Encore is a great boat that my Father and I have spent countless hours restoring and maintaining. After a lot of consideration, the tough decision was made to sell Encore.
We have spent many nights at Chandeleur, Biloxi Marsh, and The Hurricane Hole onboard Encore. We have also snapper fished offshore in the Gulf and cruised as far as Destin, FL. The boat has been a joy to maintain and operate. It will be missed.
Four Years of Great Memories
Encore was purchased in December of 2019. Following six months of work in the yard at Bay Marine, the boat was back in the water in June 2020. The sale of Encore was finalized in April 2024.
During the four years of ownership, my family and I made wonderful memories onboard Encore. I enjoyed all of my time on the boat including the numerous hours spent carrying out maintenance/repairs. My father and I probably spent more time together during the last four years than we had in the previous ten.
My wife and I also welcomed our first child during those years. He was completely amazed by the Blue Angels show that we watched from Encore. We also had him with us on a few trips to Ship Island. Now, all he wants to do is go on the boat or watch boats on YouTube.
So Much Time Invested, So Many Great Memories…Why Sell?
95% of our time using the boat was either inshore fishing trips to the marsh or general cruising along the northern Gulf Coast. During every trip we were short on space. Whether that be beds, storage, or just general living space, we were always wishing for more room. I know this is an issue common to the majority of boat owners.
For our fishing trips to the marsh we would always have four or five people. Five being the maximum with a person in each of the four single beds and one on the sofa in the salon. Those trips also included three days of four or five people sharing one head.
During the Blue Angels show we had nine people onboard for the day. The trips to Ship Island usually included around the same amount. The boat would become very tight. It was hard for everyone to feel like they weren’t constantly in someone’s way. The salon would become cramped and the galley even more so.
I would have liked to have had more people on those trips, but it just would not work. Now, with the family growing larger, it’s time to move on to something that better suits our needs.
What’s Next?
Another Hatteras is a must. One that does not require the amount of initial work that Encore required. The wishlist incudes a motor yacht or cockpit motor yacht in the 53’ – 58’ range. Three heads and three or four staterooms with a large salon and exterior entertaining areas. Something like the below…
Sad to see it go, as I had followed along reading your blog. We have a 1987 45C, that’s basically the same layout as your 43 but with 2 more feet in the cockpit and ours has 2 heads. Good luck with your search and hopefully we’ll be reading about your next boat here.