Hi Folks,

I'm a long time lurker here at OSO, and have been planning the purchase of my first boat for some time. So I finally made an account, and thought I would say hello. While I likely will nab something in the next season, at present I'm boatless (save for the boats at work). My background in boating is with the Canadian Coast Guard, and what little training I have to present has been on Zodiac Hurricane 733's and 753's (twin 200 E-TEC's and more recently twin Yamaha 200's) on the Great Lakes and Atlantic Coast.

I've been torn between 25-27ft singles, and 28-32ft twins, and could use some help and some knowledge. Here's some info:
- I'm planning to run whatever I buy in the salt, around the Nova Scotian coastline.
- I plan to use the boat almost exclusively in salt, so something closed cooling is preferred.
- I want to be able to sleep on board if necessary, and I'm 6'3".
- I'll be trailering as well, storing the boat on land when not in use.
- Money is a factor, so no Outerlimits or Apache's for me
- I would like to do some poker runs in the States, (a dream of mine would be to do the FPC Bahamas run), but I'd like to get some experience and start with events in New England/New York.
- Presently I've got a Sierra 1500 Crew 4x4, tow pack, with a trans-cooler, but it's only got a 4.8L and a 4spd auto... This will do for moving the boat around locally (roads here are not crowded or busy) Eventually an older diesel may also be in my future.

TL;DR - A poor Canadian guy wants to know what boat he should get to run around the coast of Nova Scotia.

So I'm open to suggestions, and thanks for all the great information I've already found on this board.

Welcome to the site. What is your purchase budget and annual operating budget?

Thanks for the reply, I'd say something in the $18K-$23K range to buy, and operating I would budget up to $4K roughly (assuming a bad maintenance year). The latter figure is of course excluding fuel costs.

Cheers, and thanks for that. I've considered outboards, but it's tough to find something in my price range which has a cuddy that a guy my size could overnight in (6'3"). Honestly, speed isn't my priority, (though I do still want to go reasonably fast), dealing with rough water in the Atlantic is my chief concern. The best rough water, I/O with a good cuddy, is what I'm after. The wife would also prefer to have a generous swim platform.

You have some time before the Bahamas run going to happen. For the price range, I would start with the 23 to 25 foot cuddy. There will not be much sleeping room but can make do until you save up for more boat. Do get closed cooling as you said, and get the large swim platform if available. Don't pick a boat for the swim deck, it can always be enlarged later.

With the 23 to 25 footer your not going to get out in the high wave area, this will come later when a larger boat comes. The Cobalt and Formulas have the weight but also the cost and need for more power comes with that. Having one like the Crownline and Rinker or other is the lighter boat so a bit less HP needed to move them, but also will not take the higher waves as a heavier boat does

Look up your truck (by year) and what tow rating is. Look close at what is listed as max towing. In the max area, they normally list things like weight distribution hitch. A 1500 chevy with a 4.8 is not going to be much over 5000 lbs (have not looked). The 4x4 can tow less then a 2 wheel because the weight of the 4x4 gear. Anything that is added to the boat or truck reduces it.

The Baja 272 list at 4400 dry without trailer or gas and gear

Yes, those choices would likely fit your needs. For a comfortable cabin you will need 25ft+

Some others:
Donzi 26-28
Active Thunder 25
Cobalt 263
Eliminator 26-28
Formula 27
Hustler 26
Wellcraft/Scarab 26-29

Will be hard to find anything in good shape for your budget tho. First time boat owners keep their boat on average 2 years before they change to something else. Stay away from boat projects unless you really know what your doing. As a rule of thumb, a boat in average condition will cost 50% of the purchase price to get it into good condition. A boat in below average condition will cost 50-100%+ of the purchase price to get it into good condition. Poker runs are expensive, the smaller the boat and the better the condition of the boat the more you will be able to enjoy it given your budget. Something like a 21 Apache Scout with outboard (or something like it) would be a ton of fun to drive. Can always pitch a tent to sleep in or maybe get a truck camper.