Buying a boat

[Conor H]

Spoke to Pat (The Cricket) last night - he's doing another year at the charters, which is great , we'll just have to pay extra attention to where his marks are this year !!

The Sea Hog at his house is a friend's.

Good news I think ! (Bad news for the Tory Pollock !!)

Just a note since there seems to be quite a few new boat owners on the forum. I've been looking on ebay for bits and pieces to add to the boat. There are a few good ebay shops which deal only with boating spares and equipment (rod holders, boat hooks, fenders etc) . If anyone wants the links, let me know, I have them marked as favourite sellers .

[phenwick mist]

anyone needs volvo or other filters give me a call and i will look after you. I work in Karkraft and we are main Crossland and NGK distributors. We can do filters, plugs and oils for both inboards and outboards. Based in Newtownabbey but in Donegal every other weekend.

[petekd]

Good stuff, cheers mate.

[The Dirty Fecker]

Hi Pete,
Could'nt help noticing the picture of your boat on the gallery. Is this the same Seahog boat you went to the UK for? I must admit it looks a lot more like a Micro plus to me from the photograph.

[paulbryson75]

Pete,
There is a guy Shaun, from Fahan who is now running 'Fahan Marine servies' - he does any sort of servicing, painting, antifouling - arranging lift outs etc. He works on most of the boats in the Marina - yachts as well - reasnable to pay and very helpful, he has done quite a few jobs including servicing on my boat (Lombardini 82hp inboard)- he sources parts from both a crowd in Cork and also from England. Hes a good man to deal with, very helpful and I have no complaints about any of the work he has done on my boat - or other peoples for that matter.
Paul

[Brian Edwards]

Yep, that is a Micro Plus boat.

[Conor H]

......... do I need it, and if so, can anyone recommend a good broker ?

[ray]

do you need it? unless where ever it is that you keep it specify it as a condition then no you don't actually need it, the question is, if you happen to ram into johnny richfellows yacht and do a zillion pounds worth of damage would you like to have it?
give nobel a shout (enquiries@noblemarine.co.uk) unfortunately these places only do the fully comp option but unless your boat is the speed boat waterski type it should not be too expensive.

[petekd]

Know what, your absolutely right, a Microplus it is. We discovered that after towing her back from Southport. Have contacted the seller and expressed my annoyance. Does anyone know anything about these boats or can give me any links to sites with info on them? Aside from that rather glaring error, have to say was mightily impressed with the condition of both the boat and the engine. We took it out for a test run yesterday on a small local lough. Hit just under 20 knots with 2 on board before running out of room. Garmin fishfinder and GPS and VHF all less than a year old and working fine. However, being a Microplus its not quite the massive bargain we thought we were getting. Not to worry, shame I wasnt armed with that info before heading across the water.

[Brian Edwards]

If it annoys you too much i would say you would have a good case under trade descriptions act for either refund or re-negociated price. What year is the boat and how would it sell if advertised properly? I doubt it would make Seahog prices. All that said if you are pleased with the boats appearance, handling, reliability etc, why beat yourself up about it, go enjoy and remember for next time, buyer beware

[petekd]

There is a number on the hull that says 6314 if that is of any use trying to identify year of manufacture. I would be more concerned with reading some form of a review on this particular type of boat and seeing what other people think of it. It seems very stable even with the guts of 30 stone standing on one side. Cant fault the design of it so far or the standard of the fittings, just annoying that it was sold as one thing and turned out to be something totally different (That and the fact I didnt pick up on it when we went to collect ). In fairness, didnt pay Seahog prices for it. I am awaiting some form of response from the seller, we shall see!

[The Dirty Fecker]

microplus boats were built during the 70's and early 80's. Therefore your boat is at least 20 years old. they were origionally used and designed as river day cruisers. This does not mean however that it is not a seaworthy boat, especially if it is in the condition you say it is. My boat is a Norman 20 and is also too offically a river cruiser but it is a hell of a sea boat as i can testify and the stability is the best i've seen on any boat and i've seen a few... There is a microplus boat down on the Marina where i keep my boat and it has been there a fair few years. has a 30 hp engine and the two old guys who fish from it don't seem to have many problems. It is very similar to the Shetland 535 which i had before my current boat. a little lacking in fishing space but again a river cruiser that has a reputation as an excellent sea boat. Great fuel economy too! The only piece of advice i would give you is make sure your cabin door is well higed and keep it closed while on the move. Cabin doors can be problematic on these type boats on the sea as all the banging around can cause them to come off! On my current boat i removed the door and replaced it with a double hatch type removable slot door that you see on yachts. This allows me to transform the cabin into a cuddy in seconds...

[petekd]

Thanks for that. Door is a removable sliding panel so no issues there.

[samonwalkabout]

Do you think it is worth buying oversea’s? Is the difference in price worth the extra hassle, travel expenses etc Is there any requirements to register the boat in Ireland? Are there any pitfalls from buying out of Ireland or other expense to take into account when looking at the total cost?

Thanks

[kieran]

Okay

Even allowing for the sterling rate, and the cost of bringing the boat across on a trailer behind your car on the extortionate ferry, its still a lot cheaper. It is down to supply and demand, pure and simple, and people will always look to offlaod their boat coming into the winter to save on the mooring or garage charges. I was very keen to buy this winter but just could not arrange it. I was targeting an orkney coastliner (precursor to the 440) on a snipe trailer, 2004 20 hp Honda with six hours on it (!), all the kit electronically and they guy was selling it for GB 4750, I was later told that he would have taken GB 4000! That's around 6000 Euro - a similar boat advertised in Cork at the same time - with a far lower specification esp the engine - was being touted at 8750 EUR. Enough said?

Okay you have ot add the price of the ferry, accommodation, subsistence but that can be cheap enough if you plan well in advance. In my own case I know someone in the UK who visits Ireland regularly in his 4WD and would have towed it up to my door after collecting it in wales !

There are a couple of issues: First customs can stop you on the way in and ask if you have purchased it abroad. Second its buyer beware stuff, not just from the point of there being no / a long way to get satisfaction but also from the point of stolen goods. A lot of small boats go "missing" in the UK, there are several websites that advertise this and checking is essenital IMHO to ensure you do not become an unwitting criminal!

There is no registration system for small boats in Ireland that I know of...
I am told that the price of boats in the Netherlands is even cheaper...

[paulbryson75]

I bought my boat in England too - totally aggree its all about supply and demand and quite simply there are loads more quality angling boats in the UK than over here. I paid to have the boat brought over by a professional 'boat towage' firm and even when you take the time in of going over to look and going over again it still makes sense. A lot of the ground work can be done on the phone beforehand, and now with digital photos you can simply request they e-mail you a load of pictures of the boat and that way you get a good idea of what you are looking at before you go. I phoned all the brokers and dealers in the Uk that I could find who dealt in angling boats, found out what was about and arranged to go and view the ones I liked. There are several good web sites and most of the dealers take your copntact details and let you know if they find something that meets your needs. No doubt the best bargains are to be found from personal ads but they are a bit harder to find out about. It also helps to have a loan pre-arranged with your bank (unless you have the cash) in order that you can do deal if required. I bought the boat through a broker which is a little more expensive but they had the boat surveyed and also provided tax reciepts and the like and arranged a lift out of the marina it was in. It wasn't initially my plan but they where selling the boat that I wanted for the seller (the broker is paid by the seller not the buyer thoguh of course it is usually hidden in the asking price). A couple of days on the internet and making a lot of phone calls can pretty much cover it and give you a really big selection, its then up to you to get photos of the ones you want and arrange to do some viewings - as always you can often get an idea of what you want by simply seeing what those in your area fish from and pop along and most boat owners are only to happy to 'show off' their pride and joy and take you for a run.
Of course there are good boats about here too but if its selection I think it must be England.
One other point to note when buying a boat, especially away from home - is it the sellers to sell? And has all outstanding finance been clearerd? Good idea to see some form of sails reciept and give a reciept with your money and get a reciept with the boat and ensure you have the sellers address and details. You don't want to arrive at Stranraer or Holeyhead or Fishguard for the police to tell you thats the boat we're looking for.......

[Accony]

In my own case I know someone in the UK who visits Ireland regularly in his 4WD and would have towed it up to my door after collecting it in wales !

Not a guy with a Dark Green Nissan X Trail by any chance?

I see there's another Coastliner for sale! or is it the same one?

Colin

[John Keogh]

I am somewhat inexperienced when it comes to boat fishing but I find this site great for picking up no bull information of boats and sea fishing. I purchase a 16ft orkney longliner with a pram hood and 15hp 2001 four stroke yamaha last year. I find it very stable on the water but some what slow. I am thinking of selling it and purchasing a 16ft wahoo dory with a 50hp four stroke any advice would be welcome. By the way I fish the west coast of clare.

[kieran]

Not a guy with a Dark Green Nissan X Trail by any chance?

I see there's another Coastliner for sale! or is it the same one?

Colin

Colin, there is the genesis of a nice little business here for you!

[Powerboat]

Don't overlook a RIB as a possibility.

A 5 metre RIB will handle well within the range you mention and will have safe sea keeping abilities. they are also quite easy to buy and sell second hand without losing money.

The important thing to check on any second hand boat of this size though is the engine !

Kind regards,

Stuart