I, also, am new to passage maker world and am trying to gather enough wherewith all to proceed. I would like to comment on your suggestion re: Pro's and Con's. Hull material: Glass is easier to "form" into shape, however it doesn't stand impact very well regardless of thickness. Steel needs paint and constant watching for rust, however it does withstand impact very well and is easy to get repaired just about anywhere in the world. With the new epoxy paints, rust is not the problem it once was. Both glass and steel will need insulation. Engines: Oh boy talk about opening a bag of worms. I am a single engine type, with a "get to a safe place" back up ( notice I didn't say get home, safe place is what you want) Size; 50 foot minimum with 20 foot beam is what I want. Statistics: Talk to the designer about all the "numbers" Electronics: Radar, dual everything. A/C: Yep Galley: Me--Sears would be my choice of shopping for stove, microwave and freezers and refers--can get replacement parts just about anywhere. Water maker: Yep, 200 gpd should be enough for 2 people. Well, that should start a conversation. Don In a message dated 12/9/2008 11:00:20 P.M. Central Standard Time, passagemaking-under-power-request@lists.samurai.com writes: As a new member into the passage maker world I would liked to have had some information from people that had been there done that'll before ordering my new boat. Its my feeling that people when asked seem to get there nose out of joint if someone doesn't agree with what they feel is the correct item. Before ordering our new boat I researched as much as I could, Hull types, generators, single or twin engines to name just a few, but its very hard to believe what is good information or just sales hype, you almost need to know the answer before you know the correct question to ask. I would like to suggest hopefully to make things easer for the inexperienced reader that we look at each item as PROS and CONS (with no bias please) then I believe we can help people to make informed decisions or if nothing else know which questions to ask. Rick **************Make your life easier with all your friends, email, and favorite sites in one place. Try it now. (http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000010)