Advice for a novice...

Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:54 pm

Hi all,

As a complete boating novice, I know nothing about boats but am looking to buy a small one with an outboard motor which I can use on the local river or a little way out to sea. I am hoping that one of you guys can impart some perls of wisdom- what make I want, what length, where I should be looking to buy one ect... and am hoping to spend around £500. It only needs to fit 3 or 4 people, with some space for gear but for all I know, it may not be possible to get a boat like this for £500. However, any help would be great! big grin

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Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 9:23 pm

hi Seasurfer, as a complete novice i would go on a RYA power boat handling course its not cheap but saftey is a must £500 may buy you a boat but it wont buy you saftey look and think very hard about it

Dave big grin

Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 9:49 pm

A Boat for £500 is just not feasable for a sea going craft, the trailer alone would cost this. I would seriously view with suspicion any craft listed at that price.

After saying this you may find a boat about 10ft to 12ft that would fish 2 for use in the estuaries.
Cheers
keith big grin

Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 1:16 pm

hi i would recommend a dell quay dory at just under 14 foot as they dont have a cuddy so have better visibillity for maneuvering around other river users at close qarters, the hull is foam filled and unsinkable, takes up to six people max 2-3 in comfort are fast with up to a 40hp engine but quite fast enough for fishing with 10 - 15 hp would reccomend an an auxiliary engine of 4hp they are ok for use inshore providing the sea is not too rough and you can get an enormous amount of gear in them, you can find them on ebay for around 500 quid do check the trailer wheel bearings, and condition of the winch strap.

tight lines

Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 4:02 pm

Agree with the others, you will have to consider at least £1,000 for anything worth having. Personally I would go for a 16ft Orkney or something similar fitted with a 15 horse fourstroke engine or maybe slightly better. As long as the engine can push you along at 12 -14 knots you should be safe enough to overcome any fast currents which you may encounter. Also, don't even think about going out if the wind forecast is more than force 4.

Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 5:39 pm

Hi Seasurfer,

Wanting to return to boat fishing, I joined a local fishing club that is mainly made up of boat owners and found that they have a wealth of knowledge and experience which they are more than willing to share. They get their boats checked out by the local Lifeboat who are the experts and will advise on all aspects of boat safety.

See if you have a similar club in your area, I'm sure that if there is one, it would be worth the membership fee. They would be able to give you advice about buying, maintaining and using a boat and will no doubt take you out so that you can experience fishing from a small boat before you buy. They may have good launching facilities etc.

They often go out in groups (safety in numbers) and have competitions throughout the year. Additionally, they also have a social side.

Good luck,

Geoff happy