Liveaboard in Florida, 3-4 mo in winter

How about this one? Seems set up well. Nice cockpit area and sun deck. Low draft. Comes with a jet ski! ?

Price is right.

You and FF could race!

http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/boa/5323306116.html

Thanks for the input guys, particularly psneeld's comments about his Albin 40. I guessed that it was a smallish 40, but appreciate the confirmation. For two of us living aboard for 3-4 months that boat should work. Would like a washer/dryer though.

In addition to that boat, I am considering Europa versions of Ocean Alexander, Marine Trader, etc as they meet my layout criteria. Surprised that the OA fits my budget, but those from the early 80s do.

The Navy conversion is interesting. Wish I could figure out the layout from the pics.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the window leaks and crappy glass covered plywood of the Marine Traders, CHB, etc. I know that MTs from the 70s were absolute crap, but Jack Horner (Annapolis based marine surveyor who publishes reviews of classic boats on boatus) says that by the mid 80s that was mostly corrected and superstructure became conventionally layed up cored (ply) fiberglass.

David

cardude01 said:

How about this one? Seems set up well. Nice cockpit area and sun deck. Low draft. Comes with a jet ski! ?

Price is right.

You and FF could race!

50 ft. Trawler Navy Conversion, Fiberglass

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This one is no good. It has a bad name. I must have given him a bad pass.

???????

I didn't notice that.

Don you need to slow down for us!

djmarchand said:

Thanks for the input guys, particularly psneeld's comments about his Albin 40. I guessed that it was a smallish 40, but appreciate the confirmation. For two of us living aboard for 3-4 months that boat should work. Would like a washer/dryer though.

In addition to that boat, I am considering Europa versions of Ocean Alexander, Marine Trader, etc as they meet my layout criteria. Surprised that the OA fits my budget, but those from the early 80s do.

The Navy conversion is interesting. Wish I could figure out the layout from the pics.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the window leaks and crappy glass covered plywood of the Marine Traders, CHB, etc. I know that MTs from the 70s were absolute crap, but Jack Horner (Annapolis based marine surveyor who publishes reviews of classic boats on boatus) says that by the mid 80s that was mostly corrected and superstructure became conventionally layed up cored (ply) fiberglass.

David

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There are places for a washer/dryer if willing to give up something and modify some cabinetry.

I wasn't even gonna fool with the windows. Ordered all new RV aluminum frame, clamp type...less than 4 grand with shipping.

My '88 Albin has a couple layers of glass on the outside, about 3/8s plywood (good rot resistant teak I am guessing) and a 4 layer teak veneer on the inside.

My boat the teak veneer must have been so saturated with Florida humidity, that the first winter in Jersey the veneer started bubbling, cracking and peeling ALL over the boat. I have ripped most of it out and have been recovering with beadboard planks. Looks OK and in areas requiring some strength I used real solid wood planks glued on.

Beautiful !

janice142 said:

Free advice: Take some of that cash on hand and extend the hard-top of your Mainship, enclosing the "deck house" and go with the boat you own. She's tidy, inexpensive to operate, you know her flaws and she's already yours.

I'd make the doors at the back of the salon all open (piano hinges) so you can enjoy the outside from inside, something like this:

(this is our 40'er)

The doors (there were four) closed. The center two were plexiglass so that even closed we could see out even while sitting.

Just an idea mind you...

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Stunning and beautiful. I love it. Thank you Janice, good advice from you, one more time !

QUOTE:So, like Grand Banks, I am hoping that Albin had some quality control by western management so this was avoided. True???

This is true, but I can say from first hand experience they must have been asleep half the time.

David, it matters little if it's an Albin or Grand Banks or whatever, while Albin and Grand Banks have the reputations which helps hold up their resale values, they have the "very same" problems as all the rest. It's all about how well any given boat was maintained. You need only spend a few hours on the Albin & GB sites to see this is true.

If the Albin 40 meets the most items on your wish list, you've already solved the biggest problem. I would find the best maintained one out there within my budget. Assume it will have the usual issues to some degree but at least you will have the boat that suits your plans and use.

Just my two cents worth.

PS: We love our Albin warts and all.

Have you considered our sister ship?


1981 Prairie 36 Trawler Jack Hargrave Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com


When we were searching for ours I really wanted twins, galley down and the forward bunks. This was one of the few layouts that checked all the boxes, and no teak decks and 2 heads is a huge plus. I honestly think i have more room than other comparable 40 footers.

I think that there is a fundamental difference in build technique among TTs.


The 70s era MTs and equivalent had a plywood (with junk for inner layers) framed superstructure that was then finished with a layer of glass on the outside. When (not if) the windows leaked, the junky plywood got wet and it rotted to pieces. That was the case of a MT I was involved with made in the 70s. Took a chain saw to the superstructure and rebuilt it.


The better way is to mold the superstructure starting with gel coat, then layers of glass, then plywood coring, then more glass, just like the deck. Some used the same junk plywood and if the window edges weren't sealed right, the plywood would get wet and because the inner layers were saw dust, it would also rot.


The best way is to use marine plywood, where all layers are veneers of fir or similar so that rot doesn't propagate as fast. That and attention to window detail is what sets Grand Banks apart from the rest of the boats from that era.


The final solution is to use aluminum or SS window frames set in fiberglass finished openings and caulked so water can't possibly get inside. Almost all Asian built boats are done that way now.


David

"Mechanically, there is an air cooled DC generator shown in the 5th pic. Anyone who installs an air cooled generator doesn't know what he is doing."

A properly installed air cooled noisemaker will make no more noise than a wet unit.

And a muffled dry stack will not fill the boat with stench with a following breeze.

Like almost every boat accessory , the installation efforts will be the key.

Imagine, no pulling jellies out of the cooling system at O'dark 30.night after night.

Imagine no thru hull, no seacock, no sea water pump, no heat exchanger , and soft engine mounts

Nigel Caulder better look out should you ever start a book, (on Yachtwright stuff, not OTDE). Again you are dead on.

A small diesel engine converts about 1/3 of the fuel energy into horsepower and a generator converts about 80% of that horsepower into KWs. Another 1/3 goes out with the exhaust and the other 1/3 goes into the cooling system whether it is air or water.


So a 5 KW generator will dump about 6 KW of energy into the air cooling system. That is like having four electric space heaters running full blast into your bilge. It will take a huge air flow to vent all of that heat.


David

"So a 5 KW generator will dump about 6 KW of energy into the air cooling system. That is like having four electric space heaters running full blast into your bilge. It will take a huge air flow to vent all of that heat."

A 4 to 6 inch inch pipe will handle the air cooling , why would it matter to you the volume of air being exhausted if its near SILENT?

Yes Fred, and by my calculations it takes 1,000 cfm at a 20 deg temp rise or 500 cfm at a 40 deg temp rise to move all of that heat and keep your engine room below the recommended 120F max.


Most marine engine room blowers are limited to 250 cfm, so it will take an industrial type 120V squirrel cage blower with a 6" duct blasting out. That is not something that I want on my boat.


David

"Most marine engine room blowers are limited to 250 cfm"

Boat store toys are always price limited, to get a blower the marine sources must be checked.

With the noisemaker operating power is no problem.

Delta T Systems Engineered Marine Engine Room Ventilation

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I have been reading these and enjoying everyone's sugesstions. I like djmarchand have the same idea in boat purchase. I live in our south Florida and conceduring selling my house to buy a nice liveabourd. My question is what are the docking fees on average in the weSt Palm area

the new boat

What type of boat due you have now? I am in the process of purchasing a 34 mainship trawler and have heard a lot of good repots on them What are your thoughts?

Thanks
Island Run

grwheat said:

I have been reading these and enjoying everyone's sugesstions. I like djmarchand have the same idea in boat purchase. I live in our south Florida and conceduring selling my house to buy a nice liveabourd. My question is what are the docking fees on average in the weSt Palm area

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The 50' boat I just picked up in the West Palm area was paying a bit over $900 a month in dockage. Or so I was told by the former owner.

Capt.Bill11 said:

The 50' boat I just picked up in the West Palm area was paying a bit over $900 a month in dockage. Or so I was told by the former owner.

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$17-20 per foot is the general range. Plus $35-50 for electric. Plus liveaboard upcharge.

If you get tired of living on the hook, several slips are for sale here at harbor cay club.org in marathon. We have several owners that come for the winter and then put the boat on the hard for the summer, then come back the next year. Living aboard in the keys is great,as we can cruise the keys,west coast of fla.,stage for the Bahamas.

Right I am the owner of a 21 foot 1986 mako, the tender of the boat I am looking for. I now belive that a 36 foot marine trader is a boat I can afford. I am a retired single guy tring how to use my house to buy a boat. So one thing I wanted to know is I manage to buy the boat where do I put it and at what cost..

In our experience, a sundeck configuration is essential for a live aboard. We live aboard an OA 44 for three+ months on Great Lakes. Check out the 39-46 hulls.

Deckape said:

If you get tired of living on the hook, several slips are for sale here at harbor cay club.org in marathon.

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12 out of the 24 of the slips are for sale. What the heck is everyone running from and why can't they get away?

CPseudonym said:

12 out of the 24 of the slips are for sale. What the heck is everyone running from and why can't they get away?

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The owners could have passed or gotten too old to boat anymore. A lot of FL property is for sale by estates. People move here to retire and die. The heirs have other visions in other places.

Deckape said:

If you get tired of living on the hook, several slips are for sale here at harbor cay club.org in marathon. We have several owners that come for the winter and then put the boat on the hard for the summer, then come back the next year. Living aboard in the keys is great,as we can cruise the keys,west coast of fla.,stage for the Bahamas.

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Checked out the map and a video of Harbour Cay Club. Looks pretty unprotected from a lot of fetch from the north unless you are inside that little breakwater. Or am I looking at it wrong?

Looks like an interesting spot though.

Yes several slips are for sale. Most of the owners have lived aboard for years and now want something on shore near the grandkids or just could not physically do it anymore. Some were bought at the,( buy something it the keys) time of the real estate boom here in the keys years ago. Plans change and people get old. We are a co-op so we all own a 1/24 of the property but have the right to what slip we purchased. Prices very as they are what the owner thinks it's worth. Some are willing to come down. Yes we are on the gulf side ,between the fanny keys so we are subject to winds from the western quadrant on the compass. Mainly in the winter as the fronts come thru. I'm in slip #23 and it does get rough but only for 24 hours or less as the winds go from sw to n.e. In the summer the winds are mostly s.e. and we have a great breeze at the boat. In side you don't have the breeze because of the land mast, trees etc. Anyone cruising thru this part of Paradise call or stop by. I would be glad to show you our piece of Paradise.

Donsan said:

The owners could have passed or gotten too old to boat anymore. A lot of FL property is for sale by estates. People move here to retire and die. The heirs have other visions in other places.

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This is kinda what we DON'T want to do... When we finally get off the hard, it'll be to roam for quite awhile. If we lived up north, and were looking for a place in warmer climates to "park" and do the snowbird thing, Ok, I get it...

But we're not looking for that. We're here, in Fl, and when we DO make it onto our trawler, it'll be to explore and enjoy

I don't want to tie $150k of my funds up in an asset that 1) ties me to a specific spot, and 2) will vary in value dramatically over time.

But that's just us

J&L

Yes we all want to cruise to areas that we have dreamed about. The Bahamas,west coast ,east coast of Florida and north. Yes that was the dream. After cruising the Bahamas,and Florida's inland and coastal water ways while working , with a trailer able cruiser,we wanted to live here in the keys when we retired. We are now living that dream! Been there ,done that and now live here on the boat in marathon and liking it alot. Many guests have said they would love to buy ,but still want to cruise too. Some have made harbour cay club their cruise destination after years of going to the Bahamas and stay all winter before going back to new England,west coast or were they store the boat. Many older members wanted to stay put after years of living on the hook,or cruising,and this was the place. After you do your cruising and want to live aboard,look into our piece of paradise in the keys. You will still have access to the cruises you still might want to do.

Pilots used to say if it Flies , Floats , or F,,, its better to rent it than to buy it.

With a liveaboard boat or RV the joy of easily changing your location is one of huge benefits.

For some , a fantastic option that offers (to me) the best lifestyle is a rented mooring at a OK marina.

It does require a boat outfitted for cruising and a bit more work, once a week ( or two) hit the dock to dump waste and fill the water tank.

The boat is able to swing with freedom so the requirement to seal the boat and refrigerate the interior is mostly gone , esp in a FL winter.

Mail , dink landing,garbage and legal parking is at the marina , and the cost for piece and quiet is 1/5 to 1/10 what a slip costs.

IF the boat can do it , so can most folks.

Learn to row!

Haven't heard the three F rule in a good while! Of course, I've always had difficulty abiding by its wisdom.