Leaderboard

Good call (I think) good luck with the upgrades. If you need putting off ask for advice here

As you are aware we have the 805 as well. We have had it for 5 years now and when anyone outside the clubs asks me what type of boat I have, I liken it to a caravan on water. We are a family of three and I must admit we only just all enjoy the space. I am not sure how we would get on if we were a family of 4. However, as your kids get older and discover technology, they will be more in the cabin than out!! I can fish with 3 anglers out the back quite comfortably, or two anglers with 4 rods. We have also had special made cushions which fit the top deck (they cost £600.00 to have made) this gives us an extra 48 sq, feet of sun bathing space. However, that is fine if you are around the Islands not out in the bay which could be uncomfortable due to the pendulum effect!! We too have looked high and low for another vessel, but they do not exist unless you are willing to pay £90k plus. Charlie did the right thing by creating Alfresco. His boat fits all the family and fishing needs but you will need a big wallet and time to go down that route. The 805 is very economical on fuel and I use it a lot as a winter fishing boat as it has a great cabin to get out of the cold as well as the inboard heater. I think it also come down to the fact that you need to determine whether you actually need an out and out fishing boat or a family boat. And good luck with that one!!!!!!!!!

I love the look of the Barracuda 9 and at one point I thought of buying one. The biggest downside for me was the cost and inconvenience of fueling a petrol boat. Petrol on a mid size boat is an issue. If you are doing inshore trips and using 70/80 litres per trip it's either eye wateringly expensive from a marina assuming you can find one that stocks it or will take a lot of toing and froing with jerry cans then transferring via a syphon tube of funnel and all the fun that entails. The fuel used on my Rodman would be similar in amount but less than 2/3rds the cost and convenient as most marinas stock red diesel. If you want sea a review with details of fuel consumption watch the following vid: http://www.boattest.com/review/beneteau/3014_barracuda-9

I DID say you'd get plenty of opinions. Looks like you can hang on to your wallet a bit longer.

Tiddler goes to Wareham. Friday was another scorcher so we decided not to waste it. We launched at 2:30 ish and headed up the Wareham channel. With a 12 mph easterly and only a 13 foot boat I thought that going outside the harbour was probably not a good idea. ( I did point out that if we had a Barracuda it would be fine ) We headed towards Wareham at a leisurely pace. When we reached the river entrance we were plagued by biting, blood sucking flies. I looked on line and thought they looked like Blandford Flies but we've not come up in lumps so probably not ! We got to the quay, lowered the rod tubes and carried on up stream . . . . . Past everyone's favourite big house. We went all the way to the bypass before turning back. We stopped at the quay and Jacqui bought us an ice cream. When we left we were against the breeze so no problem with flies. After a while I nagged at Jacqui to take the helm ( she's done the level 2 ) but with it being so rare that we go out she loses her confidence. We went outside of the harbour and although it wasn't a problem for Tiddler it just makes it uncomfortable so we turned back. Jacqui was in charge until we were nearly back to the launching area and it got very busy. We had no rods with us so it was just a " Jolly " And very nice it was too.

Indeed it is Charlie and if our wives enjoy it that's great. Happy wife = Happy life I'm really glad that we're making the time to get out. This weather's great too ! Shame about work ! ! ! !

As Greg has summed up above, the 805 ticks a lot of boxes for my needs. It was the right boat to buy 2 years ago and having spent a few days weighing things up, it's still the right boat for me now. Went to see the Barracuda 9 today. Love the front deck area but there is no real gain in stern deck area. Add in an outboard instead of a full width dive platform hanging out back and what I would gain in some practically I would lose in other areas. Interior was just too much of a compromise as regards space, layout and storage. A nice boat but just not right for me at this point in time. A huge thanks to everyone for all your contributions and helping me look at things from all angles. I've decided to modernise my 2007 805 and the next time she's out of the water I'm going to invest in a more modern plotter/sonar. Now that's a whole new can of worms!!

I realise you are a marine engineer Charlie and do your own engine and leg servicing but, with a petrol outboard the cheaper maintenance will surely offset against the steeper fuel bills ? I’ve had outdrives before and the repairs and servicing bills are quite shocking. Add that up over a season and the two balance out I reckon! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great news Jim Well done mate, it is not all about how far you go, its how much fun you are having

Not sure I would be able to just take the boat out at the drop of a hat if I was burning that sort of fuel Impressive looking boat and great performance, but 450 horses take a lot of feeding