New Member

[SIBAB]

Hello all, my name is Regi. My wife and I have made the decision to live aboard (destination TBD) but haven't the slightest clue where to start. My experience with boats have been fishing with my grandad (little 14 footer) and I have had two boats personally (21 ft dixie boat and 22 ft BR). I was initially looking at a Sea Ray 400 sundancer but the more I started reading and looking at youtube (hours on end this week) the more it seemed that a trawler would be the way to go if I'm talking extended periods of time (and I am). Also, I'm all in for any type of training to enhance my knowledge about a particular trawler and of course see navigation so please - advice requested. I was looking at the Beneteau 41 ST (of course used). I see that the Nordhavn seemed to be like an old Toyota Land Cruiser (people will just buy them regardless of age). Is that particular brand the gold standard? Our current timeline is Spring 2023 but I'm not sure I will be able to wait that long and it may be more like spring-summer 2022.

[Peter B]

Welcome to TF, and good luck with your plans. You will find a lot of info on here.

[Pura Vida]

Welcome, good luck with your search.

[Maerin]

Welcome aboard! Your timeline gives you time to study & digest the information you'll need to make a decision.



Get aboard actual boats, speak to folks who are actually doing what you plan. Get familiar with what's available. This venue is a great source of information and unlimited opinion. I'm not sure YouTube is the best source since many of those "experts" are so after having bought a boat and a video cam. Their primary objective is to get traffic & clicks.



Remember, you don't know what you don't know. Any choice will be a compromise, and it's likely that without some real experience, your 1st choice may not be your best work.

[firehoser75]

Welcome and good luck with your search. Checkout Boat search 101 on this forum and search for posts/threads involving boat selection. The 2 boats you mention are quite different, and are really designed for different purposes. First figure out how you plan to use the boat. Off shore or Coastal? Lots of guests or none? Just the 2 of you or children? Short trips or extended cruising? You get the idea. Then, that should help you narrow your choices (at least somewhat) for more indepth study.
Take your time.

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Welcome aboard.