On Thu, 9 Aug 2007 05:21:44 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

Best all around boat for cruising, hanging, .... all things considered,
including economy of operation"

Grand Banks ... also the most demanding in terms of acquiring boat handling
skills.

Twin engines would solve that, with some decrease in economy of
course, offset by increased reliability/redundancy. There's no
question that our 49 would be more economical with a single engine but
for the type of long distance cruising we do, and the ability to
maneuver confidently in close quarters, I'd be very reluctant to give
up the twins.