We have been doing the Bahamas from Florida since we bought our '97 40' Mainship Sedan Bridge in '01. It's a great boat for a couple, even with a couple of kids in the bunks. We have had our granddaughter and as many as three friends for a week at a time over there. Drawback in my mind is only one head, but other than that, a lot of room for a 40' boat.
Our boat is a chevy, not a rolls-royce, and we use it accordingly. Yep, we've been caught on crossings in storms that I considered severe, probably 5-7' seas, and we didn't sink, but we weren't comfortable either. And down below was a mess. But that is the exception. Normal calm crossings are done at 6-7 kts, with essentially no fuel burn on the 4 cylinder Yanmars, yet the ability to pop up to 17 kts cruise @ 20 gph if we want/have to.
Would I love a Nordhauven, you bet. Do I expect to ever own one, even though I could afford it? Probably not. Too many other interest as well as boating.
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