Boat Shopping

This past weekend we went to Florida for a whirlwind boat shopping trip.  I don't have a whole lot of time right now to go through all the details now, so that will be in another post.  We did get to see about a dozen boats and our thoughts on our preference have changed.  Before the trip the PDQ 36 was at the top of our list, but now it seems that the Lagoon 37 may be taking that spot.

We also have a bit of a decision to make.  There happens to be a Lagoon 37 for sale that would work well for us.  The problem is that it is a bit of a "project boat".  There doesn't appear to be anything wrong with the hull (and only a survey would tell us that for sure) but there is a lot of cosmetic, interior, and smaller items that need attention (and I'm not just talking about new cushions or refinishing woodwork).  I think it may have been a charter boat at one time as well so re-powering might be an issue.  This of course, comes with a more attractive price point.

Now I'm a fairly handy person and have some knowledge about the types of repairs needed, but am I up for this task.  On the one hand, we would definitely learn a LOT about the boat both working on and working with professionals while we brought the boat into proper condition for us.  On the other hand, do I really want to make my first large boat to be a project to the extent this one will be (definitely beyond the basic refit/update of electronics, sails, etc.)

So, since I have a few followers now, what do you think?  I would have the time to do the work, but should we make our first live-aboard boat a small project?  Decisions...decisions...