30+ Foot Boat Recommendations

[bkcorwin]

Hello everyone,
I am looking for my next boat and was looking for some recommendations / advice. I have it in my head that I would like at least a 12 knot cruise and be around 30 feet. To that end, I have been researching the albin 28, mainship pilot ii 30, and recently learned of the camano 31.

At the moment I have a 23 foot center console, but my family is growing, and we want to do some cruising in the san juans (we are based out of seattle). I was curious what other boats people might recommend? The albin 28 looks nice, but out west are marginally available, and I have my concerns that there isn't enough cabin space for cruising with two kids.

What if I were to get rid of my desire for a 12 knot cruise? What would people suggest in that 30+ foot range then?

I would like to stay under 100k after negotiations.

Thanks much
Brian

 

[psneeld]

12 knot cruise for most 30 footers is going to be pretty inefficient...you will probably want to go either higher in a planing vessel or much lower in the displacement mode...probably down around 6 knots.

There might be a few semi-displacement designs that will allow some economy at 12...but I'm not familiar with any.

 

[ksanders]

Hello everyone,
I am looking for my next boat and was looking for some recommendations / advice. I have it in my head that I would like at least a 12 knot cruise and be around 30 feet. To that end, I have been researching the albin 28, mainship pilot ii 30, and recently learned of the camano 31.

At the moment I have a 23 foot center console, but my family is growing, and we want to do some cruising in the san juans (we are based out of seattle). I was curious what other boats people might recommend? The albin 28 looks nice, but out west are marginally available, and I have my concerns that there isn't enough cabin space for cruising with two kids.

What if I were to get rid of my desire for a 12 knot cruise? What would people suggest in that 30+ foot range then?

I would like to stay under 100k after negotiations.

Thanks much
Brian

Probably the best boat you could find in a 30' range for the PACNW would be a Bayliner 2859

Its not a trawler, but it is a fantastic boat for a family of four.

Prices for these are often <$50K and its ALLOT of boating for your money. Also they have great resale if you move into a larger boat at a later time.

 

[twiisted71]

These are hardly ever mentioned but you may want to look into them. 15-16 kt cruise with a 6BT Cummins and trim tabs should make a pretty thrifty rig. They also come in 35' versions!

1986 Luhrs Alura Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

 

[Max Simmons]

I like the Albin 28' as well. I'd look for one on the Great Lakes and ship it over here. Would still probably cost less than if you found one local.
Would make a great San Juan cruiser for small family.

 

[ben2go]

One other thing not mentioned is trailering.If you don't plan to trailer the boat,then get a boat with a wider beam.You would be surprised at how much difference one foot of more width will make.

 

[Marin]

The Tollycraft 26 is a very popular boat here in the PNW. As built they are gas powered with a V-drive (avoid like the plague the orignal version with the straight drive). A few have been converted to diesel but most retain their original type power plant. I know several people who have or have had them and they all have great things to say about them.

They'll go plenty fast when you want to but they slow down and run economically when you want to do that. As of before the financial crash, a really nice one typically sold in the mid-$20k range with average ones in the high teens, and "needs work" boats in the low teens or even lower. Don't know what the range is today.

Well made boat and things like cabin structures, interiors, etc. are relatively easy to work on. No or minimal exterior wood trim. A co-worker had one for several years and they took theirs up to Desolation Sound and other BC destinations with no problems in terms of range, seakeeping on the Strait of Georgia, etc.

 

[bkcorwin]

Hi everyone thanks for the input. I will try to respond to all.

psneeld, Understood. The few vessels I have looked at (albin in particular) can cruise at 15 ish knots and make 2-3 mpg. Inefficient in the trawler world, but more efficient than my two stroke outboard, and my fathers twin v8 gas express. It does seem that I am looking for a semi displacement hull if I really want to stick with shooting for a 12 knot cruise.

I am also aware of the bayliners and note their ubiquity when running around edmonds. That said my interactions with bayliner in the 80s were not positive, and I'd rather not go that route. Admittedly, I am sure things have changed much since then.

I will look at the luhrs alura, my understanding is that they were the predecessor to the mainship hulls? Maybe thats incorrect information?

I have extended my search into the great lakes region. The idea of finding a freshwater boat is certainly appealing.

Also understand about the beam. I was looking at 25-27 ranger tugs, but the idea of a larger boat with the same beam as my center console seems like it would be rather small inside.

I will also look at Tolly, i know several people with larger ones but had not considered the smaller sizes.

So since most here seem to be in the full displacement crowd, what if I were to give up my idea of a 12 knot cruise and move to a full displacement trawler. What would people recommend for a 30-35 foot boat keeping it under 100k?

Thanks much
Brian

 

[Marin]

Most of us are not in the displacement crowd but in the semi-planing crowd.

Grand Banks, CHB, Bayliner, deFever, Fleming, Nordic Tug, American Tug, the list goes on, are semi-planing hulls. As such, they can be driven faster than hull speed with the application of more power.

Displacement boats are the Coots, Willards, Krogens, Hatteras (I think), Nordhavns and some one-offs, custom, and fish/workboat conversions.

There are a lot of displacement and semi-displacement cruisers avaialble for under $100k from older Grand Banks to Willards to all sorts of the so-called Taiwan Trawlers (CHB, etc.).

Just remember that the purchase price is just the begining for this type of boat. A good rule of thumb for figuring the ownership cost--- which is everything from insurance and moorage through repairs and upgrades; the only expense it doesn't incude are finance payments---- is about ten percent of the purchase price of the boat per year for as long as you own the boat.

Some years will be more, some less, and the condition of the boat and your ability and willingness to do some of the work yourself will affect the ownership cost. But overall that ten percent of the purchase price per year works out to being pretty accurate.

 

[Moonstruck]

Welcome Brian. You are correct in thinking the Alura is the forerunner of a Mainship line. They evolved into the pilot series. The Mainship Pilot 30 is a good boat with diesel power. The Yanmar 315 hp pushed them along in the upper teens. I like the hardtop model.

Marin mentioned the Tollycraft 26. That is a great boat, but probably hard to find with diesel power. There are some Mainship 30s on this site. You should get a little better than 2mpg at that speed. Someone will know for certain.

Good luck in your search. Stick around.

 

[bkcorwin]

Marin. I have heard the figure 20 % bandied about in the past. Thankfully this is not my first boat, so I fully understand that purchase price is only part of the story. We just dumped 3-4 boat units into my center console which at this point, isn't worth a whole lot.
Thanks for the welcomes all.

Interesting, I had thought grand banks was a displacement hull, I am much more familiar with planing hulls.

I think the camano 31 option is pretty interesting, especially when vis a vis the mainship pilots/albins. I like the "express"/pilot style of boat true north, hinkley, Moonstruck's sabre, but am thinking that perhaps the style of the camano/grandbanks with more enclosed living space may be more useful for a family with small children.

Maybe a 32 grand banks is an option as well.

Brian

 

[Woodsong]

If you want a faster cruise, of all the boats out there that you have mentioned and have been mentioned, the one I would go towards when factoring in cost, quality, durability, resale ability, etc. I would go for the Mainship 30 pilot- great boats for the $$$. If you go for a trawler cruise only there are lots of options- island gypsy 32, Albin 36, GB 36, Monk 36, etc. The older Mainship 34 sedans with a single diesel are also good boats and very affordable.

 

[Marin]

Camano is also, of course, a semi-planing hull.

Toward the end of its run the standard engines in a Grand Banks 42 were a pair of 400-something hp Cats. These engines can push the GB42 along at a sustained cruise of some 14-15 knots. Of course they burn some 23 gph to do it. But at about 9 knots, the same engines burn about 7 or 8 gph.

Even our old GB36 with it's two FL120s can get well over 9 knots at full throttle, but you wouldn't want to do that very long. We did it for just a few minutes once to get rpm data for the prop shop that was going to rework our props. Other than that, the engines have never been above 1800 rpm in the last 14 years ( we cruise at about 1650).

I think you find that in the production cruising boat world there are actually very few displacement boats. Most, like Grand Banks, are semi-planing or, in the case of boats like the Eastbay, planing.

 

[twiisted71]

There is a nice island gypsy in the classifiers for $70k. Might be worth shipping crosscountry? Luhrs, mainship, and Silverton were all in bed together at one time or another. My mainship 34 III with the HP Perkins can putz along at 1400 doing just over7 kts burning 2-2.5 gph or can push up to 12-13 kts! I have no idea of the gph at that speed but neither the boat or I are happy at that speed.
another boat if you still want the speed is the 31 Shamrock grandslam

 

[Carey]

Check out the Commander 30. They are built in British Columbia to very high standards, and come complete with plates and silverware. There are a fair number for sale used, in both Washington and British Columbia.

This has got to be the best layed out boat with the absolute best use of space of any boat I know.

http://www.canmaryachts.com/downloads/Commander30_InformationSheet.pdf

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1996/Commander-30-2267325/Seattle/WA/United-States

 

[ksanders]

I forgot the Norstar boats. Top quality, but pricey as well.

 

[GREGGWESTERFIELD]

Man, you should look at the IG 32 on this forum. It doesn't go 12k, but it is a beautiful boat for 3/4 of your budget. I have a GB 32, but if I had seen this one.....

 

[dwhatty]

Man, you should look at the IG 32 on this forum. It doesn't go 12k, but it is a beautiful boat for 3/4 of your budget. I have a GB 32, but if I had seen this one.....

We managed to hit 13.7 kts once. Haven't managed to do it again since our prop is now slightly overpitched, but regularly can hit mid to high 12's with a half load. Of course the fuel burn is then about 4 times what it is at 8 kts.

 

[SOMERS]

Mainship 30 / 11

Hello everyone,
I am looking for my next boat and was looking for some recommendations / advice. I have it in my head that I would like at least a 12 knot cruise and be around 30 feet. To that end, I have been researching the albin 28, mainship pilot ii 30, and recently learned of the camano 31.

At the moment I have a 23 foot center console, but my family is growing, and we want to do some cruising in the san juans (we are based out of seattle). I was curious what other boats people might recommend? The albin 28 looks nice, but out west are marginally available, and I have my concerns that there isn't enough cabin space for cruising with two kids.

What if I were to get rid of my desire for a 12 knot cruise? What would people suggest in that 30+ foot range then?

I would like to stay under 100k after negotiations.

Thanks much
Brian

I doubt that you would be able to get a Mainship 30 / 11
for 100 k even during hard times.

It goes this way

Which is worth more 100 k in the bank or 100k boat you can play with, conversely the bank plays with your money. Who is having the most fun ?
You might consider paying a fair price remember one day you will want to sell that boat and want a fair price.