But it's not legal to operate a ham band radio on the marine frequencies. That's because transmissions on the marine bands are restricted to specific frequencies. The marine radios are programmed for those frequencies and are (supposedly) built to a higher standard of frequency stability. Ham band radios are not type accepted for the marine bands. Marine type acceptance and a limited market are part of the reason that marine HF radios cost two or three times what a comparable ham band radio costs. That's the simplistic answer, others who are far more knowledgeable than I can go into much great depth. Again, what radio you might want to consider really depends on what you are trying to do. Are you planning an extended offshore passage, a trip down the ICW or sticking around coastal Maine? Perhaps a 2 meter radio and a couple hand held radios would do what you want. The KQ1L linked repeater system covers much of the Maine coast. I once had a 2 meter conversation with a fellow ham who was anchored on the west side of Campobello while I was driving on 295 heading into Portland.