I searched the forums a little bit and found some discussions that tip-toed around the question but without having any real knowledge whatsoever on the topic all the information was over my head Until I actually understand things, I think in the simplest possible terms being fully aware that some things are difficult to explain in the simplest terms, especially by someone who knows them well.
I'm at least a year from buying a boat. I currently believe it's what I want to do so I'm starting to look at boats and do some research. I'm a critical thinker, self-aware, logical, realistic. I'm not someone who would make a major purchase based on price, aesthetics, what some guy said, etc... I want to buy the right boat for the right reasons. The catch is that it doesn't do any good to quiz me on what I want or hope to get/accomplish because I don't know. I only sort of have some general ideas. I'm reasonably confident that I intend to stay on the loop. I currently don't have any desire or intentions of going out in the open ocean. I'm actually somewhat opposed to that. I currently don't have any intention or desire to go fast. I do have a desire, which is backed by life experience to NOT go into port any more often than necessary.
Based on what little bit I think I know, I have myself convinced that I want a trawler - a full displacement passagemaker. I have myself convinced that I want a DeFever 49. That conviction is not based on any ACTUAL knowledge though. I don't truly know what those things actually mean. I just think I do (in their simplest forms). By "passagemaker" I think - the ability to make long journeys without having to stop (basically). They can carry a lot of fuel and run non-stop for a long time. The more complicated part is the displacement part. What I think I understand about full displacement is that the hull shape absorbs a lot of the movement of the water so the boat feels more stable and the hull design is more efficient at low speeds so they burn less fuel at 6-8 knots. Both of those things sound great, almost necessary... oddly - the stability part of that is the most appealing part to me. Of course I want fuel efficiency but I want to feel stable. With these things in mind, I've been looking almost exclusively at DeFever. It appears that I could get a fairly decent 49' Pilothouse (late 80's model) for around $200K, which is close to my high-end.
But - I've seen other boats that I seemed to like a lot too that in some ways seem nicer than the DeFever and in many cases for a lot less money. Grand Banks, Ocean Alexander, Marine Trader, just to name a few. It is my understanding that none of those are full displacement hull boats though. I also seem to think I want a 49'er or close to it. Part of that is also based on life experiences of buying or building something and then wishing I would have went bigger after it's too late. So I started watching some YouTube videos about people boating on the loop. I found some good ones. Most of them were in semi-displacement boats (which I'm unclear if they can technically be called a trawler). None of them seemed to have any trouble handling the water. I even saw a couple do the loop on a 34'er, which seems ridiculous to me - but they didn't seem to have any trouble.
So I guess it's time for some questions.
1.) Am I putting too much emphasis on displacement? (stability/diesel burn rate)
2.) If it's just me or maybe one other person is 49' too much? I honestly don't think so but I'm curious what other people think - especially because I don't plan on upgrading later. I plan on a one-time purchase that I will keep until I'm done.
I'm sure all said and done it boils down to - almost any loop capable boat is fine as long as it's in good working condition and I don't dislike it, how much boat can I handle and stuff like that. I'm just curious what real boaters will say vs what all the brokers want you to hear.
