| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| BoatCrazy |
Posted - Mar 09 2012 : 07:56:24
Currently have a 1990 310 Searay Sundancerwith twin I-Os. Now that I have more time on my hands, I want something a little bit bigger. Most of the time its me and the GF, sometimes my brother and his wife (now with two kids, and sometimes the parents come.
With the Sundancer at that size the cock pit can get a bit crowded.
If I can dump the 310 Dancer, I can get my buddies 34 Mainship I, for next to nothing. Though, its going back in age, it offers a huge flybridge to entertain, a nice sized cock pit, and a spacious cabin.
I was also looking at either a 95-98 Searay 40ft Express or Sundancer. The beams are larger, and the seating is different so it wont be so cramped.
If I could find a great deal on one, Id opt for the 41 Formula PC.
Leaning towards the mainship, with the single diesel. Figuring maintenance is fairly inexpensive, which would free up money for upgrades if needed.
Any thoughts, opinions?
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| 50 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| BoatCrazy |
Posted - Mar 19 2012 : 04:57:15
Thanks Walter. I will call them later this afternoon when I get home
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| jmeirhofer |
Posted - Mar 18 2012 : 19:34:52
Even better Matt! |
| walterv |
Posted - Mar 18 2012 : 19:31:08
PS,
I don't know this charity, just found it for you with a Google, just make sure its not a scam so the money they get actually goes to the cause. Breast cancer is one of my many annual donations. I don't know who I donate to, just do it based on the survivors requests, figure they know best. |
| walterv |
Posted - Mar 18 2012 : 19:26:20
Here you go, problem solved:
http://www.carsforbreastcancer.org/boat-donation.html
Good for you Matt, knew I liked you for more than the free limo ride :)
Your a good guy Matt, best of luck. |
| BoatCrazy |
Posted - Mar 18 2012 : 18:29:57
John Ive thought about doing that. What I plan on doing is selling my boat, and taking EVERY penny I get for it and making a donation to breast cancer research, in the name of the current owners wife who recently passed from breast cancer.
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| jmeirhofer |
Posted - Mar 18 2012 : 18:07:29
If your getting the other boat for free, might I suggest you donated yours to a power squadron. The donation can be tax deductible and you would be paying it forward. |
| BoatCrazy |
Posted - Mar 18 2012 : 16:08:59
The owner does not want to sell the Mainship to anyone, he wants to give me the boat. He has turned down offers for the boat because he wants me to have it. I am the one who is actually stalling on this deal. Stalling till I get rid of mine.
boating was a passion for him and his wife, and he doesnt want to trade boats so he can sell mine to get some moeny.
Ive pulled comps and Ive seen what boats like mine have sold for. The only issue with comps is my model with I-Os is fairly rare. Not too many around, most of them had inboards. The prices range all over, anywhere from 16grand to 40 grand. I am priced in the middle, and I think its a fair price for what the boat is.
I guess time will tell.
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| walterv |
Posted - Mar 18 2012 : 12:58:17
Matt,
If your boat is priced right and it is in good condition you should have no problem selling her. How are you determining the price?? You should have someone run comps on your boat to see what hey have actually sold for in the last two years.
Best of luck, hope all works out. |
| rduhon |
Posted - Mar 18 2012 : 11:29:35
If he wants you to have the boat, but doesn't want any money, ask him to trade boats.
Let him sell your old boat and pocket the money.
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| Veebyes |
Posted - Mar 18 2012 : 08:33:24
Whats the problem? It not like there is a shortage of those boats. They are easy to find all over. The trick is to find condition matching price. I can see sentimental value in this boat & knowing the boat well has value too, but what is the problem here.
If you sell your current boat soon that will be an incentive for him to make a movement or get off the pot. |
| BoatCrazy |
Posted - Mar 18 2012 : 00:21:05
Here are a few issues I am running into.
1. The seller of the boat, knows I want the boat, and is refusing to take money from me. His wife recently passed away and thats what is forcing the sale. They both loved the boat and he cant bare to be on the boat anymore. He knows Ive always loved the boat and appreciate the boat for what it is. When I was younger, I used to wake up early on sundays and wash the boat for him before he came down to the boat, just because I loved the boat. So he knows I would take care of the boat like he would, and doesnt want me to pay for it. I cant take the boat for free..
2. Selling my boat just isnt going as planned (but then again what does). Ive had about 8 people come down take a look, and I have another guy tomorrow coming down, well at this point its today. I feel I am asking a decent price, nothing too crazy. I dont want to go the route of a broker, just seems like too much of a hassle. If I have to keep the searay on land for the season so be it.
I like the idea of the lower helm. If I have to do some work on the motor and need to put it in and out of gear its right there, I dont have to climb up to the bridge. Plus while I am loading stuff on the boat, I can start the boat from downstairs before climbing up to the bridge. I wont have to be up on the bridge till the boat is untied and ready to go.
Yeah, getting his old is going to be pretty cool. The old man knows something is up. He has dinner with the owner of the Mainship every week so hes kind of in the loop but doesnt really believe it, or chooses not to believe it.
Its certainly exciting, but it will be easier if I can sell the searay first. Really do not want to be a three boat owner...
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| walterv |
Posted - Mar 17 2012 : 22:47:24
I am not a lower helm guy, like most things, like the top position :)
If the real estate issue is not a problem, I get the advantages of a lower helm. Andy (Albumth) swears by the lower helm. He does have a sweet setup, and I get that.
Its all personal preference Matt, what ever float your boat is cool. PS, buying your dads old boat and showing him, holy crap dude, that is so cool!!!!!
You need to post pictures of that!!! |
| rduhon |
Posted - Mar 17 2012 : 22:14:39
If you live where it is real hot 90% of the year, a flybridge boat is a lot better.
You have better air flow at slower speeds. Plus you have better visibility.
When we run the ICW with trawlers, it is so hot due to being in an express boat.
We run up to 18 or so knots for a few miles to cool down.
We hope to move up to a slightly bigger boat, with a square bed and a separate shower.
No more V-berths and wet heads for us.
I do like the older Mainships, and have no issues with them, but my wife said no more
V-berths.
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| JVM225 |
Posted - Mar 17 2012 : 20:53:07
I had a lower helm on my old boat. It was many years ago that I had that boat (late 80's, early 90's), but I think I can remember only one time that I used it. It was more for the novelty than for anything else. |
| walterv |
Posted - Mar 17 2012 : 20:44:20
Matt,
If you need any help with anything just let me know.
Walter |
| Veebyes |
Posted - Mar 17 2012 : 20:15:51
There have only been a few days that a lower helm would have been nice for me. My Albin 32 is a great cruiser but it is much more a warm climate boat than a cold climate boat.
The plastics around the helm are fine but trying to see through them in rain is not easy. If I absolutely have to run in the rain I am more than likely going to roll up the plastic right in front of the helm & take it. When it is 80 something degrees rain is refreshing most of the time. |
| ranger42c |
Posted - Mar 17 2012 : 15:09:19
Ditto folding director's chair -- of appropriate height.
We had the shoe/skeg, no idea whether it was standard or optional.
We didn't have particularly soft chines; imagine a similar vintage Silverton 34C without the keelson.
Our aft sightlines on the III model were easy; we didnt have the same overhang at least one of the earlier models had. Still the lower helm was important for docking because I couldn't (can't, won't) leap down tall stairs in a single bound...
-Chris
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| rawidman |
Posted - Mar 16 2012 : 07:02:55
Upper and lower helms vs upper only:
It gets cool or cold in most parts of the USA. It also rains in most parts of the USA.
I operate my boat from the flybridge helm 95% of the time. Only a very few times have I chosen to operate from below and even on those occasions, I moved to the upper helm for docking or for critical situations like passing in a narrow channel.
On my last trip out, the two days returning home were cold and windy. It was far more comfortable to operate from the lower helm even though the visibility is not as good. I wouldn't want to give it up for just a bit more cabin room. There's no helm seat for the lower helm, I use a folding director's chair that can be stored when it's not needed. |
| BoatCrazy |
Posted - Mar 16 2012 : 06:48:48
Where I dock now (behind my house) I lay starboard to the dock, so only when I stay away somehwere will I need to back into a slip. Im not worried about that at all. I figure if I get the boat, Id take it to a marina where its not busy and just practice for a little bit.
When my father bought this boat new from staten island yacht sales, he ordered it with a custom shoe made for those exact reasons. Here on the south shore, there is no water (depth), so he wanted some protection.
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| Veebyes |
Posted - Mar 15 2012 : 07:40:31
I do recall the owner of the 34 in the pics commenting on the sightlines aft being poor but the trick was to learn to use what you can see for backing into your slip. Doesn't take much. Singlehanding he would run the boat from the lower station for docking. It takes far less time & is much safer than climbing down a ladder to get to wherever you need to be on the boat.
Comparing to my Albin 32, the Maunship 34 is a little more tender more likely due to about 6" less beam, the soft chines & the 'build down' nature of the keel. One thing missing is a shoe from keel to bottom of the rudder. It is nice to run over lines with impunity & being able to go into the shallows without worry of doing damage to prop or rudder. |
| BoatCrazy |
Posted - Mar 15 2012 : 05:14:31
The helm on the bridge is all the way forward, the stairs going down are just before the end of the hard top, which is at the back of the boat. The angles do not allow one to see down while backing down.
Ill have to take a picture of the salon helm. It really does not take up much room. There is no mounted seat in there. All I really lose is counter space, which is fine for me. It leaves less room for the gf to add her "decorative crap"
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| walterv |
Posted - Mar 14 2012 : 19:01:52
"I rather loose a little room in the salon and have that second helm."
"I could see using the lower helm when I am by myself trying to dock behind the house, but more so when backing into a slip. With the extended hard top, I lose visibility."
I don't know the boat, but if you can look down the stairs on the bridge and see one corner of the boat, that's all you need. The wasted real estate in a boat this size is huge IMHO. If you were a North West boater than I can see the argument on having a helm in the salon.
Just My 2C
Walter |
| mintregila |
Posted - Mar 14 2012 : 18:14:23
Before the Viking I had a Trojan with a lower helm. Other than to start the boat, I never ran it from there in 5 years. Someone I know who had the same boat swore by running from below in the AC etc. To each his own. I never even took the windshield cover off all season. |
| surprise |
Posted - Mar 14 2012 : 18:02:00
Another thing is that the single engine boat is a lot easier to work on. We have a '77 Mainship I and it's pretty easy to do engine service, if you aren't too big, you can actually crawl in beside either side of the engine, and there's plenty of room below the deck to run wiring or whatever. You'll find it isn't too hard to back into the slip most of the time, it will steer in reverse, but you do have to get some sternway up for it to happen. The boat is real easy on fuel, hull is basically a lobster boat hull, it does roll, even though it does have something of a chine that is designed to separate water from the hull and get the boat up on (semi) plane. I don't think you will regret getting the boat, although it is a good thing if you don't mind working on your boat--these boats are getting pretty old and there you will never lack for something to work on. |
| ranger42c |
Posted - Mar 14 2012 : 17:59:23
quote:
Originally posted by BoatCrazy
I know its going to be challenging docking a single inboard boat with a full keel, but I think it will be manageable with one person.
I rather loose a little room in the salon and have that second helm. I could see using the lower helm when I am by myself trying to dock behind the house, but more so when backing into a slip. With the extended hard top, I lose visibility.
There are some docking tricks to learn -- especially propwalk, and spring lines!!! -- but if you learn them well it should be all that much more difficult. One crew, easy, except in worst of circumstances. Even then, usually manageable... and if not, for some reason... anchor out for a while :)
Yep, when single-handing, I usually did my initial approach from above, then moved -- at my own pace -- to the lower station for final docking. A door to the starboard sidedeck near the helm (to pick up or set spring lines) would have been nifty... but while not available on the models you're looking at, Mainship did go that route in their follow-on 350/390 series.
-Chris
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| ranger42c |
Posted - Mar 14 2012 : 17:53:38
quote:
Originally posted by walterv
Matt,
IMHO, once you experience driving a boat on the bridge you will never want to drive it from anywhere else. The visibility is awesome. IMHO, you waste a lot of real estate in the salon having a second helm. My new boat has air and heat on the bridge.
We used our lower helm from time to time, and really appreciated having it... especially when the weather sucked. We could at least be running with the heat on in the saloon, staying dry inside during driving rains, etc.
-Chris
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| BoatCrazy |
Posted - Mar 14 2012 : 12:28:20
I know its going to be challenging docking a single inboard boat with a full keel, but I think it will be manageable with one person.
I rather loose a little room in the salon and have that second helm. I could see using the lower helm when I am by myself trying to dock behind the house, but more so when backing into a slip. With the extended hard top, I lose visibility.
To be honest, If I was worried about the extra money for cleaning and waxing, I wouldnt be buying a larger boat. Time is on my side. If I spend a few hours washing the boat down on a wednesday or thursday, so be it. I havent had time to enjoy life the last few years.
Im more excited about getting the old mans boat back, and to see his face and my mothers face is going to be absolutely 110% priceless.
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| walterv |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 22:41:50
quote:
Originally posted by In the know
quote:
Originally posted by RWS
Three advantages of the express:
1. everyone is together (generally speaking)
2. no windage issues
3. easier to single handle
of course we don't have the benefits of that grat salon, but think about this.....
Where do most of your family & guests want to be while underway?
RWS
Number one depends on your perspective and is not necessarily an advantage
Number two is a wash in my book assuming both boats are in the hands of a competent operator
Number three is no doubt an advantage of an express.
1- Everyone is together in the salon, flybridge boats have very nice salons where friends an family can comfortable gather without feeling like your in a cave. As far as having people with you when you are driving the boat, my 34c seats 8 to 10 people on the bridge.
2- I agree with that
3- Don't agree, I have no problem singly handling 40.7 foot 13"10" beam fly bridge boat, do it all the time
Matt,
IMHO, once you experience driving a boat on the bridge you will never want to drive it from anywhere else. The visibility is awesome. IMHO, you waste a lot of real estate in the salon having a second helm. My new boat has air and heat on the bridge.
These are just my thoughts, I Know Andy will dis agree about having a helm in the salon, but when you have a 50' boat, you can afford the wasted space.
IMHO,
The advantage of having an express boat is:
Less boat to clean and wax
No height issues with bridges
Outside entertaining is usually much better than a flybridge boat IMHO, although if you have a large bridge, much easier entertaining IMO when you don't have to climb up to a second level.
One is no better than the other, just different. Your boating style is what dictates which choice is better
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| BoatCrazy |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 21:57:34
If I were to dock from the lower helm, it would be no different then handling an express cruiser. Think about it. The helms are just about even. With the express you still have to walk to the back cockpit to get up to the bow, and same with this boat.
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| Veebyes |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 19:19:30
Oh I don't know there ITH, most of the Sea Ray type express boat have next to nothing whem it comes to side decks. At best you have to walk like crab & hold on to something because the rails are so low to the point of being useless. The Mainship 34 does have decent width sidedecks & one can actually walk almost normally up the side of the boat without having to hold on.
I'll take the safety of those high rails & flat sidedecks on the Mainship for singlehanding anyday. |
| In the know |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 17:21:20
quote:
Originally posted by RWS
Three advantages of the express:
1. everyone is together (generally speaking)
2. no windage issues
3. easier to single handle
of course we don't have the benefits of that grat salon, but think about this.....
Where do most of your family & guests want to be while underway?
RWS
Number one depends on your perspective and is not necessarily an advantage
Number two is a wash in my book assuming both boats are in the hands of a competent operator
Number three is no doubt an advantage of an express. |
| ranger42c |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 16:13:31
quote:
Originally posted by Veebyes
I also believe that the Mainship 34 is a soft chined hull.
No, not particulrly. At least not the older original models. Don't know about their current 34.
-Chris
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| BoatCrazy |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 13:30:56
Chris - yeah I have a 17 cetner console, and thats all the speed I need. Im really leaning towards buying the family boat back. Very rare that someone can do that. One of my fathers other boats is actually for sale on yachtworld right now. Ive been tracking that boat since 1995.
All I have to do is sell the searay, then I can make my move. No way am I going to be a three boat owner lol
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| WALSHIE |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 13:15:57
I guess not all fly bridge boats are alike...our bridge seats at least seven, maybe more. When running, normally nobody hangs out in the rear cockpit due to the station wagon effect, lotsa fumes.
I do miss the speed of an express though....once in a while.
BoatCrazy, you have a chance to buy-back the family boat...just do it! The nostalgia alone is worth it. Besides, don't you have a small boat or two (If I recall) for running fast / day trips? |
| Sandy K. |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 11:29:38
I went from a 1997 Sea Ray 290 Sundancer to my current boat, a 37 Egg Harbor convertible. While I'm often times separated from my guests due to the single station helm on the flybridge, the views from up there, along with the spaciousness of the cabin more than make up for it. My decision was simple - I had discovered a love of fishing while owning the Sea Ray, so my next boat had to be more of a fishing boat. It does have all the comforts of home, as that keeps my wife happy. Windage is never an issue, as the weight of the boat is significantly greater than that of an express. The diesels are much easier to maintain than the Mercruisers - which were always giving me one kind of problem or the other. I thought long and hard about which I would enjoy more, an express style layout or flybridge - glad I went with the flybridge. |
| BoatCrazy |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 11:28:33
Hogan, that is true. All I have to do is lock the hatch they have to come up through ;)
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| HOGAN |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 11:07:22
quote:
Originally posted by Audrey II
I went through the same debate with my wife. She wanted a bridge boat and I wanted an express, she insisted she wanted to space of a motor yacht I told her she just wasn't looking at big enough express boats, guess who won this debate:)
Exact opposite for me. I want the bridge, the wife wants the express.
Guess who won???
If passengers want to talk to the captain of a bridge boat, all they have to do is go up to the bridge! |
| BoatCrazy |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 10:48:02
RWS - I thought about what you wrote. 1. I dont want to be near people when Im running the boat. Thats what I hate now about my express. I want to run the boat in piece and quiet. I dont agree about the windage issue. If you have a canvas on an express boat, well that acts like a sail. With the full keel of the mainship, she is not effected by wind that much.
I can see your point on being easier to handle by yourself. If thats the case, I can dock from the lower station, walk back around and do my lines, much like you do with your express.
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| RWS |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 09:53:45
Three advantages of the express:
1. everyone is together (generally speaking)
2. no windage issues
3. easier to single handle
of course we don't have the benefits of that grat salon, but think about this.....
Where do most of your family & guests want to be while underway?
RWS |
| BoatCrazy |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 09:42:38
The best thing I like about these old Mainships are the looks. I love the older classic downeast style trawler looks.
The only issue with this model is the nonskid is very hard to clean. Not sure what was used as the nonskid, but it doesnt clean easily.
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| Veebyes |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 08:27:25
I can't ever remember hanging out on the upper deck of that Mainship. For us, in our raftups, it was about aligning boats just right so that it was easy to cross from boat to boat for the little ones & especially after a few libations had been comsumed by the rest of us.
I also believe that the Mainship 34 is a soft chined hull. |
| ranger42c |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 06:37:59
quote:
Originally posted by JVM225
I like the express style boat for cruising around when others are aboard because you can all still hang out together while you run the boat. I had a boat with a bridge years ago and I always felt like I was the hired help up there while others sat back in the cockpit.
The bridge on the Mainship was comfortable for several folks; if I remember, 6 was easy, 8 still OK.
Actually, I often prefer to be alone up there, depending on conditions.
OTOH, in other ciscumstances, if the guests don't want to be sociable, they can get off. 
-Chris
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| ranger42c |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 06:33:32
quote:
Originally posted by KiDa
The mainship is a very nice boat. Does it rock a lot at anchor? A friend has a 37 Mainship that does. I don't know what your hull design would be. If you are going to go the bridge route, don't rule out the 38 Santego. They are spacious up and down.
In the early days, 34' Mainship "trawlers" (late '70s through late '80s; models I, II, and III; built by Silverton in NJ) were the ones that had semi-displacement hulls with full length keel, skeg, etc. I think they also built a 36' and a 40' version with hulls like that, different deck/cabin arrangements.
Then in the early '90s or so, Mainhsip wandered off on a tangent, built several boats with planing hulls... and I think the 37' models were in that category.
Our Mainhip III didn't particularly rock at anchor.
-Chris
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| JeffN |
Posted - Mar 12 2012 : 11:09:28
'The mainship has a lot of teak and I love doing teak work, and I think it would be good therapy for me.'
Say this one more time and many in here might send you a free ticket to visit their boat.
and has been said already, the flatter the deadrise, the less rocking at anchor. Good luck in the buy/sell. |
| BoatCrazy |
Posted - Mar 12 2012 : 09:18:59
Yup same exact boat. Its the Mainship I
I know the 200hp was an upgrade for the model I.
The mainships are just great looking boats.
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| Veebyes |
Posted - Mar 12 2012 : 09:13:35
You never said which Mainship but being as you said it has a Perkins 200hp it is likely the so called trawler. Decent boat. The lower helm is nice to have. A friend went from a Bertram 31 to the Mainship 34 to a sundeck trawler 43 to a pilothouse MY 53. He got alot of use out of that Mainship. My open cockpit boat, post above, also has that same Perkins block but it is a 240hp turbo.
Spot the Mainship, far left.
2nd from left here. looks like same model, extended hardtop.
 |
| mariner36 |
Posted - Mar 12 2012 : 08:39:51
I went through the same thing whenupgrading from my last boat, a 30' flybridge, to the Mariner. I like the visibility of a bridge boat, but hate being separate from my passengers when underway.
The mariner has a huge, bright cabin, a decent cockpit, and sits 8 comfortably on the top deck ( owners manual says 12 up top). We have found there is significantly more room on the 36 Mariner than on our neighbors 40 cruisers express for entertaining. The express is clearly much faster.
Luhrs also makes some nice, spacious flybridge boats. |
| BoatCrazy |
Posted - Mar 12 2012 : 08:15:12
She doesnt rock a whole lot while anchored.
I personally think the lines of the boat are beautiful.
I know this boat very well. My old man bought the boat brand new in 1980, had it for a few years and sold the boat to the current owner. They became friends over the years. The current owner cant handle the boat anymore and I think it would be neat if I could get my hands on the boat and suprise the old man with it.
The boat has its original 200hp Perkins diesel with 1800 hours on it. Starts on the first crank EVEN after coming out of winter storeage. The motor has NEVER been opened or rebuilt. She also has dual stations so I can run her from the cabin if I needed to.
Personally, I would never buy a carver. Some love them, but I am one of those who would never own one.
The mainship has a lot of teak and I love doing teak work, and I think it would be good therapy for me.
Dave, thats the thing with the express style boats. You have to go to a large size to get the room you want. Plus, when the gf or wife starts nagging you, the bridge gives me a man place to hang out at. |
| Audrey II |
Posted - Mar 12 2012 : 08:00:21
I went through the same debate with my wife. She wanted a bridge boat and I wanted an express, she insisted she wanted to space of a motor yacht I told her she just wasn't looking at big enough express boats, guess who won this debate:) |
| KiDa |
Posted - Mar 12 2012 : 07:27:15
The mainship is a very nice boat. Does it rock a lot at anchor? A friend has a 37 Mainship that does. I don't know what your hull design would be. If you are going to go the bridge route, don't rule out the 38 Santego. They are spacious up and down. |
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