Buying my first small motor Yacht.

Welcome to the insanity.

1: Take lessons . Get sea time. Only experience will let YOU answer questions about what you want. One guys "Best boat ever" is another's "Never buy". Chevy-Ford Rent or join a boating club that will let you get sea time without owning.
2: Go to boat shows.
3: www.************** Search for your parameters. If you see boats you like search for reviews, owners forums.
4: The NEW/USED story is much like the motorhome story. Pros and cons. You buy through dealers (new) or brokers (used) or directly from owners. Search these and other boating pages for the buying process. Contracts, Surveyors (that's marine speak for an inspector/appraiser) insurance.....
5: Rinse and repeat.

Ok, let's back up. First, you're not looking for a motoryacht. You're looking for a family cruiser. Lots of boats to select from. Sea Ray is the biggest seller in that range of 30-40'. There are many others. As to Marine Max, I wouldn't deal with them if I had a choice, but you may not have a choice, especially if Sea Ray attracts you. Before buying, I would rent a few times. Plenty of rental boats available in South Florida. Do some day cruising. See what kinds of boats you like. Then start thinking of buying.

I used the term family cruiser, not so much as defining the boat as it does your use and purpose. You mentioned boat lines without much presence in the size range of 30-40'. You say Sea Ray is like Honda or Toyota. I'd consider that a compliment. They are popular. Far more Sundancers sold than any models in that size range by the other brands you mention. Princess only has one model in your range at 40'. Sunseeker has nothing. I'm talking family cruisers only. Azimut has their Atlantis brand.

Historically, 30-40' has been Sea Ray and Carver. Today you can toss in Beneteau and Mainship and Jeanneau. 30-40' is mass market, not a luxury size range. You build a luxury model in that range and you'll never sell it as it will be beyond the market range, just as it's above your price range. At one time, Grand Banks sold a lot in that range. It's an entry range with entry lines and entry pricing and that's exactly what fits you.

Again, I'd suggest you go rent some boats and get a feel.

Definitely choose a boat with twin diesel engines and not petrol engines.

The Princess V40 is a very good option and it is now fitted with an electro-hydraulic swim platform which is a great option to have and allows easy and quick launch of a small tender if required. The V40 costs new with all necessary options around USD 450k.

launch of

Diesel engines offer much more reliability over petrol engines. Diesel engines are generally regarded as more robust in a marine environment. They have a longer life, as the nature of diesel is that it provides an extra degree of lubrication to the engine. This is often regarded as the main advantage. They are also safer than petrol, simply because diesel is less combustible than petrol, and less liable to explode.
Exhaust gases from petrol engines contain carbon monoxide, which is deadly. Under normal running, with the boat moving along, any fumes may be blown away. However, if the boat is not moving, and a petrol engine is running, then there is a risk that carbon monoxide could be blown back into an enclosed space. If you need a generator on board the vessel which will be necessary for a 40ft boat, my personal opinion is that you should never get a petrol driven one owing to the risk.
Torque is the moving power of any engine. A diesel engine puts out more torque than a petrol engine. Therefore, the heavier the boat, the stronger the argument for diesel compared to petrol.

The high/low platform is an excellent option to have on any boat. When at anchor it can be lowered just below water level and be used as a beach. Not all boats of that size offer this option.

Very rare case of explosion in marine world but this is something to consider. Very well said & I agree.

AA, this said with best of intentions: I think you don't know enough -- yet -- to buy a boat. Not to worry, most folks aren't born knowing everything there is to know about boats... and there's nothing unlearn-able (?)... but I think the suggestion about a buyer's broker is on the money. Somebody who can personally walk you through the various boat types, important features and their various pros/cons, etc.... to help you home in on at least your best first guess at "theee boat."

Folks here are obviously happy to help, but in addition to a great resource like this forum... a broker who works for you and who can actually show you nearby boats of various styles would very likely accelerate your learning process by a boatload.

Consider that many of your questions will be about what works to make the boat usable the way you want to use it. Like: Is a generator a must have? Depends... on how you want to use the boat. Extended anchoring, maybe yes. Marina-hopping, maybe no. Swim platforms don't all come hydraulically powered with the press of a button? No, that's usually a (very) expensive option. Diesel versus gas? Big subject, use cases for each, pros and cons for each (and there are bazillions of gas-powered boats out there, safely). And so forth.

Keep questions coming, of course... but consider getting your own guru on the job, too.

The Cruisers Cantius models may fit your picture of a small hardtop with sliding roof. Relatively new, might be used ones within your budget. Might be some other boats that are similar, maybe some SeaRay Sundancer models...

But going with an express-style boat (i.e., non-flybridge) often means much of the living quarters is down below, and some folks dont enjoy living in a cave, so to speak. You'd likely want to be sure your whole family/crew/etc is on board with that idea.



All that said, a couple general thoughts:
- training will be important
- a used but well-maintained boat will generally hurt your wallet less and/or allow you more features than a new one

And when you look at boats, it can help to imagine you and your family actually doing specific activities on that particular boat. Changing clothes prior to lights out. Sleeping. Cooking a meal. Eating that meal. Docking (crew training required, too); at fixed docks, at floating docks. Brushing your teeth. Showering. Showering while someone else is using the head. Getting on board. Getting back off, carrying the trash and recyclables. Et cetera.

-Chris

Thanks for taking my comments in the way I hoped...

Don't know anything about Galeon, and only that -- from reading, not personal experience -- both Azimut and MarineMax don't have great reps.

In the past, when we've considered SeaRay models, they all seemed like decent production boats... with all the pros and all the cons. Didn't happen to find one that met our needs, but we otherwise didn't rule those out. More recently we've met dock neighbors who have slightly older and some newer Cruisers express boats, and maybe they'd be worth a look. Haven't seen a Cantius model in person, but they get decent write-ups (as would any boat being reviewed in any boat magazine). There may be some other similar brands...

One major issue you need to be aware of is about maintenance... and especially access to systems that will need service, replacement, etc. The more features included in a boat of given length... the more difficult it will likely be to service those systems. Changing a raw water pump impeller, for example, may be a 15-minute job on the workbench, and a 4 hours job inside the boat. And you need to decide who's doing that service. You? Or a "guy" at about $100/hour. And maybe you need to learn what a raw water pump impeller is and what it does, anyway.

If you intend to do your own service and maintenance, you'll need to be plumber, electrician, HVAC tech... et cetera... and maybe yard guy who powerwashes, scrapes, paints hull bottoms and washes and waxes topsides.

If you haven't already, begin your "rules of the road" education here, so you'll be able to safely operate a boat: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=NavRulesAmalgamated.

You'll want to learn how to use charts, too. One way to do that could be to get some apps on your tablet and a copy of NOAA Chart #1 -- a book which has all the key info for navigation charts. I've used MX Mariner, Transas iSailor, and Plan2Nav (now being phased out in favor of Embark, which looks OK too), but there are several out there and if your an iThing person you'll have to explore that yourself. There are bound to be lots of recommendations online somewhere...

And you can find several (softcopy) books on docking from places like Amazon, B&N, Google Play, etc.

I don't think you've mentioned where you are, but if you do maybe some folks here can recommend a buyer's broker in your area... And there are likely safe boating courses in your area offered by the USCG Auxiliary and/or the U.S. Power Squadrons.

-Chris