Boatmad.com


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 10-09-2004, 11:27 AM   #1
Registered User
 
Location: westcliff on sea
Occupation: Signmaker
Boat make: Fletcher Arrowstreak GTS
Engines: Mercruiser
Cruising area: thames estuary

Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: westcliff on sea
Posts: 15
buying advise

Hi chaps, first post ...please be gentle with me!

I have a holding deposit on a '93 17ft fletcher arrowhawk with 3.0 mercruiser, this will be my 1st inboard powered boat, any tips as to what i should be checking and looking for as regards the condition of the engine & outdrive?

The boat is offered for sale by a broker, i've asked to see the engine running on muffs before i purchase but is it unreasonable to ask for a full test drive, I'm thinking that this would show up any problems with the drive under load or any overheating problems.

Any advise would be appreciated, also where,s the best place to purchase service items for mercruiser... plugs, belts, filters etc preferably in the s.e essex area.


thanks in advance

paul
__________________

surfpilot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2004, 11:39 AM   #2
The Doc
 
Captain Chaos's Avatar
 

Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 8,291
My advise is to not buy it coz 3.oL is plop!!!.

......and then buy my 1992 arrowstreak (prob identical) with a 1995 200hp Mercury and with the change buty some new underpants to soil!
__________________

Captain Chaos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2004, 11:42 AM   #3
The Doc
 
Captain Chaos's Avatar
 

Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 8,291
Re: buying advise

The boat is offered for sale by a broker,

which broker?

Any advise would be appreciated, also where,s the best place to purchase service items for mercruiser... plugs, belts, filters etc preferably in the s.e essex area.


I use boating mania in upminster, Mike Watkins is a slightly unhappy, but very genuine & often very helpfull fella. They are reasonably priced and dont "bump-up" stuff for thier own personal gain!

thanks in advance


No problem
Captain Chaos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2004, 11:46 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Louise's Avatar
 
Country: UK
Location: Reading
Occupation: Being a mummy
Interests: Cruising
Boat name: Blue Ice
Boat make: Scorpion 7.5m RIB
Engines: Yamaha 200 hpdi
Cruising area: Solent

Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Reading
Posts: 563
Hi Paul and welcome.

I can't give you any advice about that particular package (I'm a rubber ring girl myself ) but I would say that you should definitely insist on a test drive. You wouldn't buy a car without one, would you?

Hope you find a good boat.
__________________
www.biboa.com
Louise is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2004, 11:50 AM   #5
Registered User
 
Location: westcliff on sea
Occupation: Signmaker
Boat make: Fletcher Arrowstreak GTS
Engines: Mercruiser
Cruising area: thames estuary

Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: westcliff on sea
Posts: 15
"which broker?"

essex boatyard

I have a couple of mates with 3.0 powered boats so i know what sort of performance to expect & i want a boat i can afford to use as much as possible, not much point if its sitting in the garden cos i cant afford the fuel bill !!
surfpilot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2004, 12:08 PM   #6
Registered User
 
bert's Avatar
 
Country: uk
Location: southampton
Interests: boating
Boat make: extreme 24
Engines: 8.2 volvo
Cruising area: solent

Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: southampton
Posts: 255
if you are not sure you could get engine survey i paid about £100 from my local outboard fixer told me parts that needed changing compression test serial no etc just gives you extra piece of mind also would not by a boat from broker without test drive
bert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2004, 12:42 PM   #7
The Doc
 
Captain Chaos's Avatar
 

Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 8,291
James & Guy Barke that own essex boat yards are good people, I have bought/ sold things through them in the past...pre them hitting it big time!

Just had a look on their site........Thats a nice boat (if a wee bit pricey)...mines the model they have advertised as a 1996! (which is incorrect). I can personally recommend the hull......good handeling and a lot of space per size of boat.

You MUST haggle with them!!!!!! and ask for a guarentee or some sort of comeback.

For your info..........Mines very economical.....I challenge you to that. when you get it, I'll whizz pass you all day (with a boat load) and we'll tot-up fuel bills at the end of day!!!!

17 Fletch + 3.0 merc.....must get High 5 prop for skiing!!! cost £400
Captain Chaos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2004, 01:00 PM   #8
Registered User
 
Location: westcliff on sea
Occupation: Signmaker
Boat make: Fletcher Arrowstreak GTS
Engines: Mercruiser
Cruising area: thames estuary

Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: westcliff on sea
Posts: 15
I've haggled the price down to £6350, they now offer a 3 month warranty on stock boats but this was a brokerage one so I was told that didnt apply, I was told however that the engine would be checked and anything needed would be done at the present owners expense before i collect it.

I looked at that other fletcher, its a bit cleaner but decided to go with the newer model, mind you they didnt have it priced at the time so i wasnt aware of the price difference!!
surfpilot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2004, 01:15 PM   #9
The Doc
 
Captain Chaos's Avatar
 

Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 8,291
New model slightly nicer due to the curved corners of screen. Otherwise its just trim differences.

If they say thats the case, i'd take them by thier word. I would ask them if they were happy to have an independent inspection....that way "what needs doing" can be defined between EBY, said inspecter and yourself.

James has many friends collegues round essex, so it'll be difficult to find a surveyor who doesnt know them............

wish i could help more
Captain Chaos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2004, 02:47 PM   #10
Registered User
 
Country: Canada
Location: Newfoundland
Interests: Spreading the good word about boats with toobs

Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Newfoundland
Posts: 173
Re: Re: buying advise

Quote:
Originally posted by Captain Chaos
]I use boating mania in upminster, Mike Watkins is a slightly unhappy, but very genuine & often very helpfull fella. [COLOR]

thanks in advance


No problem

Thats a very accurate description! I used to get my large Johnson serviced there & they did a reasonable job. Reasonably priced on bits and bobs too.

There was a 17ftish Fletcher with inboard fannying around at Bradwell last weekend as we came back into the marina. He was drifting rather aimlessly around with the engine hatch open so we gave him a tow back to the pontoon being the alround top blokes that we are.

EN
Atlantic Xpat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2004, 03:01 PM   #11
Registered User
 
Location: westcliff on sea
Occupation: Signmaker
Boat make: Fletcher Arrowstreak GTS
Engines: Mercruiser
Cruising area: thames estuary

Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: westcliff on sea
Posts: 15
essex navee,
my mates are thinking of taking a drive to bradwell week after next, whats the launching facilities like there, any do's & dont's?
They were there (& @ stone I think) last weekend without the boats & said they saw a few fletchers cruising about.
surfpilot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2004, 03:09 PM   #12
Registered User
 
Country: Canada
Location: Newfoundland
Interests: Spreading the good word about boats with toobs

Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Newfoundland
Posts: 173
Quote:
Originally posted by surfpilot
essex navee,
my mates are thinking of taking a drive to bradwell week after next, whats the launching facilities like there, any do's & dont's?
Bradwell slip is OK - quite long and narrow & useable all bar an hour or so either side of LW. Cost is £12 I think. It can get very busy during summer weekends so...

Do - make sure that you are ready to rock and roll before you back it down the slip, i.e. bung in, kill cord in, driver in and ready to go. Don't - faff around at the bottom of the slip cranking the engine over without it starting or even more amusingly cast the boat off into the briny and then realise the engine wont start! Also don't queue jump cos people get really pissed at that!

EN
Atlantic Xpat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2004, 03:47 PM   #13
Registered User
 
Location: westcliff on sea
Occupation: Signmaker
Boat make: Fletcher Arrowstreak GTS
Engines: Mercruiser
Cruising area: thames estuary

Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: westcliff on sea
Posts: 15
ta very much i'l pass that info on

Paul
surfpilot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2004, 05:05 PM   #14
The Doc
 
Captain Chaos's Avatar
 

Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 8,291
ere essex.......what tub you got.......... i was one of those geezers feckin about on fletchers last week!
Captain Chaos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2004, 07:03 PM   #15
Registered User
 
Country: Canada
Location: Newfoundland
Interests: Spreading the good word about boats with toobs

Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Newfoundland
Posts: 173
I was keepin half an eye out for a bloke in a cape but didn't notice you. As an ex-ribnobber I was doing my charity outreach work to some "sportsnobbing" friends in their Cobalt 227. We went for a blast up to Harwich and back. Nice day out.
Atlantic Xpat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2004, 07:13 PM   #16
The Doc
 
Captain Chaos's Avatar
 

Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 8,291
I'd have been up river around osea usually. I used to launch from Bradwell as the slips pretty good..........but got tired off bunging the cars (Rover 200 @ the time) up to its doors in water!!

Use stone skiclub now!

You're not one of the mob that bugger off all over the gaff with the Cohens in thier little floatilla are you? they've got some 25/30ft (Mariah??) with a whackin great checquered flag down it)
Captain Chaos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-09-2004, 07:20 PM   #17
Registered User
 
Country: Canada
Location: Newfoundland
Interests: Spreading the good word about boats with toobs

Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Newfoundland
Posts: 173
Nah mate, dunno any of them.

My sportsnobber mates used to have a boat apiece - one with a Fletcher 21GTS 5.7L and the other with a Glastron 19GTS 5.0L (& before that a 19ft Fletcher proto, 16 Phantom etc etc). They decided that as they spent half their times getting a crew together to take out both boats that they ought to combine their dosh and get one between em. So the Cobalt which is good looking boat, very well made and goes very nicely with what I think is a 5.7EFI and Duoprop.

They normally ski on the crouch from Hullbridge and sometimes on the Blackwater. Last Sat we went for the run up the coast first thinking it might get a bit calmer in the late afternoon. It didn't so we had a zoom around osea to see whether it was a bit calmer there before returning back to Bradwell. Were you in the Fletcher or one of the chaps trying to pull it ashore?


EN
__________________

Atlantic Xpat is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT +1. The time now is 01:35 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
×