DMack
Newbie
I'll try not to ramble but I can't make any promises. I am 49 years old and plan to retire between age 55 and 60 and would love to start cruising the east coast at that point. I am married with 2 teenage kids who will (in theory) be out of college just when I retire. I would probably start hopping around New England initially but would love to head south in the winter.
The boat:
Comfortable and fuel efficient, prefer single diesel, 30-40 foot range. I love the layout of the Mainships for the following reasons: center queen berth, separate shower stall, stairs (not ladder) to flybridge. I can do a lot of maintenance myself but don't really want to get into a project boat. I want to use the crap out of it for 5-10 years, not spend that time working on it constantly. But I understand there will be a lot of upkeep and maintenance and I'm OK with that.
I wont have a huge budget so I know I have to remain realistic. But, should I bite the bullet and find something in the $100,000-150,000 range that wont need much or do I go older and cheaper and do a bunch of work soon after purchase then motor off into the sunset? What about a recently renovated/upgraded/rebuilt older boat?
Does it have to be a trawler and does it have to have a diesel? There are a ton of affordable Bayliner/Trojan type motoryachts out there with twin gas motors. Asking for trouble? Not fuel efficient? Not designed to run at 8 knots for hours on end? It would be nice to have the extra HP if needed to beat some weather or get to a port before sundown.
I've got a ton of questions, but that's it for now. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and insight.
Dan
The boat:
Comfortable and fuel efficient, prefer single diesel, 30-40 foot range. I love the layout of the Mainships for the following reasons: center queen berth, separate shower stall, stairs (not ladder) to flybridge. I can do a lot of maintenance myself but don't really want to get into a project boat. I want to use the crap out of it for 5-10 years, not spend that time working on it constantly. But I understand there will be a lot of upkeep and maintenance and I'm OK with that.
I wont have a huge budget so I know I have to remain realistic. But, should I bite the bullet and find something in the $100,000-150,000 range that wont need much or do I go older and cheaper and do a bunch of work soon after purchase then motor off into the sunset? What about a recently renovated/upgraded/rebuilt older boat?
Does it have to be a trawler and does it have to have a diesel? There are a ton of affordable Bayliner/Trojan type motoryachts out there with twin gas motors. Asking for trouble? Not fuel efficient? Not designed to run at 8 knots for hours on end? It would be nice to have the extra HP if needed to beat some weather or get to a port before sundown.
I've got a ton of questions, but that's it for now. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and insight.
Dan