boat engines?? help me!!!!

[the machine]

hey all.

i am thinking of buying a boat and have me eye on a small 14ft one. only problem is that i've no real idea what engine to get? it will take up to a 25hp but would that be neede?

we would like to go out on the south coast, weymouth etc but not really that far out.

also, is there any legal things i would need to take me boat out?

anybody with a spare engine who would be interested in selling,please contact me.

many thanks,
danny

[Lookfar]

Originally Posted by the machine

hey all.

i am thinking of buying a boat and have me eye on a small 14ft one. only problem is that i've no real idea what engine to get? it will take up to a 25hp but would that be neede?

we would like to go out on the south coast, weymouth etc but not really that far out.

also, is there any legal things i would need to take me boat out?

anybody with a spare engine who would be interested in selling,please contact me.

many thanks,
danny

Hi Danny,
I don't want to be a kill-joy, but 14ft is on the small side for coastal work. Not at all impossible but you've no margin for error if things go downhill weather-wise. Depends to a degree on the boat design, the small Orkney's for example are very seaworthy whilst others in that size range are designed for freshwater use and lethal in choppy water.
Even before you think about the engine, budget for lifejackets, flares and ideally a hand-held VHF radio (which incidentally you should really hold a license for). There are no legal requirements in equipment, qualification or insurance terms but drink-drive restrictions DO apply to powered boats of all sizes.
If you are familiar with boats, fair enough. An experienced skipper using a 14 footer in coastal and estuary waters with due caution with respect to weather and local conditions is safe enough. Otherwise, I'd suggest you do a lot of asking around before you take the plunge and buy it. Look into sheltered venues like Portland, Chichester or Poole Harbours, get familiar with the weather sites, track down some slip-ways (can be hellishly expensive) and try and blag your way aboard some small boats. Crew are often hard to find, someone will take you out if you keep asking around. There's a very good small boat angling club at Burnham, have a word with them maybe?
A bigger boat would be a lot harder to tow and launch, but by jumping up to a 15ft cathedral hull like a Seahog you'd be getting a lot of extra capability at sea and the older ones don't cost as much as you might think.

Don't take this is a put-down, but a 14 footer better suits someone living locally who can go at the drop of a hat (and come back in as promptly). Towing down from Somerset, there's going to be days when you get there, look at the sea and turn straight back round for home.

Steve

[tommy a]

I would echo all Steve has said - if theres any possibility of getting a slightly bigger boat then save for that. My first boat cost me £ 1700. 00 - Shetland 525 ( bout 17ft ) I think - spent the winter doing it up and had two very good years out of it.

However like Steve says - VHF radio and lifejackets, flairs, bailer etc. are all essential - the sea requires full respect and never take anything for granted.

That said if you go out on a good day youll love it anyway ( as you may already know ) and being on the water enjoying a days fishing is very hard to beat - worth every penny mate.

Hope you have some success.

[the machine]

Hi,
Thanks for your replies the boat im looking at is a mayland 14ft with trailer straps (F124586). Had a look at the seahogs and this seems to be of similar design. You may laugh but our boat budget is around £500 but that is not including the price of the essentials like life jackets etc.

If this boat is ok what engine do you reccommend for it?

We dont plan to go out far.

Thanks for your help.

Danny

[Lookfar]

Originally Posted by the machine

Hi,
Thanks for your replies the boat im looking at is a mayland 14ft with trailer straps (F124586). Had a look at the seahogs and this seems to be of similar design. You may laugh but our boat budget is around £500 but that is not including the price of the essentials like life jackets etc.

If this boat is ok what engine do you reccommend for it?

We dont plan to go out far.

Not familiar myself with the Maylands but Mad Mike (Afishionado), contactable on either the PBSBAC or WSF forums (Google them), is very helpful and very well informed on boat makes. The Poole guys will also give you chapter and verse on fishing inside Poole harbour, strongly recommend a look at the site.

If it is listed as up to 25hp then it is a semi-planing or planing hull, not a displacement. A 4-6hp would still push it around at walking pace economically, a 25hp will probably top 20knots lightly loaded on the flat. I'd be inclined to see what turns up when you start looking in the 15hp+ range?

On that budget, look closely at the trailer as well. Non-galvanised trailers rot from the inside out so give the rails a good tap along their length and check that they 'ring'. Check the bearings too and be prepared to strip and regrease after every trip on open bearings, unless you want to find yourself wheel-less beside the road one dark and wet night (why is it always raining and dark when that kind of thing happens??). The boat hull is probably OK anyway so most of the value there is hopefully in a nice sound trailer. Anchor and warp need to be on your wish list as well. Even if you plan to always drift fish, you need the means to stay put in an emergency. A lot of gear can be picked up very cheap at a boat jumble, again use Google to find one.
Small boats fishing hard inshore can have some cracking sport, especially with the bass. Plan ahead, always err on the side of caution and good luck

Steve

[Portland Pirate]

I have to agree with everything Steve has said.
I started with a 14ft Wilson flyer that cost me £300. The trailer was totally rotten but the boat was fine, even the engine was OK for its age. I did buy a spare one though. I lived right next to Ferrybridge, so I used to launch solo from the Blue Water Horizons slip. Mostly I fished in Portland harbour. I had over 20 species within the harbour one year. Fishing with a live prawn over the Hood entrance produced every time. Mostly Pollock and Wrasse with the odd Bass. However if you fish the shallow water just outside the fleet entrance, you can pick up loads of Bass and Gilthead Bream.

I will be returning back to Weymouth to live early next year. if you are looking for someone to show you the spots I could easily be persuaded

[silverfish]

Looking in to boats my self next year.All the best martin.

[Fin Gill]

Hi Danny,
I bought my first boat, a Shetland Family Four about 4 years ago with the same intention as you, but it soon became apparent that I had entered a whole new world and going to sea, even just off the beach was rather more complex (and more interesting!, and more expensive!!) than I'd thought.
With regards to the Mayland, what age is it and does it have a classification. If it's class C you should be fine but if class D it's only suitable for small lakes, rivers etc. (I'll try to find out a bit more on Maylands for you, does the one you are looking at have a particular model name, number?/does it have a cuddy, is it's hull semi-planing or displacement? ).
I'd definitely recommend that you take the VHF radio course and buy at least a hand held unit (there are very cheap ones available). A good anchor is also a must as is a compass (even very close to shore a fog can come in very quickly and render you totally lost equally as quickly). I'd go for a larger engine on the sea and 25hp on a 14 footer doesn't sound over powered.
To be honest safety and regs are large subjects and whilst anyone can take a boat ot sea without a licence there are quite a few regs to potentialy fall foul of. I'd certainly have a good look at both the RNLI and RYA websites. The RNLI publish free safety booklets that are definitely worth a read and, they will come out and provide a free safety check of your boat and equipment and offer helpful advice.
The Shetland Owners Association ( www.shetland.owners.org.uk ) site whilst primarily for Shetlands does provide general useful information on small motor boats and may be helpful for an overview of what owning a boat of this type involves.

Hope this helps a little: John