Your assitance is required - tow vehicle Q!?!?

[Gavin F]

Basically can I have your opinions on the following purely as a tow vehicle to get me up and down the slipways around the solent area please as dont think the Saab will take it. Thinking that it's going to be cheaper to buy an old 4x4 than stick it in a drystack or dryberth although Seaways in Gosport seem to be quite reasonable?

Anyway, here's the 4x4 i need comments on please: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...DME:L:RTQ:UK:1

I look forward to the responses

[Tim M]

Seaway is cheap but not ideal; they use a mud slip which dries out at low tide.

Your profile says you have a 5+m Ribtec. Is it a 535 or a 585? I would have said you'd be fine with either with your Saab. I used to have a Ribtec 585 which I towed hundreds of miles between Portsmouth and Norfolk and launched using my Ford Focus. Just choose a decent slip; Camber slip is probably one of the best in the Solent - you'd be fine there.

Buying a dedicated tow vehicle or dry stacking a boat that you could easily launch and retrieve seems like a waste of money to me.

[Pete7]

Why not keep it in the water. Tony kept his Avon 5.6m in Clarance Yard. they had space inside which bigger boats and yachts couldn't get into. Cost should be about the same as Seaways dry store but sovles the problem of always launching.

Pete

[Ian M]

I used to tow my 5.5 m XS with a Volvo estate (similar front wheel driver) with no problem on the local slips. Did use Lymington slip mostly; only had problems when tidal gunk was not cleared from the front wheels.

[Gavin F]

After coming to my senses and having a think about things maybe a dedicated tow vehicle is a waste of money. I thought the Saab should be fine as long as the slips are ok and thinking of using a long rope anyway to be honest on the 'not so good' ones. Re the storage at Clarence Yard, I wonder how much that would cost, i'll have to dig around and find some info out.

[Gavin F]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Why not keep it in the water. Tony kept his Avon 5.6m in Clarance Yard. they had space inside which bigger boats and yachts couldn't get into. Cost should be about the same as Seaways dry store but sovles the problem of always launching.

Pete

Any idea of contact details or costs?

[Gavin F]

Originally Posted by Tim M

Seaway is cheap but not ideal; they use a mud slip which dries out at low tide.

Your profile says you have a 5+m Ribtec. Is it a 535 or a 585? I would have said you'd be fine with either with your Saab. I used to have a Ribtec 585 which I towed hundreds of miles between Portsmouth and Norfolk and launched using my Ford Focus. Just choose a decent slip; Camber slip is probably one of the best in the Solent - you'd be fine there.

Buying a dedicated tow vehicle or dry stacking a boat that you could easily launch and retrieve seems like a waste of money to me.

Tim, it's a 585. I think i've heard mixed reviews about the whole towing, launching, retrieving thing, just need to get myself on a nice slip and get in the water to be honest. You ever gone out of Wicor Marine, do they let you launch from there as went to have a look at it and looks quite nice, quite tidal though i guess. A lot of people mention the Camber so guess I should just get myself down there.

[Gavin F]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Why not keep it in the water. Tony kept his Avon 5.6m in Clarance Yard. they had space inside which bigger boats and yachts couldn't get into. Cost should be about the same as Seaways dry store but sovles the problem of always launching.

Pete

Looking at this http://www.royalclarencemarina.co.uk/pages%2010&11.pdf it's not that cheap

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Gavin F

Looking at this http://www.royalclarencemarina.co.uk/pages%2010&11.pdf it's not that cheap

Agreed, but wonder if they will do a deal for the E pontoon. Its quite narrow and there won't be many boats that can get in there. Got to be worth a visit during the week to talk to someone in charge rather than the weekend staff.

Pete

[tcwozere]

The E pontoon used to have 20% off.. As Pete says, it's only accessible to the smaller craft, which is why they had a discount.. Dry berthing in the secure MoD yard at Clarence was around £90 a month for a 5.6m, (it's based on length, so including the trailer would have been closer to 6m..) Launching is fairly easy, my front wheel drive C5 used to do it, albeit with a long rope.. The slip is long, with a slight incline.. Launching on a very low tide would have been interesting though.. The yard itself is probably the safest, and most secure on the South Coast, 24hr MoD security at the gate.. There's facilities to wash the boat down afterwards, and an electrical supply to do any work thats needed.. There's a theoretical charge for using the slip, and overnight berthing at Clarence, (if you wanted to leave the boat in the water for a weekend,) though I never ended up paying any extra on top of the monthly bill.. In the main carpark at Clarence, there's a shower block/washroom/laundrette/toilet block thats always been kept V clean.. If I ever get another boat, Clarence would be the first place I would check.. All in all, definitely a 5 thumbs up rating..