Irving Stewart takes a closer look at the merits of a used Powercat 525 . . .Tuesday, 14 June 2011 11:29
With Spring just around the corner, it’s time to think about getting afloat again - so just how much can you expect to get with a budget of £12,000? Here are a few suggestions that might just get you thinking . . .
Fletcher 14GTX
It is said that more people have cut their powerboating teeth in Fletcher sports boats than in any other craft. This may well be true, but either way, driving a classic Fletcher is like driving a Lotus 7. You are close to the water, the wind is in your hair, and the ‘no frills’ fun factor is wonderful.
While you could go out and buy an old Fletcher (as many thousands have already done) why not consider a new Arrowflyte 14 GTX? Using a Norman Fletcher designed hull, which claimed lots of Class 3 records, a new Arrowflyte package includes a ski pole, speedo and rev counter, plus two bucket helm seats and a cross transom seat. In contrast to the original Merc’ Classic Fifty (actually 45hp at the prop), new Arrowflytes come with an even lighter 50hp Evinrude E-tec which is just as much fun but far more frugal, so the boat is livelier than ever and cheaper to run. You can now get a genuine handbuilt ‘elbows-out-the-side’ Arrowflyte sports boat, fully rigged and ready to go, on an SBS trailer, for £11,650. If you ask the good people at Fletcher, they will even see that it comes with the ‘half a century’ commemorative Union Flag graphics. Go on - fly the flag!
More info:
Fletcher Boats: 08452 305670
www.fletcherboats.co.uk
Mike Ring of Ring Powercraft is not a man destined to grow old gracefully. In recent years, he has established an enviable reputation as the designer and builder of extremely quick monohulls for serious clients. 
Lateral thinking from EzyBoat
It’s a rather impressive fact that a new Kingfisher 166 could be yours for just a touch over the £9,000 mark. With an easy-riding V-hull and a cuddy to keep the rain off, it’s a very comfortable boat. You also get stacks of room in the cockpit (ideal for fishing), plus a front-opening hatch and a ‘walkaround’ cuddy configuration to aid those trying to get from one end of the boat to the other. You get swivelling helm seats and tough safety rails too, so this is far from a basic spec craft. On the transom you get one of Tohatsu’s bombproof new 40hp TLDI outboards, so you know you are in for the perky performance of a fuel-injected two-stroke, allied to the kind of frugal fuel consumption the old two-strokes could never have achieved. In short then, this is an easily launched and well mannered British built craft - and while it is on offer at £9,250, those extra few pounds are well worth it.
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