Another New Guy

[scarletbison]

Greetings everyone.* Another new guy here - not a boat owner yet but a well established member of the OPB club.* Boating goes back to my very beginnings as my family took me on their little 24' cuddy sailboat on Lake Geneva as a 1 yr old and then again in Sydney Harbor* on another small sailboat.* Pretty auspicious beginnings that I doubt will be repeated anytime soon.

My first real exposure to powerboats (as it were) was living in Thailand and taking "klong boats" (long narrow river boat/buses with a 4 cylinder car engine mounted on a pivot at the stern with 10 ft shaft sticking back into the water with a bare 2 or 3 blad prop).* These were regular 'buses' to school or other areas since we lived right on a klong when I was a school kid.

Flash forward a few years to living within 45 minutes of Long Island Sound and having access to friend with sailboats, fishing boats, etc.*

Flash forward to fresh out of college, living in Baltimore and taking advantage of being so close to the great cruising waters of the Chesapeake but being limited by time and cash.

I'll forgoe the rest of the already long story (probably bored most of you already

)to bring it to this, I am a married stay at home Dad to 8 and 4 yr old girls, land locked in NJ and beginning the process of learning about what boat, trawler or other, will be best for :

- Cruising with a Family perhaps for a live-aboard adventure for a year (after several charters to determine if its realistic)
- Cruising mostly coastal waters but the ability to handle some rough stuff
- As a former sailor I'm not interested in going real fast, only going straight up and not on a heal.* Also want the ability to go right at the wind

I've blathered on for too long.* Anyone going to the Trawler Fest in Baltimore on Sunday, I'll see you there.

The ScarletBison

 

[Baker]

What type of boats are you initially "inclined" to???

And what type of boats do you think you need???

I will say that you will need a boat with two cabins...one for you and your wife...the other for your girls. That is likely what you NEED.

Now what do you want???

Will your girls be happy sleeping in the same berth?? If so, that will help. But a true V-berth set up should give them enough room and allow y'all to have the aft berth in a 2 berth boat. Also, some bigger sedans would put y'all in the bow(master) and them in a pullman type set up or bunks. They would be closer to y'all in a sedan set up....if that is important.

Anyway, now I am blathering. Tell us more?

 

[scarletbison]

Well,

I've always been inclined to the Grand Banks style of trawler/cruiser as evidenced by my HS art projects being sketches of a 1979 GB42.* Lately I've been thinking of the kadey-krogen and nordhavns as the pinnacle to aspire to but not for several years if not a decade.* I don't want to waste a lot of time waiting for the ideal boat.* As many on this forum have said, the idea is to get out on the water with family and friends for good times (and bad too I suppose).

In terms of what I think I need at this early stage in my dreaming is:

30-40 ft.

2 cabins (as you stated for separation from the girls, and not having to make a bed up every night in the saloon)

2 helms - one on a flybridge that can be enclosed to extend the season* here in the north east.

single engine is fine at this stage of the game but would definitely want at least a *bow thruster

Being here in central NJ also has it disadvantages in terms of location to cruising areas.* I'm just over 2 hours to the head of the Chesapeake, 1 hr to Jersey City and New York Harbor and prob 2+ hours to Conn and some good long Island Sound Ports.
(Are there any members that have experience keeping boats in those areas?* I imagine it is very expensive)

One thing I am interested in studying more is purchasing in a Charter fleet or boat share arrangement.* Does anone have experience with that?

 

[Baker]

And your budget....that is the big one??? You can get anything you want....for a price!!!!

And if you are going to enclose the flybridge, why do you need a lower helm??? *That is somewhat of a rhetorical question but something to think about. *I, personally, would not go thru the expense of enclosing the flybridge if my lower helm was "useable".


-- Edited by Baker on Tuesday 21st of September 2010 08:50:41 PM

 

[Forkliftt]

I count agree more John. Patricia wants the "canvas package" on the sundeck and an enclosed flybridge but fortunatley we can't afford it yet. I like being exposed to the elements (except the sun) and an enclosure would take away from that. Our lower helm is usable- and I gotta say on a few 42 degree mornings running from downstairs almost seems too good to be true. But most of the time - it's the flybridge.
I do see SO many vessels enclosed. So it must have some appeal. But not for me.

 

[Steve]

When I first got interested in trawlers I bought a book "Powerboat Guide to Motoryachts and Trawlers" by McKnew and Parker. It has information on most models built since 1980 they list the specifications and their opinion of pros and cons on the boats reviewed. I recommend it highly.
It is listed on Amazon.
Steve W.

 

[scarletbison]

Thanks Steve for the recommendation.*

Are there any other recommendations on books or blogs?

* I expect this to be at least a year or two process probably more. As an engineer I tend towards analysis paralysis but I'll try to be more proactive and have concrete steps in the process like research (reading, going to boat shows), testing (charters, time on other peoples boats), developing a list of needs, wants, and wishes,* searching , evaluating against budgets, finding a boat that fits and jumping in (after ofcourse - survey, engine survey,title survey, etc)

 

[FF]

The big question ios how much work do you want to do?

Recently an Albin 36 was at our dock , and went for $25K.

Great , amazing for a power boat refrigeration setup .

But fuel tanks were needing replacement , or at least a port chopped in and a cleaning.

And as usual on a TT the deck needed the teak scraped off and the deck reinforced and made water tight.

ALL done , it would probably pull $75K.

Look in the Florida Mariner for boats that will be priced 25% to 50% lower than in the NE.

Welcome Aboard!