Next Boat Recommendations

[sparky66]

Looking for what might possibly be our next boat. Currently have a Uniflite 42DC. This is what we like about it:
-Large, covered, aft deck. We use this a lot.
-Aft cabin. Good use of space, creates privacy from guests, and helps form the aft deck.
-Forward guest stateroom with separate bunks and head.
-Flybridge. Have never used the lower helm in 6 years.
-Place for dinghy on top of aft deck roof.
-Reliable Detroit Diesel 6-71's.

This is what we don't especially like about it:
-Tight engine room. Would prefer something with a true engine room.
-Not a great ride in rough seas unless throttled up. We normally cruise at 9-10 knots, but need to get up above 13 knots to get a better ride when Lake Erie gets rough.
-Could use a bit more room, especially in the galley.
-Our Uniflite is a blister era boat, so cosmetically it is lacking.

I thought the 45 Defever with stabilzers would be the perfect replacement, but it appears the forward stateroom just has a big opening to the bed and no door, so not really its own room. The larger Defevers, like the 53POC, don't have a large aft deck. Going slow is fine, we don't need a fast cruise speed. Had a hard enough time finding dockage for our current boat(48' OAL), so the limit would be not much over 50'. Budget would be somewhere around $200k.

Any recommendations, especially from owners of boats that fit our needs?

 

[RickyD]

Californian 48 with your choice of forward bunks or “queen”. More like a full. It has its own head and shower. Aft stateroom is very large with head and shower. Good sized engine room and fly bridge. I can stand up in my engine room. Some have down helm. Galley is well sized with a full fridge and freezer. Also a dinette. For me a fishing cockpit is a must. I have the larger 55 which has a third state room amid ships with its head and shower. It also has a larger sun deck. I love it. Cat 3208TAs are standard. 375 hp in the 48 and sometimes in the 55. I have the 425 hp units in my 55.

 

[ACT09]

I think Swift Trawler 41 can be a candidate.

 

[Mako]

Kha Shing 49

 

[Snapdragon III]

If you like everything else about the Defever, I would think about what it would take to put in a nice privacy curtain, or have a door built.

 

[ABfish]

I've only been on a Defever 49 CPMY, but it had a door and folding overhead cover to segregate the forward stateroom.

I love the Defever 49. The negatives for me are slow cruising speed and lots of steps to navigate while moving around the boat.

 

[mmullins]

I love this game! If it weren't for the slip restrictions my vote would be for a stabilized Hatteras 53' Classic (not the extended deck because there's not a significant aft deck space). I would think a true engine room would be difficult to find under 50'. I settled for less than my dream boat simply because of slip restrictions though. We have zero big slip (50+) availability in our area.

 

[ABfish]

The Defevers have remarkable engine rooms for boats under 50 ft. It's one of their selling points.