What boat would upgrade to - in 40-50 foot range

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E n Joy

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Hi, new to the forum & looking for a little advice.

We live in Vancouver BC and are looking to upgrade our 2001 Regal 2960 to a 40 - 50 foot cruiser. If you had your choice of boats in this range with a budget of up to $200,000 Canadian ($140,000 USD) what would your number 1 choice be. We would like it to be 1985 or newer, 40 - 50 foot, twin engine diesel, 2 staterooms with shower stalls, wide open kitchen (lots of natural light), capable of cruising from Vancouver to Alaska (summer cruising).
What do you have and why do you love it, or if you were trade up, what would your number 1 choice be?
 
Hi, new to the forum & looking for a little advice.

We live in Vancouver BC and are looking to upgrade our 2001 Regal 2960 to a 40 - 50 foot cruiser. If you had your choice of boats in this range with a budget of up to $200,000 Canadian ($140,000 USD) what would your number 1 choice be. We would like it to be 1985 or newer, 40 - 50 foot, twin engine diesel, 2 staterooms with shower stalls, wide open kitchen (lots of natural light), capable of cruising from Vancouver to Alaska (summer cruising).
What do you have and why do you love it, or if you were trade up, what would your number 1 choice be?

Before Covid, which has driven up the prices for decent trawlers, I know of two very separate purchases of older GB 42s in Vancouver. Both are older than the age you suggest, both cost more than you have in your budget. Start looking, but don't expect to get exactly what you presently desire for that price, or if you do, don't expect to be able to go to Alaska without spending considerably more than your present budget, in total.
 
Go to Yachtworld.com. And search 40-50’ boats. See what looks good to you, then come back and ask opinions on the boats you liked. You have not provided enough data for the forum to Guide you properly. Everyone is different so everyone will send you in a different direction until we know what floats your boat.
 
Agree with both posters.
You have a start, that is what you hope to use the boat for. Now, what features are wants, nice to have, and DO NOT WANT. Once you have that figured out, it will narrow the field a bit.
Be aware, that if buying an older boat (unless you are unbelievably lucky) you should budget for repairs, maintenance (to get a good starting point), and undates/changes to "make it your own". In the first couple of years, we spent over $35,000 Can. on our boat, and it was in excellent condition!! To go to Alaska, you would want your boat to be in "tip top" shape before departing, as in many areas you would be far from help.

Good luck.
 
Welcome aboard. I would make a list of must/want to haves. Then a list of must not haves. Yachtworld is a good resource. However they have removed the advanced search function in the US version so I use the UK website. In the upper right corner is a flag, click on it and you can pick what country you want to use. In the advanced search you can narrow down what you see. If you use the UK version remember to change meters to feet and use US dollars or the prices will be in pounds, I think it is pounds. Good luck and enjoy the search.
 
Bought a Bayliner 4788 this year in Vancouver, BC. We looked at a number of boats which would fit your description and budget but they were all projects. Are you looking to take on a project or looking for something with minimal issues? Based on our search, you need to up your budget considerably to get a reliable boat with minimal $ needed.
 
Based on my own searching, with many similar criteria, I think you are priced about $30k-50k USD low in your budget, unless you are willing to have a project. Especially in the PNW/West Coast area.
 
Yes, I have heard there is a shortage of boats to buy, both new and used.
Today, I went to the local bike shop to buy bikes to give to the Salvation Army so they can give them to kids who normally would not get a bike for Christmas.
In the past I would get a significant discount because I would buy more than 10 bikes. Not this year. Seems due to C19 there is a world wide shortage of bikes.
So instead of 15+ bikes, I could only buy 10. BUT, I did get a 25% discount on the 10 bike bells. SMILE
The bikes I buy are the size for a first time small child.
 
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In the PNW with the limited criteria you mentioned, I would probably be looking at the well known and plentiful Bayliner 4588’s or 4788’s.
 
What boat to upgrade to

I would say a KK-42.

Kadey-Krogen 42 is what I would recommend.

Good luck.

Alfa Mike
 
KK42 is a single engine. A DeFever 44 checks all his boxes but I agree with an earlier poster that the price will approach $200K.
I would say a KK-42.

Kadey-Krogen 42 is what I would recommend.

Good luck.

Alfa Mike
 
I really like my boat. If I came across a 50 to 60' Flemming for $140,000, I would buy it, probably regardless of condition. That's not going to happen, but you didn't say anything about reality. So, I will stay with what I have and periodically dream.

Ted
 
Yes, I have heard there is a shortage of boats to buy, both new and used.
Today, I went to the local bike shop to buy bikes to give to the Salvation Army so they can give them to kids who normally would not get a bike for Christmas.
In the past I would get a significant discount because I would buy more than 10 bikes. Not this year. Seems due to C19 there is a world wide shortage of bikes.
So instead of 15+ bikes, I could only buy 10. BUT, I did get a 25% discount on the 10 bike bells. SMILE
The bikes I buy are the size for a first time small child.

What a great (and very generous) idea! Kudos to you, OldDan1943. :thumb:
 
Lotsa Bayliners up there that may fit the bill....although the recent surge in boat sales might have put them out of your price range. Don't look away from boats like Carver. The 4207/440/445 are an evolution of the same boat and offer HUGE acommodations for the size. The 4207 started in the late 80s. And the 445 think was made through 1999. Early models powered with Cat...usually 3208. The the Cat 3116 or 3126. THen the latest models by the Cummins 6CTA.
 
Hi, new to the forum & looking for a little advice.

We live in Vancouver BC and are looking to upgrade our 2001 Regal 2960 to a 40 - 50 foot cruiser. If you had your choice of boats in this range with a budget of up to $200,000 Canadian ($140,000 USD) what would your number 1 choice be. We would like it to be 1985 or newer, 40 - 50 foot, twin engine diesel, 2 staterooms with shower stalls, wide open kitchen (lots of natural light), capable of cruising from Vancouver to Alaska (summer cruising).
What do you have and why do you love it, or if you were trade up, what would your number 1 choice be?

So, aside from my previous post, are you wanting a fast cruise or displacement speeds? Also, do you want a pilothouse or at least a helm separate from the saloon/galley, or are you comfortable with having the lower helm in the saloon? Also, fly bridge, yes or no?

In thinking about your budget I've thought of some exceptions - in addition to the Defever 44 Offshore Cruiser you might find a Defever 48 (Offshore Cruiser) in your price range though I haven't seen any for sale lately. There are models of both manufactured after 1985. Both models in good condition will probably be at the very top of your price range or over, though I've seen examples of both for sale for five figures. Many or maybe all DF48's came with three "staterooms", a large and two smalls. I was shopping these for a while but the ones on the market appear to have sold and I have decided that while underway at the helm I would like to have a little separation from family goings-on for safety and sanity sake as one of my "must-haves", which put the DF48 and most GBs in this class at the bottom of the list.

Info on both: https://www.hmy.com/yachts-for-sale/defever/44-offshore-cruiser/
https://www.hmy.com/yachts-for-sale/defever/48-offshore-cruiser/
 
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I would recommend the AT41 but, even the 'used' market is way over you budget. I just checked.
The AT34 appears to be in the mid to upper $200K.
 
I would recommend the AT41 but, even the 'used' market is way over you budget. I just checked.
The AT34 appears to be in the mid to upper $200K.

Yeah....well beyond budget.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies. I guess I should clarify my question.
I'm not looking for an exact fit for my wants, I mostly would like to know which are the boats to stay away from and which are the best boats to look for in the year range of approx 1980 - 2001 (ignore price for now)
Criteria - 40-50 foot, semi displacement, excellent quality build, very little negative reports, excellent in cruising the pacific northwest
Second question, regardless of boat model would be engines to stay clear of but I can search that info based on the boat in question.

Thanks again
 
Then look at the American Tug 41 with a Cummins
 
I would stay away from Volvo engines, hard to get parts and when you can get them they are very pricey. Cummins, Deere, Lehmans are good engines. Lehmans are getting older but American Diesel provides excellent support. Detroits run great and parts are cheap and any diesel mechanic can work on them but they are noisy and tend to leak oil, but did I mention they run and run. Cummins are a great engine and are very plentiful in the market so parts are readily available.
 
I like Cummins but I would stay away from the 555. I like Detroit’s and Cat’s but I don’t like the ones that are HP maxed out. Volvo’s aren’t generally a deal killer for the right boat and I think highly of the D series but the Volvo haters have good reasons to hate Volvo’s. I like Yanmar’s but I’ve never worked with a 30 year old Yanmar. Lehman’s and Perkins are good if properly matched to the boat. John Deer (Luggers) and Gardner’s are simply the best but not the best for all applications.
 
What boat 40-50 foot

48 Camargue. only 50 or so made, 88 to 92. Mine has twin cats, aft cabin, two heads w/showers, flybridge, nice sized cockpit. Fiberglass. Take a look if you can find one.
 
You have some of the best sea worthy quality built boats available in the PNW like Uniflite & Tollycraft.
A bit above your price range, but Uniflite 48 Rainmaker is available for $175K USD at BBB, she originally started at $275K CAD with Calibre Yachts.

https://bananabeltboats.com/boats-for-sale/1983-uniflite-48-convertible-anacortes-us-7540024/
 
we just spent a year looking for a fleming, we purchased a 95 and had to ship it, I can tell you you're 3x low on price (before $60k shipping) then we budgeted for $250k to repair and upgrade the 25 year old boat to feel comfortable cruising in PNW.
 
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