Hi all, I'm looking for advice on a great
liveaboard monohull in the 40-50ft range. It'll be me, my girlfriend, and my cat. For now it'll be used for living and small trips on the
west coast near
San Francisco. Eventually I may use it for ocean crossings, but I may not. I'll list a few priorities with all of that in mind:
1)
Price. Under 150k is best, and in the 50-80k range would be ideal. I can afford the
purchase and any
maintenance, but I don't want to overspend on a depreciating asset (or liability, as it may be).
2) Liveability for two. I'm looking for the fewest cabins possible (2 or 3 depending on model). Sensible
storage, layout, nice
cabin for the two of us, ideally comfortable seating in two separate rooms so we can find our alone time. Good inner
lighting. A
cockpit which can be enclosed would be a bonus as I'm in
San Francisco, and the
weather is often chilly but not freezing.
3) Not too old, not too new. Trying to strike a balance between cost of
purchase, cost of
maintenance, and losses due to depreciation. I'm guessing a production
boat between 1995 and 2005 would fit the bill. I would really appreciate advice regarding finding this sweet spot.
4)
Seaworthy. Kind of goes without saying, but San Francisco is on the ocean and I want a reasonably safe and well sailing vessel.
5) Reliable. I'd rather have a Toyota than a Ford if that gives you any insight. Generally I'm looking for less wood (fewer moisture related problems) and well engineered mechanicals.
Other things lower on the list are extra space for all the extras I might ever want such as more
watermaker,
generator, batteries,
solar, more fuel/water capacity, dive
compressor, etc.
Any advice regarding makes and models as well as general advice would be greatly appreciated.
So far models I've looked at include the
Beneteau 400, 411, 461, 50; Hanse 400, 411, 461;
Hunter Passage 42,
Bavaria 40, 44, 49, 50; Looked at
Jeanneau a little.
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