Regarding Boat Selection

[Hygge]

so, you dont' know what you don't know
1) buy the book Voyaging under Power
2) buy Chapman's Piloting and Seamanship if you don't have it already
3) read articles like this: https://www.followingseas.media/blog/2018/3/2/a-new-twist-on-single-vs-twin
4) charter a trawler in the Pacific Northwest this summer. lots of places to do so. I was set on having a flybridge until we chartered a GB 36 for a week. I didn't like it. Personal taste.
5) this will help you with your priorities
6) I see a number of Ranger tug 29 and 31's under 230k and several under $200k. so, don't be discouraged.

 

[PaulB.]

To follow up on your request for specific boats that fit your criteria you might consider a Mainship 400. I don't keep up with the market but we purchased our single Cummins 2006 for under $200K. The "queen" birth is sufficiently walk around to make getting in and out (and making the bed) easy. The Mainship 390 /400 is among the most popular of loop boats and the full low level deep walk - around makes for safe locking and docking. My wife rarely has to leave the boat to get us secured. We managed the Bahama's without issue but waited for good passage days. Adequate room for long term live on especially with large upper lounge space. Also a newer generation boat than many with good quick resale value. +++ to the chartering suggestion. Paul

 

[ksanders]

Your budget leaves you right on the edge of being able to buy a Bayliner 4788

Wonderful layout that is easy to live aboard.

 

[Bryant]

Boat selection

Greetings,

So I have been lurking for a while, reading, learning and the like. We are at the point where it is time to start narrowing down our selection and find the boat we want. I've secured a slip already along the northern Gulf Coast. The plan is to purchase in the next year, and start slow. Ultimately, we want to do the Great Loop, to get some experience, then head to the Bahamas and beyond, in that order.

Our experience is limited to sailboats only at this point.

So, I was in love with the Kadey-Krogan Manatee. Would be just the wife and I, she loved the walk around bed, and a good used one was in our price range. Then, I read somewhere, that the lack of outside access along the sides was a big concern for locks and the like. Suddenly it feels all so very intimidating.

So.. you know the plan, lets say the budget is max'd at $200k (USD). Wife and I are in our mid-late 40's, in good health.

I'm not worried about extra cabins. I don't want people to stay. The wife wants a walk around bed in the cabin.

What are some suggestions of boats to look at, given both the lack of experience, and the Great Loop and eventual Bahamas (possibly further) run?

I know there will be a ton of opinions, and in truth, that is what I am hoping for. But, for example, if 17 people say Albin, and 3 people say Mainship, then it gives us a place to start.

Thanks in advance.

Feel free to ask questions, I'll do my best to answer.

Every boat is a compromise. I will say this. Aside from the visibility a fly bridge provides, that’s my wife’s favorite spot on the boat. Wide side decks are an enormous plus in terms of convenience and safety.
My boat has both and has just been listed for sale in Pensacola, Fl at just over half your budget. It’s a perfect Loop Boat. His and her bathrooms are also pretty nice. Let me know if you’re interested.

 

[FF]

- "I don't think speed will be /that/ important"

Speed over displacement speeds can be very expensive , many avoid it.
Operating at the sq rt of the LWL is low cost.


Depending on what you enjoy , or discover what you will enjoy, there are basically 2 live aboard lifestyles.

Marina living or cruising where anchoring out most times, requires very different equipment choices.

I would try to purchase a boat that is already outfitted to cruise , as the equipment is expensive to purchase and install,if changing over from a marina queen.

If you prefer marina living , plugging in the 50A - 240V plug will still be an easy option.

For just 2 folks a 35-40 ft boat should work fine , weather to have much teak will be decided by you work preference.

 

[backinblue]

Speed vs. expense is dependent on the boat. For a boat that can get up on plane, your fuel burn will be much higher but so is your speed so MPG is not that bad. I'm not talking about pushing a big heavy full displacement boat a few knots higher. But as an example, I randomly bulled up a Sabre 42. You can cruise at 25 knts for about twice what it costs to run at 8 knots (MPG). Not bad when you want to cover some distance. Of course you could run much slower and spend less, but who want to run a boat like that at 5 knts?

 

[rslifkin]

In general, with my planing hull (38 feet), I figure we have 2 cruise speeds. Slow cruise at ~6.5 kts (up to maybe 7 at the most), or fast cruise on plane at 16 - 18 kts. Running on plane burns almost 2.5 times as much fuel per mile, and that's with gas engines. With diesels (where efficiency scales better with load), I'd figure the difference would be closer to 3 times (but with lower overall burn at both speeds).

As a boat gets heavier, the fuel burn penalty for getting it up on plane gets bigger.

Cruising at 8 kts in a 40-ish footer isn't particularly efficient. Slowing down to 7 will come with a significant drop in fuel burn, noise, and wake output.

 

[bumpkin]

Go for the Manatee

I'm going to go against the grain; as another shopper, I suggest you go for the Manatee.

You and your wife like the boat from a living point of view. That is an every minute of every day issue. Locking, even if it is in fact harder, happens occasionally, living happens all the time.

If the internet has it correctly, the Manatee was designed for the parents of K or K so they could enjoy cruising in their later years.

It is possible to lose your dream in the details. Most of the threads on this site include comments about boats being compromises yet, you and your wife have found a boat that fits your boxes. Go for it or as Nike says, just do it. I'll add, Now.

Mike

 

[ranger58sb]

- no kids, they will be grown by then
- target to travel is probably another 5 years.
- want to buy in the next year or so, and do local runs to get familiar
- at that point I will be early 50's, both will be retired with a passive income (military x2, we will need to have the boat purchased out right by then)
- due to retirement, we will live on the boat full time and rent our land house (part of said passive income)
- I don't think speed will be /that/ important
- the purpose of the thread was to get manufacturer's & models to look at. (thanks firehoser75 & Hygge)
- the only MUST we have at this moment, based on limited experience, is a bedroom with room. She HATES the V-Berth of our sailboat.

Something the two of us could handle, around 200k. I can pay cash for it, not be broke and still have an income coming in to "live" on.

Big enough for two people, small enough for one person to handle alone (for safety sake).

Anything that is not capable of making the Bahamas is automatically out of the question. Loop first (safe), then if all goes well, Bahamas.

Buying a different boat at that time is not out of the question, but obviously if I can get one that can handle both, mores-the-better.

Beyond that, I think the problem we are having now is I don't know, what I don't know.

Single vs. dual engines... eh... i see advantages and disadvantages either way.

Flybridge - I haven't the foggiest idea how I feel about that.

You might find a copy of the Powerboat Guide useful. Every boat in the world... isn't in it, but the selection is pretty good. You can search the softcopy using keywords, etc...

-Chris

 

[BroadCove]

There aren't a ton of them out there, and none available right now on yachtworld, but I'd add the Halvorsen Gourmet Cruiser. 36' LOA, queen island berth, separate head and shower. Beautiful boat (if you like "downeast" styling). I had one for a year...sold it only because we decided we needed more space and speed. Lots of info on them in the Halvorsen section here. Purchased for about $150k just before covid and sold a year later for the same, so should be in your budget.