Boat shopping

[Seevee]

Hi,

New to forum and shopping. Looking for a Loop boat to use for two of us on Loop trip over a few years and then downsize to a smaller boat.

Looked at a really nice 98 35.5 aft cabin boat that had some nice features and a few that I don't believe I could live with. The cabin was excellent, plenty roomy and comfortable. Galley was fine, a bit small but doable. Heads were outstanding, and the aft cabin state room was very nice.

The things that made is a no deal was very poor access to the engine and gen. And, I'm not sure the aft cabin would work well for me, with the sun deck over it. I think I'd rather have the "sun deck" area part of the aft cockpit and have more "outside" space.

Also, it showed a bit of age compared to the boats I've been looking at. Saw a 35 Regal the same day, just a few years newer that looked immaculate in comparison, but it has some issues, too.

Overall the Carver 35 I saw was a really nice boat, but wouldn't mine just a tad bigger. Mainly to allow for some water toys like kayaks/windsurfers and more cockpit area.

Also, would like the hoist to put toys on the back of the helm area, like a lot of trawlers have, but like the comforts of a cruiser.... not sure what's available.

What would be the next step up?

Seevee

[Lyndon670]

Welcome aboard.

I think you need to make a list of needs and wants before you start looking. I have met many people that go out and fall in love with a boat and end up buying it, without really knowing what else is out there.

MY or Express? - A MY has far more room than a comarable express cruiser, but an express may be easier to handle for 2 people. You said you were planning on doing the loop - on our side of the border, there are 42 locks, 2 basin lift locks and 1 marine railway. Buying a boat that is too much to handle for 2 people could spell catastophy for both your marraige and the trip. Also makes the difference from having a cockput or an aft stateroom.

Gas or Diesel - comes down to maintenance and economics. Diesel you will pay up front and will cost you more to maintain than gas but will offer you better economy. I met a looper a couple of years ago who has been doing the loop every year - each year he stayed at my marina for a couple of days. Before starting the loop, he installed 2 remanufactured 8.1 gas engines into his 37ft Silverton. If I remember correctly, his fuel bill each year was between 23 and 27K USD.

None of the boats in this category will offer you "ease" of maintenance for all of your systems. They are designed for usability and practical space, not ease of maintenance.

I have had a 34' express cruiser, a 42 Convertible Sedan (sportfish) and our current 50 MY. My wife prefers the cockpit of the 42 but I prefer the space of the MY. Her and I brought my 50 MY from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay through all of the 45 locks by ourselves. It's doable, but we also had done the trip a few times and were quite experienced with the area.

Make your list - grab a coffee and start looking on Yachtworld.

If I was to dao the loop, I couldn't think of a better boat to do it on than a 355. They have enough space to live comfortably, can still get up and run when needed and offer a great blend of purposes.

[g36]

If the 355 is in the running as far as aftcabin but you want better access to engines and genset look at carver 405 theres quite abit more room. the boat itself is a bit larger same basic look outside. we really enjoy ours

[bud37]

Welcome to the forum......so a couple things to add to the above recommendations. The first would be to check out the looper forums and try to buy a boat from someone who has done the loop. The reason being would be that all the extra stuff, thrusters,electronics,electrical upgrades etc would be there without you having to spend a year preparing the boat......another point is to watch out for height issues, as there are some places where you could run into problems.
There was a woman up here a couple years ago by herself doing the loop in a 28' trawler type, so who's to say what is perfect......there is more but its a start.....

[tomschauer]

After many express cruisers, the wife talked me into an aft cabin. I must say, after only one weekend (didn't even leave the dock) I was hooked. No more crawling out of the express aft cabin. Lots of windows and light for those not so perfect weather days, plenty of room to move around and not trip over each other. The 355 is large enough to give us the room we need and small enough that I can handle it myself without issue.
the 405 is a bit bigger and feels roomier. It was our first choice until we found a deal on a 355 we couldn't pass up. After running both models, if I were to go with the 405 for a great loop trip, I believe I would want the diesels. It is heavy enough to put a really good load on the big block chevy motors, even the 502 ci. The 355 is fairly economical (for a boat) with the 454's.

[RGrew176]

I remember reading an article in Lakeland Boating magazine around 1990 or so where a couple did the loop in a 20' Bayliner Capri. It can be done but larger boats do offer more comforts.

[Midnight Sun]

I would definitely go with diesels if I wanted a loop boat as the economy will be well worth the initial investment with all those hours you will be putting on. Never realized how economical in comparison to gassers they really are until I owned one. As for the boat, way to personal a decision to help you out in that respect.

[Viper]

I wouldn't do it with anything other than a diesel for a few reasons but mostly because of fuel usage/cost as this would be a huge portion of the budget.

There are two schools of thought regarding the number of engines; some prefer to go single engine, again because fuel costs would be lower than twins, while others prefer twins as they offer redundancy should one fail in an area far from a service facility.

[tomschauer]

As for the access to engines and such. The aft cabin engine access may be a bit inconvenient, having to move furniture etc. But I found when the weather is poor is the best time to do your regular maintenance. You have heat or a/c and you don't get wet!!!!! You just can't change fuel filters when the wife is onboard.

[Midnightsun]

Source of the post As for the access to engines and such. The aft cabin engine access may be a bit inconvenient, having to move furniture etc. But I found when the weather is poor is the best time to do your regular maintenance. You have heat or a/c and you don't get wet!!!!! You just can't change fuel filters when the wife is onboard.

I also thought salon access was rather dumb but realized with my first flybridge it was way more convenient than cockpit access for all the reasons you mentioned. I do hope I never need to do an engine swap though as this will be a major feat.