First Boat: Express Cruiser or Trawler?

Yeah – Agreed... exactly what NYCAP said!!

If I may add: Basic “boat owner” rule of thumb – If you are just going to do limited local cruising (say 50 to 100 hours a year, at low fuel use slow speeds to boot) and also plan to spend dock-sitting time simply enjoying having a boat (safe partying – baby!), then fuel will be a relatively small %age of your annual boat ownership costs. If you’re going to cruise all over the Pacific coast logging hundreds of hours annually and at higher speeds too – well – fuel at today’s prices can become a BIG, BIG annual expense %age. Soooo... In addition to locating the “correct” boat design and its power source it is also important to visualize/realize what usage parameters you plan to actually accomplish with your boat.

Keep us up to date on your boat search! And, plan to have GREAT boating years soon to develop!! – Best, W.

Based on your 50K budget I'm going to recommend a mid-30s gas powered sedan or express cruiser. Odds are it won't do much more than 25 knots if it goes over that at all. A 15 to 20 knot cruise is nice for shorter trips or to avoid weather. I think you're going to be looking at older Sea Rays, Bayliners, Carvers, Silvertons, etc. When the boats start getting up in age the condition of the individual boat may matter more than who originally built it. Good luck to you.

I ran a 43' Lagoon from Texas to Florida.

Positives: a ton of room for it's length (inside and outside), Very stable in moderate seas and at the dock, very fuel efficient, great range, etc.

Downsides: hard to find dockage in some places (beamy), not good in a beam sea, A lot of steps inside the boat, everything is on a different level and involves stairs, Narrow staterooms, Mechanical things in odd places.

Trawler gets my vote. Particularly in those waters. (my youth-hood stomping grounds)

Surface motion of seas (i.e. rollers, chop/waves) coming at a craft close to or at right angle to the boat’s course.

Fun book to read if you haven't already:

http://www.amazon.com/Chapman-Piloting-Seamanship-Small-Handling/dp/1588167445/ref=pd_cp_b_0

At $50k you can find a diesel boat in this market that's strong and reliable. It might need cosmetics, maintanence and stuff, but I've seen several good brand trawlers as well as some diesel expresses around.

Fun? Informative or a must read / must have for every boater would be more like it.

Hehe. Well, I just thought if he never heard of a beam sea a litttle enticement might be an acceptable subterfuge.

Hi again easygoer13

When tied to end dock... a wake-created "beam sea" may be encountered via too quickly passing craft! Just keeping it light, for ya easygoer, whilst you become accustomed to the ways (fun) of boating!!

Chapman Piloting & Seamanship would be a great read for ya 13!

This evening I pilot our 34’ Tollycraft Tri Cabin twin screw away from its covered dock - with our 14’ Crestliner “Stinger” / 50 hp Johnson o/b - 30 knt cruise / windshield fastened-bimini top / 4 seater mini-speed-boat in tow.

We return next Monday!!

Cruisen, hooken, run-a-bouten, diven, swimen, watchen movies, libations, great food, puttering on my favorite boat items, reading a good book, sunnen, sleepen... **** I love boating! It’s all good 13... as long as you have the “correct” boat(s) and you simply love the water!

From your questions and input on this forum, as well as our brief phone chat... I’ve got a felling you are going to fall in love with boating. Simply the best recreation in the world – helps to keep me sane!! – W.

OK, time for you to get a Chapman's. A bow thruster is used to help maneuver by moving the bow left or right. It's a motor and propeller near the bow facing sideways. It doesn't aid in propulsion. Most boats come with a choice of power options (although twice the hp might be stretching a bit). I generally recommend going with the bigger powerplant, with one caveate. The bigger engines take up valuable engine room space. The 50 Viking SC I used to run had the smaller engines, which I prefer on that boat because the big package left no room to maneuver between nor around the motors. So, like most things with boats, there's a compromise to be made based on personal preference. When you look at the boat check out the engine room, and envision doing the daily engine room check there.

If it's a traditional trawler with a displacement hull it's way too much power and would generally be equipped with twin 100hp diesels....... If it's semi-displacement then twin 350hp would make sense and it should cruise around 20-25 knots.......

What I think is that I've been very distracted for the last two weeks and didn't analyze the OP's comments well enough. I believe easygoer 13 IS 13 and he just let the cat out of the bag. What 34' boat carries twin 3208s, has a bow thruster and sells for 24K? If it had no thruster and one motor it would be a one-step-from-grave wooden fishing trawler. Add a 2nd motor and a thruster and you've got a hoax.

It's entirely possible. I see thrusters on 30' center consoles all of the time these days, so having someone adding one to a trawler is not that suspect. It could be a planing trawler similar to the mainships and whatnot. It should cost quite a bit less than 11k to clean all of the heat exchangers, oil and transmission coolers IMO.......I would think $6-8k including labor and parts.