4/5 is a fair number on a small boat. I don’t like taking 2 on mine and it’s 21ft. I used to own a Shetland Alaska 500 and they have to be the roomiest 16 footer around, incredibly strong and well built (I bought mine in 1989, flogged it in 1998 and I still see it out and about now!) and you’ll get a decent one in your price range...

 

4or 5 people far too many on a 16 ft boat 2s safer remember the sea at its best is a very dangerous place and over loading a small boat will make it worse

 

Agree with TimFB, 4 on anything under 21ft is a push and probably not that safe, my mate has a QS 640 and that is perfect for two anglers, any more would be uncomfortable, I used to have a Shetland 535 (18ft) and it was great for two people, any more would have been awkward unless they stayed in the cabin, my current boat is 23ft and can take four anglers no problem and probably six if I take down the extended cabin canopy, as you would expect a certain size boat will take a certain amount of anglers, although an open boat might take more anglers, doesn't make it any safer though.

 

If you’re taking all the family, will they all want to be actively fishing? I often used to have 4 or 5 on my Explorer Elite - it was comfortable for two to fish, doable with 3, but when I had 5 I’d find at least two would just sit in the cuddy so didn’t really take any more space.
Now I regularly either have just my regular fishing buddy (probably with his grandson coming more often now) or one set of my grandchildren which with their parents and Nana (to bring the snacks) means we’re six in a 21ft boat (quite a spacious one as 21ft boats go) everyone can sit in the canvas wheelhouse (open backed) and the cockpit is used in turn which each child’s rod starts to bounce.
Only works at anchor - would be a disaster drift fishing with that many on board!
I’d say the Alaska 500 is a good shout for what you want to do and your budget.

 

Ok thank you all. So I would generally only be looking use 2 rods at a time mostly lure fishing. is the safety issues more of people moving around the boat and fishing or weight?

 

Both - the CE plate on the boat will give you the max load (in kg and as a number of people) but obviously everyone moving around the boat at the same time increases the chances of people falling over each other, or worse, over the side.
You mentioned lifejackets - are they life jackets or buoyancy-aids? Definitely not something to cheap out on - equipping a family of 5 with correctly specced lifejackets will be almost £500.
Don’t forget other vital equipment such as a VHF, means of navigation, fire extinguisher etc etc.

 

Ive always bought boats to suit my 4/5 family. One of the smaller ones was just 3.85 and probably the most used by the whole family as it was so easy to tow on holidays. On the lake we towed donuts with the three kids holding on and my wife as the rear view observer. I only took this boat 4-5 miles offshore as its aluminium hull was hard riding in chop, in saying that we regularly dived three adults with scuba gear and six dive tanks. The hull was very open and the flat design made it incredibly stable. This 3.85 boat was used to put the kids 3 person dome tent on while traveling and stopping overnight (came in handy on crocodile locations being able to keep the kids well off the ground in the boat).

A 4.5m centre console I had also did several big trips with the whole family 5 around the country (one clocking 14000km). My position was behind the console with a double cooler box in front which seated two and another cooler box at the back that seated two. The cooler boxes held all our junk and food, once again this boat was used on several Island hopping adventure 80km offshore along the Barrier Reef.

My 5.2m zodiac (recently sold) was legaly able to carry 12 adults but 5 was my max normally heading offshore. The boat I have now is 17ft is legally able to carry 7 adults offshore. The seating is two forward seats and a long bench seat at the stern which can easily sit 3 adults, the hull carries a 150lt underfloor fuel tank and the rest of the underfloor spaces are designed to carry gear, literally nothing needs to sit around and obstruct the deck area.

Something that is being touched on in another thread is hp, which unfortunately many UK boats don't have a lot of for pushing 4/5 people. In saying that there is difference in taking the family of kids to taking 4/5 serious adult anglers. I had 4 adults on my boat all with dive and spearfishing gear on the weekend two of which are over the 100kg (rugby players), the boat was a mess of gear all over the floor!!!!

Often when taking the family you will find the trips are more about exploring than fishing, when you do fish its often just the kids for their limited time of interest.

This was my little 3.85, I also had a 3.85 fibreglass boat which was a weapon of a little boat, they even get used far offshore chasing game fish.

Aluminium 3.85

Stability was good even lifting little sharks onboard.

This was the little 4.5 without the cooler box seats in it.

I swapped the engine to a little F70 which gave me over 300km range from the underfloor fuel tank, this boat was built to a comercial hull standard with 45mm of glass in the hull (brick shite house).

Im sure you will be able to find a boat to suit your requirements, I think people are talking more about 2 onboard for hard core fishing.

 

If looking for a small boat to carry 4 or 5 people safely in U.K. waters I would consider a RIB or, for close inshore work, an inflatable. When compared to a similar sized normal boat they can carry far more people.
For example, a 16ft Orkney Longliner is rated for 5 people or 410kg and a 16ft Arran 16 is only rated for 4 people or 340kg. A 15.5ft Avon Searider RIB is rated for 8 people or 870kg and a 15.5ft Zodiac Grand Raid inflatable is rated for 9 people or 1220kg! Quite a difference.

 

Ive always bought boats to suit my 4/5 family. One of the smaller ones was just 3.85 and probably the most used by the whole family as it was so easy to tow on holidays. On the lake we towed donuts with the three kids holding on and my wife as the rear view observer. I only took this boat 4-5 miles offshore as its aluminium hull was hard riding in chop, in saying that we regularly dived three adults with scuba gear and six dive tanks. The hull was very open and the flat design made it incredibly stable. This 3.85 boat was used to put the kids 3 person dome tent on while traveling and stopping overnight (came in handy on crocodile locations being able to keep the kids well off the ground in the boat).

A 4.5m centre console I had also did several big trips with the whole family 5 around the country (one clocking 14000km). My position was behind the console with a double cooler box in front which seated two and another cooler box at the back that seated two. The cooler boxes held all our junk and food, once again this boat was used on several Island hopping adventure 80km offshore along the Barrier Reef.

My 5.2m zodiac (recently sold) was legaly able to carry 12 adults but 5 was my max normally heading offshore. The boat I have now is 17ft is legally able to carry 7 adults offshore. The seating is two forward seats and a long bench seat at the stern which can easily sit 3 adults, the hull carries a 150lt underfloor fuel tank and the rest of the underfloor spaces are designed to carry gear, literally nothing needs to sit around and obstruct the deck area.

Something that is being touched on in another thread is hp, which unfortunately many UK boats don't have a lot of for pushing 4/5 people. In saying that there is difference in taking the family of kids to taking 4/5 serious adult anglers. I had 4 adults on my boat all with dive and spearfishing gear on the weekend two of which are over the 100kg (rugby players), the boat was a mess of gear all over the floor!!!!

Often when taking the family you will find the trips are more about exploring than fishing, when you do fish its often just the kids for their limited time of interest.

This was my little 3.85, I also had a 3.85 fibreglass boat which was a weapon of a little boat, they even get used far offshore chasing game fish.

Aluminium 3.85

View attachment 1276261

View attachment 1276263
View attachment 1276265
View attachment 1276267



Stability was good even lifting little sharks onboard.

View attachment 1276269
View attachment 1276271


This was the little 4.5 without the cooler box seats in it.

View attachment 1276273

I swapped the engine to a little F70 which gave me over 300km range from the underfloor fuel tank, this boat was built to a comercial hull standard with 45mm of glass in the hull (brick ****e house).

View attachment 1276275


Im sure you will be able to find a boat to suit your requirements, I think people are talking more about 2 onboard for hard core fishing.

Nice post Jon, but you are forgetting this is the UK and our boats are very different from those used in Oz, for starters you don't need a cabin or cuddy because your weather is a lot warmer and you can run much bigger engines and there are probably a load more conditions that are very different, the bottom line is I wouldn't recommend anyone in the UK use a typical 16ft fishing boat to take out 5 people, although a 16ft SIB would do the job, but they wouldn't have much protection in inclement weather, something you don't have to worry about in Oz and having lived here you will know how quickly the sea conditions can change.

 

Yes mate I'm aware of that, I owned around 20 different small boats in the U.K. before moving over here, most were open boats and used to fish the Needles area year round. My first was a 12 ft glass boat that three of my school buddies and myself fished from without any dramas. That 12 ft boat was the first boat I landed a porbeagle in.

Exposure to the sun here might actually be more dangerous than the cold, hence why so many of my fishing buddies have died of skin cancers over here. I now have more weather protection on my current boat.

I must admit to being almost hyperthermic on several occasions winter fishing. Also had a few small dory's which were incredibly stable with ample room again when fishing with my mates.

We did push our luck in terms of sea conditions we ventured out in but living on the IOW the Solent was normally ok to fish. I worked on boats from a very early age so clocked up many sea hours by the time I owned my own at aged 12.

Tottaly agree that the UK market is lacking in the 16ft range and many of those on offer are narrow light and possibly a little unstable for a family.

By the way Australia is a big country, its winter here and we are having morning temps of bellow freezing at the moment (-8'c one morning) and heavy snow on the snowfields a couple of hours inland from me. Further up the country they have winter temps in the mid thirty s.

 

You've got a lot more space inside on something like an Alaska 500 than you would in a 5m RIB or SIB - the trouble is the tubes rob so much space and on a 5m RIB I find 4 people makes it feel a lot more crowded than 4 on my old Explorer of similar length - one on the helm seat, one on the nav seat, two on the rear bench or 2 in the cuddy didn't feel at all squashed unless everyone wanted to move round the deck with a rod. There were times when I used it for more of a ferry boat duty and it was fine with three on the aft bench seat and the other two on the helm/nav seats.

Plus on that size SIB or RIB, 2 or more will have to sit on the tubes - no way would I have kids sitting on the tubes of a RIB - it's as much as I can do sometimes to hold on at just 25 knots.

 

Iv'e had some small boats. My advice is they are expensive, hard work, and don't bother. If you must have one, get something suitable for two only with plenty of room, and easy to launch and retrieve. That is where the hard work comes in.
Or just get a good kayak ha ha .

 

Thank you everyone for your reply’s.
My family of 5 weighs roughly 345kg
So when considering weight a boat can carry I assume I need at least 450kg capacity so we cover fishing gear and safety equipment? Is it ok to use near its capacity?
Clinker what is the boat you use now?
I have life jackets that inflate from pulling a cord and one kids self inflating life jacket but this has been left I the shed for about 3 years. May need to up grade.

 

Clinker what is the boat you use now?
I have life jackets that inflate from pulling a cord and one kids self inflating life jacket but this has been left I the shed for about 3 years. May need to up grade.

Boat is a Seaswirl Striper 2101 walkaround.
Lifejackets in an angling boat should be auto inflate (when you have to pull the cord, they are classed as manual - autos also have pull cord but as a backup for the auto firing head failing). They should also have spray hoods, auto lights and crotch straps. If they’ve been sitting around for a while, they will need their annual service to ensure they will still work.

 

I would love to have a rib but not sure there would be enough comfort in my price range.

I’m thinking o might need to have a look at a few boats at the weekend to get an idea of space rather than just looking online.

 

Where will you launch? boats are surprisingly heavy when stuck on the shingle. I used to use a concrete ramp and reverse the boat to the water, winch the boat off etc.

 

I like fishing from Kimmeridge bay or even Hayling island both have concrete ramps where I would launch. I have a pick up truck for towing.

 

You've got a lot more space inside on something like an Alaska 500 than you would in a 5m RIB or SIB - the trouble is the tubes rob so much space and on a 5m RIB I find 4 people makes it feel a lot more crowded than 4 on my old Explorer of similar length - one on the helm seat, one on the nav seat, two on the rear bench or 2 in the cuddy didn't feel at all squashed unless everyone wanted to move round the deck with a rod.

Just out of interest, what is the capacity (people/ load) of the Alaska 500? I have never owned one. When carrying lots of people in RIBs and inflatables I have always kept the speed down unless all have had a proper seat, as is often possible in larger RIBs. Large loads at slower speeds are not a problem, even with people sitting on the tubes. That said, not really the ideal set up for family fishing.

 

Just out of interest, what is the capacity (people/ load) of the Alaska 500?

I think it’s six, but don’t quote me on that - certainly plenty of room for 6 - the max beam is carried quite far forward and I would think it had to be one of the most spacious of the 5m boats on the market.

 

Yes mate I'm aware of that, I owned around 20 different small boats in the U.K. before moving over here, most were open boats and used to fish the Needles area year round. My first was a 12 ft glass boat that three of my school buddies and myself fished from without any dramas. That 12 ft boat was the first boat I landed a porbeagle in.

Exposure to the sun here might actually be more dangerous than the cold, hence why so many of my fishing buddies have died of skin cancers over here. I now have more weather protection on my current boat.

I must admit to being almost hyperthermic on several occasions winter fishing. Also had a few small dory's which were incredibly stable with ample room again when fishing with my mates.

We did push our luck in terms of sea conditions we ventured out in but living on the IOW the Solent was normally ok to fish. I worked on boats from a very early age so clocked up many sea hours by the time I owned my own at aged 12.

Tottaly agree that the UK market is lacking in the 16ft range and many of those on offer are narrow light and possibly a little unstable for a family.

By the way Australia is a big country, its winter here and we are having morning temps of bellow freezing at the moment (-8'c one morning) and heavy snow on the snowfields a couple of hours inland from me. Further up the country they have winter temps in the mid thirty s.

I know of two robust ali boats used commercialy,ugly but stable,reasonably fast,beamy,plenty free board,light enough for easy trailer launching! Tough as old boots! Wonder they aren't more popular! I would have one as a pure working boat!

 

Most of the boats I have looked at online come with one outboard motor. How many people on this size boat carry a small maybe 5hp spare outboard incase of break down?

 

going by what you see in the average harbour or marina I would say the number of boats with single main engine and an auxiliary is something between 5 and 10%, but amongst the boat owners on this forum, I would guess that number is somewhat higher.

 

Spare engines are a good idea,if permanently mounted on a transom bracket! We used to start the main engine and go out of the harbour on the spare!! Amazing how many peeps have a spare but don't run it before a trip to make sure it's working.have it banging around for trip after trip then it won't start when you most need it!

 

Spare engines are a good idea............. Amazing how many peeps have a spare but don't run it before a trip to make sure it's working. have it banging around for trip after trip then it won't start when you most need it!

I have to admit to being "one of those peeps".........I just don't tend to think about it......and now paying the price.
My 4.5 aux is now having a visit from my mechanic because of "my own fault" at not looking after it properly.
Once it's sorted i'm going to be "extra" vigilant about making sure it's "all good".

 

Ive never had one in the UK or over here. I'm on boats most days and yet to not be able to make it home in 44 years of owning boats. It's extremely rare to see boats with them over here and we literally have thousands of boats on the water everyday. Good maintenance and a bit of common sense is more important in my opinion.

 

I have always had one, and in over 30 yrs I have also never not made it back at the end of the day on the main engine. And I have never had a new or newish main engine, always old one's.
I have not even used the aux engine's i've had over the years, only starting them up in buckets ect to make sure they still worked Hahahahaha.

 

We are also lucky in the fact that we have an amazing amount of marine rescue volunteers around the country with great offshore vessels. The volunteers man radio stations everyday and spend most weekends on the water training.

We have an amazing amount of idiot's on the beaches and sea but not many rescuers!

 

Well apart from one of the world's top three rescue organisations with what are generally reckoned to be the world’s most technically advanced lifeboats stationed every few miles around our entire coast.

 

Well apart from one of the world's top three rescue organisations with what are generally reckoned to be the world’s most technically advanced lifeboats stationed every few miles around our entire coast.

The rnli aren't short staffed then???

 

I guess you're referring to the lifeguards at the beaches? - my understanding is that it's not a shortage of staff but not being able to train and prepare during lockdown. The boats have remained as normal throughout the Covid situation.

 

Spare engines are a good idea,if permanently mounted on a transom bracket! We used to start the main engine and go out of the harbour on the spare!! Amazing how many peeps have a spare but don't run it before a trip to make sure it's working.have it banging around for trip after trip then it won't start when you most need it!

Yes, seen lots of spare never being started then complaints when it doesn't! Should be done every time before leaving port at beginning of trip and given run when at sea. Boats can handle very differently on small auxiliary engines and owners should be familiar with that.

 

I have always had one, and in over 30 yrs I have also never not made it back at the end of the day on the main engine. And I have never had a new or newish main engine, always old one's.
I have not even used the aux engine's i've had over the years, only starting them up in buckets ect to make sure they still worked Hahahahaha.

Could be rephrased as "Not made it back on main engine, yet." Always a chance of breakdown or prop fouling that cannot be sorted at sea.

 

I guess you're referring to the lifeguards at the beaches? - my understanding is that it's not a shortage of staff but not being able to train and prepare during lockdown. The boats have remained as normal throughout the Covid situation.

Not short staffed possibly but remember organisation is made up mostly from volunteers. Volunteers who have turned out many times in situations where social distancing is not possible.

 

Quite.