36 owners wishing they bought a 42?

[bcarli]

Hi
I'm curious. Are 36 owners happy with their size of boat or do you wished you had bought a 42? Still trying to figure out what would work best for us.
thanks

[jwnall]

Originally Posted by bcarli

Hi
I'm curious. Are 36 owners happy with their size of boat or do you wished you had bought a 42? Still trying to figure out what would work best for us.
thanks

I'm very happy with my 36, and have no desire for anything larger.

[Capt.Bill11]

Try chartering one of each to see what fits your needs best.

[Billylll]

I just went backwards from a 40'9" Mainship 40SB to a Gulfstar 36 MarkII. Since it's just my wife and myself the 36 will afford us all the comforts that we had in the Mainship less a few feet for storage. Even then the Gulfstar appears to have ample storage. The one thing I'm not going to do with the GS is load it up with extras from every project I do on the vessel. I just took 3 Hummer HIII loads of crap out of the Mainship over the last week. Judging by the way the H3 sat I'd say I removed in excess of 1500lbs of stuff that didn't belong on the boat. As an example 50 feet of Red and 50' of Black #2/0 marine wire.
A 1/2 dozen 600 amp buss bars and fuse holders. I had drawers full of hardware so much that I didn't even know what I had on the Mainship. So no hording will be tolerated on the GS 36 Trawler.
Bill

[bayview]

IMO if you can afford it you never want to buy a boat and then later say that you wish you had bought something else. If you think you want a 42' that that's what you need.
Remember all boats look large when buying them but shrink quickly after three months of ownership.

[ancora]

Our 36' Nova Sundeck fills the bill. The size is ideal for getting a guest slip at all the yacht club marinas on the southern California coast. For two people and Spanky the cat we have more room than we need. The Sicilian is lookin' at a smaller boat but the prices are outrageous.

[kolive]

bcarli, you will find a huge difference between the GB 42 and the 36. Hallways are tighter, cabins are smaller and overall feel is more spacious on the 42. As one would/should expect. That being said, we love our 36. I would seriously consider chartering both, or another choice would be to hop on the ferry and go to Bellingham Northwest Explorations and spend the day aboard both. They are very accommodating and would no doubt give you all the time aboard you need. We did that and they even took us out to get a feel for the boats. We were looking at a 36 & 32 at the time. If you plan to be out and aboard a lot you will want to make the best choice for your personal space requirements and cruising style. Then of course there are all the other expenses associated with both boats. Either way you will appreciate the quality of the GB in any length. Feel free to contact me with any GB 36 questions. You can PM me and I will give you my number.

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by bcarli

Hi
I'm curious. Are 36 owners happy with their size of boat or do you wished you had bought a 42? Still trying to figure out what would work best for us.
thanks

Depends on how you will use the boat and what type personality you have towards small spaces, limited storage and lack of amenities.

When I was looking...this was my thinking.

I knew I could afford a nice 36....and knew I could live on it alone.

I was hoping to meet a cruising partner so I started looking for a 40 and occasionally at the 43's (I went Albin because I prefer the layout).

I didn't look to hard at the 43's even though the prices weren't all that much more but I really preferred a single engine and I didn't see that in any available 43's. So I found a 40 I could live with.

I also found a cruising partner...but one that needed a bit more space and amenities than I originally hoped for. She also came with a 10 year old golden retriever.

I now wish I had bought a 43 because there's just not enough room for 2 on a 360 day liveaboard cruiser and who have no dirt storage space(and doesn't desire any).

Stretching to the 43 would have made a washer/dryer easier, larger dingy easier, bicycle storage easier, snorkeling/dive gear easier, fishing gear easier...and certainly a bunch of other pretty basic stuff for a liveaboard cruiser.

If you are just a weekender and 2 week summer cruiser...heck a 36 is probably perfect.

S

[Bilgewater]

No, we do not want a 42 foot boat. Our 36 fits our needs very nicely. And we can afford to operate her. We think she's the perfect boat because she will Drink 6, Dine 4, Sleep 2.

[Irish Rambler]

I lived on a Birchwood 33 for 28 years as a single guy due to a very heavy workload (by choice) with playmates as and when available and managed just fine.
Then when I retired and sailed off into the sunset I met a French lady down on the Canal du Midi en route to Spain.
We've been together now for 6i/2 years and yep, you guessed it ! we need a bit more space for ladies accoutrements, I don't mind as we've just bought a 42 with semi flybridge (to get under bridges) more upper deck lounging space for entertaining.
I still love the Birchwood as a solid go anywhere boat but sadly it's now for sale.
The moral is to buy what suits your needs for a safe comfortable cruising life.

[jwnall]

Originally Posted by Bilgewater

No, we do not want a 42 foot boat. Our 36 fits our needs very nicely. And we can afford to operate her. We think she's the perfect boat because she will Drink 6, Dine 4, Sleep 2.

Very well put! My sentiments exactly.

[Nomad Willy]

We bought a 30 and are wishing for a 32. But not shopping. Mostly due to the cost of moorage.

Looks to me that the best buy in trawlers now is the GB32 in wood. There are some 36' boats that would do for us if they had no exterior wood and didn't need covered moorage. But most all the GBs are powered by the Lehman and require covered moorage. Think we'll just keep our Willard w new engine. It still seems new to us but in fact is almost 10 years old.

Re the posters question most people w boats have 2'itus. That says go for the 42. But wise old salts frequently are scaling down to smaller boats.

Perhaps a better question would be to ask "would I be happier w a 42 wishing I had a 36 or having a 36 wishing I had a 42?

[FlyWright]

I think you'll find a big difference in size even among boats of similar length. Take the 36 Gulfstar and the 34 Californian LRC.

Although the pdf's linked suggest a 2 ft difference, the LOA's are actually within inches. My 34 tapes out at about 36 ft 8. The layout of the GS allows an aft cabin plus a fwd cabin. The MKII has a full width aft cabin without the full length side decks and 2 heads.

The sedan style of the Cal allows for a large cockpit but no aft cabin and the full length walkarounds cut into the saloon width. It has 2 smaller staterooms fwd and one head. One can fish and dive off the Cal easily...not so on the GS.

So consider how many will use it, where you'll go and what you'd like to do. Layout is as important as length...width contributes greatly, too. Then picture yourself doing what you love for weeks on end. Still need more space?

[N4712]

We came very close to buying a 40, but after we toured a 47 we knew after a year of owning the 40 we'd want a 47. So saved ourselves time and got a 47. And there's roomers of a possibly bigger one. Just make sure if you go bigger you can afford the expenses that come with the bigger boat, insurance, moorage, etc.

[Irish Rambler]

Buying a boat is probably the largest purchase after a house and each family have their own aspirations and dreams.
You only get one crack at life so follow your dream if you can, by all means get as much help and advice with your pre-planning so that you make a wise choice.
No two of us are the same and whether it's a 9 ft dinghy or a gentleman's mega yacht go for what you can afford and will be happy with and enjoy every moment.

[roger howell]

Hi,
If you are referring to the GB36 vs the GB42, we are 10 year owners of a GB36, having made 4 one year cruises up and down the East Coast to the Bahamas and back, and a Great Loop excursion. The 42 is appreciably roomier than the 36, but for two people the 36 is fantastic. Slip space is more readily available, horsing it around in locks and docks is much easier, it has about 50 linear feet less of varnished rails and painting the bottom is less like painting the roof of an upside down barn. We have found that the GB classic has too much sleeping space and not enough lounging space for long term cruising, so this year we are sleeping in the vee berth and converting the after cabin into a study. Also, upon reflection, the Europa version might make better sense as it has a larger main salon, however, we are not wild about having to traverse a ladder to get to the bridge. The advice about chartering is spot on, so you can determine for yourself what is best.
Good luck on your adventure.
Roger and Anne

[healhustler]

The Krogen 36 was the only sub-40 ft. mono-hull we were considering at the end. Still, it had the interior cube that was as good as anything we were looking at up to 42, and is more than we need. If there is a regret about going with a shorter vessel, it is that my dream of a stand-up engine room will have to remain a dream for right now. In the sub 40 spectrum, only the Great Harbor N-37 and Krogen 39 offer stand-up, separate engine rooms and as one can see by the prices of those vessels, you've got to pay for it.

[Billylll]

Originally Posted by FlyWright

I think you'll find a big difference in size even among boats of similar length. Take the 36 Gulfstar and the 34 Californian LRC.

Although the pdf's linked suggest a 2 ft difference, the LOA's are actually within inches. My 34 tapes out at about 36 ft 8. The layout of the GS allows an aft cabin plus a fwd cabin. The MKII has a full width aft cabin without the full length side decks and 2 heads.

The sedan style of the Cal allows for a large cockpit but no aft cabin and the full length walkarounds cut into the saloon width. It has 2 smaller staterooms fwd and one head. One can fish and dive off the Cal easily...not so on the GS.

So consider how many will use it, where you'll go and what you'd like to do. Layout is as important as length...width contributes greatly, too. Then picture yourself doing what you love for weeks on end. Still need more space?

Al great comparison of the Gulfstar 36 and the Californian (Sedan preferred). I always wanted a Californian but I could never catch one in decent enough shape here on the East coast. The good ones always seemed to be in the Pacific NW or California. There was a real nice looking one in Ohio. So far I'm pretty happy with the deal I got on my Gulfstar 36 MarkII. Once I get done modernizing the boat and using it with my wife I'll let you know if my opinion's changed. Right now I'm psyched about starting the upgrades this Tuesday. I'm shooting to bring her home to the New Jersey coast before the 4th but that might not be possible.
Bill

[High Wire]

36 works great for us because we still have land ties. Not too big, not too small. Our plan is to use it 2 years and then make some serious decisions on which way we are going.

[BruceK]

Our IG36 is fine for us. One sleeping cabin, convertible dinette, the "selfish couple`s fitout" I call it, with good space to entertain visitors. Of course it depends on your needs and how you plan to use it. I think most couples would be ok at 36, add some kids 42 could well be better.