Newbie to motoryachts here, need some advice. Have owned numerous smaller craft up to 40' (Chapparal, Doral) for protected/semiprotected waters (although Long Island Sound can get pretty rough some days), and sailboats from C&C 28, to Benneteau 42. Now looking for a liveaboard motoryacht to keep in S. Florida for the winters (near my aging mother). I live in NY. Recently saw a Pershing 88 (2002) for under $800,000 USD and know nothing about them, other than they are made in Italy and look like Ferraris on water. I will be living on this boat 4-6 months a year, which will likely be docked between Lake Boca and Jupiter. But I would like to do some blue water cruising (not passagemaking), and would like to know how seaworthy they are in the rare event I'm out and it starts blowing. I have always been attracted to beautiful and fast cars and boats (and airplanes), but is the Pershing 88 liveable for one person plus occasional family and guests, and is it safe "just in case"? Any help, including alternate suggestions much appreciated. I cannot live in a condo surrounded by neighbors that costs twice the asking price of this boat. Other comparables I looked at were $1.5-$2M USD, so this looks like a bargain.
Your looking at a high performance & high maintenance yacht there. Living in a cave and keeping your investment up just for a live aboard could be taxing on your mind and check book. Years ago we assisted on (at that time) the only 90 in the states. It took a crew to keep it up while dockside for 2 months. Not including the work on the MTUs while strapped to the dock waiting on FLDDA to fix her. Dock, Dock services, crew, MTU service (even though most MTU work was under warranty), provisions for port crew (3) and 1 fuel load was over $150k in two months. I was worried that was much, the captain declared it was a bargain. When your done with the cost of the boat, maintenance, insurance, live aboard dock rent, utilitys and more, a condo and boat rental / charter would be much cheaper. If you have to have a big ole boat; Lets find you a nice ole flush deck with lots of big windows to move in on. Oh, that 90 Pershing was "out of fuel before he was out of daylight",, Captains quote.
Besides the high maintennace, you re never going to get insurance on that boat without a full time captain both because of your lack of experience in bigger but also as an absentee owner Annual budget for such a boat is going to be close to $300k. The good news i that at that price depreciation wont be too bad... unless it needs a full refit
Its a very small 88' yacht. Some haven't aged very well in terms of milky varnish. Arneson will require yearly haul out and some exp. This is a boat meant to run!!!
