[TORRYFISHER]

HI I JUST BOUGHT A PACIFIC 550 20 FOOT BOAT . I NEED SOME ADVICE PLEASE THE BOAT ITS SELF IS SOUND HULL JUST NEEDS A PAINT COMES ON BRAKED TRAILER AND A VOLVO PENTA 55HP ENGINE . ENGINE IS ALSO GOOD STARTS FIRST TIME BUT AS BEING NEW TO BOAT OWNERSHIP I NEED ADVICE WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO GO TO SEA AS THE BOAT HAS BEEN STRIPPED OF EVERYTHING ELSE IE BATTERY.BILGE PUMP.RADIO.FISH FINDER.AUX ENGINE.ETC.SO WHAT SHOULD I BUY OR NEED TO GET AND HOW MUCHWOULD IT ALL COST .ENY ADVICE WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED.:fishing1:CHEERS GARY THE TORRY FISHER

 

[congerman]

fit like Gary,
welcome to boating, I am also pretty new to it all, I started boating just this year so I can only give you the basics up to my level. I bought my boat in the same condition as yours last year.
First thing I thought about was safety, Lifejackets and a life ring on board. Then I installed a Bilge pump with autofloat system tied into a good battery, and a hand pump. I had a pretty good engine on the boat but I still bought an auxilary. It's a good idea to get an anchor with the suitable size chain and good length of rope.
I bought all of the above off of flea bay you can get some good deals on there if you look properly.

Good luck

 

[Clinker]

HI I JUST BOUGHT A PACIFIC 550 20 FOOT BOAT . I NEED SOME ADVICE PLEASE THE BOAT ITS SELF IS SOUND HULL JUST NEEDS A PAINT COMES ON BRAKED TRAILER AND A VOLVO PENTA 55HP ENGINE . ENGINE IS ALSO GOOD STARTS FIRST TIME BUT AS BEING NEW TO BOAT OWNERSHIP I NEED ADVICE WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO GO TO SEA AS THE BOAT HAS BEEN STRIPPED OF EVERYTHING ELSE IE BATTERY.BILGE PUMP.RADIO.FISH FINDER.AUX ENGINE.ETC.SO WHAT SHOULD I BUY OR NEED TO GET AND HOW MUCHWOULD IT ALL COST .ENY ADVICE WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED.:fishing1:CHEERS GARY THE TORRY FISHER

A good idea would be to get an RNLI SEA Check - they will visit the boat and advise what you need in the way of safety equipment (before you buy it so you know you will be spending your money in the right direction) and give you lots of other advice such as how to equip and maintain your lifejackets. Ask for the Sea Safety Officer at your local station or book through the RNLI website.

If the hull is sound and hasn't yet been painted, a good clean and polish would give a better finish than painting.

 

[TORRYFISHER]

Thanks for that congerman will be trawling ebay tonight for some bargains . Can i ask you whare do you go with your boat fishing?

 

[Clinker]

Use ebay for things like anchor and chain - check the outboard guide in this section of the forum before buying an aux outboard, but I wouldn't buy lifejackets second hand, an awful lot have not been correctly maintained and you really need to inspect them whilst knowing what to look for and inflate them for 24 hours before you know they will be OK.

Honestly, well worth getting the RNLI SEA Check I referred to before buying anything - you get free expert advice and if you want to make the most of your money, you know you'll be buying the right gear - for instance an anchor is not just a good idea, it's essential - you also need to know the correct size and think about the type of anchor, ensure it has the correct length of chain and length of rope for your boat/where you'll be going before buying or you could be wasting you money on something totally inappropriate, and a lifering for instance is not much use compared to a flexible horseshoe lifebuoy fitted with a drogue, and flares have yet to be mentioned... and so on... and so on...

 

[Nos4r2]

And getting the engine serviced before you even get the boat wet. That's an old lump-you don't want to find it's not had the impeller changed for 10 years...

 

[congerman]

Gary, during the summer months my boat is parked on the west coast at my caravan on the shores of Loch Sunart, I prefer the fishing on the west coast better.
I plan to bring it back home to the east coast during the winter for maintenance and maybe go off Gardenstown/Portknockie a couple times.
I forgot to add in my previous post about the free sea check that Clinker is refering to. When I bought my boat down in Southhampton it had gotten a sea check and that is when they advised the anchor and chain size for me. It is very worthwhile getting this. I indeed purchased an outboard from someone on this website through the Classifieds section also.