Quality European Boatbuilders

[sailscubasurf]

Hello,

My girlfriend and I are contemplating buying a used (1970's -1990's) aft cabin powerboat in Europe and cruising the canals and rivers for a year or two.

I am not familiar with the various European boatbuilders and would like opinions on which ones build a quality boat.

Ideally, we are looking for a steel boat in the 28 - 35 foot range with diesel power.

Any advice and/or assistance on this, buying a boat in Europe, and cruising Europe would be greatly appreciated

Gary

[GeneM]

I have a 1998 Sealine 420 Statesman, built in the UK. I love the style, but the electrical system is a mess. After 3 years, I'm still chasing down problems and the wireways are rediculously difficult.
I have two Cummins 6BTA-370. Any high performance engine like that has to be well maintained. When you seatrial, make the owner run at rated full throttle. Mine is 3000rpms for 1 hour. If the owner refuses, challenge the engine quality and lower your offer. If it doesn't make rpm, same thing. If the hull is grassed, make him clean it. Either buy good engines or know they are bad, so you can repower.