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Old 02-15-2016, 08:51 AM   #1
Art
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Top Five Needed Boat Features

What are your Top Five Needed Boat Features?

OK to list more or less long as they are really Needed.

"Sub Category" perfectly OK too!

Our Top Five:

1. Flying Bridge - Me
2. Up Galley with Full Accommodations and Large Windows - Linda
3. Accessible, Room-To-Work-Inside, Stand-Up Engine Compartment - Me
4. Master Stateroom with Head/Shower, Closet, Queen Size Bed, Storage - Us
5. Roomy Comfortable Locations to Relax - Both Inside and Outside - Us

Sub Category [not 100% needed/necessary]:

A. Twin engines - Me
B. Easy To Keep Exterior and Interior Clean - Us
C. No Outside Bright Work; Varnished or Otherwise - Us
D. Upper and Lower Helm Station with Full Controls - Me
E. Gen Set - Us
F. Planing Hull - Us
G. Full Safety Railing All Around All Exterior Areas - Us


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Old 02-15-2016, 09:26 AM   #2
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Nice list agree with all the wood on the inside, one more we added was access to the fly ridge from the salon or pilot house. Last thing I wanted was someone walking to the black of the fly bridge in back weather, then down a ladder where they can't be seen or heard.
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Old 02-15-2016, 09:36 AM   #3
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Some important items depend on where you boat. In FL no need for a lower steering station - takes up room and would seldom be used. If however you have the room then why not.
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Old 02-15-2016, 09:53 AM   #4
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Seakindly
Spacious pilot house w/360' visibility
Room to work on engine
Saloon down
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Old 02-15-2016, 09:54 AM   #5
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Our top 5 not in order:
1) No exterior teak and safety rails all around
2) Single engine w/skeg for low maintenance (Single Lehman)
3) Queen and shower in master with escape hatch on stern
4) Access steps (not ladder)to fly bridge for our dog and my old legs
5) Good HVAC
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Old 02-15-2016, 09:59 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Art
What are your Top Five Needed Boat Features?
HEAT!!!
No heat, no sale.

I like your list and aside from the bridge and engine room space, the rest, depending on boat size would move around in the top 10.

These would be on my "needed" list after HEAT.

Side boarding gates
Easy bridge access
Motorized tender
Windless controls on the bridge

Sub category:
Lots of outside stowage
Somewhat raised bulwarks all the way forward
Windshield washers
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Old 02-15-2016, 10:01 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by timjet View Post
In FL no need for a lower steering station - takes up room and would seldom be used. If however you have the room then why not.
Unless you fully enclose the flybridge, I would say that having a lower helm station was a good thing for several reasons:

1: you may go somewhere besides FL

2: you may sell it to someone who lives where it gets cold.

3: you may need to go somewhere in cooler / wet weather and it's absolutely horrid on a flybridge in the rain at 10 kts or faster.
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Old 02-15-2016, 10:23 AM   #8
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To your list I added:


Wide, safe feeling side deck for foredeck access
NO STAIRS
Diesels
Planing ability for those times when speed is an advantage
Inline engine design rather than V8 for easier access and simplicity
No inside helm unless over 50'
Full size queen bed with no low overhead or climb over necessary for late night head calls.
Aft or amidships master to avoid wave noise at anchor.
Second emergency exit from master cabin




IMO you are doing the correct analysis because once you have the list the brand or what the maker calls the style doesn't matter. You cam compare boats of different brands as equal because for your needs they are.


Our goal was to never get on a different boat after we bought ours and say we wish we had seen this one first. In 15 years we never did.
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Old 02-15-2016, 10:26 AM   #9
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Not in order:

- No exterior wood
- Good head
- Good, separate, shower
- Good, island master berth
- Good sidedecks
- Flying bridge
- Stairs to the flying bridge (no ladders)
- Swim platform
- Transom door- some way to carry a decent dinghy


All that, with a decent boat attached. (The latter two are partly for the big dogs, too.)


-Chris
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Old 02-15-2016, 10:34 AM   #10
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Top five...

1. Engine access - lots of room, strong preference for twins, and a SEA CHEST (why don't more builders use these?)

2. Safe exterior for working - wide walk around and high rails

3. Seakindly - prefer wide FD or SD hull, high freeboard

4. Galley up, after cabin master with walk around queen

5. Spacious flying bridge with stairs (not ladder)
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Old 02-15-2016, 10:35 AM   #11
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Top five list for me:
1 seaworthiness.
2 redundancy/ reliability fault tolerant systems.
3 singlehand friendly. If I'm incapacitated my wife needs to be able to get us both back home safely.
4 low maintenance, no teak, steel or aluminum hulls or trim. Prefer to spend time using the boat as opposed to a perpetual project.
5 comfort. For my wife that meant a bath tub and all that goes with that.



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Old 02-15-2016, 10:35 AM   #12
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I've thought that about women.
Gotta be this and gotta be that.
But when you fall in love w a woman that does poorly on your list you feel a little dumb.
I wouldn't say must this or that. Re the woman I (just possibly) could go w one not a Christian if she looked like Taylor Swift.
You may seem to think you need 10 knots but then go crazy for a Willard and after 10 years wonder what you were think'in back then.
I had an UL aircraft that climed at 1400FPM (fast and steep) and got a big lust for another that climbed at 350fpm. It just changed my flying style. I loved them both.

I say have a list as a searching tool but be prepared to wander .. maybe a lot.
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Old 02-15-2016, 10:52 AM   #13
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Here in the PNW not much need for a fly bridge so
1 raised pilot house
2 single diesel
3 large salon
4 transom door
5 salty lines
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Old 02-15-2016, 11:01 AM   #14
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Single diesel
Walk around decks
Enclosed Flybridge
Walk around master bed
Galley down/open salon
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Old 02-15-2016, 11:03 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Russ Borman
Here in the PNW not much need for a fly bridge
I would have to look long and hard at a west coast boat without a bridge. To each etc...
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Old 02-15-2016, 11:41 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Russ Borman View Post
Here in the PNW not much need for a fly bridge
I disagree with this. Where we live it's a desert, gets real hot, plus we boat all year. Outside (fly bridge) helm is a must for me.

The other five:
1) easy access around the engines for maintenance
2) no exterior wood and interior wood at a minimum
3) three staterooms and two heads, both with standup showers
4) salon, galley and lower helm all on one level
5) easy cruise speed plus ability to get on plane if I want to
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Old 02-15-2016, 11:47 AM   #17
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It would be great if you started a poll so we could gather statistics.

TOP 5 ATTRIBUTES:
1. Comfortable motion inherent in the form of the hull (without stabilizers)
2. Stabilization at anchor
3. Seaworthiness
4. Standup engineroom
5. Functional pilothouse - no flybridge needed
6. Comfortable interior - not a shoebox
7. Super-efficient household appliances (oops, that's 7 items)
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Old 02-15-2016, 11:50 AM   #18
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Our requirements for a boat to do the Loop and cruise inland rivers, in no particular order.

These are items that must come from factory

-Seaworthiness including offshore up to 200 nm.
-Flybridge
-Helms, lower and upper
-Draft no more than 5'6", preferably no more than 5'
-Air draft no more than 19'1"
-Sleeping accommodations for 8
-Washer and Dryer
-Refrigeration and Freezing adequate for 8 people for one month.
-Cruising speed at least 20 knots
-Range at economic setting of at least 450 nm
-Capability of carrying 11', 700 lb RIB
-Watermaker
-Generator, (2 Preferred)
-Inverter
-Autopilot
-Thrusters bow and stern
-Galley up
-A/C and Heat
-Dishwasher
-Stabilizers
-Appearance and aesthetics we could be happy with (includes Teak and other wood)
-Safe stairs to and from all levels
-Adequate working space in engine room
-Adequate walk around on both sides
-Rails to a safe height
-Twin CAT, MAN, or MTU engines with conventional drives. No pods.
-Comfortable and adequate space
-Door from lower helm to side deck

Items that could be added post purchase although factory preferable

-All electronics including satellite, FLIR, and Sonar, upper and lower, with second system for backup
-Joystick with remote controls
-Fresh water anchor and deck wash
-Wifi
-Stern Capstan's
-Televisions throughout
-Camera system for security and docking
-Adequate anchor with 300' all chain and windlass
-Twin helm seats upper and lower
-Added security features including non-lethal deterrence
-Spare parts and accessories and consumables
-Electric grills on decks
-Easy means on and off regardless of type docking
-Adequate and convenient shorepower regardless of type docking
-Alarm and monitoring system
-Ability to enclose aft deck and flybridge, hardtop for bridge
-Mattresses of our choice
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Old 02-15-2016, 11:55 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Art View Post
What are your Top Five Needed Boat Features?

OK to list more or less long as they are really Needed.

"Sub Category" perfectly OK too!

Our Top Five:

1. Flying Bridge - Me
2. Up Galley with Full Accommodations and Large Windows - Linda
3. Accessible, Room-To-Work-Inside, Stand-Up Engine Compartment - Me
4. Master Stateroom with Head/Shower, Closet, Queen Size Bed, Storage - Us
5. Roomy Comfortable Locations to Relax - Both Inside and Outside - Us

Sub Category [not 100% needed/necessary]:

A. Twin engines - Me
B. Easy To Keep Exterior and Interior Clean - Us
C. No Outside Bright Work; Varnished or Otherwise - Us
D. Upper and Lower Helm Station with Full Controls - Me
E. Gen Set - Us
F. Planing Hull - Us
G. Full Safety Railing All Around All Exterior Areas - Us


We would absolutely agree with 10.5 out of your 12. Only place we differ is we do like teak.
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Old 02-15-2016, 11:59 AM   #20
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Wifey B: Teak getting a bad rap from you dudes....
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