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Help with finding a 65-80' MY

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by StevenC, May 23, 2023.

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  1. StevenC, May 23, 2023
    #1
    StevenC

    StevenC New Member

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    May 23, 2023
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    Location:
    Hilton Head, SC
    First post, but a long term lurker.

    My boating history: Lots of boats growing up. Was the captain of my own 52' fly bridge MY for 10 years, then owned an 87' Broward MY that had a FT crew of 4. We ran a charter business with the Broward as well as used her extensively for our own trips. I had some helm time on the Broward when I was in the mood and the Captain wasn't too scared :)

    On the 52' , we used the heck out of it. Up and down the East Coast of the US and back and forth to the Bahamas (sometimes staying for weeks). So, I have a lot of experience in that area. Broward had the same mission except we added the Virgin Islands to the mix.

    LOVED the Broward - but HATED having crew. Absolute and total nightmare.

    So - I want to get back into the fun and adventure of boating, but as an owner / operator.

    Requirements:

    Mission will be Hilton Head SC to Key West , maybe out to Ft. Jefferson, back and forth to Bahamas, and MAYBE a season or two in the Turks and/or the Virgin Islands.

    4 staterooms is ideal due to the size of the family and the guy's trips. However, 3 staterooms plus some overflow in crew quarters would be ok.

    I'm not a talented mechanic by any stretch - so, I'd like a newer boat to minimize issues. Thinking 2013 or newer. I do not do a lot of my own maintenance...just due to competence :)

    I'd prefer a hydraulic platform over a davit (had both, had way less issues with the platform although I recognize that this is far from a scientific survey and the underlying tech is basically the same!). I do think the platform is easier to handle with husband and wife or guests etc. So that's the main issue.

    I'm looking at 65-80'. I think the sweet spot is really that 65-75 ish really. As far as budget, maintenance, handling with just me and one or two others who are inexperienced etc.

    Budget is $2m ish

    So - (shocking!) there isn't a very clear answer as to what's best.

    Azimut (66,70,72 etc) - Everyone hates them. To be fair, everyone told me to stay away from the Broward too and I loved that boat. BUT - where there's smoke...

    Sunseeker (the manhattans) - Generally good reviews it seems, but still people say quality issues

    Princess (68,70) - Seem a bit better than sunseeker, but there aren't that many and they tend to be higher $

    Ocean Alexander (72) - these tend to be older and no hydraulic platform

    Fairlane (Squadrons) - No clue about these but there aren't a lot around

    Ferretti's (68-75ft ones) - Seem like Azimuts to me...but people say better quality.

    The outlier is the Lazzara 84 - in SO many ways this is the perfect boat for my mission (and CATS!) but so much older, and bigger than I want really (the 80 seems like a poor compromise) - worried about maintenance nightmares etc.

    Anyway - SO sorry for the long post - genuinely interested in any advice.
  2. mapism, May 23, 2023
    #2
    mapism

    mapism Senior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Sardinia
    Before focusing on models, in your boots I'd think harder about the right size.
    I mean, boats are headaches - all of them.
    So, if you wish and can afford to have someone else bearing the headache for you, the sky is the limit when it comes to size.
    But as an owner/operator, it's the smaller headache that is large enough for your needs that I would call a "sweet spot", not the larger you can get.
    I considered boats up to 80+ feet before eventually picking a 56', because in those days, thanks to a rather depressed market, prices were in the same ballpark (if not even lower for the larger boats, sometimes!).
    Fast forward 6 years, if there's one thing I regret is to not have found an even smaller boat which both myself and my wife considered large enough for living aboard.
    Of course, this is rather subjective, so YMMV.
    But me, I'd think hard and long before undertaking a 65' as owner/operator, and I wouldn't even consider that for 70+ feet.
    There are good reasons why captains and crew members are rather well paid...!
  3. StevenC, May 23, 2023
    #3
    StevenC

    StevenC New Member

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    Generally - I do agree. I'm not stranger to what the crew does - that's for sure...I've managed enough of them! But - I have a need for a certain # of staterooms etc...so that's my limiting factor.

    In SO many ways, that's why I really like the Azimut 66. It's the smallest I'm looking at, it has CAT's, it has 4 staterooms, it has a hydraulic platform, the layout is awesome...etc etc... BUT - I really do hate poor quality and workmanship. Super worried about that with Azimut.
  4. Pascal, May 24, 2023
    #4
    Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Location:
    Miami, FL
    If you re going to go as far as the Carib you need storage, refrigeration and back ups incl twin generators. Going to be hard to get that in a 65/70 footer unless you re going to really sacrifice accessibility and ER space.

    Two boats come to mind for what you re looking for, 80 Hatteras MY and 84 Lazzara. Both have C32s, which besides the aftercooler are pretty bulletproof and much cheaper to maintain. Both have hydraulic platforms.

    I ran a 2009 84 Lazzara for 5 years and it was great. Fantastic access for maintenance, excellent storage. Very economical to burning 75/80 gph at 20kts. Topped at 30/32kts. Very well built too

    a friend of mine bought an 80 Hatteras a couple of years ago, a 2013 I think. Great boat too. Heavier so burns more fuel but better when things get rough. He has a full time captain and his very happy even though he is a very private person.

    The 84 has nice side decks which makes not line handling easier (on occasion I singled handed the 84). The Hatteras doesn’t.

    Depending on your experience, there won’t be much of a difference handling a 65 or an 85 footer. If anything the bigger boats are easier. The big difference for an owner operator is having better access to systems, more redundancy. I m not going to say that replacing an impeller on a gen is fun but it s a lot less painful on a bigger boat….

    insurance will be a problem for an owner operator once you hit 70 though.
    JadePanama likes this.
  5. StevenC, May 24, 2023
    #5
    StevenC

    StevenC New Member

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    Thanks, Pascal - I have read and appreciated many of your posts here!

    I do agree that, for the mission, that 84' Lazzara is tough to beat. All that you said plus the draft ... on and on. It's really a great boat. For me, though, it's the age of them (the maint. thing) and then the insurance for me. Hiring a full time captain is just a TOTAL no for me (and from the wife too!). We just had SO SO many nightmares with personnel on the Broward (btw, we ended up having a PERFECT captain and chef team...I loved them and am still in contact with them...but, they went on to buy their own boat and run a biz in Alaska, that's when we threw in the towel on the Broward).

    Perhaps my best bet may be to get the 66 for a few years (stay in the Bahamas and maybe Turks)...just bite the bullet and get my Captain's license...and then get a bigger one. That would (I assume) fix the insurance issue and maybe get me more familiar with doing my own maintenance. I do want to learn and get better at that - and now I have the time to do so.
  6. Pascal, May 24, 2023
    #6
    Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    The 5’ draft is great for the Bahamas. We used to anchor in spots where bigger boats don’t go so we d often have Bahamian asking if we were aground. The 110 I run now draws 5 1/2 so it’s still pretty good

    Age isn’t as important as build quality and I m not just taking about hull thickness but systems especially electrical. Accessibility is also critical as if it s tough to reach it doesn’t get maintained or inspected.
  7. StevenC, May 24, 2023
    #7
    StevenC

    StevenC New Member

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    Totally agree re: age/build quality - but - a 20 year old boat (pretty much what I'd be looking at for the 84's) would likely just have a lot of things wearing out - maybe! - than a 4 year old one (what I'd get in the 66). That's all other things being equal of course...it's conceivable to have a 20 year old boat where all the maint. was done and perfect etc...just sort of going by the odds here. But, certainly, it seems these Lazzara 84's have aged very very well.

    Can't get around the insurance thing though. I may speak to them and see just what it would require - like - maybe 6 months with a capt. or ? Who knows.