Sold Last Boat Now Looking Again!

Hello Everyone,
New to forum but not to boating. Just sold our 1978 Tollycraft 30' Sedan Flybridge. Really loved the boat but the engineroom was getting to be just too much for working on. Plus the wife and I both would like some more overall room in the sleeping area etc.

We are looking for a boat in the 36-48' category, would prefer a semi-displacement hull and diesel (single or twin). Living in the Seattle area I would like to make it a goal to travel up to Alaska one day so the boat would need to be stout for sure. Budget wise I'm thinking of trying to stay under $150K. Really do not want outside wood, the simpler the better and that goes for all the systems on the boat.

Just took a tour of the American Tug factory and really liked what I saw, but no way I could afford that...unless the lottery ticket I bought this weekend hits!

I like the Great Harbour N-37 but looks like they are only on the East coast. I have been looking online at some older Ocean Alexander's which look like they might fit the bill. Even some of the bigger Tollycrafts, they are built like tanks just need to find the right size/stuff relationship.

Well enough about me for now, I'm sure you will see me trolling around the site learning as much as I can.
Thanks,
Dickson

Welcome to the forum Dickson. Good luck in your quest.

Glad you can join this motley crew.

Suggest you consider the Bayliners. The boats are well built and the prices are reasonable and there should be a good supply on the left coast.

Bayliners like all boats have good and bad, owned one years ago. I just don't see them making the cut in the engineroom dept, both size wise and never been a big fan of the hino's.

150K could get you an older Grand Banks 36 in decent shape. BUT... GBs are not maintenance-free boats by any means. For the last 17 years owned a GB36 from the first batch of fiberglass GBs ever made and I've come to think of fiberglass GBs as wood boats with a fiberglass shell. Everything other than the hull and superstructure exterior is wood. And the older ones have a rainforest of external teak trim to keep up, And a teak deck on almost all of them, old or new.

So one should not think of a GB as a use-and-forget kind of boat. But as a coastal cruiser, particulalry for cruising the PNW, BC Coast, and SE Alaska they are ideal. The GB36 can be had in single or twin configurations throughout their production life (1966-early 2000s). The larger GBs are all twins except for some of the GB42s from the woody days into the earlier fiberglass years and there may be some other exceptions.

Not sure what your engine room requirements are, but our GB36 has two FL120s and a large Onan generator in the engine room along with fuel tanks, batteries, water pumps, and assorted plumbing. I can get around in it but it's not like walking around inside Boeing's Everett plant. When we decided to have the fuel lift pump on the starboad engine replaced (due to FL120's infamous leaking gasket syndrome) we hired our diesel shop to do it (it's a very easy job) simply because I didn't want to mess with getting round to the outboard side of the engine.

Somewhat similar cruising boats to the GB that are popular in this area (which means the used market is pretty good) are CHBs.

The larger Tollycrafts are also excellent boats for this region.

Nordic Tug has been around since the early 1980s and their line has grown from the initial NT26 to include 32, 34, 37 and even larger models. Personally I think the NT is superior to the AT although both boats are very well made. Aesthetically I think the NT is far superior to the AT, although that is, of course, a totally subjective opinion. NTs have been popular from the outset so that means a better selection on the used market.

Other brands I see in this area are Mainship and Californian. I know virtually nothing about these boats in terms of quality, efficiency, and operation, but their popularlity would indicate that they are excellent boats for cruising these waters.

DDorr said:

Bayliners like all boats have good and bad, owned one years ago. I just don't see them making the cut in the engineroom dept, both size wise and never been a big fan of the hino's.

Click to expand...

Then consider one with Cummings then...

DDorr said:

Bayliners like all boats have good and bad, owned one years ago. I just don't see them making the cut in the engineroom dept, both size wise and never been a big fan of the hino's.

Click to expand...

The engine room on almost all boats <50' is going to be fairly similar size wise. There are a very few notable exceptions, but very few.

The simple fact is that with almost any boat that size the engine(s) are going to be beneath the salon floor. The engine room will be as high as the engines and probably not much more than that.

The problem is that there is not really a way to do it any differently. The Defevers have a tall engine room, but few other boats have this feature, Bayliners included.

You can choose your reason for not prefering the Bayliners, heck everyone has their preferences. Just be careful, because if you choose based on engine room The Bayliners have allot of company in that regard.

This is a live shot of my engine room.

I could raise the price a bit to get it more in line with your budget, and she's begging to go to Alaska


http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s9/1984-38-ocean-alexander-20034.html

ksanders said:

This is a live shot of my engine room.

Click to expand...

Hard to tell if it's a video or an image!

FlyWright said:

Hard to tell if it's a video or an image!

Click to expand...

Its a snapshot of the live feed

Cool thing is that the cameras have sound as well so I can listen for anything funky going on.

That IS cool. Mine are visual only and no streaming video. But my video looks just like an image unless you look very closely at the alternator belt.

FlyWright said:

That IS cool. Mine are visual only and no streaming video. But my video looks just like an image unless you look very closely at the alternator belt.

Click to expand...

Sometimes when I'm at work I access one of the cameras pointing outside and watch the birds, and the boats, etc...

Hello, Dickson. We have just put our 1984 Marine Trader Trawler up for sale. It's a 38' Double Cabin. It only has 450 hours on the single Lehman Diesel. Air conditioning, heat, 3KW Inverter with six new 6 volt golf cart batteries. Both stations have GPS, Depth and VHS. Newer screens and covers for all windows, doors and hatches. A recent survey was completed on this boat. Lots of room and well within your budget.

Steve

ksanders said:

This is a live shot of my engine room.

Click to expand...

What camera system are you using and is it WiFi enabled? That's really cool...

clynn said:

What camera system are you using and is it WiFi enabled? That's really cool...

Click to expand...

Just a simple $79 Dlink camera from Amazon.com

The cameras connect wirelesslly to our boats cellular based network.

Hi, I have a 1992 Monk for sale it might be what you are looking for .
Single perkins 2.5 gal hour cruise . Tons of room in the engine room .
Price is $114,900 and is ready to go . You can see my ad on boat trader.com

Pat 413-575-2674

ksanders said:

The engine room on almost all boats <50' is going to be fairly similar.

The problem is that there is not really a way to do it any differently. The Defevers have a tall engine room, but few other boats have this feature, Bayliners included.

Click to expand...

Sorry--and at the risk of becoming an East coast version of Mark--I couldn't resist.

angus99 said:

Sorry--and at the risk of becoming an East coast version of Mark--I couldn't resist.

Click to expand...

Yep, gotta love the Defever engine rooms.

Welcome gotta luv them for sure