dhays
Guru
- Joined
- May 26, 2015
- Messages
- 9,531
- Location
- Gig Harbor, WA
- Vessel Name
- Kinship
- Vessel Make
- 2010 North Pacific 43
Jeff, those are great reasons for doing what you are contemplating. Being unencumbered, there is no time like the present.
That should not be a major problem because...We have never, repeat, NEVER so much as piloted any boat anywhere near as large as what we are looking at.
I'd much rather be around that attitude than the Grady White clowns I saw yesterday, with a naked bimbo aboard, playing high speed chicken with a 10,000 tonne ferry in Active Pass.I plan on being as responsible as possible and taking as many courses as I can...
Here's the part that I am CERTAIN some people here will take massive issue with. We have never, repeat, NEVER so much as piloted any boat anywhere near as large as what we are looking at. Our experience is limited to sailing on sub 30 ft boats. So, we will be going into this starting from what I consider virtually zero.
)
I know the OA44 quite well.
Groceries come inside by the rear door, step from the dock to the Swim Grid, into the cockpit, into the aft cabin. easy.
Main cabin will likely have moveable furniture.
Galley down is a great feature, especially with the dinette down right beside it.
Get one with a propane stove/oven, stay away from all electric galley. Then the 30 amp service will be just fine.
All are twin power.
Detroit 8.2 can be problems, look for a complete mechanical log so you know whether these ones are OK. Many are Cummins.
Covered sundeck is popular on those boats, if you get one without, find out first how
much $ to cover it. Use it first. You may find there is plenty of inside space already.
I think your GB 42 experience is misleading, as the GB 42 is at least 2 feet narrower inside, doesn't have the aft cabin going full width, may have more inside steps, in short, a much smaller boat. More like any other brand's 38. None cover their aft cabin, as the roof of that cabin is sloped too much, has a lot of other junk using the space, so not conducive to use as a sundeck.
Bayliner 4588 is way over your 50' limit.
Look at Uniflyte 42s. Many have a similar layout to the OA44, there are some around that either stretched to 48 from 42 or started out at 48. Same layout, but with a 6' long cockpit.
Here's my dose of reality. If you are trying to get "pre approved" you probably can't afford it. Its not a house. its a *rapidly* depreciating asset with an insane amount of maintenance costs.
Research cost of brand new same model.
Look at your purchase price.
Divide by age of boat in years
Add 5-10% of original purchase price per year for upkeep.
that's the cost.
don't take a personal financial risk if double that would cause you concern.
The only caution I would give is to start using the boat as a boat right away. The more you settle into floating condo mode, the more difficult it will be to start cruising the boat. So when you eventually do buy it, start out by getting out at least for a day every weekend to get you comfortable with using the boat, but also the transitioning between home and boat mode.
Also, what you say about using the boat as a boat from the beginning makes a ton of sense, and I will take that to heart. I keep hearing about how the majority of live-aboards never leave the dock....and I refuse to let that be us. Owning a boat on Puget Sound and not exploring the waters with it would be a damn shame.
Covered sundeck is popular on those boats, if you get one without, find out first how much $ to cover it. Use it first. You may find there is plenty of inside space already.
Honestly, I didn't mind the size of the GB, other than really wanting a covered sundeck.
A few thoughts -
That's a lot of money for a 26 year old boat. Most finance companies will cap you at 20 years. After that they hit you with crazy interest.
The interior layout of the boat is horrible in my opinion. Why buy a boat that takes up interior space with a control station.
If you're only going to do short trips from the dock why stick to diesel? You could have a significant savings with a gas boat.
Maybe I'm bias but here is a nice 420AC on the west coast -
1998 Sea Ray 420 Aft Cabin Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com
The next step for us, after we get pre-approval on a loan, is to step on board as many boats as possible to see what they *actually* look and feel like. We've been on probably a dozen boats in this size range and even stayed on a GB 42' for a few days....but I fully realize we are nowhere close to narrowing our search to the eventual boat that suits us best.
The only thing "living aboard a 42 GB for 3 days" did was add more stars to the eyes. Chase and fulfill your dream but don't lose the key word in your question here; "reality."
Our "lobster yacht" has a huge back deck.
$60 at a big box store got a 10x10 self standing yard shade.Still works after a decade.
That less than the sales tax on other methods.
Wifey B: LIGHTEN UP!
End of Wifey B school of decorating a boat.
School closed, now time for breakfast. :lol:
Jeff
I can't add meaningfully re specific boats...others are doing that well. Those are only in my dreams.
Server and Moonfish echoed my thoughts very well.
This seems like a well thought out plan...and attitude and aptitude should make it work for you & yours.
None of us know your finances like you do. Sounds like you are realistic about that as well...not surprising if you run your own business you must have some level of appreciation for the finances.
I say why wouldn't you go for it?
You will never regret trying it even if the long term solution turns out differently...you would regret never trying.
My money is on this adventure working out well...please be sure to report back in the future
I was going to suggest the Bayliner 4588 as a friend of mine had one that he lived on for years and loved it! As a matter of fact, I saw that boat yesterday on San Diego bay, still going strong 20 years after I first saw it.I do want to check out a few of the 4588's as part of our search as well.
Damn good advice!I still think the living aboard aspect of this adventure needs to be explored and talked about in greater detail, particularly west coast live aboard.......Spend some time, both of you, reading the live aboard threads and tell me you didn’t get some good eye openers.http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s30/
The only thing "living aboard a 42 GB for 3 days" did was add more stars to the eyes. Chase and fulfill your dream but don't lose the key word in your question here; "reality."
PNW Jeff; said:I echo your sentiment about regret coming from NOT doing something, rather than doing something that doesn't work out.
Speaking of which, we hit our first real roadblock yesterday. Heard back from the marine finance broker saying they will not (more like cannot) finance a boat for a live aboard.