New Sportfish Recommendations

[Freestyle]

For Christmas, my bst friend's wife is giving him $1 million to buy an offshore sportfisherman. They both love to boat but she works about 100 hours a week and he doesn't so it will really be his boat.

Needless to say we are going to have a lot of fun at the Miami boat show and shopping in general this spring. I am a Motor Yacht guy and don't fish.

With this budget in mind, what are the fishing boat recommendations in recent model years for the 45 foot range given the following buyer description?

The buyer has no demonstrated mechanical ability (Jaguar is getting a new engine because he didn't change the oil!). So dealer service is imperative. Something made on the Florida Gulf Coast might be best.

Need to sleep two couples comfortably (with maybe some room for my little kids).
25 knot cruise with about 400 nm range should get it.

Fishing goals seem to be Grouper in the Middle Grounds (off Tampa), redfish, and billfish in the Keys.

Buyer loves classic looking boats like ours (no Clorox Bottles).

Would prefer 2-4 year old high quality brand to minimize depreciation.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Bruce

 

[Bertramp]

Does she have a sister ?!?!

 

[67hat34c]

would check yacht world, look at 50-55 hat sf. there was one that was real nice. Jalala, former Hatterascal. asking was 1.2 but owner told me he would take 900k. It may be sold.

I would contact Steve Kleeman in Ft Lauderdale 954 298 6760, I have known him for about 15 yrs. Excellent Broker, Hatteras specialist. Let Steve Know that Steve Hierholzer in Orlando recommended him.

 

[Pascal]

bertramp beat me to it... does she have another sister?

 

[Capten]

Bruce,

You may want to check out Cabos on YachtWorld. Cabo builds an excellent boat with Hatteras quality and pretty good support/dealer network. Their systems design and layout are top notch. If you have never been in a Cabo's engine room, I suggest you treat yourself to a look!

There are quite a few nice ones under $1M on YW in the FLA area - both west and east coast. The 43' Flybridge has 2 staterooms and 2 heads as does the 45' Express. The 48' Flybridge is also a very nice rig but may be too new of a model to fit the budget. All of their boats are built with fishing in mind but also have very nice accommodations.

IMHO, the Cabo sounds like it will meet your friend’s requirements regarding price, quality, size, age, styling, speed, range and ease of maintenance. A Hatteras would be great but they haven't built a convertible under 50' in over a decade. If he is willing to go a bit bigger and a little older, perhaps a Hatteras 50 could be an option.

 

[Liquid Asset]

I love my boat, but I will part with it for a $1 million. ;-)

 

[MikeP]

I seem to recall that Hatt made a point that the new 50C is avaialble for "under a million." http://www.hatterasyachts.com/50about.cfmI could be mis-remembering...

 

[67hat34c]

Your friend could always get an older one and let slane customize it. get basicaly a new custom boat

 

[Traveler 45C]

Take my boat… please!

I’d even be willing to take $200K off.

 

[Jackman]

Gosh. This would be a dream to me.

A) Have a wife who would give me a million.

B) Have a wife who would let me spend that million on a boat.

C) Have a wife who works 100hrs a week....that way I can work 40hrs or less and spend the difference between her 100hrs on the boat myself!

Just curious...what does the wife do to be able to give up a million and still have to work 100hrs a week. I figured someone who can give up that much money as a gift probably has people working for her so she doesn't have to put in 100hrs a week! I think I'd fall over working that much!

Just Jealous!

 

[Nick]

Just remember you pay a price for everything; she may buy you the boat and tell you its your boat..... BUT I bet its HER boat.

GOOD LUCK!

Now I have to go home and tell my wife to get a job.


Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to ALL!

Nick

 

[Fanfare]

Maybe he should buy a cheaper boat and use the extra money to hire a skipper who can do all the maintenance for him. Because if he thinks a Jaguar engine is expensive...

 

[Genesis]

I know what I would do in that situation, given these parameters.....

I'd buy MY boat (45C, 1985), repower with QSM11 635s (you'll end up with 30kt cruise and goo-gobs of range), and send the boat over to Slane for a complete refit.

You'd wind up spending somewhere between $500 and $750k doing this, depending on how nuts you go with the refit.

And IMHO you'd have a better boat than the Cabo.

Nothing against Cabo - they build a nice boat - but its still not a Hatteras.

Plus, if he decides to sell it, he won't lose nearly as much this way down the road......

 

[captddis]

He could buy my 46. It will cruise @ 25 kt. I will throw in a couple years of maintenance and deliver it to TYCC. such a deal.

 

[captddis]

I am with Karl on the Cabo. A nice high quality boat but no Hatteras, and they are miserable to service.

 

[67hat34c]

there is an idea. Get slane to do the boat and have wife involved with interior design. everyone will win. Besides that was Slanes thoughts in the 60's design the boat for the wife. Thats why my 34c has an oven and 3burner stove top and nearly full size frig. little over kill for a boat that size.

I think that going the slane rout would be the best way to go, however you will not have a boat the next day

 

[Genesis]

$500k added into what it would cost to buy Gigabite would turn her into a freaking palace inside and out, but you'd still have all the seakeeping and hull qualities of a Hatteras..... plus the "modern boat" speed.

But you wouldn't get beaten to death if you got caught offshore in some nasty stuff.

Plus you'd have a boat that would be just as good 20 years from now.....

Were it my money, this one would be easy.

You can't "have it now" if you buy new anyway, at least not unless you want it EXACTLY like it is on the floor, which nobody does. You want to add electronics, a tower, etc - then you have the commissioning to do, etc.

Yeah, it would take longer doing it my way, but you'd wind up with EXACTLY what you want. No compromises.

 

[Passages]

Some newer sportfish are nice...

 

[Genesis]

The original poster specified 45 feet. Hatt doesn't make a 45 any more.....

 

[jim rosenthal]

Well, as we've discussed many times, you get a lot more for your money in a good used boat than you do in a new one.
I would probably go for the latest and best Series III 46, 40, or 52 Hatteras that I could find. I suspect anyone who can't pay attention to even basic maintenance on complex mechanical devices is going to have some formidable service bills. These are not simple toys. A Jaguar is a windup car by comparison. Buying a new boat is no guarantee of reliability. Every warranty I've ever seen specifies exceptions for problems caused by neglecting maintenance.
I think what I would advise them in this situation is to spend 400-500 to buy the absolute best 45-46 Hatteras and hire a full-time mate to maintain the boat and help the owner learn how to run it and take care of it. I guess that makes me sound even older than I am. Well, you can be old, or you can be bold, but you can't be both.
Besides, someone who can spend a Bernie on an Christmas present got that kind of money by being smart with it- one would hope.