Selene vs. Ocean Alexander

You did a remarkably kind thing for an utterly down and out person. To your astonishment, this person turns out to be an angel.

"You have proven yourself noble of heart. WE know that you have always wanted to do the 'Great U', from Alaska to Maine, including the Caribbean. You are granted a choice between a 57 Selene, single engine with a wing, or a 58 Ocean Alexander with twin engines. Both are stabilized, three staterooms, loaded, 2005, 900 hours, etc."

"But," you say, "one is full displacement, the other moderate/semi-/planing, the draft is different, one can get up and go, the other probably uses less fuel at 9 knots, who knows....."

"Look," says the angel, "despite your nobility, I haven't got all day. Take it to Trawler Forum. I will be back in a week."

Which would you choose, and why?

Selena Construction Design Builder Quality Seaworthy. Where do I pick her up ?

My choice would be Selene. We enjoy slow speed cruising, it's much more relaxed. Also, I think it would be more seaworthy and economical having a displacement hull. The dinghy on the other hand would have to go clappers (to quote another thread).

Selene, Hands down, displacement over Semi disp, plus, single engine with get home , over twins , plus, pleasing to look at, plus,plus. layout much better than OA.
I don't know about build quality but I like the list of equipment suppliers quoted by Selene.
The Selene with the 450 HP still has a cruise speed of 10.5 knots and fuel capacity of over 1600 gal (6400 lts)
Cruising creds I think go to the Selene.

Go the Selene no doubt.

Cheers
Benn

I'd go for the 54' single engine OA in the earlier thread...if I could get by with two state rooms . It will get up and go if you need some speed, has the "get home" feature and the legendary OA build quality. Second choice would be the OA twin if you need a bit more space. The full displacement gig is a dock talk fantasy unless you're truly operating blue water. Don't believe Selene is truly up to blue water anyway...

I have an older Ocean Alexander, but my question to the angel before deciding would be: Have all the faults/issues in the original construction of the Selene been fixed already? If the answer was yes, I'd take the Selene.

I went on board a Selene 43 (or thereabouts) in Port Townsend about 18 months ago. There was diesel coming out of the stringers. Sure, built in FRP fuel tanks are great if they are made properly and don't crack.

One of the guys working on my boat had a long and profitable career fixing up Selenes that had a bunch of post delivery issues, but eventually tired of them. Are they worse than Ocean Alexander or others? I really don't know. I was surprised at the length of commissioning being quoted in another thread for new builds. Perhaps this means that Selenes are as good as the other builds being discussed.

But I don't get it. Do it right the first time and it will be cheaper. QA/QC seem to be missing in an awful lot of boat yards.

Skidgear,
Don't worry there have been enough Selenes cross oceans and do circumnavigations.
I have been on board a 47 and a 56 and really liked both of them.
The Selene forum is a good read and the owners forum is open to all where all warts and blisters are discussed openly.
There have been issues and most but not all appear to have been resolved to the owners satisfaction.

Me I am a single engine / boat handler advocate.
More machinery just means more maintenance and I do this for a living.

Cheers
Benn

As an OA owner I'm biased of course...but I would be surprised if anyone could actually prefer the Selene layout over the OA format. And locally, I've witnessed the long, long process of fixing faults in newly delivered Selenes. I could live equally with a single or twins: I think what really matters is engine room access/working space. I'd prefer twins in a stand-up spacious engine room (as I have) over a single in a crawl space, any day

These may be the 2 boats the OP is referring to. We met the owners of Renegade, the Selene, when we were in Bonaire. Very attentive owners, who maintained her in yacht like condition.

Costs being about equal and for what the OP wants to do with the boat, I'm not sure he'll go wrong with either boat. My question to the OP is, "What boat rings your bell when you go on it"? That may be the one.

2005 Ocean Alexander 58 Pilothouse Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

2007 Selene 57 Ocean Trawler Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

I was thinking of this model OA as the larger twin candidate...

2001 65' Ocean Alexander Classico Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

Always Selene, any time any how!!!

skidgear said:

I was thinking of this model OA as the larger twin candidate...

2001 65' Ocean Alexander Classico Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

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I like it. Of the two OA's, I'd take the 2001 over the 2005.

Aquabelle said:

As an OA owner I'm biased of course...

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'Nuff said... I doubt you could go wrong with either boat.

Dave

Great Insights

Thanks for a great discussion. As for new build issues, I think the value in a well equipped used boat is so much greater and the hassle so much less that I wouldn't want to do a new build. I really appreciate the efforts of the original owners in dealing with the new boat bugs. Besides, the angel in the OP says there are very few brokers in the next life and he wants to throw them a bone.

Of the two boats I mentioned, the Selene and the OA, there are about five of each on the market which appear to be very nice. I have been on several of them and they are beautifully maintained. The 57 Selene and the 65 OA are immaculate, so is the 54 OA trawler, all in Seattle. I would agree with many of the posters that a person certainly could be happy with either.

Going around Cape Caution, crossing the Strait of Georgia, bashing on the West Coast, which hull do you think would give you a greater degree of security? On another hull note, would the deeper draft of the Selene preclude some areas of the East Coast and the Caribbean?

I would like to cruise the PNW, Anacortes to Alaska, over the next few years while I am still working. I live in Montana but it is only a 90 minute flight to Seattle. We would then go down the West Coast, Central America, Caribbean, East Coast, sort of the Great U tour. I do not want to cross oceans.

I think the interiors and layouts of either the Selene or the OA would be fine. Think of all the dumps you lived in in college or earlier in your life, and these are essentially luxury homes. My central question is related to safety/comfort during those times when you encounter big water, even along the coasts. Is the OA hull adequate for that, given the advantages of the shallower draft when you get to the Caribbean or the East Coast?

skidgear said:

I'd go for the 54' single engine OA in the earlier thread...if I could get by with two state rooms . It will get up and go if you need some speed, has the "get home" feature and the legendary OA build quality. Second choice would be the OA twin if you need a bit more space. The full displacement gig is a dock talk fantasy unless you're truly operating blue water. Don't believe Selene is truly up to blue water anyway...

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Sorry to disappoint you;

Home | Furthur Adventure

Seattle to San Diego, then to Cabo and Mazatlan- then onto French Polynesia and cruising as far south as Sydney, and as far north as Thailand.

Selene 47.

tkrfxrs said:

I would like to cruise the PNW, Anacortes to Alaska, over the next few years while I am still working. I live in Montana but it is only a 90 minute flight to Seattle. We would then go down the West Coast, Central America, Caribbean, East Coast, sort of the Great U tour. I do not want to cross oceans.

I think the interiors and layouts of either the Selene or the OA would be fine. Think of all the dumps you lived in in college or earlier in your life, and these are essentially luxury homes. My central question is related to safety/comfort during those times when you encounter big water, even along the coasts. Is the OA hull adequate for that, given the advantages of the shallower draft when you get to the Caribbean or the East Coast?

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Adrian Salzer completed just that trip on a 43 Selene over a 3 year period. I think the Selene would complete the trip just fine, and in total safety.