What would you buy?

[ron17571]

That part about the wife. Get that in order first. I recommend something smaller and cheaper on fuel that you will actually use. Go slower and use less fuel and not beat yourself to death. But buy whatever makes you happy.

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Ummm.....some clarification. "Displacement Planing" are mutually exclusive. It's either a displacement hull, a semi-displacement hull, or a planing hull. These numbers seem really high to me. As a past long-range delivery skipper of powerboats, I can offer some real-world examples:

1. Nordhavn 57. 4500 nms from Long Beach to Ft Lauderdale. 500 hours, 3000 gallons of diesel. Works out to 6 gph, 1.5 nmpg. Averaged 9-kts. Engine was a Lugger 6-cylinder (300 hp)

2. Cheoy Lee 65, a massive twin trawler/motoryacht. Pair of Cat 3208s at around 220 hp each. San Francisco to Hawaii (then on to Tahiti and Austrailia). 7.5 kt average, burned 6 gph total for the two engines

3. Willard 36 (sistership to my boat). San Diego to Hawaii. 2400 nms over 15-days. Around 6.2-kts, burned 330 gallons of diesel (0.9 gph).

4. Willard 40. Long Beach to La Paz. 1000 nms. Burned 1.25 gph and averaged 7.2 kts.

5. Horizon Power Cat 52 (2014) with a pair of Cummins' 550 hp. A beautiful 3-stateroom boat. St Petersburg FL to Dry Tortugas, 450 nms round trip. 36 gph combined at 18-kts (0.5 nm per gallon). At +-kts, boat burns under 7 gph, so under around 1.1 nmpg.

I hope these numbers help.

Peter

My 1996 Gemini 105 cat gets 11 mpg at 7mph. Burns .7gph

[CarlF]

The problem with your current plan is that you'll get really, really bored with trips to the same few places. After a year the boat will sit in its slip.

There's a middle ground that many cruisers do that is in-between "live-aboard" and day trips. It works well for many retired couples where the wife doesn't want to give up the house ashore or live on a boat full time.

I call it "meet you there". The boat becomes the movable vacation house. Some years the "house" is in the Bahamas. Or Key West. Or New England. You would move the boat there with friends (once you are retired you won't believe how many of your retired friends will jump at the chance for a week long boat delivery trip).

You wife would fly in and spend two weeks to a month on the boat then fly home. You work your way up to her spending 25% of the year on the boat but in little steps.

This route is a bit more expensive than moving onto a boat but not that much compared to your current plan. Most places have marina pricing that is pretty reasonable if done by the month. Not much more per month than annual pricing.

And you might have four round trip plane flights a year for you wife (and probably a few for yourself too as everyone will be happier if you live at home about half the year)

In buying a boat, the trick is to find a boat that your wife will really enjoy living two weeks on. This is pretty simple. A large bed with a new mattress. Electric head and separate shower. A washer/dryer. A genset to run a hair dryer. Don't get a lot of berths. Have room for only one other couple (and never let them stay more than 5 nights).

Over time you may find that your wife enjoys helping move the boat - as long as she knows she's going to be home in two weeks.

[themediadoctor]

Something like this. There are a lot of 1980s-90s vintage Taiwan-built modified hull boats out there at reasonable prices. If you plan to spend a lot of time aboard, you'll want more space than you think. They're fuel efficient at hull speed and can get up to 15-20kts if the need arises. Buy for mechanical reliability and for space and design and then upgrade as needed. This one runs 1.5mpg at ~10 kts, cruises at 15 and will go 20 if you have the need (and the fuel to burn). I sold a Regency 46 a few years ago that performed similarly. My advice -- look for something with Cat 3208s. I've owned Cats, Cummins and now Detroit 8v92s; Cats were my favorite. Smooth running and if you take care of them they'll probably outlast you: Vista Yacht For Sale – Classic Yacht For Sale

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Astropin

Funny observation:

This place is called "Cruisers Forum". It's also 98.5% about sailing.

I'm 53...I've been around boats my whole life. Cruisers were ALWAYS powerboats to me. Sailboats were sailboats...or possibly "cats" (in some cases) or a "sailing yacht". But never "cruisers".

Guess I've been living in a "bubble".

The difference may be it's use as a verb or a noun?

[BoomerTC]

I’m pretty much in the same spot. Retiring in 9 years, what will I buy??? For me, I started looking at names but then decided on features. And while I’m still refining here’s my least FWIW:

1) Blue water capable - I don’t plan on going back and forth across the pond frequently, but I can see once each way at least.
2) Big enough bed for me and my wife to sleep in comfortably. That alone puts us in the 40’+ range. Island type bed
3) Separate shower enclosure. Doesn’t have to be it’s own room but I don’t want to have to shower curtain off the toilet and sink.
4) Electric toilets - these can be added but I want them
5) Cutter rig
6) Large cockpit (she doesn’t want a center cockpit)
7) Shallow draft, either a lifting keel or other feature that can dry out the boat.
8) Probably a deck salon

So far, I’ve settled on (in order of preference)
1) Sirius 40
2) Moody 40
3) Southerly 42

Focusing on features rather than picking a specific builder really helped me narrow it down. I don’t include things I can add after the fact but more so on layout and structure things that I can’t change.

Now if only I could afford them...

[Icarus]

God only knows how things will be in 7 odd years in the future.
Just look what happened over the last few month in the world.
Just keep looking around what actual works for others.
Doesn't mean it works for you.
My first circumnavigation in 1973 was done in a 34ft home build steel yacht, no electronics, gas lights, compass, charts, sextant and tables a 8hp diesel 2 batteries, Aries self steering vane.
40 years later I owned 4 different yachts..found out bigger is better.
Simple is good.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Icarus

God only knows how things will be in 7 odd years in the future.
Just look what happened over the last few month in the world.
Just keep looking around what actual works for others.
Doesn't mean it works for you.
My first circumnavigation in 1973 was done in a 34ft home build steel yacht, no electronics, gas lights, compass, charts, sextant and tables a 8hp diesel 2 batteries, Aries self steering vane.
40 years later I owned 4 different yachts..found out bigger is better.
Simple is good.

Simple is good, less to fail. Not saying complicated is bad but the simple should be there as a backup.