For business or pleasure, this vessel offers three significant advantages over most vessels of this size on the market right now. First, although it is well equipped, it is a relatively simple vessel with onboard systems that can be operated and maintained by a reasonably knowledgeable boater. Second, the steel and aluminum construction makes for a rugged, low maintenance vessel. Third and perhaps most important, it is priced to reflect its potential. It is not a high end yacht -- it is a very practical vessel with almost unlimited potential. You could turn the keys and head up the coast tomorrow if you wanted to. But at this price you could also afford to personalize her as a liveaboard or make some changes in order to maximize her revenue generating potential as a charter vessel.

One of the first things you should know about this vessel is she was designed and built to be moved by road if necessary. So if you are crazy enough to think about relocating her to one of the interior lakes, you're not as crazy as everybody thinks you are. One of the biggest boat movers in Vancouver can move it from the Fraser River to Kelowna for between $7,500 and $10,000. She sure would make a nice cabin on the lake!

The second thing you should know is that in order to maximize interior and exterior space, there are no side decks. This gives you just over 1000 square feet on the main deck and approximately 700 square feet on the boat deck. Having a large boat deck is imperative for a kayaking operation and gives a liveaboard a bigger patio than you will find in most condos these days.

Let's have a closer look around so you can get a better idea of the layout. For a quick overview and a good laugh, here is a floor plan for the main deck. And yes, in case you are wondering, it was drawn in crayon by somebody who probably shouldn't be playing with crayons at his age.

Boarding is done at the stern where you can step down onto the swim grid and climb over the transom. Or you can climb up onto the second deck area in the cockpit created by the external fuel tanks. Because the vessel only carries 400 gallons of fuel in internal tanks, she had to be fitted with two 500 gallon external tanks for a filming contract that took the boat all over the central coast last year. As you can see from the overhead photo of the cockpit, even with the tanks in place, there is ample room to move around the cockpit. It is worth noting that if someone wanted to increase the internal fuel tankage, the deck tanks can be halved and installed in the lazarette.

Up the stairs from the cockpit and you are on the main deck, directly above the engine compartment. There are three access hatches in the deck: the centre one provides access to the engine compartment and the port and starboard hatches provide light and access directly above each engine. The lazarette, where you will find the diesel hydronic furnace and 6.5 kw genset, is also accessed through engine compartment hatch. If you haven't already figured it out, having the engines in an aft compartment makes the interior of the vessel very quiet while underway. And for you mechanics reading this, despite the engines being so close to the stern, they are straight drives, not V-drives.

Through the cabin entry and down several steps and you immediately feel how cozy and warm the furnace keeps the boat. Immediately to port is an open master cabin equipped with an island queen to port and a small vanity to starboard. Although privacy is currently provided by a draw curtain, it would not take much to enclose this cabin.

Walk forward and to port you will find a guest cabin with a single berth up top, a double below, and a closet big enough to store a motorcycle. To starboard is the head compartment complete with shower and vanity.

Standing adjacent the second cabin and looking forward you get a hint of how bright and open the galley, salon and pilothouse are. Although the décor is quite simple, it takes advantage of the many windows by using light wall coverings and cabinets to create a sense of openness, even on grey west coast days.

The large U-shaped galley is forward of the second cabin on the port side and has as much cupboard and counter space as a medium-sized apartment. Across from the galley are the fridge/freezer unit, a combination washer/dryer, additional cabinets, and a lower dinette for the crew and other riff-raff.

The salon and pilothouse are raised several feet above the main deck. Flanking the stairs up to the salon are the entrances to the two below deck cabins. These cabins are only partially finished as there was a rush to get the vessel on its way for the filming contract last year. Since they were intended as crew sleeping quarters, they were only finished enough to make them functional. The way they are designed allows for standing headroom at the aft end of the cabins with sitting headroom in the bunk area. The port cabin has a double berth and the starboard cabin has two singles. And there is ample storage under the berths for all those strange and sometimes illegal things that crew members tend to drag aboard for a long trip.

To get the best sense of the salon layout it would help to have another quick look at the floorplan. If you stand at the top of the stairs to the salon you have L-shaped settees both port and starboard. Obviously the part of the settee running along the cabin side has a back but the part of each settee running perpendicular to the cabin side is just a bench seat. On the port side is an upper dinette or "captain's table" which gives you a lovely vantage point to watch the world go by.

Right up forward is the helm flanked by pilothouse doors port and starboard which provide access to the foredeck. The open concept galley/salon/pilothouse makes for a very sociable space while underway, at anchor or at the dock. And as mentioned earlier, because all the machinery is below deck and aft of the accommodation spaces, it is very quiet inside while the vessel is underway.

For safety reasons this vessel has two watertight bulkheads, one of which is up forward and acts as a crash bulkhead. Forward of this bulkhead is a very large chain locker for storing ground tackle, spare anchors and anything big you want to hide from the rest of the crew. The second watertight bulkhead is at the forward end of the engine compartment.

Water, fuel and holding tanks are below the main deck along with equipment like the hot water heater. There are crawl spaces both port and starboard for access to everything below deck. The crawl spaces are accessible through removable panels in the rear of each of the forward cabins. The starboard forward cabin also offers access to a large void space below the helm where the house batteries and charger are located.

The boat deck is accessed by a ladder on the port side of the rear of the cabin. There is a full railing around the deck and a set of manual davits on the port rail for raising and lowering dinghies or kayaks. While there is no command station up top, it would not take much to install steering and engine controls. The one thing the boat deck does need is resurfacing as the original coating has finally begun to wear out.

And that is about it. The only thing left to say is if this no-nonsense vessel looks like something that might help fulfill your dreams, whether that is a liveaboard or a business venture, give us a call. But please note that showings will only be offered to qualified buyers.