Best boat for family of 5 new to living aboard

Well, the owner, owned this yacht for a long time. He did that ONCE and chose never EVER to do it again (his words). I felt REALLY guilty billing him for 25 days Captain and 25 days mate, to get the boat there, even considering our shortest day was 10 hours and most all days were 12 or more. He was happy to pay it...........If I want to go slow, I want to maintain a steady 10 knots +/- regardless of current........(getting the same fuel burn as a trawler) and have the ability to giddy up and go for a crossing.......

Here’s some more food for thought that gets you some speed :

Cockpit Double-Cabin MY on a SF hull:

https://www.**************/boats/2000/viking-60-cockpit-sport-yacht-3690080/

Faster Pilothouse MY:

https://www.**************/boats/2001/viking-princess-sport-cruiser-2968415/

Hi all, we've been lurking and researching for months. Family of experienced sailors who are selling the house, the sailboat, and moving aboard a MY or trawler with our 6 and 8 yr old boys. Will be starting in Buzzards Bay, planning to do the ICW, then have a live-aboard slip secured in St Pete for October. Insurance company will underwrite us to 59' due to limited powerboat experience (no issues on our end with that, we are very into risk-mitigation in our real-world jobs). Keeping price range about 400-600k to have plenty of budget reserve for fuel, maintenance, the unexpected, etc...

A friend who is a commercial marine salvage/surveyor gave the usual Hatteras/Nordhavn advice, but vehemently wants us to stay far away from Carver and Neptunus as well. Would love a 90s vintage Hatteras but not much out there in our size/price range at the moment. (found Nordhavn to be a pipe-dream....) I had thought reading an older thread on the subject the experts were leery of Sea-Ray, but there seem to be a decent amount of fans in this thread. Also intrigued by the Beneteau Swift Trawlers, but we did view a Monte Carlo 5 and noted some of the "lighter-duty" build quality issues. A Grand Banks 52 just hit the market that looks intriguing. Thoughts? Thanks to all who have been sharing your knowledge here; we look forward to sharing our experiences, good and otherwise, going forward.

Not sure of your budget, but one of these look like a good fit for a sailor moving to a power boat:

https://www.**************/boats/2000/fleming-fleming-55-3521147/

Need to find one local though.

GB 52 is roomy, nice safe walk around with a Pilothouse:

https://www.**************/boats/2000/grand-banks-heritage-eu-52-3055418/

Not a fan of keeping the 3208 Cats serviced though.

Stay away from Neptunus???? They're a very good and well built boat. Much better quality than a Monte Carlo 5 and Swift Trawlers. Searay's up until 2010 are also much better than those 2......the 58' Sedan bridge (and 52') are good boats.

Thanks to both for your replies, and to the OP best of luck in your search! My friend's comment on Neptunus caught us by surprise a bit as well, based on the lurking and research we were already doing. With a budget of 400-600 there are a few Neptunus within our area I can add to the search. Big fan of the GB 52, but had not seen that listing before, so thank you. There is an '03 listed for 599 with mid-time Cat 3216Bs... better motor?

We are going to see a 2007 Novatec 55 tomorrow; she's one owner, mid-time engines and looks to have been well-loved. Not much out there on Novatec other than a YachtingWorld review which sounds like a manufacturer's brochure. Any thoughts on those?

The Cat 3126’s are newer and should be a bit easier to source parts, talk to your CAT dealer and see if they can tell you if it has all the updates once you have the engine serial numbers in hand.

The Novatec seems well outfitted but I have no experience with them and can’t attest to there quality or performance.

https://www.**************/boats/2007/novatec-islander-3694663/

Don't know if you can find a big enough Fleming priced for your budget, but I overlook the ICW in S. Florida and I see more Fleming's go by than any other "cruising" powerboat. The owners of Fleming's use them a lot. They are handsome vessels. Other good brands to consider would be Outer Reef and Offshore.

Obscure Taiwanese brands like Novatec can be great deals or nightmares. Some Taiwanese yards were fine, well-supervised by US importers, some were pretty slipshod. The pejorative name for many old Taiwanese brands -- "leaky teakies" -- will give you an idea what to expect. A very competent surveyor is essential if you are considering a Taiwanese-made brand that is out of business.


Sport fish might work but most have zero portlights in the hull. I would find the accommodations claustrophobic with no natural light or ventilation whatsoever.

You usually have plenty of natural light from deck hatches on SF in most staterooms.

I agree. Our 50’ Post has plenty of natural light in the stateroom, so much so I pull the shade for the hatches to keep it cool during the day. The bunk room on the other hand is a bit dark but but great for day sleeping. I would imagine that a 60’ SF would be even brighter depending on brand.

depends if you are looking for full re-power with new engines which could be $120-150k+ versus a complete overhaul which could be $50-80k depending on the engine, what’s needed, etc. My buddy just looked at having a boat with DDEC’s that he surveyed converted to Cat’s and the cost was going to be just north of $125k by a good diesel shop.

WHICH CATS??? will depend on the price. Which engine? Some CATS go 6,000 hours before rebuild, others will go 10,000 hours.

They'll go generally anywhere from 6,000-10,000 hours and usually more towards 10,000 hours. Major overhauls are generally $60k an engine, maybe a little less.

What about a SeaRay 44’ 2013-16?
Also, compared to a Beneteau 44’ 2013-16?

From my research so far, Beneteau doesn’t seem like people like it very much. What I love about it is the walk around, feel very safe... and also LOVE all the windows that open. But worried it will be like a cork in rough seas, and sounds like the hull has issues.
i know you like searay... leaning towards it but walk around not as good for me. Also galley still small (have a 2009 36 SB, galley way too small for entertaining and I take a long time to get up front for lines, I’m paranoid and need to hold onto something as I go).

I know many very happy users of Swift Trawlers. However, even those purchasers have had some issues which have been long term Beneteau issues. Still they like their boat.

Still the ST is not a sea going boat. None are CAT A's and they are CAT B or C depending on load. However, the layout of the Beneteau is more accommodating than the Sea Ray's.