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Old 03-04-2016, 05:56 PM   #13
FlyWright
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City: California Delta
Vessel Name: FlyWright
Vessel Model: 1977 Marshall Californian 34 LRC
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 13,728
"I'd like to find a 30-40 boat that needs some work to save money. Any good books or other resources to recommend? Does your experience tell you there isn't much savings to be had by my own labor? What should one spend on a 30-40 foot diesel trawler worthy of summering on the Great Lakes?"

I think 32 ft is a point at which a diesel makes more sense than gas engines. If you're shopping for a 35-40 ft diesel cruiser/trawler, you can expect to spend anything north of $40,000 for an operating-but-in-need-of-attention boat. The bigger, newer and nicer, the farther north of $40K you get.

Want a Nordic Tug or a Nordhavn or an Ocean Alex or a Grand Banks? You'll need to dig a lot deeper into your wallet. Want a 30-40 yr old Taiwan Trawler (TT) like a CHB, Nova, Jefferson, Marine Trader or PT with good mechanicals and strong bones but needs some updated interior, electronics and exterior TLC? Maybe you can buy in for $60K or less but expect to spend lots to update.

I think one of the best values on the market today are the Bayliner PH models like the 4788. Lots of bang for the buck and well suited for the Great Lakes and coastal cruising. You can probably pick a decent one up for a tad over $100K.

One feature I'd insist upon for that area is a generator, air conditioning and decent bug screens. In CA those features are not required and, in fact, didn't come on my boat. I do carry a Honda generator, though.
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