31 days ( who's counting ) boatless ,- sold - now what ?

[JOY-SEA]

Pulled trigger , took advantage of this hot market
Pre-pandemic express cruisers were slow sellers
Here in central fla brokers ( especially broker at my marina) did not want listing
Now their eager for those listings

Previous boat was a 30 ft express cruiser , twin 6 cylinder volvo penta engines and IO drives
Figuring take a little time off from boating
Not really boatless, have 14 ft fishing kayak , enjoying launching into lagoons fishing in 1 - 2 feet of water , piece & quiet , no engines , no noise , no fuel use , no marina fees , NOTHING ,, Just me & mother nature , ,
soon all the new boat owners will be selling , that pretty white boat looks so nice in beginning never realizing the costs, work involved

I am concerned on next boat

We are a retired couple early 70's
Next boat nothing bigger then 35 feet
Must have access too all areas , especially engine room
Must be fregual on fuel consumption

Previous boat burned 1 gallon a mile
we want too cruse weeks at a time coastline of Fl

Boats that broker is sending too me are motor yachts , Carver , Silverton , type , multiple rooms , majority have 8 cylinder gas engines , they have the look and comforts of home with room except I am afraid of gas engines ,
I dont have a mfg or model ,

Older trawlers have a lot of teak , dark rooms , I can adjust too a lot but wife
would not like that look , She like modern ,

Dont want too end up with another
Sea Ray type gas guzzler engines and IOS

some imput on models would be appreciated
Late 90 's early 2000 within my budget

Thanks

 

[GeorgiaSeafarer]

What's your budget?

 

[Comodave]

We were looking to downsize and go to gas engines since there are no marine diesel mechanics in our area. We ended up with a bigger boat with bigger diesels and love it.

 

[JOY-SEA]

DAVE - I had just the opposite , years ago I had boat in Cape Canaveral
Big fishing community , Sport fisherman , center consoles , out boards
Marina offered no engine repairs , allowed outside for a fee
If there were any gas engine repair guys , they were few , majority was Diesel
Few guys I contacted , when they heard what type of boat I had did not want too work on that boat ,
Saying easier too pull engines then repair in place , needed a shop with hoist,
Larger boats have engine room clearance

Now I am Daytona ( was before selling ) found plenty of gas repair guys , plus a number of small repair shops with hoists that preformed work for me ,

RE : budget , I did not want too indiate , I said my budget was late 90's early 2000's sould be sufficient

You know that saying if you can afford a boat then dont cry about fuel ,
I use my boat a lot wanted too buy lot smarter then my previous boat
Dont want too jump into another pretty boat not functional in many areas

 

[firehoser75]

With the little info you have provided, and the vast number and type of boats, I will take a "shot in the dark" and suggest a Nordic Tug 32 or possibly an American Tug 34? Both boats have diesels with "reasonable" ER's and access, both get about 2 gallons per hour of fuel burn at about 7 knots, and both capable (with much larger fuel burns) of cruising at 12 knots (but almost all owners do not use them that way). Single cabins (sleeping), full pilothouse, and good sized galleys/salons. Single engines so less cost for maintenance and repairs compared to twins. No exterior wood, but interior is a combination of wood (traditional) and white panelling (more modern).

Great boats (for many people) with good reputations, but they tend to hold their value (cost more) than many other brands.

 

[rgano]

Is there a speed consideration?

 

[ranger58sb]

Boats that broker is sending too me are motor yachts , Carver , Silverton , type , multiple rooms , majority have 8 cylinder gas engines , they have the look and comforts of home with room except I am afraid of gas engines ,
I dont have a mfg or model ,

Must be fregual on fuel consumption

One thing you might be able to do is tell that broker doofus DIESEL ONLY... not to waster your time with gas listings.

And then another is you can choose diesel only when looking at yachtworld.com listings.

A third option might be to get a copy of the Powerboat Guide and look to see what models/layouts you might like. The PBG isn't all inclusive; many boat models are missing, but you might make some progress that way... especially because the softcopy version is keyword-searchable for various features you might want.

Many boats can be fuel frugal, if you mostly drive them slow.

-Chris

 

[GeorgiaSeafarer]

"RE : budget , I did not want too indiate , I said my budget was late 90's early 2000's sould be sufficient"

Actually its not.

Nordhavn 35 about $300,000
Mainship 350 About $200,000
President35, Carver 3607, Mainship 34 MY (with diesels) about $100,000

Most of these boats will have larger diesels but are economical if run at hull speed. The last category can be hard to find with diesels but they are out there.

 

[Simi 60]

Next boat nothing bigger then 35 feet
Must have access too all areas , especially engine room
Must be fregual on fuel consumption

Sounds like.......

Mind you, your version of engine room access and mine may differ.