Long Range Cruising Vessel - Starting the research

Lots of suitable boats depending on your ability to deal with upgrades. A 1988 Kadey Krogen 54 with twin Lehman Fords; several Grand Banks 49 MY's; One or two Ocean Alexander MK1 50's; and two Hatteras 58 LR cruisers are on the market. The Hatteras 58 LRC is a fine boat but both of the ones for sale are on the West Coast.

Judy Waldman of JW Yachts in Ft. Lauderdale has been specializing in long-range cruising boats for many years. She is highly-regarded by many contributors on this forum.

Great minds think alike. I DM'd this boat yesterday.

Im going to lurk on this thread... Im debating moving away from a sportfish and more into a cruiser. Many similar wants and needs to the OP.

My recommendation is the Hatteras 58 LRC. Very well built, efficient, full beam engine room. Wide side decks, pilothouse, 3 staterooms. It's going to check most, if not all, of your boxes. And while there aren't too many out there for sale, your price point is pretty good - not too cheap to find a decent one that should survey pretty well. Sometimes you can find one for sale on the Hatteras LRC Owner's forum.

Engines - fear not the DDs. I highly recommend them, especially if you are running at trawler speeds with the naturally aspirated models you will find in these boats. They will run well for a long time with reasonable care

Insurance - if you need help on that, let me know. Might have someone who can help. If you have years of experience on the water and taking care of boats, you should be able to find insurance, it just might not be as easy as finding coverage for a newer boat.

Spare Parts - that could be a lengthy thread all on its own. Filters, oil, coolant, water pumps, bilge pumps, solenoids, belts, gaskets, anodes, impellers, head replacement parts, hose clamps, windlass parts, the list can go on - the more you carry, the more likely you are to have in case of emergency, but finding places to store it all can be difficult.

I keep my boat in CT. The New England area cruising grounds are beautiful in the summer. I plan to run it down to the Caribbean once we complete the refit.

Good post-You sound like me 7yrs ago.

My first thought was full displacement trawler thinking fuel economy was top priority; then I realized a semi displacement fit my uses better; I could go slow and get great fuel burn, or go fast (18kts) when I needed to make a bridge opening, out run weather and really jump on good conditions when crossing to Bahamas.

I wanted 3 staterooms, flybridge, stabilizer, water maker good tender system.

I’ve logged 7,500NM from Keys/ Bahamas/ east coast ICW / Chesapeake /NYC/ Long Island Sound to Nantucket. After 4 yrs in South Fl, I moved my 54’ Pama to Baltimore Inner Harbor for a few reasons.

1. After 2021 Hurricane GEICO stopped covering boats over 50’. All new quotes made me be out of Florida June 1-Oct 30. I’d already done the Florida cruising grounds and wanted to see new places. I loved Savannah, Charleston , Beaufort(s). Love the Chesapeake as there is so many places to visit amd plentiful dockage NYC & Long Island Sound are great also
2. I live in Midwest so Baltimore is an easy nonstop flight /Uber to marina. Although the season is shorter, I could still go south if I want to.
3. The hassle factor is so much less on the Chesapeake. Dockage is plentiful. Services are there. So many fun towns to visit bs cruising up and down the ICW, or trying to wait for weather wave window to get to Bahamas.

I’ve also learned that a maintainable boat is the key; I’m really pleased with my engine room, water systems, access to gyro stabilizer. I looked at many boats and was amazed how poorly some are laid out. Trust me, you’ll sleep better getting the “right tool for the job “ than getting saddled with an unmaintainable beast

Look at the boat, not the brand. I had never heard of the brand Pama, I have a 2007 540Lx, hull #11 and there is a dedicated owners group that 8 of the Hulls are in. The fit finish and layout is fantastic. The live ability is great.

Budget
The real lesson I learned in boating is no matter what, the boat you want or accessory or upgrade always costs 1.5-2x more than my original estimate. By the time I had looked at dozens of boats, I understood why some were more expensive and worth the price. You’ll only cry once at the price if you buy the right one …. And “generally” once boats get to their depreciation curve, they tend to hold their value. You won’t make money, but you should get back a good chunk of what you spend if you maintain it properly

good luck in your search, and don’t settle for something that doesn’t hit all your wishes.

One key question should be, do you plan to stay anchored out or do marina hopping? Most people I know dream about anchoring out but end up marina hopping most of the time, at least in the med where I am based. If you accept marina hopping then a planing boat makes more sense. They are faster, more economical at speed and overall more enjoyable in my opinion.

Here are some facts that are separate from preferences. At around 50 feet, displacement trawlers are heavy and do at 1.5 nmpg @ 8 knots. Planing boats are light and would do 2 nmpg @ 8 knots and 0.8 nmpg @ 24 knots, if the waves allow you to maintain such speeds. The higher speed allows you to spend less time in dull cruising and more time at the destination. Also, you can cover great distances, for example I would do a 350-400 nm trip in Greece in less than 24 hours (I do not mind motoring at speed at night). So, all this talk about economy and fuel efficiency is just talk. The only thing that matters is waterline in displacement mode and weight in planing mode. Range is also easily fixable by adding additional fuel tanks but typically it would not be needed in your cruising grounds.

The other things you mention, such as engine room access, wide side decks, extra cabins... I suggest you stay open to trade these off against the condition of the boat and the engines. For example, good engine room access or wide sidewals sacrifices interior space (or forces you to jump from 50 to 70 ft). I would not underestimate the size of the main saloon where you want to be able to move freely around. Many modern boats leave very little empty space and you feel cramped and tired. Similarly for three cabins vs. two cabins... you want open space, not tiny boxes. Think about how you will spend your time... 90% in the saloon, 1% walking the side decks and 9% in the engine room. If you spend more than 9% of the time in the engine room you probably bought the wrong boat . The last thing, since you will be buying a used boat... go for the highest quality manufacturer you can find/afford even if it is older. Past 10-15 years, the only thing that matters is the origial quality.

MV Ithaka
48 Riva Superamerica

same Situation with me, looking for 60 ft in the Med but also arround europe coast, maybe crossing to the us....if cutting transatlantic a semi displacement might be better for the coastal wirg esp with strong tides arround france and the uk. I am engineer but somewhat hesitating to work on a 700 hp vs 200 hp, just because of the power......maybe its stupid because al duesel are the same but at the moment i have a 2 cyl 30 hp only. anyway not easy decision which way to go if it get nasty outside....