I wanted a boat with almost nothing at all working...I wanted to be able to replace just about everything with stuff from Home Depot and Walmart so I could bug the livin' crap out of some of the trawler forum posters....
Actually the decision was to find a boat that emerging from near bankruptcy (note cheap enough to buy with limited cash) that would satisfy me as a liveaboard cruiser (had to find something quick) that would take me into my just pre-nursing home years.
It had to be easy to maintain, single handle, have enough room to bring along a friend (
) and her big dog as it turns out, no kitchen in the living room and had to remain afloat for at least 24 hour intervals without intervention...