DSK wrote:

Budget max to buy is low $100k's. Annual budget would be in the
neighborhood of $25-30k.



Cap'n Ric wrote:

Annual budget of 30K for a power boat isn't much unless you plan on
not going very far.


Or get a boat that is fuel efficient (ie not a speedboat)
From what I have read, and talking to a lot of different cruiser in
both power & sail bost, there isn't a whole lot of difference in the
cost of cruising (unless you are burning fuel to make ten tons of boat &
furniture plane).

DSK



Though one can never rely on manufacturer's claims, the range of boats
we're looking at are single engine or small twin trawlers that seem to
burn well under 10gph with most quoted in the 4 - 7gph range. We don't
expect to break any speed records - in fact, maybe the idea behind a
cruise, at least for us, is the journey as much as the destination.
That may change in the long-run, but for now, that's the vision.

However, some factors that have been brought to our attention include
insurance and home slip. We have not taken these fully into
consideration. So we do need to pay more attention to these fixed costs
in our annual operating budget. We have a great deal on our current
slip and our insurance broker has done a very effective job to minimize
our costs.

We have some time, plenty of time, before we commit. I just hope the
current prices stay depressed until AFTER we make the purchase.