Soon to be liveaboards

[BattleDuck]

Originally Posted by Eleuthera 2014

A boat in this age bracket becomes ageless.. like owning a collector car. The one I suggested looks very good and indicate the present owner's anal attitude towards his boat. This a guarantee of quality components and proper maintenance.

The quality of a Bristol is well known. Have another look at the boat because it fits far better into your plan at a price which will not break the bank. Some people can live in broom cabinets, you don't sound like the type to enjoy living with your sweetie on a 36 footer. GL:big grin:

Give the broker as call and ask what wrinkles have not been shown...

Oh, I've looked at this boat long and hard. Showed it to my wife as well. I've given it a lot of thought. And believe me, the price point is a big part of the decision, that part is not lost on me.

However, it's an old boat and in general here are my thoughts on old boats:

- maintenance. Even old boats that have been well maintained are more prone to having nooks and crannies that have not been maintained well. I'm sure a good inspector will find these things, but I hate relying too much on inspectors I know nothing about (this is me trying to hunt down a good inspector in a foreign area ). Plus modern boats are generally better designed to avoid maintenance. This is not a jab at Bristol boats, just a general thought regarding old boats. Also, I gotta think, because of its older design it requires more maintenance going forward than the average modern boat. And I'm not all that keen on maintenance.
- getting insurance or financing on older boats. Well, enough said.
- getting a "classic car" that looks well maintained is no guarantee of anything.

I have to ask, do you really think an extra 10' will be a big difference for us? My wife and I like our own space but we're also very close.

It seems to me that you pay the price for large boats, not just in the initial price, but everytime you dock somewhere overnight.

That Bristol looks great and my wife thinks it looks great as well. It also has some really nice features like HUGE tankage compared to others I've seen.

And lastly, this Bristol has a minimum draw of 4'11" (and a maximum draw of 11'0"!), and I still really like the idea of the Southerly's minimum draw of 2'4". Tankage you can change, but draw depth you can't.