Astinor 30

Apparently Astinor is some sort of Spanish boatbuilding outfit. I really like what they have done. They have taken a yacht and shrunk it down to 30 feet. Many American builders seem to have gone the opposite way ... starting with cuddy powerboat designs and stretching them into Cabin Cruisers .. all the while forgetting the very concept of the yacht all together.

On this model I could do without the flybridge. In my climate, I'd either be dying in the sun or freezing my butt off in the wind.

Great, stylish video. These Astinors go for a princely sum but you can see how the interiors are 100% luxury.

Trip across Lake Huron on a Bayliner Avanti 3250

This was neat video I found whole trolling around You Tube for boat videos. This video is one of kind and it is a bit exhilirating when you consider that the dude did a 9 hr trip, alone, on an older boat (one that I would be likely to buy.) All that in a 7:48 min clip. I had forgotton how huge of a trip this was until he mentioned that he spent something like $1500 in fuel (2008 when the prices were sky high.)

There's one element of boating that I really like and that is the sense of possible danger but when the risks are properly managed, being in your boat is no more dangerous than being in your car (perhaps safer than a car where you ALWAYS have oncoming traffic.)

Anyone who lives near the Great Lakes is lucky because those damn things are just like the ocean only without the usual salt water problems.

When I do finally buy a boat some day I am going to look for boats that started their life in freshwater. In my area that would be boats in and around Winnepesauke and Lake George, NY and whatever that lake is (Erie?) that borders northern New York. I have noticed some nice craft listed out of northern Vermont which must be Lake Champlain or something.

Anyway, this is a good video and it would be cool if people would make more videos like this whether it is focusing on the fun that they had or more of a technical documentary of the checks/procedures that they perform along the way.

Bayliner 246 Discovery

Length overall (LOA) 25'8" (7.82 m)
Beam 8'6" (2.59 m)
Deadrise 17°
Approximate weight w/standard engine 6,637 lbs (3,010 kg)
Length rigged 26'6" (8.08 m)
Draft hull 1'9" (.53 m)
Draft max 3'3" (.99 m)
Bridge clearance max 8'10" (2.69 m)
Fuel capacity 81 gal (306.6 L)
Holding tank capacity 20 gal (75.7 L)
Water capacity 20 gal (75.7 L)Click pic to go to official Bayliner page. There all sorts of details there.

The MSRP is $58,579.00 which pretty amazing for a brand new boat. I'll be looking foward to prospecting these in a few years time when I am ready to make a purchase.

Just a short video of a gentle cruise by Ireland's Eye in Dublin Bay, Ireland.

I've watched this 20 times and can't get enough of it. The music is by Red House Painters. The song is Cabezon

Bayliner 2452 Ciera Express

Been searching family cruisers, campers on the water, that's my bag. Of them all the sub-26 foot Bayliners are my favorite for a number of reasons.

In no particular order:

1. The hard top with various possibilities for surround canopies. Here in the northeast (not that I am an experienced seafarer) you need some protection from the elements. Our boating season goes from April 1 to Thanksgiving. Well, those could probably be some pretty cool days in the early and late season.

Actually, I have an additional problem in that the sun really gets to me. Even an 85 degree day out doors can cause heat exhaustion in me so the hard top is really useful feature that adds permanent value . I've seen examples of these boats with canvas that even extends out over the entire aft.

2. There's lotsa windows in the cabin. Other boats have cave-like interiors but not the Bayliners. Perhaps there's a regional issue here too. In Florida, I could see the need for window minimization due to the blaring sun. With a 24'-er you'rw not going to get mid-cabin, instead you get the old pop down table as the second sleeping area.

3. Trailer-ability. Not that these Bayliners have cornered the market on this aspect but these 23' to 26' are astounding as to how the weight has been kept below 6500lbs. This makes these boats tow-able by your average Ford 150 or large size SUV.

4. Clean lines. This is a somewhat subjective element but the boats have a rigid, boxy look to them. I have gathered anecdotal claims from Bayliner owners in Seattle who take these boats out in 6 'swells without a problem.

5. Helm. It's sorta got a no non-sense design that has kept its nautical feel as opposed to other brands that have literally incorporated automotive steering wheels. There's room for Garmins, depth finders and toys but the gauges have a timeless, simplistic feel. The only down side to all this, for me, is the solo Captain's chair. I've got three boys and while boating for me now is only a thought experiment, I know I'm going to have small hands wanting to take the helm (or at least sitting tight with Daddy) when we're under power.

6. Aft. Some of these look no-nonsense, even commercially spartan but there's a flexibility there whether it is do a couples cruise with friends, a family day or roughing it during a guy-day fishing expedition. With other boats, you get one or the other.

photos were nicked from listing in Texas @ powerboatlistings.com. Why not buy it?

Ocean Rain

A Special "slowie."

Seven Seas

Theme song for this new blog of mine. In this blog I plan on doing all my posting about boats, boating issues, a sorta journal of my collected thoughts and results of my research.

Hopefully, along the way we can attract fellow travelers and like-minded dreamers.