Boat searching online

We have been looking online for a cruising/live aboard powerboat for at least 6 months. Requirements are: Ideal for 2 people (do not need multiple berths), diesel, under 60', propane galley, minimum brightwork (no teak decks), dingy/davit system, under $450K, hull speed Hp is all that is needed (no need for 900 Hp), easily handled by 2 (we are 68 and 70 fit and healthy, past boat owners/experienced). Pluses are : bow thruster, washer/dryer, solar.

We recently did a 4200 mi road trip to Florida looking for such a vessel. Very disappointing to say the least - but what we realized was we did not want to do this in Florida - even though I was raised in Florida. We are looking to do this adventure in the PNW, where I have also lived and cruised (Seattle/UW Graduate).

Looking on Yachtworld, Boat Trader, even Craigslist daily for months. Any thoughts on other searching possibilities ?

Wine47 said:

We have been looking online for a cruising/live aboard powerboat for at least 6 months. Requirements are: Ideal for 2 people (do not need multiple berths), diesel, under 60', propane galley, minimum brightwork (no teak decks), dingy/davit system, under $450K, hull speed Hp is all that is needed (no need for 900 Hp), easily handled by 2 (we are 68 and 70 fit and healthy, past boat owners/experienced). Pluses are : bow thruster, washer/dryer, solar.

We recently did a 4200 mi road trip to Florida looking for such a vessel. Very disappointing to say the least - but what we realized was we did not want to do this in Florida - even though I was raised in Florida. We are looking to do this adventure in the PNW, where I have also lived and cruised (Seattle/UW Graduate).

Looking on Yachtworld, Boat Trader, even Craigslist daily for months. Any thoughts on other searching possibilities ?

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I too was searching in Florida for couple months for 11 weeks- traveling all over --seeing poorly maintained and overpriced junk everywhere. Just as I was about to give up I found my boat and bought it! So yours is out there too----and probably in Florida,so don't give up.

It seems to me there are a huge number of boats available in that price range. Maybe you can be more specific about what it is you are, and aren't looking for?

To me, what you listed puts you in the low to mid 40 ft range. You won't find many sub 40 ft boats with a washer dryer set.
Yachtworld Advanced Search
Power
Trawler
Price 40000 to 450000
Material All
38 to 50 feet
Fuel Diesel
# of engines All
Then limit your search to the West and PNW Coast

My search turned up 139 hits.
Plus you can save the search and email you new vessel listing that match your criteria.

With that budget, you should have been able to see at least some decent boats. I wonder why you have only been shown junk? Given you said powerboat not trawler, you have lots of options:
I have friends who have everything you are looking for in a 2002, 57’ Carver. Under $500k. Not the boat of choice for the majority of this forum but a truly liveaboard coastal cruiser. Until we know more about your preferences we could suggest probably 40 brands.
I’m on a 1988, 53’ Cheoy Lee, solo. Also has everything you are looking for, including price point. Except I have electric galley. Induction cooktop has rapid response and in my opinion, equivalent to gas. I keep the gas outside the boat on a grill on the boat deck.
A Bayliner 4788 might work for you. There is a nice blog of a couple who has one purchased for under $200k on the inter web. (Technomadia)
Or a Kady Krogan if you can find one at your price point.
So why don’t you tell us what you have looked at and we can garner an idea about your tastes in boats?

I see you are in Dallas. I bought my boat in Houston. Some nice choices in that area.

I have seen a lot of complaints about boats in Florida being misrepresented and being junk. Haven't seen the same negative comments about PNW boats or even Great Lakes boats. Why not start out by going to the west coast Trawlerfest?

Online search

My question is what other forums/websites am I missing in our search. Yes we live in Dallas but that has not hindered our search. Yes, I have gone with Advanced search mode, price, diesel, location with Yachtworld, Boat Trader, Craigslist.
From research, we do not want a Carver, Bayliner (no Hinos), Kady Krogan does not work for us. Not looking for a "cookie cutter" boat. A Nordland 65 enticed us in Seattle, but it is a "project boat" - not what we are looking for. What has interested us is a Grand Banks Alaskan w/o teak decks - one was recently available in Washington, but sold. Wooden hull "might" work for us if done/maintained right, we have owned wooden boats in the past. Tollycraft is high on what we like. 6-71N DD diesel's would be desirable along with Cummins 5.9 non turbo. We think it will need to be 50 - 60'.

The newer Bayliner motoryachts have Cummins engines not Hinos.

Hino is a Toyota subsidiary. Neighbors with a Bayliner 4588 don`t seem unhappy with their Hinos. I think one of our Mods has Hinos in a 4788, not heard him complain about them. The 4588/4788 get a good rap on TF, though if only they used lighter color trim in the PH cave.....
Does your price range take you into Selene and Nordhaven territory?

Several FB pages with some good listings and trawlers for sale I actually bought mine on craigslists 6 years ago but knowing what I know now I think I would find a broker I trusted and let him do the work for me

Seattle probably has the largest concentration of Ocean Alexanders in the country. If you like the larger Tolleycraft, you will probably like the OA offerings. Most are semi-planning hulls with appropriately sized diesels. There are also a number of OAs on the Great Lakes as there was a dealer in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin for many years. Given that Great Lakes boats are in the water about one third of the year, they are often in remarkably nice condition and worth a premium. Same for NW boats as they suffer less from the ravages of exposure to the hot sun and warm water.

You may want to try Boats.com

Here's the thing... All boats are compromises. There is no perfect boat... (Well, except Eric and Mark. They seem to have boats with perfect EVERYTHING) ;-) If you have searched that extensively and came up empty, you are going to have to let go of some of your criteria. Just sayin'... Good luck with your search.

I think you have covered the best search engines. I would try reducing your search criteria. Remove the Trawler category. There are a lot of Raised Pilothouses that meet your criteria. You might be surprised at how people categorize their own boats.
It is all a matter of time and patience. I have been looking to go up to a 50' boat for over a year and just have not made the right connections.

By FB, do you mean Facebook ? Not on that. I have been searching for "powerboat", not a specific powerboat. Some engines we will not have, Cat's over 375Hp, 8.2 4 stroke diesel (can't get parts), Hino's - same issue. We know it is a compromise, teak decks NO. Had a wooden sailboat in Sausalito with teak decks I reefed and caulked myself. The issue is not the teak, it is what is under it. Have not seen an Ocean Alexander w/o teak decks. I know elec to propane is doable ~ $5K. Care and condition of boat including engine room is critical for us. Thanks for the responses.

Wine47 said:

By FB, do you mean Facebook ? Not on that. I have been searching for "powerboat", not a specific powerboat. Some engines we will not have, Cat's over 375Hp, 8.2 4 stroke diesel (can't get parts), Hino's - same issue. We know it is a compromise, teak decks NO. Had a wooden sailboat in Sausalito with teak decks I reefed and caulked myself. The issue is not the teak, it is what is under it. Have not seen an Ocean Alexander w/o teak decks. I know elec to propane is doable ~ $5K. Care and condition of boat including engine room is critical for us. Thanks for the responses.

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Yes On the FB= Facebook so many listed

What about a Nordic 42 or American Tug 41? My NT 42 came back to SW Florida from California. The ones without a bridge are easy to truck.

Mine is a 2006 and similar ones are in your stated price range.

Wine47 said:

.. Have not seen an Ocean Alexander w/o teak decks. Care and condition of boat including engine room is critical for us. Thanks for the responses.

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There are lots of newer OAs without teak decks. ,Our boat has a small patch of teak in the cockpit only. Sundeck, side walkways, and bow are all fiberglass. This Great Lakes boat ,which I have been aboard, also has the small patch on the cockpit...it's an OA thing. This is a very nice boat...great engines....maybe a little high on the asking price, but it's in super condition.


http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/199...RGEON-BAY/WI/United-States?refSource=enhanced listing#.Ws5eNuSG_4g

No teak decks, propane stove, washer, etc... But wrong coast.

2002 DeFever Raised Pilothouse Trawler Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

Why not consider this. Under $450, 52’ and I think meets all your requirements.

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/200...tates?refSource=enhanced listing#.Ws7HB4plChA

Go Huskies!

If you're goal is to cruise the PNW have you considered using a broker in the area to help with your search? I've seen some smaller KKs, smaller Nordhavns, North Pacifics and one or two Selene's already sitting in and around Puget Sound that meet your criteria (but you'd be more in the 45' range instead of 60').

TrawlerFest is coming up in Bremerton...might be worth a flight.