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Old 09-26-2019, 08:04 AM   #1
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Good Morning

Hello all and thank you for having such a great forum for information.
We have been planning and practicing and charting and now we are ready to get the big boat and start the adventure. But I must say the learning has been an adventure as well. I promise to not bombard you with questions.... well I will at least limit them. We have spent the last 5 years being out on the water for up to 10 days at a time and are comfortable with out ability on the daily but will have questions about a particular boat brand we are looking at as well as finding fuel when in the Caribbean and such. I look forward to your answers and building friendships along the way.
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Old 09-26-2019, 08:09 AM   #2
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Welcome to the forum, enjoy! Show us pictures when you’re looking at boats. We love pictures!
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Old 09-26-2019, 08:40 AM   #3
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...... will have questions about a particular boat brand we are looking at...
What boat model are you looking at? I'm sure that someone on this forum has one.
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Old 09-26-2019, 10:45 AM   #4
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We are looking for a 2001-2005 Mainship 39ish. That seems to be the sweet spot for having the Grand kids and the dogs and seems to hit on almost everything on the check list. Mainly a forward berth an easy access from the water as we are avid divers and ease of loading the dog on and off the dinghy.
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Old 09-26-2019, 10:47 AM   #5
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Welcome aboard. Don’t be shy with your questions. We love to give opinions... And when you get your boat we will need photos.
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Old 09-26-2019, 11:29 AM   #6
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We are looking for a 2001-2005 Mainship 39ish. That seems to be the sweet spot for having the Grand kids and the dogs and seems to hit on almost everything on the check list. Mainly a forward berth an easy access from the water as we are avid divers and ease of loading the dog on and off the dinghy.
Wifey B: Welcome aboard.

Great choice of boat for your purposes as I understand them.

However, ........ oh my....However, and But.....always followed with.....oh well... However, you mentioned Caribbean. Were you referring to the Bahamas? I hope. As good boat for Bahamas but not for the Caribbean and cruising there.
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Old 09-26-2019, 12:05 PM   #7
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Hello Wifey B, thank you!!
Yes we will start in and around Florida, our current home and then Bahamas for quite some time but with the hopes of hitting some of the Caribbean islands in the far off future.
I am excited to hear your input about the boat choice.
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Old 09-26-2019, 12:48 PM   #8
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Hello Wifey B, thank you!!
Yes we will start in and around Florida, our current home and then Bahamas for quite some time but with the hopes of hitting some of the Caribbean islands in the far off future.
I am excited to hear your input about the boat choice.
Wifey B: I love the Mainships and their functionality for coastal cruising as well as Great Lakes and Rivers. In fact, we made friends with two grandparents and their grandson who were on one when cruising the Great Lakes as part of the loop.

I see it as a good Bahamas boat, just as long as a good window to cross. Good interior space, shallow draft, some speed flexibility. All good.

I don't see it as an ocean going, rough seas type boat. In the Caribbean you cross pretty large expanses of open water, the first being just to get there. Often people jump from Turks and Caicos to the DR, then down from there. On average you'll experience rougher seas than cruising the coast or Bahamas. Range on a Mainship may not be adequate either for the distances to be covered.

Now, every boat has it's strengths and weaknesses. Mainship you could cruise the entire east coast and the gulf coast, you could do the Great Loop. You could do the TN and Cumberland Rivers and even the Ohio. You could spend weeks and months and years in the Bahamas. Now by the time you've done all that, you've likely cruised 15-20,000 miles or more and put well over 2000 hours in and all that without ever going to the Caribbean or elsewhere. Perhaps do that and sometime charter a boat in the Virgin Islands to get in your Caribbean fix.

The ideal boat for the Caribbean would likely be too big for you to easily handle at first, costly, might be difficult to even cruise the ICW due to draft. Just as an example, a 60' Nordhavn would make a good boat for the Caribbean, but I sure wouldn't want it's 6'8" draft for the ICW in GA and SC or in NJ. If your primary objective was the Caribbean then I'd advise you to go charter that but also check out the boats in use there and at the docks. Might want a nice Catamaran.

Focus on what is most important to you, your 95% use. People buy boats with great plans to cross open water and cruise long distances. Then five years later they realize that's not in their plans and they downsize to the boat that fits their current cruising.

If you decide Caribbean is critical to you, then I'd suggest a bit larger and more seaworthy boat. Budget also becomes a factor because the more seaworthy boat is likely to cost more.

What boat have you been out on the water in these last five years?
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Old 09-26-2019, 01:01 PM   #9
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Again thank you for the input. It appears we are on the same page with expectations. That is what brought us to settle on the Mainship, it seems to check all the boxes and when we are winding down ( thinking 5 years) we can decide if we just want to fly over and take some time off the boat or if we are comfortable and the weather window permit then decide about how far we want to go. We have been spending most of our time on a 37 foot Express Cruiser but our longest time out was 10 days bouncing around the keys. Most of the time we have been spending weekends and long holidays on the hook. We have taken all of the ASA courses as we started with the intent of a Cat but we have changed our minds after we spent the weekend next to a Mainship.
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Old 09-26-2019, 02:02 PM   #10
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Again thank you for the input. It appears we are on the same page with expectations. That is what brought us to settle on the Mainship, it seems to check all the boxes and when we are winding down ( thinking 5 years) we can decide if we just want to fly over and take some time off the boat or if we are comfortable and the weather window permit then decide about how far we want to go. We have been spending most of our time on a 37 foot Express Cruiser but our longest time out was 10 days bouncing around the keys. Most of the time we have been spending weekends and long holidays on the hook. We have taken all of the ASA courses as we started with the intent of a Cat but we have changed our minds after we spent the weekend next to a Mainship.
Wifey B: And what do you like better about the Mainship than the Express Cruiser?
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Old 09-26-2019, 02:57 PM   #11
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The cruiser is great for short stints but we need the room and safety of the Trawler. The flybridge and extra deck space along with engines and storage are important to me as well as the comfort of the living area. They are really not compatible. The cruiser has 2 350 Merc gas engines and not cost effective for long term cruising.
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Old 09-26-2019, 03:57 PM   #12
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Safety of the trawler could be a false hope.

It depends a lot on make/model whethether they are any safer than other boats. Looks are deceiving.
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Old 09-26-2019, 04:34 PM   #13
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Safety of the trawler could be a false hope.

It depends a lot on make/model whethether they are any safer than other boats. Looks are deceiving.
Very true and good point!
I should have been more clear to my idea of safety. I was speaking the safety of the access of our bow from the cruiser compared to the Trawler as well as Galley safety and the mobility safety for the Grand Kids, and the dogs.
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Old 09-26-2019, 07:32 PM   #14
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Nothing beats the space and storage of a trawler. I get it!
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Old 09-26-2019, 07:38 PM   #15
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Nothing beats the space and storage of a trawler. I get it!
Wifey B: And you went from Sea Ray to Trawler so can definitely relate.
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Old 09-26-2019, 07:41 PM   #16
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Wifey B: And you went from Sea Ray to Trawler so can definitely relate.
Oh so true!
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Old 09-26-2019, 09:07 PM   #17
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Oh so true!
Wifey B: When we moved to FL, we were coming from a 30' Bowrider. Now it did top out at over 50 knots.
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Old 09-26-2019, 09:08 PM   #18
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Greetings,
Aw, c'mon Ms. D. "Fess-up now. You got your trawler to fill all those idle moments you have during your days and use up all your excess $$.
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Old 09-27-2019, 06:57 AM   #19
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Greetings,
Aw, c'mon Ms. D. "Fess-up now. You got your trawler to fill all those idle moments you have during your days and use up all your excess $$.
Lol! You might be right about this RT! I do love working on her and maintaining her. I hope to get enough wallpaper done over the next couple days to show off to y’all.
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Old 09-27-2019, 07:48 AM   #20
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Welcome Aboard ! I agree with the others, send pictures, especially close ups. This group is unreal about spotting potential problem areas by studying pictures. They will spot leaks, poor grounding, bad wires, safety hazards, etc.

Just DO NOT ask about single or twin engine preference or anything to do with anchors!!!

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