Looking to get back into a Aft Cabin Motor Yacht. Need some INFO!

Look at a late 80s Viking 44 MY.
6-71 Detroit's bulletproof.
Double hardtops.

I have a 54 Viking aft cabin MY with the 820 Mans and the boat and engines have been very good to me. How about the 42 Hatteras CPMY. Aft cabin with a cockpit. I very much miss not having a cockpit. In fact I am looking for another boat now and will want a cockpit or a large swim platform accessible with steps and not ladders. Bertram had a 42 MY with 6V71s not the prettiest boat but a good one. Hatteras had 2 versions of the 43 aft cabin that typically came with Detroits. Also Viking made a 48 aft cabin which was a longer version of the 44 that MBevis has. Not sure when Sea Ray came out with their 39 and 48 (??) flush deck aft cabin but that could be an option as well. There are some engines that I would rather avoid but I feel like a lot of the longevity and reliability of engines and running gear is directly correlated with how they have been treated regardless of the manufacturer.

They actually made a few if my 44s as a 50. The 44 with a 6ft cockpit attached. That was my perfect boat at the time, but alas non available.

Was there ever a 48? Or were they all 50s?

There were I believe 6-8 of the 48s made. They had a third cabin.

Keep an eye out for an Atlantic 47. USA built in the 80’s.

Problem with these smaller aft cabins are all the steps. Up from salon to aft deck. Up from aft deck to flybridge. And back down. And back up.

you re looking up to 50 and post 1985… that’s very close to some of the Hatteras flush decks like 53, 54 and 56. Much better design in my opinion, budget permitting

A few feet doesn’t impact maintenance much… all will have two engines, two transmissions, two shafts, two props, two rudders, similar steering system, a generator, same electronics etc.

And with the Hatteras you will have fiberglass fuel tanks, not corroding aluminum.., solid copper plumbing not plastic and overall far better quality than carvers or Silvertons and the likes.

"Best" MYs isn't easy to pin down, especially since better quality might not come in a boat with the actual features you're after. Hatteras has a good rep, as does Viking (made by Princess during those years I think)... and then there are less expensive Chevies (or Fords) made by Carver, Cruisers, Silverton, Sea Ray, maybe Regal, TollyCraft, Navigator, maybe others. You could get a copy of the Powerboat Guide and rummage through that for various ideas...

And then sometimes they're called "swift trawlers" or some such. Similar layout, perhaps a semi-displacement (or semi-planing) hull instead of a planing hull... but often with similar MY-like layouts and features.

Engines and "best", ditto. In those years, 2-stroke Detroit Diesels would have been common, but with some CATs, Cummins, MANs and so forth available. too. This is one of those areas where you probably don't want to choose the engine before the boat, and in fact when you find a boat you like -- with the actual features you need/want/prefer -- your choice of engines will often be "what it is is what it is."

-Chris

We love our 1988 Viking 44 MY. A lot of boat for the money. A few are on the market now. Very few 48 and 50 ft versions around and recently I have only seen one of each on the market.
We have Detroit 6-71 TIB for power. As MBevins we have double hard tops also. Many different interior layouts
She does well when Lake Michigan decides to kick up and handles the seas as well as can be expected when they are 6-8 ft.