Buying new for us pre-owened boat

[Smart555]

Originally Posted by jobberone

You need to buy a boat you're going to use and enjoy that hopefully is ready to sale and you won't be upside down in. Maintenance costs are part of ownership.'

What are you going to do with the boat? If you want to sail to the Med and Caribbean then you need to plan accordingly. If you are going to sail on the weekends and slip the boat in the marina otherwise then that's a different boat.

If you want coastal cruising then stay 45 or less with mast clearance and draft issues. If you are going to single hand the boat then you need to consider in mast or in boom furling and electric winches with lines back to the cockpit. I'd look at the Freedom 45 CC or a smaller cat for coastal cruising.

If you're going to have a crew or live aboard then I'd go bigger. You can then look at all the other things that go with the type of use the boat will see. You don't need davits/dingy or water maker if weekend coastal cruising.

I'd hire a buyer's broker who can keep you on track. You don't want a boat either you or your wife doesn't really like.

Our aim now is to find a boat for family of 2 adult and 4 kids for 2-3 months cruising to the Bahamas and Caribbean and also weekend cruising the other time when kids should go to school. And we want to try to live aboard couple months and looking if it’s possible for us in the future.

We have experience cruising and staying aboard at our previous 32” Regal Express Cruiser for 2 weeks only.

For now the main question is power or sail!

From powerboats we’re looking 50”-55” Hatteras motoryacht or some trawler Defever or similar.
For our budget it’s about 30 years old boat 1980-1990Y

If we talk about sailing it’s maybe 49 Jenneau 2006-2008 or some older and heavy build motorsailer 50-57” pilot house

[Smart555]

Originally Posted by sailpower

Sounds like you might be looking at a power boat rather than sail?

200k will go a lot further in sail than it will in power depending on your parameters.

It’s the main question now

More space and comfort for big family in powerboat and better cruising range, fuel cost ,maintenance and autonomy in sailing

[Cheechako]

Get out and look at many boats then decide what you really want. If a powerboat do not accept "this boat has a new/near new engine" without seeing receipts for the engine.
You dont need a buyer's broker, it just takes away from the listing broker. If you do use one make sure it's not an exclusive agreement. You may just run across your dream boat sitting at a dock along the way.
Yes a deposit of some sort is necessary. It doesn't have to be 10% though. Boats are hard to sell, if they know you are serious they need to sell boats. Offer>counteroffer>new offer>acceptance> inspection/survey>seatrial> negotiate down for items on survey>finalize sale is the usual process.
The registration may be a simple state boat title, or it may be a USCG Document. The listing brokers have people who will do the paperwork for a price.

[Calif.Ted]

I have a friend who owns a brokerage, I wanted a very specific boat, Catalina 320 1995 to 2004. So he showed me the 3-4 boats listed by him and others in our harbor. Then I identified 4 boats 60 miles away in Los Angeles and we drove there where the listing brokers gave him the keys. Then I found one in San Francisco, my friend called selling broker and I drove up to examine the boat with listing broker. I called my friend and told him to submit offer which was accepted. I made arrangements for survey following week, when we both went up for survey and closing.
Afterwards my wife said "All in All, that was a PITA I'd rather not repeat".
1 trip for initial inspection, 2nd for survey and closing, third with a truck load of tools, dinghy and motor to spend a week prepping and shaking down the boat, 6 days to sail it 450 nm home, another plane trip up to retrieve the pick-up.

[jobberone]

Originally Posted by Smart555

Our aim now is to find a boat for family of 2 adult and 4 kids for 2-3 months cruising to the Bahamas and Caribbean and also weekend cruising the other time when kids should go to school. And we want to try to live aboard couple months and looking if it’s possible for us in the future.

We have experience cruising and staying aboard at our previous 32” Regal Express Cruiser for 2 weeks only.

For now the main question is power or sail!

From powerboats we’re looking 50”-55” Hatteras motoryacht or some trawler Defever or similar.
For our budget it’s about 30 years old boat 1980-1990Y

If we talk about sailing it’s maybe 49 Jenneau 2006-2008 or some older and heavy build motorsailer 50-57” pilot house

A 38-45 cat is perfect for you. So is an easy to sail monohull 45-50. I'd stay away from a bigger boat as it's much more money to maintain and slip as well as sail. You can put your family in a small cat or mid size mono esp if you set it up or buy it where it single hands easily.