Sanctuary Cove Boat Show 2013

Thanks Brian,

interesting designs. Cat A is a requirement so no traditional canal boats. 15m LOA is also a factor in the North Sea to Black Sea route where it starts to get more complex in a few spots if you are bigger. Yes, I do have all of Tom's guide, excellent reference. We are trying to avoid "limited run" designs as ease of resale is also a factor. We keep coming back to a few Dutch designs. Early days in the hunt but would be nice to buy "off the shelf" rather than waiting for a new build. Been there, not keen to do it again.

Don (ex mv Kekada)

Don
I look forward to hearing about what you find. Frankly, I gave up on a somewhat similar search. I came to the conclusion that I could not get a canal-capable boat that could cross oceans to get back to Australia for a reasonable price. I figured that it was one boat for canals and another boat for coastal cruising. Two boats would end up cheaper. But neither would be trans-ocean: those boats have a much higher price point.

You have set yourself quite a challenge for trans-ocean AND canals AND existing design with a bunch already built. I wish that some of the "Commuter" style boats from the US (and a bygone era) were more sea-worthy as they came closest for me. You might be 10 years ahead of your time in terms of your SOR. But it is the future for sure.

My OA now has the range to cross the Pacific with enlarged tanks and more fuel efficient engines, but I would still need to do more stuff to get to a level of safety that I'd want. Plus, friends and family don't have the time to join me for a crossing with stopovers to enjoy the places along the way, and I am reluctant to take on unknown crew for the trip. Instead, if the indicative freight prices I got at Sanctuary Cove are close to the mark when firm quotes arrive then I'll ship my boat back after the Canadian summer cruise season. Trans-ocean shipping isn't cheap, but for me it will not be frequent.

Hi Brian,

just returned from looking at an Elling which we thought might match our criteria but it looks like we are coming to the same conclusion as others, an ocean crossing canal adaptable boat is a hard animal to find. Time to re-evaluate our requirements I think.

Don (ex mv Kekada)

Just a thought, probably already thought about, but what about one of the Dashew FPB ocean capable designs, Don. The ones smaller than Windhorse of course, and without the superfluous flybridge. They look like they would be canal and ocean capable.

The Dashew 64 has a beam over 17 ft - just wont fit into most canals. Not a lot of outdoor space on them either.

Don, I 'll have a better look at the Elling info a bit later. It does look sleek. And yes, when one boat wont do it all then it does come down to what you will be doing on it most of the time, and compromise on what it cant do very well. If you were going to have an extended canal odyssey, why not buy a canal boat for the purpose and re-sell it when you are done, then get the trans-ocean boat afterwards?