Closing in on oursearch for new boat

hrk said:

Thanks for welcome and some useful suggestions. I am new to forum style conversation so pardon my way of communicating. As we make progress in choosing our boat and building process begins, i am sure to be back with deveral questions.

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If you're headed down the "build" route, check out mvtanglewood.com (author is a frequent TF contributor-Twisted Tree) and KensBlog.com. If memory serves, Tanglewood started out with a GB42 and is now on his second Nordhavn build. Ken is also a serial Nordhavn owner though has now gone with a 60 foot Palm Beach (GB) to better suit his intended cruising grounds. I mention these two not because of their boats, but because they are both excellent writers who are quite candid in their design choices. Good reads from incredibly knowledgeable owners.

Good luck

Peter

hrk, First off:

Welcome to the Forum!

Secondly, please don't let a few posters discourage you from continuing to ask questions and learn. There are a lot of really great people here who are consistently willing to spend their time to help out other boaters. It constantly amazes me how much help they have been to my wife and I over the years!
As mentioned above, it would help if you could give us an idea of whether you are looking at new build, used, WELL used, etc.

Also, what your maintenance skills may be, as often there are boats for sale that are really good bargains if the new owner is willing to put in some sweat equity to bring them up to standards. It also helps them to get to know their boats, and so be better prepared to respond to issues if away from the dock.
Thirdly, if you go to "User CP" on the task bar, Select "Settings and Options", then "Edit Ignore List", make insertions as necessary. You may find the function useful to enhance your viewing enjoyment!

Best of luck in getting answers to your questions here on the forum!

hrk said:

We are a couple residing in washington DC. 60’s. newbie - transitioning from sailing to boating. Until recently, we owned 40’ Freedom for over twelve years and cruised between Cheasapeake bay and Penobscot bay in Maine. Most of last five years summer were spent down east Maine. As we got older, and wife got serious about retirement one day soon, we started thinking of transitioning to live-aboard life style. For living comfort and age issues, owning trawlers is where we are. We rented grand banks 46, few months ago and motored in San Juan islands -washington stage. Loved the experience, so we are now searching seriously for a boat. Our plans are to mostly stay on east coast, Maine to Florida and Bahamas in first year of being full-time cruiser but we do see ourselves, going to caribbean (we sailed there for quite a few years and love warm waters, different culture, food etc.) and some day cross panama canal and explore west coast too including Alaska. Being a newbie and having taken a decision to go for full displacement, new build of semi-custom boat, we look forward to advice from fellow trawlers on this forum on whole lot of issues as we embark on a new journey. Current home is washington DC.

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Did you all actually read this ,these are people are looking to live aboard a boat cruise the East Coast for a while then take the boat maybe as far as through the Panama Canal and to Alaska . Can you explain to me why I was Chastised for recommending seahorse marine ,they also mentioned semi custom exactly what seahorse marine does . Buy whatever Boat you want a grand Banks or one of the other so-called trawlers doesn’t remotely fit the question they Posed .Can they be used for that purpose I suppose . They do offer nice creature comforts for protected waters but that’s not what they asked for

backinblue said:

Personal choice, I wouldn't want an old boat with unsually low hours. I'd rather have a boat that is used often and maintained properly. I'm trying to understand Scooby's point about finding boats that are still full of original fuel. Maybe I missed the point but why would this be a plus?

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You seem like an intelligent guy .That was my point exactly why would you why would you let the Boat sit and rot in the first place. well that all too frequently is what happens that was my point .What a shame

For gods sake give it a rest. This is the welcome mat. It’s not about you or anyone responding to you. For someone claiming to not be thin skinned, you are proving to be the dictionary definition of it. If you can read, The OP did not ask for a recommendation, from you or anyone else.

With a welcome mat, the stranger walks up, introduces themselves and says why they are there. The owner graciously welcomes them and invites them in.

But here, the prepubescent sibling rivals rush out the door past mom and dad and get into a scuffle over who took the last cookie. One continues with a tantrum long after it is clear they will never get the cookie.

The stranger smiles politely and says kids will be kids and passing through the door, rolls his eyes nearly out of their sockets.

I’ll agree with you time to give it a rest not for your psychology 101 BS .I am on a soap box it is pointless this website drives me absolutely insane with horrible advice ,I’ve been in the bushes for years not wanted to comment .Have a lot time on my hands lately

Scooby5959 said:

You seem like an intelligent guy .That was my point exactly why would you why would you let the Boat sit and rot in the first place. well that all too frequently is what happens that was my point .What a shame

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Ok sorry, I misunderstood your post. I thought you were saying it was a good thing to find an old boat that hasn't been used. My bad, carry on.

Scooby5959 said:

Did you all actually read this ,these are people are looking to live aboard a boat cruise the East Coast for a while then take the boat maybe as far as through the Panama Canal and to Alaska . Can you explain to me why I was Chastised for recommending seahorse marine ,they also mentioned semi custom exactly what seahorse marine does . Buy whatever Boat you want a grand Banks or one of the other so-called trawlers doesn’t remotely fit the question they Posed .Can they be used for that purpose I suppose . They do offer nice creature comforts for protected waters but that’s not what they asked for

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There are many, many, many suitable options - mind you that as a past delivery captain, I've been from Cabo to Alaska dozens of times, and from California to Florida twice. I personally believe that while the DD is certainly capable of completing the trip safely, it would not be in my top 10 if I had a choice. Chesapeake to Alaska is probably close to 6500-7000 nms (13k+ round trip). I'd want a DD for the 600nm leg up the Caribbean - roughly 5% of the trip. Not sure steel in warm waters would be my first choice, not sure Seahorse would be the builder of choice.

You are not chastised for advocating for a boat you admire, but rather the characterization of all else as somehow inadequate. That your opinion trumps all other.

Truth is that if I had $750k to spend on a boat to do offshore coastal work such as Alaska to Maine, would be a very difficult decision. No idea what I would chose but it would not be a DD. Wouldn't be the Willard 36 I already own but since I own it, I'll make the adjustment needed to take it. Same thing I'd do if I owned a GB42 or even a GB36. A guy I knew cruised sn old Uniflite 42 from SF to Costa Rica and back. If that's the boat I happened to own when time came to cruise, I'd make adjustments rather than go through time, expense, and brain damage of agonizing over the perfect boat. Point being is there are 100s of different styles, each one is perfect for someone. Apparently, the DD is perfect for Scooby. So perfect that it's inconceivable for him that anyone could arrive at a different selection. For me, I love boats and they are a passion. But in the end its not about the boat- its about the life you generate around it. Honestly, I have nothing negative to say about dock queens, especially if they are uses even if they never leave thr slip. Nothing wrong with hanging out on a boat in a marina if that's what you'd like to do. I once knew a young couple who bought an old sailboat and spent 3 years fixing it up at thr slip to head off cruising. They finally left and returned a few months later- they loved living on a boat but cruising was not their cup of tea.

The OP has the luxury (and burden) of a blank slate. I hope they continue to share their choices and adventures. Its fun to live through the eyes of others. I learn a lot.

Finally, I would bet good money that thr most common recreational vessel transiting the Panama Canal is not a trawler, not even a sailboat. But rather a sport fisher.

Peter