Last Dance - 1976 DeFever 40 Passagemaker - Stabilized


Last Dance is a much newer boat than the manufacturing date would suggest. She has had major systems replaced and updated, including main engines, generator, air conditioners, electronics, sanitary system, and has had the interior updated. She may be the smallest boat equipped with Naiad stabilizers and is the lowest priced stabilized boat on the market.

The owners will be cruising on Last Dance summer 2019, from the Erie Canal in New York, down east coast to Florida and her hailing port. Current location is listed below right. Contact us for more information.

Great Loop and Maine Coast Veteran

After completing the America's Great Loop 2011 - 2012, Last Dance began the Loop again, a multi year trip. Two summers along the Maine coast and 6 summers in the Canadian Great Lakes, have proven this craft to be most capable of taking her crew safely to any waters. Her adventures along the waterways are documented in two blogs, linked in the right-hand column. New adventures on land have the current owners placing Last Dance on the market so that she may continue what she does best - making adventures on the water enjoyable and safe.

Sunday, January 20, 2019

A Special DeFever


Image:  Last Dance at the dock on Heart Island, Boldt Castle, 1000 Islands, New York.

The construction of Last Dance received special attention as she was built to be the Jensen show boat for the 1976 Miami Boat Show.  A number of upgrades in design and construction features were made during the construction.  One example:  On the flybridge, the instruments were moved from the front of the flybridge dash to the top, where they are much easier to see.  The instrument panel is embossed with the Passagemaker logo.  The original holes for mounting, in the panel behind the wheel, can be seen ghosting through the fiberglass repair.

DeFever's great design combined with the attention to detail for the boat to be shown representing the best produced by Jensen Marine combined to produce a very special boat.

Image:  Last Dance and Short Vacation float together in Georgian Bay, near Henry's Fish Restaurant, 2018.

Last Dance was purchased in 1987 by Bob and Barbara Dein.  They named her Scenic Pathway, cruising her to the Bamahas for 2 to 3 months every year.  In 1995, they began a mission to bring owners of Arthur DeFever designed boats together for support and enjoyment of their vessels.  DeFever Cruisers was born of their efforts and continues today.  In 1999, they sold their DF 40 Passagemaker and purchased a new boat, a DeFever of course.  Their new DeFever 44 was named Gondola, which went well with their home port of Venice, Florida.  Scenic Pathway became Last Dance and when Gondola was sold in 2016 she became Short Vacation, owned by the Shorts.  The Dein boats rejoined as both were on multiple-year journeys of the Great Loop in the summer of 2018.
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