Subject to some £££ appearing in my bank account, das Boot is now sold
So I am now in the position of thinking what to replace it with which I am sure is the nice bit of buying a new boat
I have time to play with as I don't need it to be here until September to meet the start of our next summer.
Three options on the table really (I've binned the XS option due to the polythene tubes which put me off, maybe an irrational prejudice). Not as much difference between the prices as you might think, once you compare near enough like for like. All three have been very helpful with their replies, though I have some bits and pieces I need to confirm but hadn't bothered them with until the sale was confirmed.
So the three are:
Humber Destroyer 5.5/5.8 offered with a Suz DF90/115
Pros:
Price - it's the cheapest especially the 5.5 with a 90 which is really good value
Lower power requirement than an Osprey for decent performance, which = lower running cost
Relatively simple hull design with no chines, lends itself better to a home-made bunk trailer at a later date
Cons:
Not as good as an Osprey in the rough?
Ribcraft 5.85 offered with a Suz DF140
Pros:
Build quality
Cons:
A bit more expensive
Unknowns:
Seakeeping - better or worse than the other two? Somewhere in between?
Would it go well with a cheaper 115hp?
Osprey Vipermax 5.8 offered with an Etec 130hp
Pros:
Rough water performance
Cons:
Needs more power for the same performance, so more expensive to buy (engine cost) and run (bigger engine presumably = higher fuel consumption)
Unknowns:
Relatively new and untried engine? (the 130hp version of the Etec) any comments on this good or bad?
What I want is basically a decent blend of rough water performance and easy cruise speed - the Destroyer I have is OK in the rough, I'm not into going out in an F8 as it's too frigging cold and wet, but a little better would not be unwelcome. Mainly I want an easy sustained cruise of 30kts on a nice day by which I mean a boat that can probably do ~ 40 knots at WOT so 30 comes up at well below maximum revs so I don't go deaf and/or blow up the engine, and with reasonable fuel consumption. I don't want any problems with it, either with the engine or with the boat. Warranty cover is pretty much irrelevant as most are going to be return to base, so I want something that won't need a warranty.
I also want an engine that can have end user diagnostics - I know you can get it for the DF140 as there is a boat here running twins and the folks who run it have got "something" that can run diagnostics from a laptop. Can you get this for an Etec? Or anything else? I'm not afraid of electronic engine management (anything is better/easier than a Discovery 3....) but if you need the kit to do it, it needs to be available and at a sensible price i.e. not another £10k.
The engine options are what was offered by the manufacturers as a starting point - I am open to other suggestions but not a carbed 2 stroke as I want something cheaper to run.
Second hand remains an option though the fact I can reclaim VAT on a new one is quite handy.
Thoughts please
White Noise
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