Hookey Day at The Miami Boat Show

2015 Strictly Sail Miami Boat Show

Sometimes it is good to add some fuel to your dreams, so this week Brandy and I decided to play hookey from work to head to the Miami Strictly Sail in-the-water boat show.  There is nothing like drooling over shiny new boats to get motivated to work less and sail more.  After already driving 500 miles for work meetings around the state this week, I was not thrilled about another 500 miles of road time but at least this road trip was for fun.  Besides, my first mate is a speed demon behind the wheel, which allows me to work and take naps, which is as close to time travel as you can get.  The weather was perfect for a day of looking at beautiful boats, and it made us anxious to get back out on the water soon.

We like to go to the show on Thursday, the preview day, to avoid the crowds. The boat brokers are also fresh and happier to talk than they will be by the end of the weekend.  We started the day looking at a few of the used boats on the brokerage dock.  The 50 ft. Taswell – SV Grace was very impressive.  The entire boat inside and out was beautiful.  The owners have lived on the boat for 12 years, but it still looks new.  The wood and carbon fiber steering wheel is a piece of art work.  The boat was designed by Bill Dixon and built by TaShing in Taiwan.  Unfortunately, they are no longer produced as TaShing is too busy as the builder for Nordhavn trawlers.  If we win the lotto, this may be our future boat.

SV Grace – Taswell 50 beautiful steering wheel

After looking through several manufacturers, Brandy came to the conclusion that she likes the French boat brands, Beneteau and Jeanneau.  The Jeanneau boats had a more comfortable feel as the Beneteau have gone to a very modern look that is a bit like living in a Miami Beach night club, which is cool if you are into that sort of thing; and I am sure it would not be as noticeable with all your personal belongings aboard.  The modern sailboat designs have very wide sterns and many of the cockpits seem nearly as wide as catamarans.

Brandy and her French Boats

Beneteau cockpit and fold out swim platform

The fold out transoms were everywhere this year, even on 31′ boats.  One of our favorite smaller boats was the Marlow-Hunter 31′.  This boat had an amazing amount of space inside for 31′.  The boat had a great layout, and it would be very comfortable for week long cruises.

Marlow Hunter 31

Marlow Hunter 31 Salon to Stern

Marlow Hunter 31 salon to stern

Brandy’s favorite monohull (mainly because it had purple cushions) was a bit out of our budget.  The 72′ Oyster – SV Magrathea (the answer is 42) is available for a mere $2.6 million.  I really need to win the lotto.

72′ Oyster – SV Magrathea

My favorite monohull was Jimmy Cornell’s new boat, the Exploration 45, by Garcia Yachts.  I am a fan of aluminum boats and boats that have an adjustable draft.  This boat has a variable draft from 3′-6′ and the construction looks as if it could ram an iceberg and not show a scratch.  The crew was on board and said it broke through ice in the Northwest Passage last summer and did not even scrape the bottom paint.  The interior design was also one of my favorite layouts.  Check out the water tight latches on the companionway hatch.

Jimmy Cornell’s – Exploration 45

Exploration 45 salon to bow

Exploration 45 Salon to stern

Another one of our favorite boats is the Seaward 46RK.  We saw this boat at the show two years ago and it is still a favorite of all the monohulls we toured.  The boat has a retractable keel allowing it to float in as little as 2.5 ft. of water, great for Florida and the Bahamas.  The designer Nick Hake was on board and he said the boat recently hit a record speed of 14 knots!  The interior is very comfortable and I could easily see living full time on that boat.

Seaward 46RK

Seaward 46RK salon

The show was great motivation to get back to work and keep saving for our dream to sail away on a great boat.  Watch for our next post on our tour of the catamarans (or should I say floating condos) at the show.

The Sailing Rode / The Sailing Road