David J,
It's always fun to shop for a boat and look over all the options and things.
Twin vs Twin (Ive had both).
If you compare the fuel burn of the two in the SAME hull, the twin usually has smaller engines (less costly parts). And if you run both at the same hull speed, the fuel consumption will most likely be identical. We faced off two Mainship 400s on my last loop trip and they ran for about 500 miles and the twin actually burned less fuel! I had a single engine 400 at that time.
I now have a Mainship 430 with twins of the same size that were in the 400 and at hull speed I'm VERY close to the same consumption at the 400 was at hull speed (could hardly measure the difference, over 4000 miles worth).
Now the maintenance on the twin is not double. Perhaps smaller engines, or buying parts with quantity discounts. And a twin oil and filter change is not double the work. Once you get everything ready, and do the change and cleanup it's about 50% more work. And, overall, routine maintenance is minuscule compared to other costs.
The twin is way more maneuverable over the single. But for loopers, the difference is rarely needed. I've needed it once when having to maneuver in a marina with 20 knot winds.... everything I could do to turn into the slip without hitting other boats. Very rare, however.
Not trying to convince you to get a single, but presenting facts.
Another thought... if your loop is a "one and done", get a very popular boat, even at a higher price. If you want to sell at the end of your loop, a less popular boat might take months to sell (and you have holding costs). Mainship, Tugs, Beneteau, Sea Ray, Grand Banks, Carver, Kadey-Krogren, DeFever and Marine Trawlers are all very popular loop boats, and all have goods and bads.
And, it goes without saying, that good maintenance is paramount in both buying and selling. Also, be aware of necessary add-ons that can be skipped, like good electronics and a good electrical system, which can be just as important as the engine.
A good talk with a good broker could hopefully steer you toward the boat you want, and Curtis Stokes would be a great broker.
It's always fun to shop for a boat and look over all the options and things.
Twin vs Twin (Ive had both).
If you compare the fuel burn of the two in the SAME hull, the twin usually has smaller engines (less costly parts). And if you run both at the same hull speed, the fuel consumption will most likely be identical. We faced off two Mainship 400s on my last loop trip and they ran for about 500 miles and the twin actually burned less fuel! I had a single engine 400 at that time.
I now have a Mainship 430 with twins of the same size that were in the 400 and at hull speed I'm VERY close to the same consumption at the 400 was at hull speed (could hardly measure the difference, over 4000 miles worth).
Now the maintenance on the twin is not double. Perhaps smaller engines, or buying parts with quantity discounts. And a twin oil and filter change is not double the work. Once you get everything ready, and do the change and cleanup it's about 50% more work. And, overall, routine maintenance is minuscule compared to other costs.
The twin is way more maneuverable over the single. But for loopers, the difference is rarely needed. I've needed it once when having to maneuver in a marina with 20 knot winds.... everything I could do to turn into the slip without hitting other boats. Very rare, however.
Not trying to convince you to get a single, but presenting facts.
Another thought... if your loop is a "one and done", get a very popular boat, even at a higher price. If you want to sell at the end of your loop, a less popular boat might take months to sell (and you have holding costs). Mainship, Tugs, Beneteau, Sea Ray, Grand Banks, Carver, Kadey-Krogren, DeFever and Marine Trawlers are all very popular loop boats, and all have goods and bads.
And, it goes without saying, that good maintenance is paramount in both buying and selling. Also, be aware of necessary add-ons that can be skipped, like good electronics and a good electrical system, which can be just as important as the engine.
A good talk with a good broker could hopefully steer you toward the boat you want, and Curtis Stokes would be a great broker.
