New to boats, Starting the search

[Catimann]

Hello all, I have lived near Vancouver Canada all my 60 years and have seen most of the west of N.A. I have always heard of the great places to see on the water and now want to get my feet wet.
A power boat is what I think would be best and one around 30-40' is what my very limited experience says is right.
I know to stay away from wood boats (even though they are the most beatiful things ever)
I have been told Aluminum is the way to go but price says I can't.
That basically leaves fibreglass.
The motor I know has to be a diesel.
It will primarily be for two people.
I am capable to do almost any repair but know when to just pay for it.
My budget is up to $40k US ~~$54 Cdn. Naturally I want a great boat for cheap.
I am willing to pay for moorage.

All that said I was wondering where I can find info. about the manufacturers of boats. Wikipedia has many but in some cases I have not found anything.
One such boat was a Grand Mariner.
So is there a web site that gives history etc. about the boat manufacturers?

[Sonny36]

You may get some good advice here, but I suggest you post your query on trawlerforum.com

[LittleWing77]

Please, please search out and complete a Canadian Power Squadron course this Winter! It is NOT about just buying a boat.

Fair winds,
LittleWing

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Catimann, and Sonny.

➥ https://www.passagemaker.com/cruiser-reviews
➥ https://www.mby.com/reviews
➥ https://www.yachtsurvey.com/boatrevi...boatreview.htm
➥ https://www.boattest.com/

[mvweebles]

First, your budget (or size range) is unrealistic. You will end up over your head with a ton of unexpected costs if you do not either reduce your size, or increase your budget. Most experienced boaters will tell you the least expensive boat to own is often the most expensive to purchase - one that has been well maintained (example: upholstery, often overlooked, is amazingly expensive) and has recent upgrades. But you do need to budget semi-realistically. Insurance, berth, maintenance (e.g. bottom paint every 2-years or so), repairs, and upgrades can easily crest $15k-$20k per year, especially the first couple of years when you are getting the boat dialed-in to your tastes.

Second, definitely try trawlerforum.com. If you put out this same request, you will probably get more information than you can imagine - more likely to get too much than not enough.

Third, McNew's Powerboat Guide is sort of the bible for research on brands and layouts. I will leave it to you whether it's worth the $60USD price tag.

Fourth, this is well within your grasp to do. Learning to comfortably drive a boat is much easier than making the money to afford one. You're over halfway there.

Finally, I did a quick yachtworld.com search - this 40-foot Gulf Commander is in your area, looks like it's been maintained, and is pretty close to your budget. A quick Google search found a 2016 thread on TrawlerForum (the recommended forum above) that suggests Gulf Commander's were built in the BC area. This one does not have teak side decks which are common on Taiwan-built boats. In my opinion, that's a very good thing - teak decks tend to leak, and are a deal-killer for me personally. I personally like single-engine trawlers with thruster (which this is), but there are very vigorous opinions on the merits of single/twin.

Good luck! See you on TrawlerForum!

[Tupaia]

https://www.sailingcatamarans.com/in...-2/6-powercats

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Catimann

I have been told Aluminum is the way to go but price says I can't.
That basically leaves fibreglass.
The motor I know has to be a diesel.
It will primarily be for two people.

Yes, trawlerforum. Yes, Powerboat Guide, if it seems worth it to you.

Aluminum may or may not be your best choice anyway. Pros and cons, as also with filberglass, steel, etc. Depends on your mission.

Diesel, gas... same thing. Pros and cons, depends on how you intent to use the boat. For example, long distance cruising suggests diesel, whereas gas can be fine for short trips here and there.

For two people to do what? Liveaboard? Weekend visits? Dock 'n' dine? Et cetera... Hum a few more bars about how you intend to use a boat, what you envision your trips being like, your own physical capabilities (ladders OK, or do you need stairs?), etc.

-Chris

[jamesld]

I'll make another pitch for trawlerforum.com They have a great sticky thread at the top of their General Discussion sub-forum titled Boat Search 101.

I think you need to also give some thought to where the boat will be cruised and what cruising speed you desire. Maybe a slow trawler or a faster motor yacht, but only you could decide what may meeting your wants/needs.

Good luck in your search.

Jim

[captaintaylor]

Diesel trawler all day.

[rsn48]

Here is a boat that is listed in Nanaimo but in reality is in French Creek. I see it almost everyday and it is in "reasonable" shape. There is some cosmetic work needed to be done but none of it looks difficult. It is steel so you will be maintaining it a lot, fighting rust but on the positive side, if I was going to hit a log in the water, this is one of the boats I'd want to be on as the damage would be minimal to the hull.

Its a displacement boat, the horsepower is low which means not a heavy fuel burn. I kind of like this boat. I have seen it move around in the harbour so the engine apparently works.

https://nanaimo.craigslist.org/boa/d...037171587.html

If you want to save ferry expense, if you go walk on I can pick you up in Nanaimo and drive you to the marina and back to the ferry. I charge one lunch at the French Creek Pub.