Lot of choices and I do not think any of them are bad, my personal choice with what you listed would be a 36' Contender fisharound.

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2005-Contender-36-Fish-Around-102167562

 

X 2 Done it many times in a 36 Contender. Does not have all the bells and whistles but has a very solid hull. Oh, skip out on the Cuddy 36 and just get the center console. Been on both

Lot of choices and I do not think any of them are bad, my personal choice with what you listed would be a 36' Contender fisharound.

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2005-Contender-36-Fish-Around-102167562

 

Personally I feel minimums are 26' cat or 31' mono with the ability to hold 250+ gallons without alternate fuel carrying. The longer I do it, a cabin and AC sure are nice. The style of boat will really depend on what your comfort level and needs are. Some like to go every chance possible and the ability to haul rear out and haul rear in. Some like to take their time and be comfortable and stay out longer. Also consider how many people you will want to take. Four is a good number overnight on anything under 35' but you can get away with five sometimes. Three is kinda nice in the smaller boats. When staying out that long, each person is going to require more space then your typical day trip. This also means each person needs to be willing to pitch in more in all aspects. There are some nice center consoles that also offer convenience of a place to sleep in AC.

http://www.seaveeboats.com/340-cuddy-cabin.html

http://www.regulatormarine.com/34ss.html

 

bored to death...

I had posted a similar question years back my decision based on preference was a cat style WA boat. However finding one in my price range took 18 months and had to haul it down from Lopez Island in WA. My boat is perfect for floaters trips has 20 gal fresh water and head. I did get a fuel bladder after reading here 250 gal tanks just didn't cut it. Cabin has full size king bed with dense marine foam and comfortable great for storing gear. I would rather sleep 3hrs comfortably where it is covered than outside in a bean bag plus out of the way of whomever is fishing. I have 12VDC fan below which surprisingly offers just enough breeze to cool you off. I personally can't blast out to floaters since my cat is a planing hull design if it's 2-3's. However when we are tired and come home down sea it will go also we rest out of sun...great at rest in sloppy seas. Cats have their quirks took some getting used to. In your price range a Glacier Bay 3065 Canyon Runner or larger World Cat http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2007-World-Cat-320-EC-102049693 is within reach (I want this boat look at all that fishing room)...they don't haul butt...well mine will if I choose 600hp helps...that is your trade off. My friend has a 26' GB you can cruise at 20kts in 2-3 not pound and sip fuel I pay $80 ...we take his when it's sloppy use mine in 2ft or less he pays $150 or more...his boat is slow comparatively. I have witness mono haul boats carve up gulf in 2-3's at over 30kts (it's impressive)most are 36+ feet and I would venture north of 150k. I took a blind dive for mine horrible reviews, poor quality build, this that and the other... I must of got lucky so far so good... next one is WC or GB.

 

Pursuit OS 345..... might be hard to find one in your price range but a great "smaller" boat for overnighters and great range.

 

Pursuit 3370 or 335... same boat and its awesome and you can get a low hour nice one for less than that. Cruises at 30 knots, gen, ac, hot water, microwave, fridge and gets better than 1 MPG loaded with extra fuel and water and ice! I almost bought the World Cat 320 ec and glad I didn't bc I hate sleeping in the very front of the boat, especially tied off. It is the roughest spot ever. This boat has a bed in the front but is also has one under the helm area much like a 38 fountain sfc and its great

 

We were in a similar situation to you. We had a 24ft center console and were looking to move up. We found a repo'd 35 everglades out of florida. Ours came without electronics and had a few problems but for the price we found it we were able to fix everything right and the way we wanted it. I would suggest getting as big of a boat as possible. With trips it is almost impossible to get much over 1-1.2 so keep that in mind.

 

Find a big center console. The lack of fuel &/or ice storage in a walkaround could limit your range & capability. For an overnighter in the gulf, we bring over 1000lbs of ice for the fish & another several 100lbs for food/drinks. Start throwing 100 degree tunas on the ice & you need every bit of it.

A/C, bunks, shower would be nice for a nap, but its not really practical for what I do. Nortech & Seahunter are building a "hybrid" boat that offers a little cabin in the console (Similar to 42 Yfin) but these are way north of 150K.

 

Get the biggest you can afford. Be careful of older used boats with low hours. That means they werent used enough. Good rule of thumb is 100 hrs/ year at least. I have always run the **** out of my boats, and they dont have as many issues if you use them. When they sit, rubber seals go bad, fuel gets old and rots the fuel lines,etc.

You could look at the sea hunt 30' gamefish. Should be around that price range brand new with twin 300's. A little light on fuel capacity (228) and fish box storage is a little light, but fuel can be added with a bladder or external tanks.

Plenty of used boats in that price range that would fit the bill, just be careful and get a survey if possible. Many people dont take good care of their boats.

Daren

 

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2008/Everglades-350-CC-2709015/United-States#.U4X2ya1dU4Q

Totally not biased but this would be my first choice if I was in your shoes...

 

We have a new to us World Cat 270TE being delivered next week.
These cats cut the chop great! Plus has the range to do the floaters.

 

Convertible?

I know I'll be in the minority here and I don't even know if you live near the water but, within your budget there are a great many older convertible and express boats that can take the comfort factor to a whole new level. Cabo, Blackfin, Bertram, and Hatteras to name a few. Granted you'll have slip fees and generally more maintenance to keep up with but fuel burn on a small convertible (35 ish) with modern diesels is comparable to a large center console and the family will appreciate the heated and air conditioned cabin, full head w/ shower and full galley. Not to mention queen size bed, sofa etc. So, if you live near the water and you don't have to run 38 knots to the fishing grounds you might want to take a look at what's available. If you live far away then forget everything I just said, being an absentee owner just won't cut it.

 

I have had several center consoles and hands down my favorite is the 33T contender... its easy to trailer and store indoors and it has large insulated fish boxes and storage for everything below deck as well as enough fuel capacity to go almost anywhere you want to go..(ours holds 460 gallons) We have had ours at perdido, auger and everywhere short of those mentioned.. its no frills and a lot easier to clean than most and also handles anything the GOM throws at you going either direction in a timely manner. we normally avg 1.0 mpg.

I truly believe that if you get a cabin and all the frills you and your crew wont fish/work as hard to fill the fish box..

when/if your on a bean bag and you hear the reel screaming your up and ready to fish instantly...

 

I totally agree with tinyj and yes I have had both the large convertibles and the go fast center consoles. On smooth days the center console can scoot out very quick, but how may days does that happen that you can do 40plus in the GOM. Usually its choppy or down right rough on the days you actually can go. It always seems like its perfect when I have other obligations, and not when the schedule permits. If the jump to a large convertible makes you nervous, a mid sized express style boat is nice to own. Very economical to run, and the upkeep isnt as expensive as some people claim it is. The air conditioned cabin makes for a great place for the kids between bites. Also its sure beats sleeping on bean bags. Also there is more boat around you and the platform is very stable. When its 3-4 in the GOM everybody is doing 25 knots regardless of center console or inboard without beating the tar out of you. PM me or call we did that search a few years ago comparing both options. We decided to move back into the inboard boats and have been very happy with the decision. You can buy a very good used inboard for that price and then some.

 

Kevin A is right, that's the way to go .. Contender 36 FA Not much room there at all ..
Center Console 31 to 36' for sure there's a lot to pick from.. for the $ Contender 4 sure ...

 

I just put our Contender 32T up for sale, it was built for long range overnighters and gets about 1.5MPG

 

Where is it forsale at? Post it in the classifides here!