Need some advice on buying new vessel

well as a 53MY owner i'm a little partial to the old Hatteras... but the layout is great, very well built, good handling. a little rolly in a beam sea unless you find one with stabilizers, otherwise, you pick your day. they're not speed demons, 53s with turbo'd engines will get on plane, just.

certainly woudln't put Californian ahead on the list... i'd probaly consider a viking MY before that. Carver and Silverton, well, they've improved quality quite a bit in the past 10 years but there is a reason why a 30 to 40 year old Hatt is still worth more than many 20 year old boats of the same size.

i like a heavy solid glass hull, that bow will quash 6 footers like they're not there... and i love my fiberglass tanks (will never have to replaced), heavy copper plumbing, etc...

if you're giong to spend a lot of time aboard, definitiely look into older 53/56 flush deck MY... they're not going to be much more expensive to maintain as a 45/48 and have a lot more room. Also, having a lower helm and pilot house doors means the boat is a lot more easy to handle when docking than a 45ish with only a flybridge.

but as i said, i'm a little partial...

and let me add than when the lower delaware gets a little choppy with those steep short 4 footers... you want a Hatteras hull to cut thru them!

All good advice there from Pascal. I too like the old Hats. However, that discussion may be a bit premature. You mentioned living aboard, and sport fish. Not usually put together. That cockpit takes up a lot of living space, and climbing the ladder gets old. Plus they're made for speed (high fuel burn). When thinking live aboard I'd recommend thinking space, comfort, ecconomy, speed in that order. Are you the type who wants to make Norfolk in a day or would you prefer to make it in 2(sport cruiser), 3 (FBMY) or 4 (trawler) with stops along the way? Hope that helps.

Layout and hull shape are the most important thing when it comes to handling

Hull shape, a deeper hull with a keel like the older hatts will not sail side ways in a breeze like a Flat bottom boat. Weight also helps a lot

Having a lower helm with side doors puts you within a few steps of your spring lines... couldnt be easier.

Plus bigger engines = bigger props and more torque in close quarters

I find a 53/58 a lot easier to handled that flat bottom gas 40 aft cabin!

If you want to fish a bit and have ease of access to the water, look at the yachtfish style of boat.

That style has always appealed to me as they have a bit of the best of both worlds.

Hatteras, Bertram, Chris Craft and others made them.

Too bad you missed Trawlerfest in Baltimore this weekend. Several of the boats there might suit your needs.

I suggest you make every effort to spend the weekend at the Annapolis show coming up. Being able to walk thru so many boats can be numbing, but it really lets you compare all the features and layouts and such. Also, if you are close to buying, there are deals at the shows.

Good luck with your hunt.

- FatPauly
Ellicott City, Maryland
1988 Carver Santego 30

Dave, you mentioned SF & "not many stairs". Don't forget it's a ladder to the bridge. The are several references to Vikings in the YF threads. Great boats, both the SF's and the SC's. I ran a 50 Viking Sport Cruiser for several years. The lower helm station comes in real handy with rough seas or weather. These boats (the SC not the SF) are actually made by Princess Yachts, UK and then brought to Viking standards in N.J. The new models will actually be under the Princess name. These have 2 nice size staterooms. Most boats in the 40'-50' size are one or 2 stateroom unless you go for an aft statroom or FBMY model. If you find one with a 3rd it's usually barely bigger than a closet. OK for young kids or storage, but not much else. If you want to get a real 3rd SR you generally need to get towards 60'. The biggest differences in handling between a 40 and 50 or 60 is that the bigger boats generally handle rough water more comfortably, they're easier to dock because the weight helps counter wind & current, but they are more intimidating to dock and cause more damage if you screw up. As boats get bigger they also become more complex. Additionally, when you go somewhere with a 40' you get there, radio in and they direct you to a slip. Once you get over 45' you'd best call ahead for a reservation as there are way fewer slips in most marinas that can handle this size.
On a final note, you don't always want to go for the bigger engine options. On the 50' VSC for example. the smaller engine package gives you decent room to get around the engines, but with the larger package (which will get you about 3kts. more speed) the engine room is very cramped.