The Right Way To Start Small Boat Fishing

[Elton]

Let's say a 'friend' was interested in buying a small boat next year, with a view to mooring it in Suffolk

 

This person has no experience with boats.

 

What would be the 'proper' way to ensure that he started off his 'small boat angling' career in a safe and productive way?

 

What other recommendations would you make with regards to the purchase of the 1st boat?

 

Cheers,

 

Elton

[dale]

get him to complete an RYA course.

 

then join a club with a few guys in who have boats. scrounge a couple of days out to see for himself how each model compares.

 

all models have + & - points. make sure it has a C class mark.

2nd hand models depend on budget.

 

never never buy a small boat without having a test drive.

[Salar]

Ditto above, but go out in a small boat as a crew/guest in all weathers first. A calm sunny day is one thing, but wind, rain, low viz etc can be scary - it the world looks very different from a small boat at sea. When I started, it was with an open 14foot dinghy used only in estuaries and very near the coast, and I worked up from there. It would definately be a bad idea to buy a fast boat and blast for the horizon on day one. Read lots - there are loads of relevant articles on the web and in mags. But above all, take it steady, don't rush into anything, and be safe/confident in everything you do. Boats can be great fun, but are very expensive to run as you must not compromise on the safety kit - which is about the same regardless of boat size, so make sure the budget extends to proper lifejackets, flares, vhf (fixed and handheld, plus the course and certicication and annual license to use), anchor plus spare, ropes plus spare, engine toolkit, second engine as backup, pump, bailer, first aid kit, charts, GPS, fishfinder etc etc....

Also, petrol is expensive so petrol engined boats/outboards are expensive to run. Do a full annual costing before embarking, as it would be a pity to get started and all enthused then find it was eating a big hole in the wallet.

[Vagabond]

Very good advice from Salar.

 

When I retired I considered buying a boat to operate out of Eastbourne, or Newhaven.

 

I'm glad now I didn't. The local charter boats don't get out very often, due to the windy conditions of the last few years, and as I fish in many other places as well, the annual fixed costs of my own boat would not have been justified by how often I would have used it.

 

As Norma put it "If you invest the capital and annual costs you would have spent on your boat, and only draw on it to pay for charters, you will find it lasts a very long time (perhaps longer than your life expectancy). Moreover, you will have more time to spend on fishing rather than on boat maintenance."

 

I'm glad I followed that advice. In addition, when at sea on a charter, I can concentrate on the fishing and let the skipper handle the boat.

 

Only if you intend to use the boat a lot (as obviously Salar does) is it going to be worth it.

 

If you like "messing about in boats" as much as fishing then buy a boat for its own sake. If you only want the boat to fish from, you may come to grudge the time and cash a boat absorbs.

 

Whatever you decide, good luck, and take especial notice of the advice on safety and on not trying to run before you can walk.

 

[ 05. January 2004, 03:55 PM: Message edited by: Vagabond ]

[Newt]

Also, petrol is expensive so petrol engined boats/outboards are expensive to run

 

Especially if planning to get a boat with an outboard motor, I'd have to say that with high gasoline costs in the UK, a 4 cycle would be the best idea. Heavier than 2 cycle ones and certainly a higher initial cost but they are far more fuel efficient.

 

I have a 2 cycle with oil injection and it suits my needs fine. But relatively cheap petrol over here and I don't need to make long runs. Even with our fuel prices, if I routinely ran 40-50 miles in a day's fishing, I'd change over for the increased range if nothing else. With your fuel costs, I expect the extra £1000-£3000 for the 4 cycle would pay itself out rather quickly.

[Kieran Hanrahan]

While you are checking into the exhaustive list of things that one needs to run a boat safely - and there should as Salar indicates be no compromises here - check to see whether using a local 30 + foot charter is a better option.

 

I had a 14 ' back in Dublin and used it very little, in fact people who paid nothing towards its purchase and upkeep got far more out of it that I did. Ended up selling it... thought now that I am in the west of Ireland, good fishing and all that, that I would be right out and buy a new one but it has not worked out that way - just do not have the time and the charter boats are more cost effecive and a hell of a lot safer in the swells they have off the Atlantic...

 

I do not want to put people off getting their own boats - there is nothing better than finding your own personal marks and hotspots but boats will swallow up lots of cash and even more time...

 

FWIW

 

Kieran Hanrahan

 

PS: the RNLI used to do a free sea worthiness check on any boat. Insist on one before you buy a boat - well worth a voluntary contribution to the people who could some day save your life...

[Salar]

Just another thought after reading the last two posts - its not actually "worth it" to own a boat for fishing. You have to love boats for their own sake as well as love fishing. If a boat is there just to get to a fishing spot, chances are you'll not care enough to spend time on boat maintenance, navigation courses etc. and it will become a worry and a burden, or worse still, a danger. I love boats nearly, very nearly, as much as fishing so for me, its the ideal mix but I realise its not for everybody.

[chesters1]

quote:

---

Especially if planning to get a boat with an outboard motor, I'd have to say that with high gasoline costs in the UK, a 4 cycle would be the best idea. Heavier than 2 cycle ones and certainly a higher initial cost but they are far more fuel efficient.

---

i`d second that ,and none of that expensive 2T oil to worry about ,and also in the case of the honda engined one we had air cooled so no nasty water byeway problems ,unfortunatly the non honda bits were crap as i mentioned in another post :mad:

hopefully the mooring fees are cheaper than ours was in pompey at least in suffolk the royal navy and cross channel ferries wouldnt be intent on sinking him ,mind you not as bad as those brown harbour boats

if i had a engine wishlist (be minded of having to run the thing) i think a marinised Kubota 3 cylinder diesel from their tractors would be my bet ,small light and efficient

i would like penta turbo`s but need a deeper pocket sown in ,speed no cheapnslow thats me

 

[ 05. January 2004, 08:30 PM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]

[spasor]

Elton?

I`d tell your friend to pay a visit to the local boating pub!! Yachties pub, fishing pub. Then after hearing all the horror stories?

Put a posting on this website!

You can`t, just fancy putting a boat in the water. Either you have a purpose for the boat or forget the whole idea. Sea angling? Then take a few charter trips out of the nearest port. Recreational boating. Do a google search small boats-UK-recreational-suffolk Then wade through the thousands of hits.

In all honesty Elton, no-one just puts a boat in the water?

:rolleyes:Paul.

[pauliepoo's]

Hey Elton,come out with us on a few trips in our 22' Yorkshire Cobble and just see what you think.James and i have a combined 60+ years of boat fishing off the coast of sunny Suffolk and are beginning to get the hang of things.Historically, we tend to be quite spontaneous about our fishing, so it could be 48 or 24 hrs notice , all you need to bring is your gear and some scoff,oh and buy a beer when we get ashore. There's currently millions of Sprats offshore, so we are awaiting a good blow to get rid of them......no,not that kind of blow. If you want to be pencilled in let-us-tut-know-lad.