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fast boats

1K views 24 replies 11 participants last post by  JonD 
#1 ·
Hi all looking for recommendations been looking at used warriors 165s but they all seem to be fitted with smaller engines mostly 50/60 o/b and a bit pricey and always at the other end of the country what would you all be recommending instead
 
#10 ·

That's more like it but I bet it doesn't really have a high top end speed even with all that power. The boat company that sponsored my daughter in spearfishing comps powered up a small trailer boat with a single 350 verado which pushed over 80mph even in sloppy conditions. They've experimented with bigger engines for very little difference in top end speed. Another builder who builds a boat very simular went head to head in a recent powerboat race, the other boat had twin 350's and actually lost the race fair and square. This is a video from one of her spearfishing comps from the sponsors boat, for an old fella like me never again 40knots is more than enough not 80+.

 
#12 ·
As fast goes I am not fast but I do know that I can seldom reach my top speeds without the boat starting to slam and take a pounding in the Irish Sea chop. In the 36 foot cruiser optimum speed for average conditions is about 23knts and in the 18 foot cuddy it was about 27 knts. The smaller boat being able to handle the short wave period better, the cruiser still recovering at matching speeds when the bow enter the next swell. Either way neither boat was able to fully utilise all its available power / speed on your average day.
 
#13 ·
Spot on Ken, I know your boat is faster than most, but if I could cruise at 18knots every day I would be happy, but even that is often not possible, you have to match your cruising speed with the sea conditions, and more often than not they are not great, at the end of the day as long as you get to your mark, it doesn't matter what speed you can do.
 
#15 ·
Depends where you plan to use it. Your profile says you're in Hampshire, so I'm guessing the Solent. A 60hp outboard on a 165 will probably still be more than fast enough for the typical conditions on the Solent and approaches. I find on my boat that it's the sea state that dictates the speed I can go, not the engine size. Of course the general guidance of fitting the biggest engine for the boat still applies, but don't rule out a 60 for a 165. Agree that a 50 is a bit under-powered though. 70 or 80 would be ideal but not essential.

Edited to add that it seems there's a dealer up north that always buys up Warriors and adds a mark-up then flogs them on again. Probably why you're seeing lots up there, but there will be plenty of privately owned boats down south that will suit you. Keep looking and be prepared to move fast when you find one you like.
 
#16 ·
If you mean fast by UK standards rather than the boats that JonD is talking about - i.e. 30 knots plus...
Explorer Elite (I had one with a 90 Evinrude Etec - did 36 knots flat out with a very comfortable 28 knots cruise) - generally about £1000 cheaper than an equivalent 165 - but the boat is everything the Warrior is
Endeavour 500 - almost identical to Explorer Elite
Pirate 18 - the newer ones are rated to 150hp (I think the older ones were limited to 90 - you'd need to check with them)
Raider 18 - rated to 140hp
Pirate 21 - rated to 225hp
As suggested above, look also at the hull shape - a deeper V hull is likely to allow you to go faster in more conditions than a medium V such as a Warrior - the hull shape can be the limiter on speed more than the available power.
If you like going fast in a wider range of conditions - American boats are a good bet - I have a Seaswirl Striper (21ft with a 150hp - but it's rated to 225hp) that although with a 35 knots top speed is slightly slower than my old Explorer, the deep V hull means I can be doing 20-25 knots in conditions that would have the Explorer down to 10 knots, so most of the time it's actually a fair bit faster than the, in theory, faster boat. And contrary to what people often suggest, it's still very stable at rest (it has most of the weight low down).
 
#20 ·
tbh I'd be much more worried about what boat suits me best for my expected given conditions rather than how fast or fuel efficient it is. The target being fishing and not getting to the fishing spot. This is not JonD's paradise Ozzie waters. This is the sodding Atlantic and this is your typical day... trust me in this. Murphy reigns supreme. Get something comfortable. The more comfortable the fishing platform the more you're going to fish from it

 
#24 ·
I agree with Clinker. You can’t beat seeing and trialing a boat before making a decision.

I had a Pirate 21 with Honda 225hp. Did 45kts in optimum conditions. These were rare and the fuel gauge moved before your eyes. Great boat but comes at a price. You may be able to pick up an old Souter which is the same hull as far as I’m aware. You’ll get a newer Warrior style for the same money.

Unless you’re doing monster miles like Jon D a few extra kts per hour isn’t a big issue. I’d focus on sea keeping and creature comfort.
 
#25 ·
I agree with Clinker. You can’t beat seeing and trialing a boat before making a decision.

I had a Pirate 21 with Honda 225hp. Did 45kts in optimum conditions. These were rare and the fuel gauge moved before your eyes. Great boat but comes at a price. You may be able to pick up an old Souter which is the same hull as far as I’m aware. You’ll get a newer Warrior style for the same money.

Unless you’re doing monster miles like Jon D a few extra kts per hour isn’t a big issue. I’d focus on sea keeping and creature comfort.

Personaly even if I had rediculus amounts of money I still wouldn't consider those high speed models we've had a little poke at. Yes people use them to do big distances in open ocean, which is often far rougher than anything I experianced back home. Heading out early before the wind is fine but as soon as land temps warm drawing in wind off the ocean with a daily average of 25knots things get bumpy. Add to that oceanic swell and you can often be heading into 3m swell with 2m seas daily.

It's because of the continuous rough weather that hulls are designed quite differently here, most have incredibly sharp v hull designs for cutting through waves and landing softly. Many of these hulls sacrifice comfort when drifting but that's not what they are built for. Getting 100km+ offshore, then pulling lures untill you hook game and even then the boats are often still running at slow speed with the game fish hooked up. These big engines are actually very economical when run at 3500rpm which is part of the reason people use such big engines, they can run at high speed without pushing the engines to guzzle mode.

In contrast to the UK boats a recent boating magazine had a 5 page review on Jeanneau 605 Merry Fisher ( yes they are shipped over here). The boat in comparison with many local builds looks huge and what's really interesting is it's only powered by a small Yam f115 which gave both reasonable economy and speed for such a big roomy boat. It's funny every boat here states the degree of hull v yet European manufactures tend to not mention it, from the degree of entry most of us instantly have an idea of how the ride will be offshore.

The review went on posting an array of positive points as a family boat wanting something for harbour cruising but not so much a boat heading offshore due to it's relatively flat entry. It's not a boat built to head to the continental shelf with a bunch of serious game fishers when conditions are less than perfect, more a family cruiser for calmer days here.

Even a little 15ft boat I recently sold was built to take outboards to 150hp and hit waves at speed, I almost burnt my drill out cutting an in hull transducer into it. These builds also make boats far heavier which certainly helps in takling rough condition. In saying that I now use a lightweight zodiac which gives incredible economy and unrivalled stability.

This may seem a little offtack but there are many hull designs in the UK and depending what comfort level you are wanting the deeper the v the softer it will ride which is good for bad backs, necks and even fishing gear. Flatter hulls will go faster with less power and give better economy.

Cut out from my 15 ft hull.

 
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