Jonathan, Not to get into the tired old 'what's the best blue water boat' debate, I imagine the 4 you mention would be the most prevalent. In our experience on the N. Pacific coast, once south of Acapulco those 4 are the only cruising power boats we've seen. I would just like to add one to your list for completeness, that perhaps you have not run across because a) it's not a trawler and b) there are only 5 of them on the water at present. It's the Dashew-designed FPB. Despite the small number of hulls this is definitely a well tested boat all over the globe. Tons of information on the web site at www.dashewoffshore.com or www.setsail.com Substantially more expensive than a Nordhavn of similar size but as you say, pluses and minuses :-) We have lived aboard our Selene 53 for 5 years now and have enjoyed extensive cruising in Mexico and Central America, but certainly nothing like what Ken has done. We have been thrilled with our Selene, and she still takes our breath away as we look back at her from the dinghy. But we've become far more ambitious in our cruising plans of late. And the FPB's combination of range, speed, safety, and comfort underway in adverse conditions is awfully compelling compared to any of the trawler-type boats. So we are FPB hull #7, under construction. Best of luck in your search and your future cruising life! Valerie m/v Pax Nautica currently lying Quepos, Costa Rica Sent from my iPad > Friends: > > My wife and I are quickly narrowing down the list of boats that will be our > home for the next 10 years. We have done a lot of research and been on a > fair number of boats. All, of course, have pluses and minuses. One > question we have for the PUP list is: what types of power boats, i.e. > trawlers, do you see out there in the more distant areas - Mediterranean, > South Pacific, Aruba, South China Sea? Nordhavn's, Diesel Ducks, > Kadey-Krogens, Selenes? Any observations would be most welcome. > > Jonathan > >