Oiy! I just went through the same process, my wife and I have been looking for a
liveaboard for 3 years. Why, you may ask? I've been sailing for 35 years in all makes and models of boats, most of them production boats, all of them on a limited
budget. Between my need for a solid,
seaworthy vessel with a turn of speed and my wife's definite picture of what she wants in a boat it get's complicated, I'm not saying we're both bit oppiniated but it just might be a possibility....
Really? It's the same issue your dealing with, you know your families needs better than anyone. There are plenty of fine production boats out there which will do the job, it just depends on what YOU want from it. The
Catalina your looking at is a fine piece, many of the others mentioned are also, although I would shy away from the Bene First series, it's a
racer cruiser and although a fine piece it's meant for a different purpose, the
Oceanis line would probably
work better for
long term cruising.
we started out looking in the 40'-45' range for the same reasons you sighted, ease of handling,
maintenance, etc, etc. The
price of
gear jumps dramaticall from a 30' boat to a 40' boat, then tends to rise proportinately from there so if it's a decision between a 42 and a 45 your not going to see a significant difference in cost of
gear and
maintenance.
We have two boys, 2-1/2 and 4-1/2 and will be stepping off on approximately 4 years, give or take a few months and see the need for a 3 cabin layout so they won't drive each other crazy and in turn drive us looney. We ended up with a 47'
center cockpit with a three cabin layout which works perfectly for us. I like the
hull (Pedrick design) and
deck layout, she likes the
salon and
galley as well as the cabin arrangement, she was also
sold on the seaworthiness of the yacht, all for a price well within our
budget.
It wasn't what we thought would float our boat at the outset (I currently own a racer/cruiser that I love and will miss, she crewed on a dedicated
race only boat for 14 years) but checked all the boxes we created during our search. It's a very personal decision which needs to meet YOUR needs, so take all the
advice and absorb them with a grain of
salt, buy what fits you and your
family, then enjoy.
There's no "perfect" boat, only the one that's perfect for you.
Luckily since so many yachts have been built from
fiberglass since the 1960's there are a ton of extremely capable yachts out there to choose from, don't be afraid to look outside the box, if only to see whats there, if you find something different, great, if it only works to solidify your
current thoughts, even better.
Remember, this will be your home for a period of time, choose wisely.
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