Hello all,
I am new to this and so many choices. I'm looking for a live aboard in the next year or so to be used to sail from cape may nj down to key west and probably Bahamas. I know the hunter 32 vision is roomy for living on but not sure if its good overall for what I'm looking to do. Or would say a hunter 36' non vision work out better.for sailing back and forth and living. Any help will be appreciated.
Thank you
John
John, we are living aboard our H356 each winter doing the Florida - Bahamas thing. We find our boat very roomy for us. We travel with a small dog, so carry a few months of dog food with us. I carry a lot of tools and spares too. We like our comforts so have things like a generator, ice maker, dingy davits. Getting away from marinas you need to carry extra fuel and water on the deck. Doing this would really load down a smaller boat. And the smaller boat will have smaller fuel tank, fresh water tank etc. so you will need to carry even more on the deck.
We did cruise in Florida with our dog for two months at a time on 26 ft Hunter and were quite happy to do it. Once we decided to do the Bahamas we decided we really needed the extra space and comfort. A couple of feet makes a big difference in a boat as I'm sure you know. We find the bigger boat is more comfortable in a bumpy anchorage or bad weather on the ocean, everything just slows down with a bigger heavier boat.
As far as insurance and slips are concerned. Our experience has been many marinas charged us for a 35 ft slip when we were on a 26 ft boat, if business is good they don't want to loose the income on a smaller boat in a bigger slip.
Our insurance seems to be based on the "agreed value", I don't know how much difference there would if it were a couple of feet longer or shorter, worth asking your insurance agent about it.
Good luck, Bob
