| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| sean |
Boats article request...Could one of the boaty people here do an introduction to boat ownership please? What sort of size boat and engine you need for a bit of pot-setting and inshore-ish fishing for mackerel and the like. What training should you get? What does it all cost, to buy and to run? Do you need licenses and stuff? Insurance? Things like that. |
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| Treacodactyl |
Great idea, I was wondering the same thing. A bit of a long shot but if anyone knows much about co-ownership that would be great. | ||
| Jonnyboy |
I can write about my experiences as a novice boat owner if that helps. | ||
| sean |
It'll do until an expert comes along. 
Seriously that would be great. |
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| RichardW |
Typical. Now I have nearly finished my boat a "how too" comes along.
Justme |
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| sean |
Well write your experiences up for us. Then we can all learn from them. | ||
| RichardW |
They arnt realy boaty yet more DIY. Its been all scraping, sanding & painting. Oh & fibreglassing, laying a wooden floor (been told thats base boards in boat speak), fitting new windows. Justme |
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| sean |
'Sall knowledge, if you've got pics then run something up. Personally I haven't got a clue about using fibreglass so it would/could be useful. | ||
| altimages |
boat stuffI encourage people to get out on boats great for fishing or potting.For sea going vessels someting like a dory 16 ft plus would be a good start (check buoyance) - stored on a trailer no mooring fees. Modern outboads 2 or 4 stoke are good. Guidline for Inshore waters - Check weather forecast - Wearlife Jackets - Contact coastguard with passage plan ie name and decription of boat number of persons time of arrival etc - Safety equipment flares / anchor /vhf radio etc - Chart of area plus knowlege of navigation plus Compass The governing body for boats in the UK is the Royal Yacht Association they run practicle / theory coaching Day skipper is a good level to strive for... Hope this helps - I am a commercial yachtmaster based in Plymouth Devon If anyone is interested I can arrange coaching .... www.pro-skipper.com |
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| altimages |
Boaty stuffFor leisure use no licence is needed - 3rd part insurence is recomended.See above post re advisory requirements - common sense should dictate. "Never turn your back on the sea - it bites" |
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| Blacksmith |
If anyone wants advice on Ulamatic tank and draught gauging, or hydraulic valve systems, just call.
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| Ginkotree |
I dont think Ill ever go on a fishing boat, Ive got no sea legs but Ilove the idea of you going out to catch your fish, happy memories of sitting in a home converted bedford van into a camper,waiting for the fishing boats to come home on the cliffs at Hayle and having the fish in the frying pan before the fisher men had got in thier cars......I love fresh makeral. | ||
| Fee |
I'm sure Happytechie would put his tuppence worth in from the perspective of safety whatnots, having been an RNLI lifeguard. I don't think his kind of boat ownership experience will be of much use in an article on here, seen as it was a very silly racing dinghy he owned
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| Barefoot Andrew |
If I lived near the sea I'd be sorely tempted with going for a RYA powerboat cert...
A. |
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| Blacksmith |
I spent several years at sea as a supernumerary, mainly hydraulics and pneumatics.
Sailed around the world a couple of times, mostly VLCC (very large crude carriers) 350,000 tons, to 35' trawlers in the north sea, in a 35' swell ! The OBO (oil bulk ore) carrier above has 30 hydraulic rams on each hatch cover (+ a spare set) I spent a couple of months slow steaming from Japan to the Cape of good hope, modifying all 300 of them. 
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| happytechie |
I wasn't a lifeguard darling
I could put something together if no body else volunteers but It's been a while since I set pots, nets, long lines or fished with a rod but I have done all of the above from a small (12' ish) leaky clinker built open boat with just a 30 year old seagull engine and a pair of oars. The most frequent call out we had on the lifeboat by far was fishing boats that had run out of petrol. Take a spare tank everytime
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| Jonnyboy |
The last two people I towed back into harbour had done the very same thing, and didn't even have oars. I'd say that having alternative propulsion is as important as having spare fuel. Oh, and it's always speedboats that run out of fuel. 
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| Ronnie |
Traditional clinker built boats are great if you use them all the time. But if laid up for months on end they will develop problems really quite quickly as the timbers dry out and contract. This is a much bigger problem than rot. They need care lavished upon them and coat after coat of varnish.
GRP are cheap, ugly, hardy and heavy. RIBS tend to be pretty light weight. You can deflate the tubes for storage or sticking it on top of a van. Fishing with sharp hooks out of a RIB could cause you problems. They also tend to be built for high power outboards = high speed = massive fuel consumption. Plywood boats are better than they sound. You can also build them yourself which may or may not be lots of fun depending on your aptitude with hand tools. My personal favourite is aluminium (although I admit to never having owned one). Tough as old boots. Maintenance free. Light and utilitarian. My advise would be to always go for an open boat for anything under 20ft. They are much more versatile and honest. Vikings and polynesians crossed oceans in open boats, so you really don't need cover if you're pootling around in estuaries and lochs if you're dressed right. Superstructures catch the wind, and people get trapped inside them when boats capsize. They also get in the way when coming into the beach or mooring up and they look silly on a wee boat. Propulsion: Outboards are versatile for small boats. You can demount quickly and easily make the boat lighter to handle. You eliminate all sorts of issues with stern tubes and rudders at a stroke with an outboard. For a sail boat you can tip the motor up out of the water and reduce drag. Beware of old outboards bought with the intention of "fixing up". They're mostly made out of aluminium and all the bolts seize. They are also surprisingly complex with rubber shocks throughout which perish. This is disposable technology and should be respected as such. 4 stroke outboards give better economy (obviously) but come at a premium. Diesel outboards are now available but represent a significant investment. Inboards are heavier duty than outboards with greater longevity and easier to repair. However, you know have to worry about stern tubes - where the prop shaft passes through the hull. These can leak and sink your boat. You also now need a rudder. At it's simplest you have the rudder connected to a tiller. But if you want forward control you now need steering gear - ropes, cables, teleflex or hydraulic. Hydraulic is best but cost lots of money. Cables have left me dead in the water and teleflex is just nasty. Many sailboats get by quite nicely with rope and nylon pulleys - it's a nice lightfooted design. Inboards are heavy and give you a boat than needs moored rather than dragged up the beach. I wouldn't have an inboard in a boat of less tha 20 feet. Outdrives are another option for performance inboards. This is a type of sterndrive similar to an outboard but powered by an inboard. You do get petrol inboards but they tend to be frowned on. Petrol sets boats on fire in a rather spectacular manner, it's much more expensive than red diesel, and it relies on electrics which screw up on the sea quite easily. The vast majority of inboards are diesel. Sail is the ultimate downsizer option. I grew up with powered boats, so don't actually know that much about them. But my next boat will have primary sail power with auxiliary outboard. Choice of boat is going to be dictated to a large degree by where you're going to keep it. If you have a marina with nice pontoons in a sheltered basin then you can have anything you want. If you're working off a stony tidal shore you need a boat light enough to drag up and down the beach. If you remove and carry the outboard up you can then drag the boat up on rollers (think round fence posts). This is much easier with a couple of people. If you have a 4x4 and a trailer you can reverse the trailer into the sea, float the boat on (mostly) winch it on the rest of the way and then drive it home. Moorings are best left for larger vessels. A moored boat will sink on average every 10 years for a whole multitude of reasons. Personally I would never choose a boat which I couldn't beach. This means a relatively robust hull and some decent keel straps. It also rules out fin keels for sail boats - think centreboard/lifting keel, or bilge keel. More important than any of these considerations is that the best boat you can get is the boat you can get your mits on cheap or for free. My family are hassling me to do stuff so I need to finish now |
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| crofter |
I have owned a couple of ally boats. One was a ww2 landing craft held together with pop rivets. Tough and zero maintanence - yes, but not "light"... No. Ebbed up on a beach is the last place you want to be with an aluminium boat! |
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| Ronnie |
I think construction techniques have come on some since then. Last week I manhandled a modern 24' ally boat off the beach with with one hand. |