storm]

Well if you are really keen to part with your spondoolicks I can offer you a choice of



or



or what about this wee thing just dying to get built.



How much do 80's Gin Palaces go for these days?

[alopenboat]

On 8 Nov 2013 at 9:41, Jeremy [via UK HBBR Forum] wrote:

>
> I'm not sure that one can ever call any boat an investment, at least
> in monetary terms.   Every boat I've owned has been a way to spend
> money (and have some fun), but none have ever been sound financial
> investments.
>

There are 2 secrets. One is to not care about the quality of the
finish. Two is to only own boats that can easily be trailed. My Hardy
18 has paid for itself several times over in cheap family holidays
over the last 25 years.

If you want to sail in a bigger boat then, yes, hire.

--
Hoping for calm nights

Alastair Law,      
Yeovil, England.
<http://www.little.jim.freeuk.com>          

[BrianP]

There is a chap near Whitby who has been building real wood boats for 48 years. This one is 18' and built of European larch on steam bent ash ribs. Every now and then he posts his latest spec build on eBay. Latest is a lovely River Skiff. price is £3950 or make an offer. I would have thought to commission one from a Thames builder would be more than £10k, but I am sure Chris would know more about prices and if the lines and construction look correct.

If good, and she looks lovely, its a very special thing to own.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141101402115?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

He actually has two boats for sale, the second one is 21' which was on ebay some time ago. I would reckon a reasonable offer would secure either one.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/River-skiff-boat-camping-wooden-rowing-pleasure-/141101412670?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item20da4cb13e

Brian

[Chris Waite]

I hate to say this

But I suggest you don't.  The only economic sense in having a boat big enough to live aboard, is if you are going to live-aboard.  Knowing you quite well mi' old Heart of Oak, I am aware that your Sweetie is not really a seagoing sort of soul and that your 'sprogs', only the last of which has shown a momentary interest, are up and fleeing the nest.

You will never achieve the enjoyment that you will even have from getting 'Millibee' down to the Solent, let alone the sailing you have already had out of a last-legs 'Mirror' dinghy.  On all our recent Cobnor bank holidays, you've already cruised past moored rows of broken dreams, fouling-up in the sunshine.

"The double paddle canoe gives the most fun for the money of any type of boat a person can possess"

- Herreshof

CW

[Paul H (admin)]

The phrase "boat-wise investment" was a bad choice, I'm not expecting any hull to be an investment....they all get older and cheaper don't they?

I was thinking about some kit that would make the whole experience easier or smoother - like a roll of Duct tape with built in WD-40 dispenser.


-Paul

[Port-Na-Storm]

Chris Waite wrote

"The double paddle canoe gives the most fun for the money of any type of boat a person can possess"

- Herreshof

CW

Well Amen to that.

[Port-Na-Storm]

On further consideration,

I am pretty sure that the single thing which will enhance the enjoyment of a good boat beyond anything else is a properly designed and sorted trailer.
It often seems to be the thing most neglected.
Which reminds me..............

[alopenboat]

On 18 Nov 2013 at 22:56, Port-Na-Storm [via UK HBBR Forum] wrote:

>
>
> On further consideration,
>
> I am pretty sure that the single thing which will enhance the
> enjoyment of a good boat beyond anything else is a properly designed
> and sorted trailer. It often seems to be the thing most neglected.
> Which reminds me..............

Too true.

A well designed trailer can take the effort out of towing, launching
and recovery making it much more likely that you go in the first
place.

Let the machine take the strain.

The downside is that you don't get nearly as fit as the guy who has
to heave his heavy boat around by hand.

--
Hoping for calm nights

Alastair Law,      
Yeovil, England.
<http://www.little.jim.freeuk.com>          

[Randonneur]

Port-Na-Storm wrote

Chris Waite wrote

"The double paddle canoe gives the most fun for the money of any type of boat a person can possess"

- Herreshof

CW

Well Amen to that.

Especially on a crisp winter's day like today!

[Chris Waite]

So, we're agreed then?

It's a canoe.

Which is what you've got

CW

Next topic - "How to sleep in a canoe"

First suggestion:

Very, very carefully

Or

[philoxuk]

Or..........

An outrigger.

[Paul H (admin)]

Yes the trailer seems like a good investment - some extra sets of rollers are bound to help launch/recovery.


-Paul

[Paul H (admin)]

Would any of these suit MilliBee's trailer?  

They adjust in the pitch and roll axes, but I haven't a clue how well they work on 14ft pocket cruiser hull, similar to the Enterprise hull shape.



Currently it has 3 keel rollers and 2 rollers each side that move in the roll axis.

Prices and options here:
http://www.angleseymarinesupplies.com/boat-trailer-rubbers.php

cheers
Paul

[alopenboat]

On 20 Nov 2013 at 8:42, Paul (admin) [via UK HBBR Forum] wrote:

>
>
> Would any of these suit MilliBee's trailer?  
>
> They adjust in the pitch and roll axes, but I haven't a clue how well
> they work on 14ft pocket cruiser hull, similar to the Enterprise hull
> shape.
>
> <http://uk-hbbr-forum.967333.n3.nabble.com/file/n4027005/boat%2520trai
> ler%2520rollers%2520bunk%2520conversion%2520kit%2520rollers.png.opt682
> x512o0%252C0s682x512.png>
>

These certainly can make recovery much easier. If properly arranged
they will guide the boat on into the right position even when there
is a cross current/wind and the boat is not lined up straight to
start with. Watch the power boaters to see how easy it can be.

Whether to fit them on the existing trailer or just go for a new
properly arranged trailer is up to you.

The critical thing with rollers is that they support the boat
properly while on the road.

One aspect of launch/recovery that I accidentally discovered is that
it is much easier with an oversized winch. Get one that is 2 sizes
bigger than you have at the moment and, while you are at it, get one
with an automatic brake.

--
Hoping for calm nights

Alastair Law,      
Yeovil, England.
<http://www.little.jim.freeuk.com>          

[Paul H (admin)]

This looks interesting, spring loaded V-rollers that clamp either side of the existing keel roller.

Ideal for MilliBee's fine bow blending into an almost flat mid-section:




But £247 shipped all the way from New Zealand (£157 for the rollers, £90 shipping).

-Paul

[alopenboat]

If you can arrange it so that the wheels don't have to go into the
water you will save a lot on maintenance.

Also a feature I have found occasionally useful is to be able to
launch/recover onto the ground, then let the tide do the rest.


On 20 Nov 2013 at 9:28, Paul (admin) [via UK HBBR Forum] wrote:

>
>
> This looks interesting, spring loaded V-rollers that clamp either side
> of the existing keel roller.
>
> Ideal for /MilliBee's/ fine bow blending into an almost flat
> mid-section:
>
>
> <iframe width="560" height="315"
> src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9L1pCbV4zcw?rel=0" frameborder="0"
> allowfullscreen></iframe>
>
>
>
> But £247 shipped all the way from New Zealand (£157 for the rollers,
> £90 shipping).
>
> -Paul
>
>
>
> -----
> http://www.millibee.com
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--
Hoping for calm nights

Alastair Law,
Yeovil, England.
<http://www.little.jim.freeuk.com>

[Port-Na-Storm]

There is a bit on the drascombe site  explaining swing cradle trailers.

Lots of bits available on e-bay etc.
Grum

 

[Paul H (admin)]

So chaps, which of the 2x2 or 2x3 or 2x4 wheel combos would you recommend? (See the photo above)

-Paul