upgrading

No, AC is not going to work without shorepower or a 3kw plus genny. You are going into 30'plus boats if that is what you want. It is cooler on the water at night than land. A hatch wind scoop or small fan drawing in cool air should be just fine.

For overnighting freshwater capacity & battery power are king. A proper, close the door, head is important too. That porta-potty gets old real fast. Running out of water or getting stranded because the motor won't start is no fun. Carrying 2 batterys & 18' booster cables are a minimum. The booster cables because you never know when you are going to forget to switch to the house battery only & it is nice to be able to help somebody else who does not carry booster cables.

If the boat is not capable of accomodating you & your family comfortably, overnighting will very quickly become a chore & something seldom done. Might as well have stayed with the dayboat.

Our Albin 27 was a fantastic weekender. The kids had their very own & completely separate cabin. It had a proper head. It had a 2 burner alcohol stove. It carried over 50gal freshwater. It had plenty of cockpit space. Best of all, it burned a measeley 1.5gph diesel.

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show your wife a similar priced houseboat and the cruiser you like and see what she says.
 
I was going to suggest the Albin 27 also.........I had one years ago and loved it!! Like Veebyes said.....had everything for a comfortable cruise and overnight. Will not give you the ability for water sports tho.
 
BJL: he is on a lake. not going to ne cruising anywhere. Narrow bow that cuts water is unnecessary .

George: do yourself a favor and consider what you plan to do. Will you be going 50 miles with wind and waves or just a few to a nice spot to spend the weekend.
 
I've done a couple of overnights on the hook on my 21 footer with wife and two girls at Raystown. I have full canvas so the two girls and the wife are stay in the cabin while I stay on the deck. I used light sticks at night to save batteries power, cooking with portable gas grill mounted on gunwale's rod holder, if you pick the right spot, you may not need A/C on summer nights.
 
I has a 28' Maxum 2800 SCR. I loved that boat but I would NEVER do that again.If I had to go back to a cruiser I would look at the 342 Rinker. I have 3 friends that have had them only is still in the 324. They ride well in rough water, they have room inside the cabin and the cockpit lays out well for entertaining.
 
I think the Albin 27 or the rare 25 are great boats. Don't discount a Bayliner 2859 they are worth a look.
Good luck finding the perfect boat for your needs. I'd give serious thought to a generator and a marine air conditioner for comfort while on the hook overnighting. Also it's a buyers market but always get a survey on any vessel you are thinking of purchasing.
Bill
 
My boat hasn't got a genny. I wouldn't install one, but if I were looking for another boat, I would try to get a boat that has one.
It's not something I would use a lot, but I do like to spend time on the hook a lot more than I like going to different marinas. It would be nice to have the generator for those times on the hook.
If you don't plan to spend much time on the hook, you probably don't need one.
 
My boat hasn't got a genny. I wouldn't install one, but if I were looking for another boat, I would try to get a boat that has one.
It's not something I would use a lot, but I do like to spend time on the hook a lot more than I like going to different marinas. It would be nice to have the generator for those times on the hook.
If you don't plan to spend much time on the hook, you probably don't need one. It's one more thing to maintain and repair, and isn't worth the extra time, money, and effort, if you aren't going to use it too often.
 
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Originally posted by GeorgeKohler

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sea ray sells more 34's than any other boat in the line. the reason is simple, at that size its the smallest boat that has all the creature comforts in it, twin engines, generator, cooking, A/C head and enough cockpit space that a typical family of 4 will not quit boating after a long weekend. most other mfg's make a boat similar to the one mentioned here.

if you are buying used, look for a boat that looks inside and out like its been babied and then hire a qualified marine surveyor to do the inspection. its more about finding one that is in good shape in your budget than focusing on a specific brand. the brand/price point value proposition is valid when purchasing new but becomes less relevant with age.
 
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