Northeast, Florida or, Freshwater. Would you have a preference when buying?

[Passages]

Agree with above. I too spent too long looking at every 55-65' Hatt or Viking MY between MA and FL. Right about your price range too. Conditions were everything.

Came close to a 65' Hatt MY in Miami but (I'm going to regret saying this) my wife fell in love with 63' Viking in great condition here in FLL.

FYI - it was that darn ladder to the flybridge that killed the deal. The Viking has a proper staircase.

[Sadey]

Funny, the ladder doesn't bother us yet, were in our fifties but my heart burn is for my dad. He's in his 70's and a big guy so might be an issue. It will break my heart if he can't make it up but we had to go with what works for us.

[Passages]

Funny, the ladder doesn't bother us yet, were in our fifties but my heart burn is for my dad. He's in his 70's and a big guy so might be an issue. It will break my heart if he can't make it up but we had to go with what works for us.

There was a thread on HOF about 2-3 years ago where we discussed the ladder issue. A member did have a staircase installed from the aft deck to the flybridge which looked great. That would have worked for my wife but unfortunately, none with that feature were available at the time.

[Freeebird]

Can there really be that much difference in climbing a ladder vs walking up a steep flight of steps?

At least you can use all four limbs to make the trip on a ladder. If your health is that bad, there's always the crane.

[tom5518]

Not to be a pot stirrer but GL based boats have an issue you seem to be forgetting - airborne pollution and acid rain. Not too much an issue with later model boats but 60, 70 and 80's vintage boat can show the cumulative effect.

Say what? I have been boating on the Great Lakes for over 50 years and this is the first I have heard of this pollution and acid rain issue on boats.

[dottieshusband]

Salt air is a corrosive environment, so freshwater history is preferable.. and from a covered slip is even better. Fittings, fasteners, all suffer exposed to salt air... but they can also be replaced at a cost... so, price being equal, freshwater in a covered slip is primo, but the right price can make about any boat desirable.

[Passages]

Say what? I have been boating on the Great Lakes for over 50 years and this is the first I have heard of this pollution and acid rain issue on boats.

Don't get me wrong. Generally speaking, GL boats do keep better than saltwater boats. It all boils down to how a boat was maintained.

I believe I read the comment about pollution and acid rain in the GL in one of Pascoe's articles.

[Pascal]

Can there really be that much difference in climbing a ladder vs walking up a steep flight of steps?

At least you can use all four limbs to make the trip on a ladder. If your health is that bad, there's always the crane.

Yes there is. You can go up and down stairs (even steep) holding drinks, plates or stuff... not on a ladder. We go back and forth between our 53 with ladder and an 84 with stairs and the difference is huge

While still down the list of projects, at some point I will convert the ladder on my 53 to stairs. If you re not afraid to tackle a little fiberglass, you can easily cut into the salon ceiling and aft bulkhead to recess one or two steps in the salon ceiling resulting in significant space saving on the aft deck. Not very complicated as you can prefab the steps and just glass them in after cutting.

[Freeebird]

Yes there is. You can go up and down stairs (even steep) holding drinks, plates or stuff... not on a ladder. We go back and forth between our 53 with ladder and an 84 with stairs and the difference is huge

While still down the list of projects, at some point I will convert the ladder on my 53 to stairs. If you re not afraid to tackle a little fiberglass, you can easily cut into the salon ceiling and aft bulkhead to recess one or two steps in the salon ceiling resulting in significant space saving on the aft deck. Not very complicated as you can prefab the steps and just glass them in after cutting.

I don't think the ability to carry drinks, plates, or stuff was part of the equation.

[jim rosenthal]

Over the years, I've seen several boats brought to our area (mid-Atlantic) from the Great Lakes. They've always been in outstanding shape.

Obviously, there's a selection bias here. Someone who would go to all that trouble would go to the GL and find the best boat they possibly could, right? I'm sure there are plenty of neglected boats up there. But what I've seen for sale, and what's been brought down here, are low-hour, shed-kept, indoor winter storage boats that are beautiful. Some of them were good-size, too- 50 and 54 Hatteras convertibles, just for one example.

Clearly the process of getting such a boat here is more complex than bringing it up the waterway in terms of when to travel, etc. But in my limited experience of these boats, the ones from the Great Lakes area were really beautiful- no corrosion intact pain and exterior wood, pristine engine rooms- just what you'd expect from a boat which spent five months a year in fresh water and the rest of the time sleeping indoors.