New - learning

akirk · 10 June 2011, 06:38

Hi, i am new to these forums, here to learn before making a purchase...
I was always a rag an stick bod - went up to yacht master with that, but also enjoy motors and the ability to go in a straight line and get somewhere the same day!

Have done pb2 a couple of years ago and loved it, so plan to do more, looking at the cheaper end of boat purchasing, but with capacity for 6+ ideally...

Regards

Alasdair

Channel Ribs · 13 June 2011, 11:54

Hi and welcome Alasdair

Let us know more about what use you plan to put your RIB to and what your budget is, I am sure we can help you find the right boat.

akirk · 13 June 2011, 18:11

Thank you for the welcome...

I think that the honest answer is that I don't know entirely! - open to being persuaded / swayed / convinced by the combined wisdom of the members!!!

I did PB2 with Stormforce 4 years ago / am doing the advanced next month there - plan to use it mainly with friends and children aged 9-11ish probably mainly in the solent, though potentially elsewhere as well...

Ideally want 6+ seating, can trailer virtually any size on the RR / LR and have a preference to bigger size, but less worried about speed - so would prefer to buy the boat and smaller engine now, and upgrade engine in the future (though that might not be logical!) if that was the best option...

Probably don't want to spend above £5K, but could possibly find ways of making that £10K if it was an amazing deal... preference to spend money on a rig which will not lose value so that if we only use it a few times a year we don't feel that the money has been wasted...

ramblings over!

Alasdair

martini · 13 June 2011, 18:26

Hate to burst your bubble but you'll be lucky to find a 6.5m + package for 10k let alone 5...

kerny · 13 June 2011, 19:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by martini

Hate to burst your bubble but you'll be lucky to find a 6.5m + package for 10k let alone 5...

I'll second that,

even for a 5mtr +

Nos4r2 · 13 June 2011, 19:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerny

I'll second that,

even for a 5mtr +

Certainly not with seating for 6.

I'd be looking at the Ribtec in the classifieds if you can stretch that far.

martini · 13 June 2011, 20:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Certainly not with seating for 6.

I'd be looking at the Ribtec in the classifieds if you can stretch that far.

I saw that and on the face of it looks a good buy. I would've ripped the 2 back seats out (what are you supposed to hold on to there?) but the OP might prefer to keep them

Boats&Outboards · 13 June 2011, 20:18

[QUOTE="akirk"]

preference to spend money on a rig which will not lose value so that if we only use it a few times a year we don't feel that the money has been wasted...

If only.... I think if that were possible we'd all want one

Peter @ Boatsandoutboards4sale ~ askboatsandoutboards4sale@sky.com ~ 07930 421007

akirk · 13 June 2011, 21:42

Thanks all

not sure where the 6.5m bit came from, though that would be lovely!!! I think that perhaps the misunderstanding is that I want to be able to get 6 in (three adults / three children) - but that doesn't have to be with seating at 30 knots!! - a friend has a 4m he can fit 8 in for pootling off beaches round to a cove etc. - or put four in under more normal circumstances...

but as I said - exploring options! And as I like toys / gadgets etc. I could be persuaded

and yes - that Ribtec looks fantastic - though not sure I want to buy yet - I want to learn a bit more first - but that is the kind of thing which could work very well - now where was it for £1k?

Alasdair

9D280 · 16 June 2011, 11:12

Alasdair, welcome .

the big scay numbers being quoted can be improved on by going for a secondhand boat. The downside to that is unless you know outboards and are happy to take the "was it abused?" risk, it may not be the right option. Having said that, I;m sure you could get a traded in boat from a dealer with warranty.

As for upgrading the O/B, that's not too difficult, as there is a standard spacing of mounting holes for a huge variation of horsepowers - I helped someone literally unbolt a 50 and put a 90 in it's place. Both engines were Tohatsus so we didn't even need to change the fittings on the end of the throttle & gear cables, and the electrics plugged straight back in!

I think the 6.5m has come from "to seat 6". I might offer a disagreement - the boat I helped up the HP on is a 5.3m and has seating for 5. What you need for bums on seats is beam. You could feasibly fit 6 seats in a 5m, but not a "2m beam" boat. Humber for example do three beam versions of their O-Pro (first one that came to mind, others are available!

)

One option might be to keep an eye on the "cruises" section, and see if anyone needs a crew or scrounge a lift. Then you can travel in variations on a theme "in action" & get a better feel for what will suit you best.

akirk · 16 June 2011, 11:22

9D280, thank you for the welcome and the words of advice.

I think that second-hand is def. my preference (I like old things - I have a 50 yr old LR!) particularly as I suspect that boats are like cars the initial purchaser loses money instantly... I do have someone who can maintain / re-build engines if necessary, I guess that you can tell a lot about likely use of o/b by general condition of the boat - some people just look after things!

Thank you for the clarification on the size / seating - makes sense - will just have to see what is around & make a decision on bench v jockey seating etc. The main aim of this is to get some children out on the water to instill a love of boats - so speed / ideal boat etc. can be put to one side for now...

always up for meeting and joining as crew (I have some experience!) a good idea for learning preference...

thanks

Alasdair