My wife and I have become empty nesters as our last child returns to college. We have made the decision to sell our suburban home and purchase a boat to liveaboard. We are located in the Fort Lauderdale area and I will continue working. Retirement lies in the distant future. For the past year the two of us have been looking for the right boat. I am fortunate to have a supportive wife who is also looking forward to this adventure. When I come home some evenings I find her on the computer browsing YachtWorld.

We are soliciting input from the collective wisdom and experience of the HOF members. Based on our choice of marina we are limited to a vessel size of 50’ or less and an air draft to clear a fixed bridge with a clearance of 17’ at high tide and 20’ at low tide. Our budget is $175,000 with no financing required. On our wish list is 3 cabins and galley down. The bed in the master should be a queen island. We would like to maximize the amount of air conditioned indoor space. We will also have our 6 year old Chihuahua on board. We plan to spend most of our time at the dock with small trips on the ICW.

In the Hatteras family the closest boat we found to meeting our needs is the Hatteras 48 MY Series 1. We liked the boat but desire a larger salon and air conditioned aft deck. Almost made an offer on Bobk’s Chateau de Mer.

www-yachtworld-com/boats/1981/Hatteras-48-CPMY-3225814/Stuart/FL/United-States

Both of us really liked the Gulfstar 49 MY with a nice upper salon and lower galley area but had smallish flybridge and limited outdoor space. Nice engine room with CAT 3208TAs. A real possibility.

www-yachtworld-com/boats/1986/Gulfstar-49-MY-w-NAIAD-STABILIZERS-2764280/Rumson/NJ/United-States

A surprise was the Chris Craft Constellation 500. Has a nice stateroom/office combination and cozy lower salon. Don’t know much about these boats but we could see this layout working well for us.

www-yachtworld-com/boats/1988/Chris-Craft-500-Constellation-3224086/Key-West-Enroute-to-Fort-Myers/FL/United-States

We’re leaning toward a three stateroom boat with what is equivalent to an upper and lower salon area. Does anyone have any pros or cons about these choices. Other boats and issues to consider. Any input would be appreciated. As to our past experience we owned a 44’ DeFever before the kids were born. We expect to put the house on the market around September and begin the next phase in our lives.