Time for a new boat,suggestions welcome!

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Sorry to butt in off, and back on, the thread.
Ford base engines (Lehman) are still made in Turkey and all parts including new engines can be bought from Mike Bellamy at Lancing Marine.
Daf engines were originally a Leyland 400 block built under licence by Daf, they are now still built by Ashok Leyland in India.
Perkins engines are still going strong as part of the Caterpillar group and build not only Perkins but David Brown, Case and Volvo engines up to 50 hp.
Parts are readily available for all makes.

When we bought our boat 'Snow Mouse' it has a flybridge and to be truthful it's brilliant for entering ports and canal cruising but when we came by the Atlantic the weather turned frisky and we got thrown around a lot and the inside steering position made life much more comfortable when cruising at sea.


I'm not a bit keen on the large canvas covered fly bridge's which look a bit like a Popemobile and must catch the wind and affect performance/docking.


It depends on your chosen cruising ground and personal preference
 
Awesome problem to have

So next week I am going to be looking at a few more boats ranging from 2001 to as old as 80. All of them will serve our needs with twonstaterooms. Newest will be a Mainship oldest is a Taiwanese trawler. The problem I have is I like the real and character interior of the older boats but like the low maintenance exterior on the newer Mainship.

What a great dilemma to have. Call me crazy but in my mind the older boats really appeal to me the most.
 
When you go looking you will go no board one that just feels 'right', like a comfy pair of shoes.
Frankly the newer boats don't appeal to me either and many are not so solidly built as the older versions.


Many years ago I went through a costly divorce and renamed my boat 'Begrudged' and after the whole costly thing was over I renamed it 'Sanity'.
If you have a peek on Google there is a site with just boat names on.
If your fond of a drink you could call it Cirrhosis of the river !
 
Me too. If you are real handy and have some imagination, the older boats can be turned into modern classics with better materials than original. But be prepared to spend a few dollars and watch a couple of good cruising years go by during the refurbishment.


Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum
 
If you buy an older boat with the 'right' layout, my advice would be to live on it for at least 6 months and take notes over that time 1, What you'd like 2, What's practical. 3, What's affordable.


We bought an ex hire boat and did the major jobs in the winter months and smaller jobs as we cruised.
If you look at my posts 'Ireland to the Mediterranean Part 1' or Windmills and Wine' in 'Voyagers and Boaters on the Go' you can see some of the jobs we did.
Good Luck in your search.
Buy with the head, not the wallet.
 
Old thread but a new time in our lives. Now I am looking again for another cruiser. Would like a solid fiberglass hull. Here's the check list,
2 staterooms
Diesel
Like to have something easy to handle myself. Sedans are a plus or pilothouse from the pilot station easier to get to the stern to tie off a line.
Something south of $200k
No Bayliners, Sea Rays, Carvers, Californians.
I'll be going off shore at least once a year to head up to the Islands and would like something that has a solid reputation. I won't be too far off shore but will be miles from harbors.
I have been looking at OA but most are cored, bummer
Defevers
Kong and Halversons
Like to try to stay away from teak decks and teak windows. I don't mind a little teak but a lot and I really start to shy away as I don't have time to maintain it myself. = $$$
What say you?
 
Our 1990 OA 440 has a solid fiberglass hull...not cored. Maybe the newer hulls are cored... I always liked the look of the early 80’s vintage 40 something Europa style OA sedan. Not many around, though.
 
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"I have been looking at OA but most are cored, bummer"

We all have our fears , but realize most newer military, rescue and pilot boats are cored .

These boats take advantage of the extra strength offered bu a GOOD core (usually Airex) and operate in sea states most only see on TV.

A cored deck , or PH , would be questionable , depending on the core material.

For a liveaboard the right core has the advantage of being sound and heat insulation.

Fear garbage cores , not all cores.
 
Well, it looks like you got your budget up Bshilliam. You should have no problem now! That'll get you a healthy boat! Lol
 
I have had several different boats from the initial thread start. Life has changed and so did the boats. Now for a new one.
 
How about a used Power Boat Guide for Motor Yachts and Trawlers to help narrow it down a little.
 
Small list I am narrowing down to, Defever 44 (all be it a bit slower than ideal - but love the spaces it has) OA 42, GB 42/46 Euro. Mainly thinking I'd like a sedan again or RPH but open as the Defever 44 is neither. I'd like to get as new as possible with as little teak as possible mainly for maintenance reasons as I am pretty sure the boat will not have a house.
 
OA 42' vs Californian

Narrowing down the search for the next one. Looking at OA 42' and Californian. I like the layout of both, very close in years and list price as well. I'd love to hear from current/previous owners of either if they liked their boat and would you buy another. If not why? Being equal which would you buy and why?
 
bshillam said:
Narrowing down the search for the next one. Looking at OA 42' and Californian. I like the layout of both, very close in years and list price as well. I'd love to hear from current/previous owners of either if they liked their boat and would you buy another. If not why? Being equal which would you buy and why?
Click to expand...

Impossible to compare an OA42 and a Californian 42 at the same price.
Original build quality differed hugely, as did things like hull shape, ER access, etc.
Is the OA very poorly maintained and the Cal well maintained? What engines do they have? New nav electronics v none?
You need to provide a lot more information before a valid comparison can be attempted.
 
koliver said:
You need to provide a lot more information before a valid comparison can be attempted.
Click to expand...
:I agree: Since I have an OA 42, I would definitely go with a well maintained OA 42. My first OA 42 was over 20 years ago & both my wife & I loved it. Why did we sell? I got the bug to go on the Bill Fishing Circuit and bought a 54' sport fisher.(I never did go on the circuit!:facepalm:) many years later and 8 different boats, we finally got back to our favorite, A 2006 OA 42.:dance:

Since you live in the PNW, I would look for something with a pilot house.
 

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OA and Californian

Good point.

Both are very close as far as year, condition, hours, I would say the OA has slightly better motors but that’s really just personal preference. Both are close enough as fair as distance from home.

I would say though it sounds like over all most would prefer the OA. Both the wife and I like the finishes on the interior and layout slightly more on the OA over the CA.
 
Any thoughts on those two lovely ladies?
 
Greetings,
Mr. bs. Neither of those links work for me. I PM'd you a couple of days ago about that.
 
Greetings,
Mr. bs. I prefer the OE, myself. The saloon appears to be much more spacious probably because of the "eccentric" positioning of the galley so far forward. It would be almost like cooking outdoors with the expanse of glass around the chef. VERY interesting layout that I've never seen before.


Again, I prefer the darker wood interior of the OA as opposed to the lighter (oak) of the Californian.


The big stopper for me is Volvo power. Both very nice boats.
 
The OA seems like a nice boat. One thing to look at closely. The boat has an exhaust setup that can leak seawater back into the turbo and engine when (not if) corrosion rears its ugly head.

I'd go through the boat with a fine tooth comb. I have seen OA do really stupid things you'd not expect from a major manufacturer. Just last week I looked at a 2005 OA50 trawler and found that the two inboard stringers were completely cut to the hull below the transmission mount to lower the engine which was too wide for the stringer spacing.
 
I'll have a surveyor go through either with a fine tooth. I plan on making a decision in the next week prior to making an offer. Once made I'll fly in complete personal inspection and sea trial. I do like the darker, more rich colors of the OA however the Californian is two stateroom/two head. Also I like the two staterooms in the Californian much more. Finding a two stateroom/two head sedan is proving hard.
 
I am in a toss up between those three. I really like the idea of a smaller, simpler Camano Troll, but then two staterooms and something a bit more luxurious would be nice like the OA 42 or CA 39SL. I'd like to stay away from Volvos but their new enough with low enough hours I think all should be well with mechanical. Mainly mission would be hauling clients around Portland looking at floating home properties or waterfront homes. Several times a year would be over the weekend camping and once a year or every other enjoying the San Juan Islands for a week.
 
Agreed

Agreed,
I certainly wouldn't offer that. More interested in the set up thinking it will work for the intended purpose.
 
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