Is av43 MY big enough for a couple to live on?

[ExumaHal]

I want to sell my power catamaran and get a Hatteras. I want a strong reliable boat with a real bedroom not something I have to climb into. My wife and I, our two dogs and a cat spend almost all our time in the Bahamas. We want to live on the boat and rent our house in the Bahamas during the winter. We will also travel between Fl and Bahamas a couple of times a year so I’m hoping to find a boat with stabilizers and good dinghy storage.

I think a 43 is big enough but I haven’t been on one yet. I want to live anchored out to avoid Marinas so I need a boat that doesn’t have to have a generator on all the time. I will add Solar and Lithium batteries.

What are the costs of ownership and operation of a 43 versus a 53, or 48? I figure a 43 is simpler, easier to care for, less stuff to break or keep power to.

I would love to have a cockpit and easy access to swim platform and dinghy for my dogs and my self. Anyone found a good way to set up dog friendly stairs down to the swim platform.
There was a 42 cockpit for sale recently but it’s sold. There are several nice 43 MY on the market now, so I think they are my best choice.

Hal

[gbharrington]

Definitely!

[Pascal]

Not much difference in operating costs between a 43 and 53 except for what is paid by the foot like dockage, haul out, diver etc. Otherwise they have pretty much the same systems

What makes a difference is system accessibility for maintenance. Much easier on the bigger boats.

Storage is critical for long term cruising especially refrigeration, again easier on a 53 than a 43. As you know provisioning can be difficult in the Bahamas. Same with water, a water maker is a must especially in the Exumas. More room for one on a 53

That said, have considered a sportfish? Big cockpit, better sea keeping.

[cww]

The 53's will cost about the same to operate and aren't that much more expensive to buy, but they are twice the space. They also have other big advantages. Some of the big ones are the galley with full-sized appliances, including a house sized refrigerator. That is rare in a boat, I can't overstate what a luxury that is. Tons of storage, more water, more fuel, more room for guests. Most importantly the ease of maintenance, I can't imagine ever going back to crawling around on my hands and knees after having these full height engine rooms where I can just open the door and walk around the engines. Those are a game changer.

[SEVEN]

Go with the 53’. Very comfortable.

[ian w]

So what’s he going to have to pay for a straight everything working 1980s 53
Quite a bit more than a 43

[Dan Mapes]

Being 6'4" I found the '85 43 MY "OK" for two. We did it for a year but prior to that we were on it full time in the Winter over in the Abacos. There were several spots I had to watch my head. We had 6-71TI's in it and working on the engines was challenging to say the least. Space in the bildge is quite limited. Getting 8D batteries into and out of it was brutal and maintaining the genset was no picnic.
Having rebuilt the vacu-flush pumps etc. I can attest they are also quite challenging.
One aspect that will impact your satasfaction is getting on and off the boat, especially with pets. If it was a 48 cockpit MY or a yachtfish I'd buy in sooner. We had no pets and often looked at others on boats with pets and rolled our eyes over the difficulties they encountered.
While docked at our permanent spot in NYS I built up a set of steps that made the boarding much more pleasant. But you won't have that on the hook.
As far as the Abacos went, I was able to sneak a 3KW inverter charger into the wall on stbd just aft of the bathroom wall. I used the stbd batteries for the house and pulled the stbd engine cables to port after splitting the battery bank.
The R/O system was shoe-horned in above the water heater.

You will wish for a boat with more bilge room and ease of boarding.

Edit: Stuff is going to break regardless of the size of the boat. Stabilizers on a 43MY are going to be VERY expensive and NIADS will use up what little bilge space there is.