16.5ft Microplus 501 explorer. 15hp outboard. Micro Plus Microplas Day boat cruiser Broads

Description

I have decided to put “Dolphin II” , my 16.5ft Microplus 501 explorer day boat up for sale due to the fact I have moved away and no longer get the chance to go out on it anywhere near as much as I would like. Cheap River Tax, Cheap insurance, Cheap to run.

This is an excellent dayboat/cruising package with a 15hp 4 stroke outboard. The canopy height (Air draft) is low enough that you can pass under the majority of bridges the majority of the time (Apparently, there are a couple where exceptional high tides may make passing under the bridges almost impossible for a few hours (With the canopy raised), but these are nowhere near the usual cruising range). The Draft (how low is sits in the water) means it can be used in a couple of feet of water without scraping the bottom.
The boat is small enough that me as a novice was able to use it single handedly from day one. Easy to maneuver and light enough to pull to the side with ease using a boat hook.

I have owned it for around 7 years and in that time, I have managed to explore quite a bit of the Broads. It has proved to be incredibly reliable, the 15HP 4 stroke Mariner outboard has performed faultlessly. I had it serviced just after Lock Down just to keep on top of it.

Owning this boat on the Broads has been really enjoyable, I have used it for a few hours out, just go up the river on a sunny day, throw the mud weight out and you can sit and enjoy the peace and quiet. You can stay moored for a few hours or a whole day, Or you can take it further upriver, find a nice place to overnight, throw out the mudweights and enjoy a night in the middle of nowhere, no interruptions, just peace and quiet.

Unfortunately, as mentioned, I have not had a chance to get to the boat as much as I would like in the last few years. This has not only been ruinous on the soul, but also, rather unfortunately, it has also meant the boat has become a little tatty.

The canopy has suffered damage due to storms. I have made it water tight and useable, but it is at a point where it needs a new canopy (for aesthetic purposes - If you just want a boat to enjoy, maybe for things like fishing, then the he canopy is perfectly adequate, just tatty).

As mentioned, the outboard is excellent, it hums along comfortably at the speed limits, making little noise and no fuss. It can even make good way when the tides turn, with it still being able to keep at or over the speed limit even with the strongest of head tides. It is also well suited to the size of the boat, meaning it is powerful enough for all conditions on the tidal rivers and lakes of the Broads, while also being economical and capable of quiet relaxed cruising.
I have kept the engine well maintained, it had a full service just after lock down, this included renewing the impeller, even though this wasn’t needed, I had it done as part of the service.
Even after a few months sitting idle and on old fuel, the outboard only needs to be cranked over a few times to get fresh fuel through before firing up and settling into a smooth idle after a minute or so (maybe a little longer when the weather is so cold that the River itself is freezing).

The interior is tatty, but it is in good usable condition, it just needs tidying/cleaning.

It comes with 2 x Batteries, the main engine battery and a larger leisure battery. Both are charged/topped up by separate Solar Panels. I will be honest and say that I think the solar charge controller for the main battery has died, it doesn’t seem to be topping up the main battery. The good news is that the leisure battery is in in tip-top condition and is more than capable of firing the outboard up. But if I were going to use it next season, I would probably pop a new one on, they don’t need to be big and expensive for the engine as the majority of the electrics are handled by the leisure battery. But you could do away with the second battery and just use the 100amp leisure battery to do everything.
I was in the process of re-doing the electrics before I moved away. There is new heavy duty 100amp power cable running from the leisure battery to the cabin as well as very smart custom connectors (the nice heavy duty gold ones). This is connected to 12v charging sockets and 5v USB charging sockets. The lighting has suffered and probably needs replacing, but this is easy and cheap to get on Amazon these days.
I do have a whole load of spares that I would be willing to throw in for the asking price.

The interior is in need of a good tidy up, there is nothing too bad about it, but it does need a good clean. The seat cushions can be arranged to make a bed inside the cabin – this is actually very warm and cosy, I have done a few overnights and even near the winter, it stays quite comfortable in that cabin. I have lined it with carpet and put a heat reflective barrier between the carpet and the roof, so this also helps to keep it warm and cosy.
I am supplying it with a couple of folding kitchen barstools which are the perfect height and fold out the way making things easier.
It does come with a selection of pots and pans and a kettle. I didn’t fit a cooker into the boat as this can cause issues with the BSC, it is much easier to buy a camping cooker and use that, plus, a camping cooker can be used to cook on the bank on lovely days. I won’t be supplying a cooker as mine started playing up at the end of last season, so I threw it away. I would recommend buying a brand new one of those “suitcase” cookers as they give a big flat stable surface.

I will also be supplying the boat with 3 little tool boxes that contain the vast majority of tools to help service and maintain the boat.
I am also supplying 2 x spare new fuel pumps (the hand pump bulbs), so you should have everything you need to get straight on the river AND keep going.

The boat does have a current BSC (Boat safety cert – kind of like a boat MOT). This will last until April 2027!

The boat is registered on the Norfolk Broads and is moored on Oulton Broad on a Floating Mooring. I have been told by the boat yard owners that they are happy to keep the boat there after I sell it (fees do apply) – so, if you need a mooring, this comes with one and not just a normal cheap mooring that is affected by the tide, these moorings are floating moorings, this means that you simply tie the boat to the mooring and it rises and falls with the tides (in other words, you don’t have to keep coming back and checking it is safe and secure). It is also a very nice and well presented mooring location, plenty of parking and the whole thing is covered by cameras as well as having substantial locked gates, so the boats are as safe as can be and if you do leave your car there, it will be safe and secure.

Viewings will need to be arranged and initial viewings will probably be done by one of the Boat Yard owners on my behalf. If you want to come and have a look over it, they are often there and it wont take much to set up a convenient date and time with them.
If you come and see the boat and are interested, I will happily com back and take you out for a test trip. But I wont be doing this unless the boat has already been seen and the basic price in principal has been agreed in principle - I don't want to be running a load of free trips :)

It also comes with a custom built trailer. The trailer is in good condition although I would consider fitting new tyres if you want to use the trailer for long distance transport but they are fine if you only want to take the boat out of the water and use if it for dry storage

Any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Price includes pretty much everything that you could need.

I have added some photos, the first ones were taken this weekend. The ones after the scenery pics (all taken while out on the boat) are an idea of what it looks like when it is cleaned up).

Ad ID: 1501766356