Purchase Advice Needed

1) coupe(express), The east coast of Florida generally has a lot of bridges on the ICW, and the express model will fit under most of them without having to wait for a bridge opening, whereas the Flybridge models generally will have to wait for more bridges. With the express, all of your guests are on the same level and with the flybridge boat some guests may be on the flybridge and some may be on the salon level (can be both good and bad). The express will have a little more stability in a beam sea, but with the flybridge you'll have a lot more interior room then an express for it's size.

2) It's too early too tell really, but they seem to have a lot more parts to maintain longterm (mainly electrical) then traditional drives and the props are completely exposed, whereas with traditional drives the shaft and strut may help disperse floating debris before it hits the propellor. However, if you're using the boat quite a bit, they offer a solid 30% better fuel economy then traditional drives and if you're running the boat with your wife the increased manueverability would more then warrant going with them. Maintanence on volvo's I've found to be expensive in relation to CATS or Cummins/zues drives. The oil filters, fuel filters, belts, etc etc...... wear items are all more expensive from Volvo and not found as easily. And, for example the D12 volvo is the only diesel I know of with 3 oil filters per engine. But, not so overly so as to not go with them.

3) The layout of the 50' Marquis is nice and spacious, however I was not impressed with the build quality. Although I did not find it to be bad, it just could've been better IMO. But for the cost, and everything is a compromise, it should be fine for your needs. I would look at a Searay as well such as the 58'. Neptunus would also be worth looking at and is a clear step above both in quality.

4) You shouldn't have any operating or cruising limitations to most anywhere in the Bahamas that has a decent marina, except of course weather (rough seas).

Well, the flybridge has a lot of nice points or advantages. Much better visibility when running the boat, the room to sit up there and "enjoy the morning coffee" usually an additional stateroom and larger salon. So it has a lot of pluses more so then minuses. The stability difference on most yachts is not too terribly much. If you're not in a rush and in the proper boating mood, all of the bridges are on a schedule and if you do 6-7 knots in most places you won't have to wait for them.

definately get a marine surveyor for this size vessel. It could save you a fortune. A surveyor can also alert you to potential issues that could arise in the future, and find issues most buyers wouldn't catch.

It's worth the money to have a new boat surveyed IMHO.

And I too feel you would be better off perhaps spending a bit more money to get a better built boat in the long run. The money spent up from could more than pay for itself over the long haul.

I'd say bow thrusters are as or more intuitive than IPS drives just because they have been around longer. And for the size boat you're talking about you shouldn't need to use a thruster much at all.

Tiara

Have you looked at Tiaras at all?

Here are links to more threads that kick around the various brands and models -

http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/frequently-asked-yacht-questions/3704-what-good-money.html

http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/f...ions/9985-need-advice-buying-45-50-yacht.html

Kelly Cook

The poster didn't mention he is interested in fishing, and there are very very few Tiara's around in the 50' range.

A bow thruster moves the bow to port or to starboard and they work well for their intended purpose.

It is still a good idea to have a new boat surveyed....... or have it surveyed 8 months into it to have any issues warrantied out.

I personally would rather buy a Neptunus that is a few years old and well taken care of then a new Marquis.........I would take quality over age any day.

I'm personally real partial to the Viking S.C. in that range; Sunseeker is also quite nice as are a few others. But you really do need to determine express, sedan bridge, sport cruiser or FB before even getting into brands or you'll be comparing apples and oranges and just confuse the issue.
Don't be too concerned about skipping under the bridges. Once you hit 50' you'll be waiting for most or constantly dropping your antenaes and masts and posting someone on the bow to keep you from clipping your radar.
I disagree on the need for a surveyor on a new boat in this catagory as these are production boats. All he can tell you is that everything is new. Any problems (and there will be several with a new boat) will be covered under the warranties. A big consideration should be what kind of dealer support is in the area you plan to be in. (Sea Ray is very well represented in SE Florida).

I disagree with the quoted disagreement. You must have been using the wrong surveyors. A surveyor while under construction is helpful, but essential before completing purchase. Why deal with "new boat bugs" and warranties any more than necessary and why not determine how extensive the list is before chosing the masochistic route.

Judy Waldman

Having a surveyor check out a brand new production boat is like hiring a mechanic to check out a brand new car. (Different situation though if you're having a yacht built custom or even semi-custom). The idea of bringing one aboard after 8 weeks of use though (when things have had a chance to loosen up and shake lose) is a very good one.

In the old days, good dealer, service, and warranty were all required attributes. In current times, with so many builders and dealers unable to thrive let alone offer their services, I would put more emphasis on the quality of construction.

The component parts carry a warranty and even if the builder is not in business or unresponsive, the warranty on equipment still carries. The better the construction of the yacht, the less your chances of problems whether the builder or dealer services the issues or not.

And a good surveyor of course can comment on the quality of construction as to wiring, plumbing, tabbing, installations, insulation etc.

Judy Waldman

You are absolutely on target although I guess I'm having a senior moment about what "IMO" is. Like Judy said, quality construction is first priority. Parts availability is right behind that. Once you get in the 50' range I always prefer pre-owned/ out of warranty. The bugs are usually worked out, the custom touches have been added on someone elses dime, they are little used, and the amount you save usually pays for any work that needs doing and a lot more. You also don't pay for things like electronics as what's there is out of date and of very little value. However it may be good for your use for years. Another plus is that you are no longer tied to the dealer's service and can develope a relationship with a yard or mechanic of your choosing. That can be the difference between having your boat ready Saturday or sitting at the bottom of the list for waranty work. With a new boat, just bringing it into their shop for work can cost thousands in fuel, etc. So, if you do go new, location and service reputation are very big considerations.

Have to disagree with the CAP here--and stand with Judy--having spent enough years at a highly renowned production boat builder to know the score.
Like many other manufacturers, these boats were hand-built by human beings and incorporated enough mistakes to overcome the efforts of QC all along the process, plus the inspections by both factory & dealer-level salespeople, to require the need of a surveyor--hired by the buyer, no less--who would write up his 'to-do' list. While it wasn't commonplace, and the added step really ticked off the factory (especially if the boat in question was facing delivery near the dreaded end-of-the-month).

Unless we're talking Ladas or Wartburgs, the boatbuilding process ain't like the automobile game at all.

IMO= in my opinion

I agree to have a new boat surveyed. In fact HMY has all of their new Vikings and other boats surveyed from what I have been told. If a boat was not built right and has a major structural or engineering issue, it could save the owner a lot of time without his yacht while it's being warrantied.

I once ran a new 57' Bertram SF, on the survey it was noted that some of the tabbing was cracked between the bulkhead and stringers. The owner bought it at a reduced cost as it was a year old new boat. We did 2 trips with the boat, it then went and sat at Allied Marine (bertram dealer) for 4 months and they couldn't fix it and then factory for a few more months getting fixed because ALL of the tabbing broke free at that point. The only compensation Bertram gave him for his lack of use of his "new" boat was an additional year of hull warranty.

That's what I thought, but got lost in the context "from a manufacturer with a reputation for good IMO" and "read some disconcerting posts in the past regarding IMO and reliability." I sort of thought he may be meaning IPS or something else.

"HMY has all of their new Vikings and other boats surveyed from what I have been told." This I understand. If not actually surveyed a dealership should certainly give all their new inventory a thorough inspection. It's the customer spending the money to do what the dealership and factory has already warrantied that they did that I question the value of. Heck, having your boat surveyed after every use would be a great thing too, but hardly worth the cost. On a new production boat I'd save it for after she has a few hours. IMO . Having an owner's rep on scene or at least checking during the build process is very wise, especially with bigger, more custom boats. When you're talking about new boats bought off the dealers floor I've just never seen it done and don't agree that the expendature is worthwhile. But hey, it's not my money.

I will chime in with Loren and Judy and suggest a survey for all boats, new or used. Between the three of us, we have had a lot of years in this business, and I am sure that they, like I, have run into survey items that were in that condition since new. Just last week I found out an air intake in a generator sound shield was under sized, and had been like that for 10 years.