You may think that spending £4,000 when buying a new boat is quite a large investment, but in today’s world you could easily pay more than that for a wristwatch. In short, a good boat for £4,000 is a great way to get started in boating. It’s enough to buy genuine quality and to flirt with new boats as well as the used market. Boat Mart sent Stuart Field out to investigate some of your boat buying options . . .

Ribeye T350

For those seeking an ultra lightweight tender, or a small boat in which to potter around harbours, explore secluded waters (or purely in which to let the kiddies get safe boating experience afloat) the T-Series RIBs from Ribeye are superb. These new T-series tenders feature precision-made epoxy-coated aluminium hulls and two-tone Hypartex tubes.

Remarkably, a complete T-series 350 tender (without the engine) weighs in at around 60kg - lighter than many similar sized inflatables and much lighter than conventional GRP hulled RIBs. Simple to carry on a roof rack, load onto a mother boat, or launch yourself, it will carry five people and, when fitted with a console and remote controls, can be matched with engines of up to 25hp.
It is equally happy, however, being used for general tender and run-about use and will perform well for such duties on just an 8hp outboard. A turnkey package with a tiller control Yamaha F8 outboard is just £3,899 - and that is a genuine steal