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Post by jdixon on Jun 30, 2019 12:53:29 GMT
Hello everyone! I'm new here because I'm about to purchase a 2019 NC 795 that is fully loaded but without a generator. I think I found a great deal on one for right at 100k with a trailer.
Unfortunately I went to look at one in person but they sold it. While I did get to look at it, I couldn't test drive it. The closest dealer to me is right at about 8 hours away.
Anyways, I'm trying to find a boat that I can spend time with family, scuba dive, fish and more importantly sleep on! This boat seems to be perfect because it checks all the boxes while remaining towable. Being able to tow it easily is the most important because I want to take it to different lakes I'm Arkansas for diving.
My wife has big concerns about the size of the cabin and berth for two people. She feels she is settling and wants to wait to get the 895 once we can afford it, but I keep telling her that makes the towing factor disappear. Some of the questions I have:
* Has anyone slept on the outside area with the canvas? Is it doable or not comfortable?
* How bad or good is it sleeping in the cabin with two people?
* How do you use the AC if you don't have a generator? Can it run on a single battery and for how long? I plan on just using it on the weekend so two nights in a row MAX.
* Has anyone pulled a tube with it? My understanding with the 200 you can get to 40mph (which is faster than I would pull my kids anyways). Is have to tie the rope in a triangle off the cleats or add a custom tow bar since it doesn't come with one.
I just want to double check these things before buying it. She did say I can "do what I want" but I think we all know what that means lol
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Post by jdixon on Jun 30, 2019 13:16:32 GMT
One important question I forgot is how is the ventilation on the 795? The ones I'm looking at has a windows on each side and the roof but it looks like the ventilation on the 895 may be much better. The 895 has a sliding door that opens enough you can walk out.
I just don't think I can tow the 895 or even want to.
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Post by lynnardm on Jun 30, 2019 19:17:55 GMT
J
Welcome to the forum. I had a blue hulled 695 with a Yamaha 200 and now have a white 895 with a 300 Yamaha. Capt’n Ron has a 795 so I’m familiar with that. I’ll summarize first. If you prefer a day cruiser/runabout with occasional overnight for 2 then the 795 is great. If you prefer a cabin cruiser to be able to sleep on the boat comfortably for extended periods plus room For more people then the 895 is great. Ether can fish, ski, etc. The 795 will be a lot more economical to run. The 895 will handle rough conditions better. The 895 has a lot more storage areas which also makes it suitable to for extended trips. The 895 has better ventilation With the 2 skylights and larger window and door. Hull color also makes a difference. The dark blue hulls absorb a lot of heat on a sunny day. My blue hulled 695 would get hot to the touch (on the inside). The white hulls do not even get warm. I was very surprised at the difference hull color makes relative to the interior comfort on a hot sunny day. And finally on the AC. You will need either shore power or a generator to run it.
Capt’n Lynn
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Post by rene460 on Jul 1, 2019 6:42:25 GMT
Hi jDixon,
Welcome to the forum. I am sure you will find it a friendly place that will help you get the most out of your boating.
I have not tried sleeping on a power boat of any model, but after more than thirty years on small trailer sailers I am well practiced in some of the issues, many of which are common to all boats.
We had an 18 ft model for twelve years, followed by a 24 ft model for twenty years, and towed them thousands of km. I totally agree with you on keeping to the smaller model for towing, especially of you are near the Smokey Mountains of your state. Do check the legal towing capacity of your tow vehicle, and requirements for brakes etc.
Interestingly the 18 ft boat had more room than the 24, mostly due to the hull plan form. We had room for two adults and our three children on the 18 mainly because it worked for one sleeping in the cockpit. It was the favourite location. We put an inflatable mattress, (Li-Lo) on the floor with a sleeping bag. We had a boom tent made from a small poly tarp, just an inverted v over the boom, and I made a cover which tied on at deck level to complete the cover to the transom, a bit like a hikers swag, to provide shelter beyond the end of the boom. It was magic for a sleeping position with a clear view of the stars at night. Not enough shelter for a wind coming from astern, but any boat always lies more comfortably bow to wind. No issue at anchor, and a matter of choosing location and mooring direction carefully if not swinging at anchor. The larger boat had a more narrow cockpit well and a traveller that meant there was not sufficient room for the same solution.
We rarely day sailed, so nearly always slept on board. No problem with two or three or four in the cabin. Though we always had a front hatch open and the companionway open, and still do on our Jeanneau. This worked well, even if moored on the beach with a light cross wind or no wind. No side windows on either boat. We made mosquito screens with tent fly screen netting, hemmed on the home sewing machine and held in place with Velcro. We used the stick on to put the soft side on the hull for attachment and sewed the hooky side to the netting. That said, the people beside us in our marina always close their companionway and hatches, and seem happy. But it is not for me. We still rarely close up any hatches, even in winter, when the temperatures can be below 10 degrees.
The main issues were storage space for clothing etc (for four or five), and comfort during meal preparation and wash up. All boats have more bunks than space for personal gear. We had a porta poti for toilet, and did clever things with curtains and Velcro for the necessary privacy. We never liked the normal position, under a fill in cushion for the v-berth, as it meant disturbing those sleeping to use it. So we had it in the main cabin under a small cushion that made part of the settee berth. Needless to say when we moved to a larger boat, the current 30i, part of the spec was a door on the toilet. I probably exceeded the spec as intended, but it is nice now it is done.
We were also finding the cramped position for food preparation was making our backs sore after a few days. We had to sit on the settee berth with the sink and stove beside us, so had to twist nearly 90 degrees to reach. Also hard to sit with a straight back. Otherwise we might still be in that 24 footer. Trailering to distant waters beats a long sea journey every time. I suspect the boat you are looking at will solve most of the problems. Nothing beats sleeping on the water, either on anchor somewhere, or tied against a lonely beach, or even a crowded one. The crowded ones are very friendly sociable places.
I can say with confidence that you can’t run an a/c from batteries. The fridge is the biggest problem for even an overnight stay, and it requires much less power than an a/c. You will need a generator with the attendant noise or shore power for that. You will probably soon decide to install extra house batteries, just to run a fridge.
I hope that may give you some ideas for evaluating the layout of the boat you are considering. I hope it will be suitable for your needs but the needs for camping on board are an individual thing. And I am sure that some of our power boat owners will come in with more specific thoughts.
Rene460
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Post by jdixon on Jul 1, 2019 19:07:27 GMT
J Welcome to the forum. I had a blue hulled 695 with a Yamaha 200 and now have a white 895 with a 300 Yamaha. Capt’n Ron has a 795 so I’m familiar with that. I’ll summarize first. If you prefer a day cruiser/runabout with occasional overnight for 2 then the 795 is great. If you prefer a cabin cruiser to be able to sleep on the boat comfortably for extended periods plus room For more people then the 895 is great. Ether can fish, ski, etc. The 795 will be a lot more economical to run. The 895 will handle rough conditions better. The 895 has a lot more storage areas which also makes it suitable to for extended trips. The 895 has better ventilation With the 2 skylights and larger window and door. Hull color also makes a difference. The dark blue hulls absorb a lot of heat on a sunny day. My blue hulled 695 would get hot to the touch (on the inside). The white hulls do not even get warm. I was very surprised at the difference hull color makes relative to the interior comfort on a hot sunny day. And finally on the AC. You will need either shore power or a generator to run it. Capt’n Lynn Thank you for your feedback and that is interesting to know about the hull color. I personally like the all white much better anyways but it is satisfying to know I have another reason for it. I am really stuck between finding something comfortable for all of us while keeping it under a specific size for towing purposes. I feel we could make the 795 work but it is a lot of money to end up being wrong. I obviously like the extra space of the 895 but towing is 100% out of the question then (plus it is even more money). I wish they could of fit another 2xberth on the 795 somehow. I've seen other 24' boats where they were able to fit them even though it was a little tight. I forgot to mention it is me, my wife, 13yr old son, 6yr old daughter, and 7mo old baby. I was also looking at adding solar panels (2) to the roof for power and storing in additional batteries for when the sun isn't out. I just need to figure out the wattage for the AC and frig. |
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Post by jdixon on Jul 1, 2019 19:12:34 GMT
Hi jDixon, Welcome to the forum. I am sure you will find it a friendly place that will help you get the most out of your boating. I have not tried sleeping on a power boat of any model, but after more than thirty years on small trailer sailers I am well practiced in some of the issues, many of which are common to all boats. We had an 18 ft model for twelve years, followed by a 24 ft model for twenty years, and towed them thousands of km. I totally agree with you on keeping to the smaller model for towing, especially of you are near the Smokey Mountains of your state. Do check the legal towing capacity of your tow vehicle, and requirements for brakes etc........................................... Rene460 You for sure have a lot more experience than I do. I have never actually slept on a boat but I spend all the time I can at the lake. I personally like being on the lake during the winter months because I'm literally the only person out there. We are looking at a vacation home in FL and love the idea of towing my boat down there during the summer months and using it for diving and fishing. I'm not sure I can handle sleeping on the ocean yet due to motion sickness. I will just have to try it haha. Looking at the 795 and another cabin cruiser, I can say that I agree with the storage space. For the small boats there seems to be space to sleep but lacks on space to store your items. However, I don't really plan on spending more than two nights in a row on this type of boat but I plan on doing it most weekends throughout the year. Since I haven't slept on a boat I could end up actually not liking it, but travel time from my home to lakes in AR are 2.5 hours or more except for one. I want to visit them all and dive them all. |
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Post by Capt’n Ron on Jul 2, 2019 7:45:52 GMT
Hello everyone! I'm new here because I'm about to purchase a 2019 NC 795 that is fully loaded but without a generator. I think I found a great deal on one for right at 100k with a trailer. Unfortunately I went to look at one in person but they sold it. While I did get to look at it, I couldn't test drive it. The closest dealer to me is right at about 8 hours away. Anyways, I'm trying to find a boat that I can spend time with family, scuba dive, fish and more importantly sleep on! This boat seems to be perfect because it checks all the boxes while remaining towable. Being able to tow it easily is the most important because I want to take it to different lakes I'm Arkansas for diving. My wife has big concerns about the size of the cabin and berth for two people. She feels she is settling and wants to wait to get the 895 once we can afford it, but I keep telling her that makes the towing factor disappear. Some of the questions I have: * Has anyone slept on the outside area with the canvas? Is it doable or not comfortable? * How bad or good is it sleeping in the cabin with two people? * How do you use the AC if you don't have a generator? Can it run on a single battery and for how long? I plan on just using it on the weekend so two nights in a row MAX. * Has anyone pulled a tube with it? My understanding with the 200 you can get to 40mph (which is faster than I would pull my kids anyways). Is have to tie the rope in a triangle off the cleats or add a custom tow bar since it doesn't come with one. I just want to double check these things before buying it. She did say I can "do what I want" but I think we all know what that means lol Hi J, it sounds like the 795 is probably the boat that meets most of your needs. The boat is a very towable behind a 1/2 ton pickup and it’s pretty manageable for one person to launch and retrieve. While the 895 is towable, it would certainly present more of a challenge, especially depending on the luanch facilities at the lakes you will be going to. Regarding sleeping, we use ours for weekend cruises and I would compare it to sleeping in a tent (795) versus a motor home (895) as far as comfort and space, although it does depend on the size of the two people. One thing we did that made a huge differece was to upgrade to a custom matress. My wife sleeps much better which means I sleep better. 😉. Certainly stowage is an issue with the 795 where we have to keep things in the sleeping birth and move it to the cabin at night, but it’s managable for two or three days. You can also have a travel rack installed on top of the cabin for additional stowage. I don’t have AC, but at times I wish I did. As Capt’n Lynn mentioned, you will need either shore power or a generator to run the AC. A number of my boating friends have the Honda 2000i companion that has the 30amp outlet so you can plug it into the shore power outlet. Based on what you are looking to do I would consider adding a 2000w pure sin wave Inverter/Charger and at least two AGM house batteries. That will allow you to run small appliances like; coffee machine, toasters, and wife things like hair dryers. You should also add a meter to monitor your power consumption. Most of these batteries don’t like to be run down below 50%, or you might find having to replace them sooner than you expect. Ventilation on the 795 is one of those blessings and curses with all the big windows. It can get pretty toasty in the cabin when not moving. I added several USB ports and use USB fans to keep it cool, and when needed I use a big 110v fan (nice to have the inverter). Another thing you will read on the forum is the windows do get fogged in early morning, so having a diesel heater with vents at the windshield is a good addition. Hope this helps! Cheers, Ron |
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Post by rene460 on Jul 2, 2019 10:32:40 GMT
Hi J, I can honestly say that I love every night spent on the boat. Usually quiet, except perhaps for some waves, which we often hear as most of our favourite places are only a hundred meters or so over the sand dunes from the outside ocean. Boat sometimes rocks ever so gently, and air seems fresh and made for sleeping. In our trailerable yachts, on our lakes, we normally moored with a bow anchor and the stern on the beach with large plastic tent pegs for a mooring, as we have no significant tidal rise and fall. A bar-b-que on the transom can be tended from the cockpit or standing on the shore. In the early days, there was always the worry and occasional wild night if an unexpected cold front came through, but these days, a smart phone or iPad puts excellent forecasts in our hands so we rarely get caught out. On a lake you can usually pick an overnight location which is protected from the expected winds. With other geography, you might normally swing at anchor, also a great way to spend the night. As lake sailors, we never have to sail at night and always anchor in calm water. I would suggest that in a trailerable boat, you will rarely need to sleep on the ocean, though fishermen seem to venture out further than I would. I doubt that you will find conditions worse than you have already experienced for your fishing so if you look after your family by being quite conservative until they get their sea legs, you should not have much trouble with the mal de mer. Missing the odd doubtful day will pay off in the long run.
Your family is not so different from ours, it’s a great way to spend holidays with the kids. You will get so much more out of your 2 1/2 hour drive to the lake if you stay over night rather than drive home or to a hotel. You might need a roof rack to carry paddle boards for the older two, it is important to keep them interested as they enter teenage years. Our oldest chose to start wind surfing, not easy to carry on an 18 footer, but we stored the rig on deck and towed the board. You would probably have to stack it all on deck somehow. Teach them to drive the boat as soon as they are the legal age, and have them help with mooring and all the other activities. You will soon be able to get back to fishing and leave the boat handling to them.
I would suggest complete canvas for the cockpit, to make this an extra cabin, and check that you have enough space somewhere to put air beds for those who don’t get the permanent bunks. You will quickly get used to the musical chairs of the daily routine. The cockpit canvas should have fixed mosquito netting windows, with a clear flap and a canvas flap, both inside so you can roll them up from the inside as required. Space for a generator for the a/c and for your dive equipment might be the worst problem. It is best to only put lighter stuff on the roof rack. Yes it is tight for space, a small tent is a fair comparison, but for that, you get the possibility to trail to distant places which are all within your reach. Our longest tow was to the Whitsunday Islands from Melbourne, I am trying to remember, but I think is was about 2000 km each way. Someone will probably correct me, then I will again know the answer. Five or six days each way. Used the boat as our caravan on the way. We lost that possibility when we changed to a keel boat. A pity, but pluses and minuses.
There are many threads discussing current draw by fridges etc. but assume about four amps for about 50% of the time say 50 amp.hours per day as a reasonable guess. You can see why the battery capacity quickly becomes an issue. You will soon need a solar panel that can put back each days consumption, with some allowance for a cloudy day.
I hope that helps with some of your questions. As you say, best for you and your wife to go in with eyes open than have regrets later. Keep in mind that what you want is for your family to be happy.
rene460
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Post by lynnardm on Jul 2, 2019 17:28:33 GMT
J
You stated there are 5 of you! Congrats on a growing family. That does impact my input. For a family day cruiser or fishing boat the 795 would be great. But for anything overnight with kids I would not have enough room In the 795. in the 895 you will have sufficient sleeping quarters plus room to store kids clothes etc. And be able to function in the galley/salon when the kids are in bed in the 2nd berth. The thought of taking our grandkids along on an overnight gives me chills (on a 695 or 795). The 895 when sleeping more than 2 is the way to go. I forgot to mention how difficult we found it to use a head where you can’t stand up. Thats Another plus with a bigger boat. We were fortunate to be able to join a yacht club near our house. It offers inexpensive moorage. And I’ve found I enjoy going to the docks and hanging out on the boat even without leaving the berth.
Capt’n Lynn.
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Post by jdixon on Jul 5, 2019 19:15:15 GMT
Yeah after looking into it further I think the 795 would be too small if we were all going to sleep on it. If it were just two of us then we could make that work. I really like the 895 but it is out of my price range currently and I can't tow it. I really was trying to find something I could tow but having issues with that.
Thank you all for your input!
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