Jump to content

Newbie Boat Help!


nelson87

Recommended Posts

Hi Everyone,

Newbie broads person here :) Would really appreciate any advice at all on boats and moorings. 

We're currently looking at two boats to buy. Would love to hear people's thoughts on either of them - which one would you choose and why? One has shore power - how important is this in your opinion? Also, not sure why but the Macbar has been for sale for over a month and a half, it looks like a nice boat so not sure why! Other boats are going like hotcakes! 

1 )Seamaster 813 - https://www.boatshed.com/seamaster_813-boat-273132.html

2) Macbar Marine 26 - https://www.boatshed.com/macbar_marine__26-boat-256610.html

Also some advice on what sort of running costs / yearly costs we need to watch our for and how much they are? I'm struggling to find info on this. So far I know we have the following to cover but don't know the costs:

  • Anti - fouling once a year
  • Winter storage
  • Broads Licence
  • Boat Safety Certificate

Really appreciate everyone's help! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both boats on the face of it seem reasonable value , and both have their downsides .

The Macbar with its exposed rudder will make stern on mooring awkward unless two very large fenders are employed , the Seamaster also has its landing platform which will need protecting , plus it only has a portapotti .

Antifoul should last a couple or three years and if winter storage is on hard standing then could be done by yourselves for the cost of the antifoul paint , bss is dependant on what works if any are needed so cannot give a genuine guess in that one (Brian May of Maycraft is an excellent assessor ) Broads licence is worked out by the size of your boat , our Ocean 30 this year was £391.44 and both of the boats you are considering are smaller so will cost a bit less .

Winter storage , give someone like Sutton boatyard a ring for a ball park figure , remember you will need craning in and out so include that .

Choice of which one is and can only really be personal choice , my choice for what it counts would be the seamaster as there are many on the Broads and the owners seem to love them .

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, CambridgeCabby said:

Both boats on the face of it seem reasonable value , and both have their downsides .

The Macbar with its exposed rudder will make stern on mooring awkward unless two very large fenders are employed , the Seamaster also has its landing platform which will need protecting , plus it only has a portapotti .

Antifoul should last a couple or three years and if winter storage is on hard standing then could be done by yourselves for the cost of the antifoul paint , bss is dependant on what works if any are needed so cannot give a genuine guess in that one (Brian May of Maycraft is an excellent assessor ) Broads licence is worked out by the size of your boat , our Ocean 30 this year was £391.44 and both of the boats you are considering are smaller so will cost a bit less .

Winter storage , give someone like Sutton boatyard a ring for a ball park figure , remember you will need craning in and out so include that .

Choice of which one is and can only really be personal choice , my choice for what it counts would be the seamaster as there are many on the Broads and the owners seem to love them .

Thanks for your reply :) About the Seamaster - Agreed, not so keen on having a portapotti! Is installing a sea toilet expensive? do you by any chance know the cost of installing shore power?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A toilet plus holding tank I would think about£1000 shore power would depend on what setup you needed a battery charger could be around £300 but if you only need one socket clearly much less. The boat could stay in the water all year round and just come out every two years for a check over and antifoul. My boat is 26 feet and annual costs are around £2000 including toll and insurance. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If staying on the broads and not going to sea then a holding tank a must. 
Stern mooring is a thing so is hard landings, worth thinking about the bits that stick out. 
Shore power helps in lots of ways and I would have it installed. And I have done for both my sea vessel and my new inland boat.  Expect around 500 to get it fitted. 
This is why I picked an ex hire. The basics are there already. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Macbar started off with nya about 2 years ago, the price then was about £ 17,000. I understand it had come up from the south coast (Poole area I think) following a fair bit of refurbishment and engine overhaul. I looked at it as most of the hulls went for fishing boats, which would suggest good seakeeping which appealed to me. At the time I thought it well over priced . I still do.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mooring: After reading various forum posts etc I thought moorings would be either too expensive, hard to come by, or both. Apart from the length it depends what facilities you want. I went for decent toilets and showers and a floating mooring so I don't worry too much about tides or flooding. Best to call a few places and ask, weekdays best.

Insurance: Someone may well have better info here but if the boat has a recent hull survey it's possible to get fully comp insurance. You need third party anyway and £2m public liabilities cover. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, floydraser said:

I went for decent toilets and showers and a floating mooring so I don't worry too much about tides or flooding. Best to call a few places and ask, weekdays best

Good advice that also works the other way round, I started with a floating pontoon mooring and excellent facilities. No complaints at all about the yard but I live 15/20 minutes drive from the boat and was paying for things I didn't need!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Yareman said:

The Macbar started off with nya about 2 years ago, the price then was about £ 17,000. I understand it had come up from the south coast (Poole area I think) following a fair bit of refurbishment and engine overhaul. I looked at it as most of the hulls went for fishing boats, which would suggest good seakeeping which appealed to me. At the time I thought it well over priced . I still do.

What would you say is a fair price for it? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Sponsors

    Norfolk Broads Network is run by volunteers - You can help us run it by making a donation

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

For details of our Guidelines, please take a look at the Terms of Use here.