We have just bought a boat !

[IanS]

Hello, My name is Ian, and my wife and I have just bought a Shetland 4+2 cruiser. It's an old boat 1985 powered with a Yamaha 25HP motor. We know nothing about boating and even less about Shetland boats, so decided to go for a boat on the lower cost side of the market.

I'm looking forward to reading the forum, and getting ideas and advice on boating and the boat we have. We are due to go down and give it a bit of a clean later this week, so will post a few pictures of it when we have done that.

Regards
Ian..

[dellquay13]

Welcome to the Forum!
If I could offer any advice, it would be to get some tuition on boat handling.
It doesn't need to be a week long RYA day skipper course. If there isn't an introduction to boating course near you, or better still the one day RYA powerboat L2, then read some books, trawl YouTube, and most of all find someone experienced who can spend a couple of hours guiding you through basic manoeuvreing, coming alongside a pontoon, getting used to how the boat steers especially in reverse, etc. Teaching yourself in a boat the size you have can be very stressful and off putting, get some guidance at the very beginning. There may be a club or marina near by where you can ask around, most boaters are only too happy to offer their help and advice.
I'm sure Clive will be posting good advice soon, and he has a very similar set up boat to you.

[IanS]

Thanks for the advice, I have been hitting youtube, and watched the boaters handbook DVD and stuff. I think I will be taking some lessons, it surprised me that it's not a requirement to be honest.

[Clive]

Welcome! I have a 1989 4+2 which I got to upgrade from a 16ft cuddy cabin boat I had for 10 years. You will love it, they handle well but are quite big if you are a newbie. dellquay13 is right (both in what he writes and me replying!), I would add do everything slowly, and give yourself plenty of time so you don't find you are approaching anything too fast. Are you boating inland? Make sure you stay on the right and pass on the left (port). Easy way to remember port and starboard is port, left and red are all shorter words than starboard, right and green
You will need to pay £5 one-off membership to post and see pictures, well worth it. Where are you based?
Good luck and keep us posted and ask anything you like, we all had a first outing.

[dellquay13]

Another vote for doing everything slowly to begin. Stop, think what you want to do, what you need in place to do it, get everything ready, and then go slowly slowly until your skills build. If things go awry, they will go a lot less awry if you're not rushing.
After more than 20years in motor boats, I'm learning everything afresh but with sails, and I had to learn the same lesson in slowing down all over again.

[IanS]

Thanks for the warm welcome.
At the moment i am cleaning the boat and hope to have a little play later, it is much harder to clean than i thought it would be and seems to be full of massive spiders.
Today i am going to go and spend the day and have another go at cleaning it.

I just got the confirmation from admin to say i am a paid member, so i should be able to get a pic up with a clean boat later.

We are based in Nottinghamshire and have the boat on the river Trent. We only got the river licence because i am unsure of where we can go and won't be going far this year anyway.

I have to admit it is all quite exciting.

[Clive]

Very exciting and can be a money pit! At the moment any improvements will be adding value, you were lucky to find one. Considering I thought mine was good to go when I bought it in 2019 I seem to have fixed/replaced a lot since! Just finished a stern refurb and I’m giving first mate some training - the locks are heavy on the Wey so if she can stay on board I can do the heavy work. First time out since Oct 2019, cant wait. Boat looking fresh now!
I’ve probably had most of the problems expected on a 4+2 so ask if you need help - leaks are number one.
Look forward to pics. Here’s mine at home.

[dellquay13]

Hi,
whereabouts on the Trent in Notts? Beeston, Sawley, or further downstream towards Newark?
I used to live in Beeston, I launched my FamilyFour at Sawley marina once, just for the day, and hated life at 4mph! I've still got the lock gate key I had to buy to get onto the River Soar, as a reminder to self never to go inland waterways again.
If Eddie is still the mechanic at Beeston marina, he's a trustworthy guy...

[Clive]

Haha- drove past your namesake today on our way to Bosham. Low tide so not much water about but a very nice spot.
With the madness of life in the south east I love 4mph. Very chilled and relaxed away from the chaos all round.

[dellquay13]

It wasn't the slow speed (I bought a yacht, I can't be a speed demon) but the lack of freedom to get over the horizon out of sight of land, just either upriver or down, I felt trapped...