evansrr
Veteran Member
I'm having a great time in my Camano 31 cruising the Chesapeake but I'm kicking around the thought of a live aboard size boat in five years when I retire. The Admiral is not a big boat enthusiast but she enjoys an occasional cruise and staying on the boat for a night now and then in our home port of Baltimore. The Camano is a great weekend boat, especially for me to single hand but I'm sure that the lack of living space is one reason she is not that into boating.
When looking for a boat initially she was attracted by the livable space and design of the cruiser / small motor yachts. One that she liked was a Carver 355 aft cabin. Roomy, with great livability I'm sure it would be quite comfortable. Not sure what would be a good setup in five years but if I were to do that today I could get a late 90s 355 for as little as $80K. From there the thought would be to rip out the Crusaders and gas generator and re power with twin 75 hp diesels and diesel generator. Some also came with 330 hp Cummins diesels that would be closer to 100k and might be a better choice for re power.
I've never driven a large planing hull boat so I really don't know how they handle at slow speeds but in the long no wake zone out of Baltimore they all seem ride very level at 6 knots. I would figure displacement speed at around 7 knots. I can live with that.
Crazy? Brilliant?
When looking for a boat initially she was attracted by the livable space and design of the cruiser / small motor yachts. One that she liked was a Carver 355 aft cabin. Roomy, with great livability I'm sure it would be quite comfortable. Not sure what would be a good setup in five years but if I were to do that today I could get a late 90s 355 for as little as $80K. From there the thought would be to rip out the Crusaders and gas generator and re power with twin 75 hp diesels and diesel generator. Some also came with 330 hp Cummins diesels that would be closer to 100k and might be a better choice for re power.
I've never driven a large planing hull boat so I really don't know how they handle at slow speeds but in the long no wake zone out of Baltimore they all seem ride very level at 6 knots. I would figure displacement speed at around 7 knots. I can live with that.
Crazy? Brilliant?