Advice on sport boat for beginner

ScabbyLeg

Hi all,
First off apologies for another 'help me buy a boat!" topic. Inspired by the good weather at home recently I've been trying to research what would be a nice starter boat. I don't have much experience so I'd like to do a powerboat course some time in the future... Initially I think a 50 or 60hp outboard to seat 4-5 would be ideal, at first to get to grips with the basics and later on to have something capable of some watersports like skiing or wakeboarding.

I've seen a couple of Fletcher 14/15ft with 50 and 60hp outboards advertised (like this one) for around the 3k mark - does this seem like a good price? As I'm starting off a cheap and cheerful model would be ideal, but at the same time don't want to be plagued with problems because I took the cheap option and ended up with a lemon!

Does anyone have any other suggestions for models which might be a good buy? I haven't seen much discussion on these Fletcher boats however I've seen a few ads on Donedeal and Adverts.ie and they seem to be the cheaper end of the market.

Thanks for reading

fergal.b

Hi scabbyleg, The fletchers are a good starter boat but like any boat they are only worth the engine on the back so if you can spend as much as you can on a newer engine or one with a service history. When looking at an engine check the gear oil by opening the big screw on the gearbox if it looks milky and smells bad it means water has got in and the seals will have to be done, also do a compression test on the cylinders they should all be within 10% of each other so if one is low it may need new piston rings €€€€. With any engine you don't know the history of you should change the impeller before you take it out they are not dear but can reck an engine if not done.
Hope this helps a bit, Best of luck.

Pigeon Reaper

Do the powerboat level 2 course before you buy anything. It will might evenhelp with the decision as to what type of boat you want to buy.

CardBordWindow

Get a handy 23-27ft. If you're flying around Waterford, there's no real rules or regulations!:p

Slig

As mentioned above the engine is the most important thing, dont be too concerned with make as most are very similar. Every summer we see first time skippers with speedboats getting frustrated trying to start old engines tied to the pier all day while everyone else is out enjoying the water. Its an infuriating but all too common apect to boating.

If you are looking at a small boat try for something with a 40 - 60hp engine these are perfectly adequate for waterskiing, wakeboarting and messing about on inflatables. Anything bigger is very heavy on fuel, especially 2 stroke. deeper V hulls are very responsive but can be hairy when turning at high speeds, a shallower V will be more likely to skip across the water in a sharp turn than flip over.

Do the best you can to check the essentials before you buy especially the engine, check the engine starts and make sure the seller shows it to you running, dont even consider buying if the seller wont start the engine for you or bringthe boat to the water. The engine is the most expensive and complex part of the boat so get that right, fibreglass can be easily repaired and seats and upholstry easily replaced but if your engine lets you down you can be in serious trouble.

Sometimes its worth checking things like the seat cushions. If they are really really heavy they could be full of water which could have been caused by the boat spending some time under water (or possibly just out in the rain.) Check all the controls like steering and trottle to make sure they move freely. Also check cleats and fastenings to make sure that they are still securely fastened to the fibreglass.

Check the hull where it is supported by pads or rollers on the trailer. This is probably the most likely spot to see damage and cracks. make sure that the cleat at the front that the winch clips into isnt bent or loose.

Dont forget to take a look at the trailer, see if there is lots of excessive lateral movement in the wheels that could mean bearing damage that could easily result in a wheel falling off. Make sure the hitch is secure and latches properly when closed. Check for excess rust. Trailers arent the first thing most people thing of but they are expensive to replace and if they fall apart on the way home could be very very costly.

Daibheid

fergal.b wrote: »

..check the gear oil by opening the big screw on the gearbox if it looks milky and smells bad it means water has got in....

Spot on Fergal on the milky bit but gearbox oil is usually something like EP90 and is foul smelling lubricant anyway -even fresh out of the can. You're right about being careful about the gearbox - an often underestimated area of expense. Not only are the few moving parts in there expensive, but corrosion is naturally more prevalent in the area most often in the water. This can make it impossible or very labour intensive to strip. Add to taht the strke damage on lower legs and you'll see why used or recon lower legs are both scarce and expensive.
Always check gear selection with the engine running preferably at least in a barrel if not on the water because a load on the prop is the only way to ensure the clutch is not worn. Be sure to check reverse too as some gearboxes are designed to fail into a bias to forward gear when worn to ensure you'll get home - even if you hit the slip 'cos you couldn't get reverse!

BTW for a first boat I'd alway recommend a RIB - good to keep you out of trouble at speed and less likely to get banged up while you get the hang of close quarter maneuvering.

Sh1tbag OToole

Is there common problems with these boats? There is never a shortage of them for sale which makes me suspicious.

breghall

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

Is there common problems with these boats? There is never a shortage of them for sale which makes me suspicious.

easy answer.....is it estimated that, a common 60hp 2 stoke will on average do 6 gallons per hour flat out. This roughly being 30 litres p.h. at an average cost of 1.50 per litre = E45 per hour of fun ( that is flat out) , excluding the cost of the two stroke oil also, which at 50:1 means over a half a litre for 30 litres of fuel.

Now bigger engines 90's /115's /150's will guzzle even more than that....

Friends of mine who have a craft with a 90hp, have it up for sale as they were spending 80 quid a day during the summer doing some wake boarding and general cruising , so they aren't willing to cough up that much again this year.

My sisters husband is from new Zealand, and he always reminds of their saying over there, " buy a boat and go ....... broke"

tin79

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

Is there common problems with these boats? There is never a shortage of them for sale which makes me suspicious.

Fletchers, especially the smaller ones, are around in numbers so there is usually plenty for sale. Being UK made they were easy to source. Overall they are pretty solid but of course check them one by one. I got one a couple of years back a 16 foot arrowsport, 2001 75 hp Merc and I couldn't fault it really. It only cost me 2.5K inc trailer, sounder, Pram hood and full cover etc ect so there is good value in them.

If you are getting one lift and check for rot under the carpet if there is one.

But as said above with a big two stroke you are looking at €50+ fuel bills for a day so a lot of people are getting shot of them.

Sh1tbag OToole

ty lads for the useful replies.

Just out of interest has anyone attempted to convert one of those engines to kerosene by lowering the compression ratio + adding a switch over to petrol kero when the engine is warm? There are a few companies making outboards that run off kero but you don't really see them here and you'd be waiting a long time for it to pay off if you bought one new and had it shipped to Ireland.

I got a few normal aircooled petrol engines to run off 100% kero or close to it when they were warm but the compression in those was never very high to begin with. Have heard of people putting 2 head gaskets ontop of each other or somehow getting their hands on a thicker head gasket to reduce compression but I havn't a clue if this would work for an outboard.

breghall

i know a couple of lads that have tried switching to kerosene when underway, but it always has caused their engines to ping, and blow a hole in their crankcase . Also if it wasn't switched back to 2 stroke before the engine stopped then they would have to drain the carbs so they could restart the engine, not something you'd want to do if the weather changed, and the water got rough.
A double gasket would reduce the compression somewhat, for the kerosene to work at, and i can't honestly say if the others had lowered their compression. Also if you lowered the compression in a regular 2 stroke would the decrease cause it to have problems when idling when using premix ?? I reckon it'll need to be 70-80 psi for the kerosene to work effectively and this might just not be enough for a 2 stroke to idle correctly at. I think too that you may have to adjust the timing, if you decrease the compression.....

Personally I wouldn't try it, it may save you a few quid a the pumps, and you won't have to buy 2 stroke oil, however, the smell of it would be off putting first of all, and as I said above, anyone i know that tried, have blown their engines. Replacing a blown engine will soon offset the savings at the pump.


that said, if you do try it, let us know how it goes...

fergal.b

I agree it's not worth the effort, some good info on it here. http://www.smokstak.com/library/technical-information-7/running-kerosene-in-a-gasoline-engine-23/





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