Time to do lots of homework on purchase

My advice is STOP everything and go talk to the folks at Club Nautique in Alameda. They will teach you seamanship with excellent on the water classes and after you pass different levels they will allow you to charter different boats at very reasonable rates. From this you will learn many things: 1) if boating is for you 2) what you really want in a boat 3) that unless you really plan and can liveaboard, that it is MUCH cheaper to rent through them than to own. 4) after some nights on board, how you would really like living on board. They have a Mainship 430 Trawler that I have cruised many times, and some smaller boats to get your sea legs on.

This was the best money I ever spent on boating,and I wasn't even that much of a "newbie", having previously owned a 32' Tollycraft and rented smaller boats. What I learned both in seamanship and about boats in the years I belonged there has made a world of difference. At first it allowed us to enjoy the bay and Delta with no boat ownership hassles, and to charter boats all over the country, which in turn informed our decision as to what we wanted in a boat to live aboard and cruise full time.

Well, I thought I knew something about boats too. And my direct experience was with much bigger boats than yours. Internet forums and magazines and Yachtworld are no place to learn what the right boat is for you. I am a lot like you in that I love do all that kind of research. But it wasn't until we spent a lot more time handling and cruising different boats for consecutive days that we were able to draw up the specifications for what we needed to have, and what we wanted to have, in a boat for us to liveaboard and cruise. Turned out to be a lot different from where we started. It is a very personal decision and there is no way I'd tell someone they need to make the same choice we did or anything like it. It was right for US, that's it. We have met couples who are quite happy living on boats we would never consider more than a weekend on, and God bless them! An excellent resource, since you like research, is the first 2/3 or so of David Pascoe's "Mid Sized Powerboats" a great primer on the practical issues to consider when buying a boat in your prospective size range. Things that people just focusing on interior accommodations otherwise learn the hard way down the road.

On a side note, back in the early 2000's when house and rent prices were skyrocketing in the Bay Area due to the dot com boom, a variety of employees I had looked into buying a boat and living aboard to save money. Finding a liveaboard marina, let alone slip was virtually impossible on the Bay proper. None of them ended up doing it, and a few were just about to pull the trigger on a specific boat.

The best boating is up in the Delta by far so take a hard look at say, Vallejo on east if you can make the commute work. The problem with the south bay marinas (San Leandro, Coyote Point, Redwood City, etc) it is a long boring schlep through a fair amount of channels through shallow water to get anywhere interesting. Go to any of those marinas, heck even including Brisbane and South San Francisco, on a beautiful weekend day and you will see 95-99% of the boats in their slips.

I did a map recon of Vallejo and the marina appears to be about 50-60% full according to Bing and Google maps. The Yacht Club is almost to capacity. Location wise, it appears to be relatively convenient to the various bays and also the river delta.

As to running costs exclusive of the boat purchase itself, I came up with a WAG of between $1000 and $1500 per month. How close to reality would that be?

I can't speak for the OP, but from a geography point, even though it's "close" on the map, staying on your boat in Vallejo and commuting into the city is pure torture. Yes there are many who do it, but it's maddening. Particularly across the Bay Bridge.

Speaking from first hand experience, by living several years in San Francisco / Bay Area as well Sacramento, where the OP hails from.

The distance simply defeats the point.

It sounds to me that you need to find a broker. By describing what you are looking to do and your budget, etc. a broker can cut through a lot of time. Also, an area broker may know of live aboard slips that are not advertised.

Something else to factor in is before you can insure your purchase the insurance company will most likely require that you get instruction form a captain on handling a boat that size whether it ever leaves the dock or not.

Good luck with everything.
Shawn

I have another brand suggestion that has not been mentioned which I think fits your criteria well. Have you looked at the layout of the Meridian 391? It certainly falls into the Chevy category but it has a very bright, open floor plan and a great bridge for entertaining. It was launched in 2006 so an early model could fit into your price range. The style and layout are similar to the 40' Viking Sport Cruiser and Fairline which are obviously much higher end boats.

2012 Meridian 391 Sedan | Meridian Yachts

If you are looking at Carvers and Silvertons I don't think you will be disappointed by the quality. Engines are Cummins. The parent company is Brunswick same as Sea Ray, though more of a value line. I have owned one for 5 years and found it to be a good coastal cruiser. My family of 4 vacation aboard for 2-3 weeks at a time and have found it very livable.

Just another option to consider.

Vic

I am perhaps inexperienced but I am confused by the concern about spending 4 nights a week on the boat. To me there is a difference between being a full time Live Aboard with no terrestrial address and someone who chooses to spend a few nights a week on his boat. Do marinas really care how often you come down? I don't consider it sneaking to spend the weekend on my boat in my own marina. You don't sound like the sort to be air drying his clothes on the bow rail and setting up a wardrobe cabinet on the dock - this would be a matter for concern. But an avid user of his boat? So what? Do some marina contracts actually constrain the number of days per month you can sleep aboard? Would those of you with far more experience clarify if this is a genuine issue? Thanks -

Vic

????

So, Mr. Grant what did you end up buying ? If you did buy which marina did you end up in ? This is info that will be of use to me in the near future so please fill in the blanks. Thank you in advance.