New 80' Yacht Purchase

Well, it's for sale. Why don't you purchase it? Sorry. Couldn't resist.

That's what happens when you try to get a boat built by an insolvent company with a history of problems.

What brand is your current boat?

The line closest in appearance to the Northern marine trawler you like is probably Nordhavn. They tend to be extremely seaworthy, but quite slow and I find the layouts oddly constricted -- a lot of up and down stairs. They seem a bit clumsy for coastal cruising to me. If you want a traditional-looking boat from 60' to 80' that might be a little faster and still seaworthy, you might want to check out Outer Reef, Fleming, Offshore, Grand Banks and Marlow. Viking has just come out with a new motor yacht as well. If you don't mind a little more of a Euro look, consider the Viking-Princess and Sunseeker lines.

The problem is a boat like a Nordhavn is going to be restrictive for the places you want to go due to draft......plus do you want to be stuck doing 10 knots everywhere?

Douglas, the FD 74 Horizon is a nice boat, and have you thought about an Ocean Alexander 85, or even a Marlow. Trying to think out loud for you, and have also sent you a PM as I'm a Lake Erie guy as well.

Have a look at the new Sanlorenzo SX88. There is also an SX72 planned for next summer.

very conservative and short : one experienced full time slave (joke) for cleaning and all-around maintenance , and
one higher level guy (call it captain, master, officer, etc ) to actively HELP the poor guy on long chores plus other more complex/important tasks as , some administrative labor, logs (very important) , preventive care (dont wait for that old impeller to fail in the middle of the atlantic) , budget and money , hire and supervise mechanics and contractors, on board security, check price of supplies to save money , all kind of inspections, schedule maintenance, and so ... this is the MINIMUN required, assuming the owner knows a LOT about yachts that is my case. I am the owner and captain. THIS is what i would do ... If the owner is a useless executive, with no notion on yachts another guy is required for sure on that bracket size. If you dont like to cook or you want to lease the boat, you need inside help as a stewardess. TWO qualify ,well paid, professional and motivated guys, is the MINIMUN on that level. Budget? In miami or southflorida, think about 10% as insurance and others cost are killers .. .. probably at other cheaper locations , like 5% the cost of the boat. Hope it helps .. Of course , a boat for lease is different than a personal yacht. Different dynamics and budgets.

80' NEEDS help to keep it in good condition. Honestly I think is impossible without help .. I am strong and very skilled (also engineer , all my life with large and small boats) and my current 50' is too much for me alone. I have a smart guy helping me every week to keep it fine. my humble oppinion.