Any boat owners ?

T

TwoWheels

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I have decided I want to buy a small boat, along the lines of ...[broken link removed]

Nothing too pompous, something I can keep in the garden when not in use, and tow to the harbour & launch when I want. I would like to be able to sail it down the coast a bit and sleep in it overnight at weekends etc. However.... I know bugger-all about this boating malarkey, What do I need to know?
Is there a licence required? Insurance? Tax? Is it easy to pick up as you go along or should I really take a course? What charges are payable if any to the harbour (Bray) What would I need to buy for it? I have thought of some things (Anchor, Life jackets, sleeping bags, little cooker, outboard engine, two way radio, Etc). So any advice? ..... Yarr, me hearties.
 

Being brutally honest about this, and in the interests of your safety and those that may have to rescue you sometime in the future, if you don't know the answers to any of these questions now, I would strongly recommend you don't buy a boat now.

You can find sailing and boating courses and training through the yacht clubs, Dun Laoghaire and Sutton do them as far as I know. Do these courses, Level 1, 2 and 3 sailing, maybe a power boating course too, and you'll probably also need to do a skippers course as well for what you're planning on doing.

Once you've done all these, and learned how to handle the sea and a boat (supervised and someone elses boat), could you then go ahead and actually buy one.

In your situation now, buying a boat and letting you loose on the sea is like giving the keys of your car to a 5 year old and letting him out on a motorway. And you wouldn't do that.
 
ronan_d_john said:
In your situation now, buying a boat and letting you loose on the sea is like giving the keys of your car to a 5 year old and letting him out on a motorway. And you wouldn't do that.
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I agree

I did dinghy sailing courses in Sutton last year and recommend them. They recommend doing a season of dinghy sailing before going on to do the Advanced level. Beyond that, there is a course in Dun Laoghaire for skippering larger craft.

AFAIK there is no law against letting someone with more money than sense taking a boat out on their own. However, to do so would be reckless and irresponsible.
 
I agree with you both, (Boat?)... I am in the very early stages of this plan & need to do a lot of investigation & research into it all. Any idea of what costs are associated with keeping a boat of this size?
 
Do a sailing course.

Over the course of that weekend you'll be able to pick the brains of sailing club members & boat owners.
 
TwoWheels said:
I have decided I want to buy a small boat, along the lines of ...[broken link removed]
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Is this a legitimate query by the way? I get the following message from my firewall protection when I try to access the above site.

The Websense category "Gay or Lesbian or Bisexual Interest" is filtered.
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TarfHead said:
AFAIK there is no law against letting someone with more money than sense taking a boat out on their own. However, to do so would be reckless and irresponsible.
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There was talk of the Government bringing in an equivalent to a driving licence, but for boats. But that would involve the Government doing something, so it hasn't been done.

There is a voluntary boat handling course that people can do, and places that do the sailing courses also do them. I think that Sutton might do it.

The only legislation impacting here is that people must wear life jackets. However, this isn't fully followed by boat users in the area where I go.
 
ronan_d_john said:
Is this a legitimate query by the way? I get the following message from my firewall protection when I try to access the above site.
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I have no idea why that is happening, It's just a picture of a boat...
 
What is your budget? I would def. recommend a course too. Other essential items would be VHF, GPS and flairs. You could also consider a rib - no room for staying overnight but it's basically a big fender - rubber sides and fibreglass hull so you can't do too much damage if you hit something. Be sure to get a small engine though.

There is loads of choice out there and something to suit everyone's budget, taste and needs so do a course first and see how you get on and then check out these sites...


http://www.essexboatyards.com/
 
Lorz said:
You could also consider a rib - no room for staying overnight but it's basically a big fender - rubber sides and fibreglass hull so you can't do too much damage if you hit something.
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Except to smaller boats, swimmers, surfers, fishing nets, ropes, and yourself and your passengers.
 
Would agree with the advice to take a course, and use the opportunity to pick the brains of the nautical types running it.
A friend of mine got [broken link removed] recently and is very happy with it. Apparently they make them to order according to your needs (e.g. cabin/no cabin, amount of storage, overall size). No idea of how much it cost him but I don't think it can have been that dear.
 
There is more information out there from the RNLI and the The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)

The RNLI have a Sea Safety web site which is also very informative.

http://www.rnliseasafety.org.uk/resources/leisure

The section on fishing is currently being updated but the rest of the site has some very useful information. You can download free publications and order printed publications, most of which are free. There is also a sea safety interactive CD ROM (free) which can be ordered. They even have a publication on treating weaverfish and jellyfish stings.
 
There are several safety things you should do but the fact is you can just go ahead and buy your boat,launch it at a pier ( some have a small fee) and float away, all you have to do is observe the local bylaws and like when you are meeting a boat what side would you keep to?.etc, Funny/stupid but that's how it is in most of the world,
 
if you don't know the answers to any of these questions now, I would strongly recommend you don't buy a boat now
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.

I'm 100% with Ronan d on this - I have been sailing on and off for 20 years and yet I still would be slow to rush off and buy a boat and overnight on it - probably because I know some of the 1001 things that can go wrong when you're on the water.

BTW if you buy the boat pictured in the oringinal link you will be motoring and not sailing
 
I think we've all recommended that he do a course first - before he purchases!
 
TarfHead said:
I did dinghy sailing courses in Sutton last year and recommend them. They recommend doing a season of dinghy sailing before going on to do the Advanced level.
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I did two of course last year. Other clubs may offer something similar.

LEVEL 1 - START SAILING
The aim of this course is to provide a brief taste of sailing for beginners. By the end of the course participants will have had a short introduction to the sport of sailing, including basic boat handling techniques and essential background knowledge. It is recommended that all participants consolidate this short introduction with the Level 2 Basic Skills course.

LEVEL 2 - BASIC SKILLS
By the end of this course the successful sailor will be safety conscious, have a basic knowledge of sailing and be capable of sailing without an instructor in light winds.

LEVEL 3 - IMPROVING TECHNIQUES
By the end of this course the successful candidate will have a competent, safe, practical approach to the sailing of small boats and will be capable of sailing and assuming seaman-like decisions in moderate conditions. It will be assumed that every student starting this course has already mastered the practical skills and absorbed the background knowledge required for Level 2. In practical terms this implies a season's sailing between courses.
 
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