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Recommendations for a 55’ - 65’ express cruising boat

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Nep6012, Jun 24, 2018.

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  1. Nep6012, Jun 24, 2018
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    Nep6012

    Nep6012 New Member

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    I'm looking for recommendations for a 55’ - 65’ express boat that my wife and I can cruise ourselves with our dogs. Our last boat was a 60’ flybridge boat that had a lot of room, but we have concluded that a fully enclosed express boat without the fly bridge is much more practical for the two of us and the dogs.

    We live in SE Florida and want something that would be 1) comfortable to live on for a couple of weeks at a time, and 2) a good running boat when the wind kicks up offshore in open water. The one thing that is a must for my wife is a full beam midship master stateroom, which narrows the field. Our budget is around $600k, maybe slightly more for the right boat.

    A few other requirements include 24kn+ cruise speed, reasonably well designed electrical and other systems that are accessible, and safe boarding options from a fixed dock.

    We thought we found a good fit in a 2009 62 McKinna Express, but we recently missed out on that one. Unfortunately, there was only one of those built with the full beam master.

    Based on research and some personal observation, I don’t think the Italian boats are for me….but I want to stay open minded. I've read mixed opinions about the Sunseeker Predator 62 but have no first hand knowledge.

    Greatly appreciate any insights.
  2. Capt J, Jun 24, 2018
    #2
    Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Find a nice 62' Sunseeker predator. It's one of the best riding yachts in it's class. I've managed a 2007 for the past 7 years. One of my favorites. Should cruise 26.5-30 knots depending on fuel load/weight at 86 gph. Nicely laid out, everything is accessible and I'm 6'3 and 230 lbs. I've managed Mckinna's as well over the years, you didn't miss out on anything.
  3. Capt Ralph, Jun 24, 2018
    #3
    Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    The Sunseeker looks like near twice the boat over the McKinna.
    Like SleeRay, they added a bunch of LOA and junk in the asp (McKinna) that still sells for bux per foot.
    Looking at the videos, the Sunseeker was riding 2 foot and wide swells much better.
  4. Capt Ralph, Jun 24, 2018
    #4
    Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    How does Pershing price into your search?

    You have to remember, these are cruising (at speed) yachts.
    They suck going slow to save fuel.
  5. PacBlue, Jun 25, 2018
    #5
    PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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  6. Pascal, Jun 25, 2018
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    Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    If your dogs are real dogs :) pay attention to ease of boarding. Most European boats are not designed for the US market and often lack side boarding options like gates and easy access to put in boarding stairs. Including most sunseekers. Climbing over stylish rounded hull sides is a pita even without dogs.

    Floating docks helps but not too common in so fl and then builders ruin swimplatform boarding by tapering the platform so it s a huge leap.

    Are these circuit beeaker panels on each side of the genny in the seeker? Behind the engines? Must be fun to reach after a run...
  7. YachtForums, Jun 25, 2018
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    YachtForums

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    Seekers and Rays are a dime a dozen. I always thought the McKinna stood out in the express segment. The joinery and interior finishes rival more expensive boats and the elevated superstructure is the best vantage point I've seen on an express, plus it has a dedicated cockpit for the casting inclined. The layouts of Garret Martin's boats generally favor function over style, unlike the typical express buyer 'seeking' to make a statement. If the price is right, McKinna makes sense to me.

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  8. PacBlue, Jun 25, 2018
    #8
    PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    The McKinna looks to be a somewhat odd combination of a Sportfishing Cockpit and a smallish mezzanine deck that looks fwd at sliding doors. The outdoor entertainment areas don't really flow well with the helm location and she doesn't seem to be as fast as the competition.
  9. Capt J, Jun 25, 2018
    #9
    Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I took care of one for a few months. The steps going down from the helm level to the galley were short and very steep and a deal breaker for most people too. I always thought of it as an after thought boat where they just took a normal hull and started throwing various things at it.

    I've run that 62' Predator I manage all over hell and back......to Charleston and Back from Ft. Laud, Naples, Key West, Exumas a few times, elsewhere in the Bahamas. It is an INCREDIBLE sea boat. It rides very nice at hull speed also.....around 9.X knots......The layout is very good on it as well. It handles turns like it's on rails.....of all the boats I run (150 per year) it is one of my favorites.
  10. Nep6012, Jun 25, 2018
    #10
    Nep6012

    Nep6012 New Member

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    I really liked the McKinna 62. According to Garret, Recess (shown in the picture) was the only 2 stateroom 62 they built with the large midship master. I agree the cockpit was a bit odd for a cruising boat. It's the size of a 65 Viking sportfish cockpit, although the boat is not a serious fishing boat. It would however be very functional for Bahamas diving and deep drop fishing so I liked it. The interior was very well laid out and very nicely finished. Recess just sold so I literally "missed the boat" on that one.

    There are a few 62 Predators around so I plan to take a look. Pershing all look to be a around the $1m range so out of my budget.

    There are two Italian boats in SE FL that are near my budget range with interior layouts that may work- Sessa C54 and Uniesse 55S. From what I have read, they look to be on the mid to upper quality end of Italian boats, but not sure about the engineering and ride. Worth a look?
  11. Capt J, Jun 25, 2018
    #11
    Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Stay away from those Italian brands.....I offloaded a brand new Uniesse 55 and delivered her to the carribbean she had major problems. Another nice running boat and nice layout was the mid to late 2000s 55' Neptunus…….I put lots of miles on those as well. But make sure to get one with the sliding glass rear door......
  12. Nep6012, Jun 25, 2018
    #12
    Nep6012

    Nep6012 New Member

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    I agree about the steep steps. My wife did not like those steps at all. The only safe way to go down the steps was to turn around like a ladder. That was the main reason we were not more aggressive on our offer.
  13. Nep6012, Jun 25, 2018
    #13
    Nep6012

    Nep6012 New Member

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    We looked at the 55 Neptunus. We liked the lower area galley and staterooms but the upper salon has a lot of bare white fiberglass and looks half finished.
  14. YachtForums, Jun 25, 2018
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    YachtForums

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    It's been about 10 years since I was aboard the Neptunus express so I can't recall all the details, but on the subject of steep ladders, access to the engine room was thru an aft deck hatch that was pretty skinny. Let me refine that description... it was like squeezing into a wetsuit after Thanksgiving.
  15. YachtForums, Jun 25, 2018
    #15
    YachtForums

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  16. Capt J, Jun 25, 2018
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    Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    The ones with the glass sliding door are finished like the rest of the yachts interior with the woodwork.
  17. Zud, Jun 25, 2018
    #17
    Zud

    Zud Senior Member

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    we love our 2002 neptunus although its a flybridge the expresses that we looked at were very nicely appointed in the salon area. I agree with Captn J, nice boat, ER access is down a ladder in the cockpit but once in... there is ample room to move around both engines inboard and outboard. Took 4 and 6 foot seas off NJ fairly well in my opinion...no one barfed during the 8 hrs. Give em a look, well within your budget
  18. Nep6012, Jun 26, 2018
    #18
    Nep6012

    Nep6012 New Member

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    I will be looking at a 62 Sunseeker Predator in the next few days.

    What about the 52 Predator? Looks like a nice stateroom layout. The only one I saw had Volvo IPS. How's the ride on the 52?
  19. Liam, Jun 26, 2018
    #19
    Liam

    Liam Senior Member

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    Sunseeker Predators 62 or 64 run much better with 1200hp and I would also prefer MTU to Man engines, even tough performance delivery is great with boat.

    The Uniesse 55 is a great boat (the sportfish express inspired 57 is much better), but the boat was not designed for surface drives so it did not run particularly great with them.
    I also think they did not get the CoG perfect in the Uniesse 55, something which usually the Italians are pretty good at.
    But the hull should be very good since it was designed by Walt Walters and Jim Wynn of Magnum Marine fame.
  20. amgscrap, Jun 26, 2018
    #20
    amgscrap

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    I had owned a 52 Pred with IPS. It should be noted that the boat was not specifically designed for IPS but used a jack shaft so the engines would fit. It ran well. The major drawback was the electrical power. It had one cord for 50 amp service. Electrically it was terribly underpowered. I had to always energy manage by shutting off items so other items could run. Also the engine compartment was a nightmare to work in. It was next to impossible to even check the oil on the port engine since the dip stick was on the port side of the engine.
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