Which Would You Choose?

I’ve read and learned a bunch from the members on this forum. Y’all are an interesting eclectic bunch! Like the real world- TF members are all over the map- literally and figuratively- from helpful and kind, to pissy and mean. I’ve gleaned knowledge from most of you.

Like many, I started out with dreams of a Nordhavn, but as the reality of my financial situation came into focus, I knew that short of a winning lottery ticket- it was never going to happen. I also came to appreciate that as romantic a notion as it is- I don’t see us crossing oceans. Coastal cruising and an eventual Great Loop trip will be the intended use for whatever we decide upon. Budget wise we’ve narrowed our search to the 200-250 range and our timeline looks to be Q2’16.

So with that long setup and knowing that ALL BOATS ARE A COMPRIMISE I’ve zeroed in on two boats models.

The Mainship 40: 2007 Mainship 40 Trawler Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

and the Mariner/Helmsman 37/38: 2007 Mariner 37 Seville Pilothouse Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com .

Which would you choose and why?

I would choose the Mariner 37'.
Just personal preference-I like the pilothouse configuration better and the way it looks. Also like the Cummins engine.

But, just my preferences--don't really "know" anything about either one to try & push one way or the other.

Of those, I'd probably chose the Mainship, partly because the Mariner doesn't visually appeal to me, partly because I don't think I'd like the sidedeck situation (although the tradeoff with full-beam saloon is probably useful for some folks). And partly because we had a Mainship before, and it was a good boat. And I don't think we'd like the centerline-but-not-walkaround berth.


(We actually did shop hard on the Mainship 400 when we ended up with our current ride. It came third on our short list... the other two being what we've got, and the Mainsip 430. Stairs to the bridge is a must-have, in our case.)


I'd also prefer Cummins, but that's because I know slightly more about those just now...


-Chris

The Mariner looks like a nicely equipped vessel and interesting design. The listing doesn't say how many hours are on the Yanmar but it appears clean.

We would never make a choice without going through the boats first hand, and seeing how they stack up against our requirements. And other than a few people I know personally, the only opinions that would matter are from those who have owned the boat in question... and again those opinions get run up against our requirements.

My knee-jerk response, worth no more than you paid for it, would be the Mainship because I have lots of experience with a wide variety of their models we rented, and I've never heard of the Mariner let alone seen one. The fact that there is a large Mainship user community, and perhaps some modicum of factory support, is an important consideration to me.

One other thing about 8 year old boats is that a lot of the original systems may be reaching, or have reached the end of their service life.

Jamup, what is your cruising experience to date? What do you feel your requirements are?

Depends. I like the layout and the pilothouse design of the Mariner, but it appears to have just a single stateroom. If you are doing any cruising with kids, grandkids, friends, etc, the second stateroom is a must imho. Climbing over guests sleeping in the salon in the morning as you are making coffee is a pia, plus having their junk spread all over the place. Been there and done that too many times.
So, to sum up, if just cruising couple, I'd choose the Mariner. If I was planning on overnight guests on a regular basis, the Mainship.

Max Simmons said:

Depends. I like the layout and the pilothouse design of the Mariner, but it appears to have just a single stateroom. If you are doing any cruising with kids, grandkids, friends, etc, the second stateroom is a must imho. Climbing over guests sleeping in the salon in the morning as you are making coffee is a pia, plus having their junk spread all over the place. Been there and done that too many times.
So, to sum up, if just cruising couple, I'd choose the Mariner. If I was planning on overnight guests on a regular basis, the Mainship.

Click to expand...

I agree and I might add look at a GB 42 before you buy.

ktdtx said:

I would choose the Mariner 37'.
Just personal preference-I like the pilothouse configuration better and the way it looks. Also like the Cummins engine.

But, just my preferences--don't really "know" anything about either one to try & push one way or the other.

Click to expand...

+1 on the Mariner

There's one important difference:

• Mainship - 1 head, 2 staterooms
• Mariner - 2 heads, 1 stateroom

I like day heads, but the one on the Mariner is in a somewhat funky location. If you do a lot of day trips with guests, though, this would be great. But if you're going to cruise with a couple and occasional guests / kids / grandkids, the 2nd stateroom on the Mainship might be important.

Some of the hardware on the Mariner seems undersized and / or not thought out. The holddowns on the mast hinge and the ridiculous location of the davits caught my attention.

And while I very much like pilothouses - and forward-raked windows! - I don't think that the two steps up on the Mariner offer much value other than exterior aesthetics. There's no rearward vision and it further chops up what is already a rather complicated interior flow.

My final issue with the Mariner is the exterior - I just don't like the up and down scrambling around the decks (and the cockpit is too small).

On the plus side I think the interior of the Mariner will age better than the molded fiberglass of the Mainship. And the top deck of the Mainship shows a LOT of sun exposure.

Thank you all for your responses. I like both boats a lot.

The Mariner seems to have a nicer fit and finish and better materials in many cases like real teal & holly; it has more of a real engine room; I really like the pilothouse with doors on both sides. The day head is a nice feature, but as refugio says “ it’s in a somewhat funky location” and it’s more or less open with a curtain.

The Mainship certainly has much to like- the wide walk around decks, large covered cockpit, incredible flybridge, more extensive electronics and the additional stateroom- be it for guest or stuff! The numbers produced make for a great community/knowledge base and more choice in boats for sale.

Both manufacturers have gone out of business and were acquired by someone new, so I think this is kind of a wash. Capthead I really like the Grand Banks, but at the price I can afford I’d be looking at a boat that is ten years older than either of the boats discussed and the additional maintenance (teak) and costs of upgrading systems.

Ultimately we’ll continue the search for a Mainship and I am looking forward to posting that we pulled the trigger in the next nine months! Thank you again for your responses.

Jeff

Jeff, I've been looking along the same lines as you, and have studied both of the boats you posted. I keep coming back to the Mainship 40 as meeting all of my criteria without breaking the bank. I like the engine room and the salon in the Mariner, but I'm not willing to give up walkaround side decks.

I also like the looks of this Europa-style Helmsman, though they seem to be new to the market, with no used boats available.

2015 Helmsman Trawlers 37 Sedan - Two Staterooms Power Boat For Sale