Mainship Pilot 30

[perse111]

Hello All,

I have just sold my sailboat and have begun shopping for a mainship 30 or 34. I am curious to know if anyone can give some insight into the boats with a 240 HP engine. Does it feel underpowered? Are you confident it has the power to get you out of a sticky situation?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Flatsflyer]

I had a 1999 with the 240 (4LHSTE) and it ran great, easy on to plane with trim tabs and would cruise on plane at 2,800 RPM while burning 4 gallons per hour.

 

[perse111]

Hey Flatsflyer

Thanks for the info.

Where was your cruising terroitory? Fresh water or salt?

Thanks again.

 

[Codger2]

I had a 1999 with the 240 (4LHSTE) and it ran great, easy on to plane with trim tabs and would cruise on plane at 2,800 RPM while burning 4 gallons per hour.

+1 My 99 had a Cummins 220 and also climed on plane at about 12 knots.

New owner...Not me.

 

[perse111]

Thanks codger2

I like the Cummins too. Was service easy to perform? Parts accessible and fairly priced?

I live in SW FLA and cruise Charlotte Harbor, ICW, and gulf down to naples, marco island, and the Keys. And want to make sure I have the power I need while in the gulf.


Thanks again

 

[Baker]

I have written some very long and thorough posts about tons of info you'd find helpful. I will see if I can find it. I had a 2004 Pilot2 with the 240hp -STP engine. I thought the boat ran just fine with that power. 15kts@2800rpm. Let me see if I can find my other posts.

 

[Baker]

Here ya go....

<<I owned a 2004 Mainship Pilot for 6 years. It is about the most perfect DAY boat or picnic boat you can reasonably have. I say day boat because overnight accommodations are pretty slim. It is the only reason I sold that boat. It was just too small. In 2003 and later they made significant hull modifications as well as interior changes. The hull they made more into a planing type hull. It is still a semi planing hull but they just flattened it out a little sooner which means it was a a little faster. While theoretically it should ride rougher due to the flattening of the hull, it did not. They also put the prop up into a pocket which made the thrust vector more parallel to the longitudinal axis...again, increasing performance. The keep was cutaway after the prop exited the hull about midship to provide for the flatter after sections. It is still provided a strut as well as a "sandshoe" all the way back to the rudder. All of this really did help performance. I cruised easily at 15 knots with the 4LHA. A close friend of mine has a 1998with only 10 less horsepower and they cruise at 13 at the same power setting. With all of that said, I like the earlier interior better. The 2003 and later were subject to market pressures of adding a fold out centerline queen. When that bed was folded up it pretty much completely blocked off the forward 12 feet of the cabin....whereas the older boats had a V-berth and you could access the entire area all the way up to the forpeak. It just gave a feeling of more space....and you need every bit of that feeling on that boat!!! Given the choice....I would still take the newer boats and their performance. BUT given a clean slate....I would take new boat hull and engine with old interior.
NOW....all of this can be remedied if you went with the 34. Still not a big boat. BUT, much more space than the 30.

You also have to be honest with yourself in how you are going to use it. If all you are going to do is use it mostly as a day boat....then the 30 will serve wonderfully!!! If you are going to spend a lot of time overnight.....then I would stretch for the 34. Seriously, overnighters on the smaller boat are a challenge. There is absolutely NO storage...ok a little...but it is minimal and you are constantly rearranging your **** just so you can walk around.>>

I have written more than this. If you have to patience to search my posts you might find more.

 

[DavidM]

I own a Pilot 34 with the single Yanmar 370 and have cruised a bit on the 2003+ Pilot 30.

First the 30: As others have said it is small and you would probably feel cramped in anything more than an overnighter. The 240 hp engine provides acceptable performance- 15 kt cruise, but I would prefer the Yanmar 6LP 315 hp engine. That will cruise in the upper teens and not stress the engine at all.

Now the 34: We have cruised for 6-7 days at a time and it is reasonably comfortable. Fridge capacity will be tight, but there is enough space for everything else. It does have the feel of a picnic boat with its two vinyl cushioned settees behind the helms. Not at all like the bigger Mainship 34T which has a real cabin. But that is a different boat.

The single Yanmar lets it cruise at 14+ kts. I do my own maintenance and would not consider the twin 240 hp version. There is no room to work on the outboard side of the engines.

David

 

[Flatsflyer]

You can say it's just a day boat, but we spent 6 weeks on her one year. Left St. Augustine and went to the Keys. Took 5 days to get to Key West, spend three weeks running around the reefs. Spent every night either in a marina or on the hook. Ours had a Sea Power 5.0 Kw Generator driven of the Yanmar. At idle the genny ran everything onboard. The only problem was that the elbow tended to coke up when running the Yanmar at idle overnight.


Another trip was across Big "O" down the West Coast and on to the Keys, we eventually sold her and ended up with a 35' CT Sundeck with twin Lymens. Sold her last year and only have the Boston Whaler now. Thinking of possibly buying another Pilot 30 as that was the "BEST" boat I've ever own and I've owned tons of them.

 

[markpierce]

Perse, how did you come to focus on a Mainship 30/34? What features appeal to you as compared to other boats? Just curious; not questioning the decision.

 

[perse111]

Thanks to everyone for your help. I was a little reluctant about the smaller engine but now I might consider it.

I would really prefer a 34 but not very many available in my price range.

A friend owns a 34 so he got me interested in Mainship. What other brands are worth looking at? I am new to power boats so please excuse my ignorance.

Thanks again

 

[wyoboater]

Have you ever checked out yachtworld? If you go to their website, you can put in your criteria including your price range. Then, every week, they'll send you boats that fit into the criteria...that way, you can check out all makes, as well as get a feel for the boat styles you might be interested in...then, when you start narrowing it down, you can be a little more specific about the boats that make your short list. That's how I spend my first year "on the hunt". Which saved a LOT of travel money that would cut into the actual boat money I could spend.

 

[DavidM]

If you want that downeaster style you probably are not going to find any better deal than a Mainship.

The bespoke Maine downeasters when finished for cruising are $50K more than a Mainship for the same size. A 35' Duffy finished for cruising will run in the upper $100s whereas a Mainship Pilot 34 will run in the lower $100s for the same age boat.

Or a Back Cove 29 will also run $50K more than a similar aged Pilot 30.

But if a flybridge trawler will do, then the possibilities multiply greatly.

David

 

[ALAN54]

I do not think you will have any problem with that amount of horsepower. I sold my sailboat and purchased a 1998 pilot 30 with the 175 HP Yanmar in it. Being a sailor all my life, doing 12-13 knots is fine with me! I boat out of Port Charlotte and we often do the trips you say you will be doing. We only made it to the Keys once, but do the Everglades often. As far as space down below, mot people are correct when they say it is tight. But, we have a full enclosure and I have a real nice cot I put outside as my bunk! If you are over in Cayo Costa sometime and se a dark blue color boat named Andante, stop and say hi!

 

[BlueYonder]

Thanks to everyone for your help. I was a little reluctant about the smaller engine but now I might consider it.

I would really prefer a 34 but not very many available in my price range.

A friend owns a 34 so he got me interested in Mainship. What other brands are worth looking at? I am new to power boats so please excuse my ignorance.

Thanks again

Not sure what your price range is. The Pearson True North 33 is might be worth looking at. Maybe an Albin 31?

 

[perse111]

Hey Alan54

Thanks for the info. I am starting to feel more comfortable with smaller HP.


We live in PGI so should definitely run into each other one day soon.

How long have you had your boat? Did fuel cost give you sticket shock? Do you maintain your engine yourself?

Thanks

Jeff

 

[ALAN54]

Hi Jeff,
We have had this boat for about 1 year now. The boat was mostly kept in covered storage with less than 600 hours on the Yanmar. This engine, while a bit slower than the higher hp's ones, is really efficient as far as fuel mileage goes. When I need fuel, I call one of the local companies that sends a small tanker truck out to my home. (75 gallons Minimum)
This is less expensive than a marina.
I only do basic engine work, but will hire a diesel mechanic when or if, I have any problems.

 

[perse111]

hey alan,


Any regrets with the dark blue hull? They are certainly beautiful.....

 

[ALAN54]

Not one regret at all!!! I really like dark hull boats and even after 16 years, the color and finish is great on my boat.

 

[perse111]

Is your hull Awlgrip? Friends are trying to talk me out of dark hull. They say the color attracts/holds more heat and makes cabin hotter. There is a dark blue hull 30 in maryland i would like to go see.

 

[Keysdisease]

All the factory colored hulls on Mainships were Awlgrip (Awlcraft)

 

[perse111]

Hey, Thanks keysdisease, isn't that preferred over colored gelcoat?

 

[ALAN54]

Yes, it has Awlgrip. I personally have never noticed much of a difference in cabin temps with the blue hull. I had a white hulled sailboat for 15 years, and this blue hulled one for over a year now, and even in our heat here in FL, never had a temp problem down below.
Which part of Maryland you looking at for that boat???
I almost bought my boat from over on FL East coast, as it seems like there were alot over there. It would have been an easy shakedown cruise to bring it home!

 

[perse111]

There is a 30 in Rock Hall, Maryland I like the looks of on YachtWorld. Also one in Ft Lauderdale - White hull with a Cummins. Does your boat have a Yanmar?

 

[MrJim]

I have a Pilot 30 with the 315 hp. I came into it from the opposite direction from you -- moved from full planing "speedboat" gasser to this "semi-planing" diesel-- so I opted for the higher horsepower boat so I didn't have to sacrifice as much on speed. The boat is still new to me and I've only run it a few times so far, but it appears that it will cruise slightly north of 20 kts, which is entirely satisfactory but still feels slow to me .

All things being equal (except maybe full consumption), I'd go for the 315 hp boat. I looked at one with the 240 hp engine and was also concerned about performance. But, I was fortunate enough to find one with the 315 hp which was priced lower, so it was an easy decision.

I agree with Baker, for the most part. I expect we'll use our boat mostly for 2-3 day weekend trips -- maybe a rare week-long trip. I think anything more than that would really test our marriage. But, I wouldn't call it a "day boat."

I also looked at an Albin 31. While it's not as sexy as the Pilot (IMO), the wife and I really loved the layout and it seemed much roomier. We wanted to buy the Albin, but some serious questions about the engine in the boat we looked at scared me away.

 

[BlueYonder]

I have owned three boats with blue hulls. I love the looks, but keeping it clean is a pain. The blue color spots easily, a water softener helps a little. A colored gelcoat hull will fade quicker and require more waxing/polishing than a painted hull. I haven't really noticed that the boat gets hotter, but I expect it probably does.

 

[Baker]

I agree with Baker, for the most part. I expect we'll use our boat mostly for 2-3 day weekend trips -- maybe a rare week-long trip. I think anything more than that would really test our marriage. But, I wouldn't call it a "day boat."

Not necessarily a Day Boat but about the most affordable efficient day boat out there!!! It is an excellent day boat...

I guess my point is that you generally are not going to go down below just to hang out. You go down below to do something. Once it is done, you come back up. There is no real "hanging out" space....especially with the Pilot2 layout.

 

[MrJim]

I don't know... I have a TV down below. If there's a good game on or I have some good DVDs, I can see spending a few hours at a time down there (by myself)!

And, yes, it's a most excellent day boat.

 

[Baker]

I don't know... I have a TV down below. If there's a good game on or I have some good DVDs, I can see spending a few hours at a time down there (by myself)!

And, yes, it's a most excellent day boat.

I have seriously considered keeping my current boat and getting a Pilot 30 for a day boat!!!.....and then common sense got the better of me.

 

[ALAN54]

Yanmar in my boat. I have friends that live in Rock hall, so if you need any pics taken, let me know and I will have it done for you.