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eags84

Newbie
Joined
Sep 28, 2024
Messages
3
Location
Salt Lake City, UT
Hi everyone!

My wife and I have been dreaming of trawling with our two kids (8 and 10) around the Puget Sound, San Juans, Vancouver island (I grew up in the PNW) and eventually beyond. When I retire in a few years it could become a thing we do much more. SLC is great but we may eventually move back to Seattle and it is too hot here in July, so our short term fantasy specifically is to do 1 long trip each summer (a few weeks to explore remote beaches, fish, watch wildlife, etc, etc) and a couple smaller trips in between.

It's an amazing vision and we were getting excited about boats like these online:


That's about what we've decided we want to spend and we could afford to do that in cash. Those boats were appealing because they looked so well maintained and had what I think are relatively low hours which for us is important because... my wife and I have almost no boating experience. (I sail a bit on my trailerable dinghy in a local reservoir, but I don't think that counts for much here). We also have very busy lives and jobs that would make it unrealistic to own something that was going to require large amounts of DIY time.

Now, after reading more (several sobering conversations on this forum about spiraling costs and other challenges) we've come to the conclusion that just buying a boat and somewhere to park it, while knowing virtually nothing and living 850 miles away - is something we should not do too hastily.

So here is my question: we love the vision of spending that kind of time with our kids, making memories through adventures they'll never forget - what is a sane way to get there?

Possible answers I can think of:
  • You are overthinking things, it is possible and you should go for it! (maybe this suggestion will be accompanied with sane plans for hiring a broker, surveyor, taking some courses, more grounded cost expectations, etc)
  • You are completely nuts. If step one of this plan isn't "Move to Seattle and immerse yourself in boating life" or "I have enough $$ to unflinchingly throw money at any problem that may arise" (both not my reality), you just won't be able to stay ahead of everything you'll need to learn and do. Owning a boat requires knowledge and time
  • Get something way newer, smaller and cheaper that will require way less maintenance. Explore a smaller area until you get more experience and retire with more time to deal with a larger boat and bigger adventures.
  • Rent/Charter for a couple summers to get more familiar, buy in 2028 (I looked into this and charter prices I saw were super high for longer trips)
Buying somewhere in the $80K range won't break our bank account and I understand there are monthly and yearly costs (analogous to owning a home), but I'm only starting to get a sense for what those expenses are and the expertise required. If it turned into a big enough money and time pit, we would feel the pinch.

I'm probably not imagining many great ideas and considerations, so I'd love to hear what people think. How can we make this work?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts!
 
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Welcome aboard. The first thing to do is start taking boating classes, as many as you can find. One of the big hurdles will be getting insurance. With no boating experience it isn’t likely anyone will insure you. So start with classes and then talk to an insurance broker and see what they recommend to help you get coverage. You will likely have to have a captain go with you for X number of days and sign off that you are competent.

As to the boat, don’t get hung up on hours on the boat. A lot of times boat with more hours will have been maintained better than boats wilt low hours. First make a list of things you must have, then want to have and then must not have. That will help you narrow down your choices. Then look for the boat in the best condition. Visit boat ows although new boats are fabulously expensive they will give you ideas about whatyou want. Make some friends that are boat owners. Walk the docks and ask boat owners what they like/dislike about their boats. Most boat owners love to talk boats.

Good luck with your derams. Notice I didn’t tell you not to dream…
 
Highly recommend Captain Phyllis “Woolly” Woolwine’s Shearwater University in Anacortes for instruction. I did my International Certificate of Competency challenge certification with her and learned so much despite having grown up boating in Alaska.

Home

Maritime education in the heart of the Salish Sea
shearwateruniversity.com
 
For comparison you are basically looking at a $1,000 car that is 850 miles away sitting in a corrosive environment that you want to use for a month long vacation once a year. $80k might be doable for you but that is less than 10% of the cost of the same boat new.
You are probably looking at a minimum of $10k per year just to leave it sit and do nothing on it. Add in another $10 to use it for a month and plan on working on it the whole time you are out. Great for the kids but how about you?
In your case, I would try to rent a houseboat on Lake Powel for a week or two first. Let someone else do all the work. You can probably charter something in the PNW as well.
 
eags84 said:
Rent/Charter for a couple summers to get more familiar, buy in 2028 (I looked into this and charter prices I saw were super high for longer trips)
Click to expand...

Acquaintances started out participating in "Mother Goose" (kind of) charters in the PNW somewhere. Lead boat shows everyone the ropes... and the route... chickling boats follow along and learn how it all works...

Without (yet) incurring all the on-going costs that come with a boat you own. And fix. And get to use occasionally.

I dunno costs for anything like that, but "super high" is also paying for a boatload of stuff in the background (those pesky maintenance costs, dockage, insurance, etc.)... and all the time you'd spend learning/doing. From a distance. Could be (much?) less expensive for the near term.

-Chris
 
I'd echo the recommendation to charter in the San Juans. We're power boaters at home, but we've chartered with another couple in the San Juans multiple times (sailboats). It's fantastic, we love it, and when you actually "get out there" it'll inform your own boat choices and preferences like nothing else. Some of pur best memories are chartering in the San Juans.
 
Thanks everyone for your comments!

Can people recommending charters in the PNW provide some specific recommendations? I wasn't sure where to start looking.
 
Hi eags84,

We're from Salt Lake as well. It was how we started (also a few years before retiring), and I am inclined to suggest this approach:

Start with something smaller and much newer, with less complex systems, and less maintenance and repair to distract you from cruising and the cruising skills you need to build. On the small end for your family, an outboard-powered and trailerable C-Dory 25 or 26 could be a practical starter boat. There were only two of us, but we began with a 22-foot C-Dory, and over a few years worked up from Lake Powell to the San Juans to a couple of months cruising SE Alaska. It was a great way to build skills and keep expanding our envelope. And for us to learn what we really wanted in a larger boat.

You might take a look on Amazon at the sample read of my book, "Cruising in a Big Way" which discusses getting started cruising the Inside Passage.
 

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Anacortes Yacht Charters. They have everything from a 27’ Ranger Tug on up. They also have a three day crash course that will get you to the point where they will let you take that class of boat out from them on your own.

Power Yachts - Anacortes Yacht Charters

anacortesyachtcharters.com anacortesyachtcharters.com
 
Yes, we've done that one. That's a good one.
 
These suggestions are great, thanks. I love that they also provide classes to help you get going and we can start small, see how things go and work our way up. I think we'll definitely do a charter before buying anything.

I'm curious though, is it possible when you do buy a boat to buy a fraction, like a time-share? Might that be a decent option?

Or, totally other direction, if we did buy our own boat, is it possible to hire someone, I'm imagining a freelancer skipper, who can travel with us initially, help us get up to speed in terms of skills, and then help us navigate any maintenance issues that come up? I guess I'm imagining a skipper/coach/property manager combo. Is that a thing people do?

Thanks again
 
Although I wasn't born there, I consider SLC to be where I was raised - Olympus HS '79.

A few thoughts.

1. Ownership costs for insurance slip, diver, bi-annual haul, one routine engine service, and a few related items would be in the $15k - $20k range PER YEAR. If you don't want to varnish real yourself and hire it out, add another grand or so.

2. Owning a boat 85 miles away can be a challenge. Owning one 850 miles away is pretty nuts - I've done it and the condition of the boat erodes over time just sitting there unloved. There is near zero possibility you'll load up the family and drive to Seattle and just turn the key and leave the next morning (unless you charter).

3. I gotta say that one of my dreams was to haul a small trawler to Lake Powell. What a beautiful place and the water was crystalline. Loved it. Even with a couple kids in tow, a small trailerable cabin style boat would be a blast. Rosborough 26 would be high on my list. Would need an F-350 to pull it though but puts the PNW in range too.

4. Hiring a captain - they're around so definitely possible (I used to provide a similar service to new owners). Will go faster than you can imagine. Rent a houseboat at Lake Powell - of you can drive one of those, you can pretty much figure anything out.

5. Fractional ownership. Uncommon on a private basis. I've seen boat partnerships work, but it's rare. All parties are tied at the wallet for years. It's easier to divorce a spouse than get out of a boat partnership (slight hyperbole, but at least there's a process for divorce). That said, buying a boat and putting it in a charter fleet is a way that some find workable because they'd charter a couple times per year anyway and the overall cost makes sense........but it would require a much newer boat than $80k.

6. Getting into a boat is easy. Getting out of tough - could easily take a year unless you fire sale the boat. Buying a desireable model helps a bunch, but the purchase costs are higher (recovered at resale).

7. Your spouse and you need to be in absolute lockstep. It's a huge financial commitment but there's a ton of work to get ready for a trip with two kids. The wife is often more hesitant and if she's head quartermaster, carries a huge burden provisioning, cleaning, cooking, and keeping everything happy for two kids.

Good luck. Great dream. My vote would be something trailerable. Lake Powell and Flaming Gorge beckon.

Peter
 
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eags84, you are asking the right questions. It`s both unusual and impressive in a newcomer to trawler boating, I hope it works out for you.
In Australia, but query elsewhere, there are commercially managed syndicates of as many as 10 owners. There operate at our marina using Integrity 380s. One now ex member, who has bought his own solo boat, said he used his allocated share of use plus other unused time periods 40 times in one year!
 
eags84 said:
Hi everyone!

My wife and I have been dreaming of trawling with our two kids (8 and 10) around the Puget Sound, San Juans, Vancouver island (I grew up in the PNW) and eventually beyond. When I retire in a few years it could become a thing we do much more. SLC is great but we may eventually move back to Seattle and it is too hot here in July, so our short term fantasy specifically is to do 1 long trip each summer (a few weeks to explore remote beaches, fish, watch wildlife, etc, etc) and a couple smaller trips in between.

It's an amazing vision and we were getting excited about boats like these online:


That's about what we've decided we want to spend and we could afford to do that in cash. Those boats were appealing because they looked so well maintained and had what I think are relatively low hours which for us is important because... my wife and I have almost no boating experience. (I sail a bit on my trailerable dinghy in a local reservoir, but I don't think that counts for much here). We also have very busy lives and jobs that would make it unrealistic to own something that was going to require large amounts of DIY time.

Now, after reading more (several sobering conversations on this forum about spiraling costs and other challenges) we've come to the conclusion that just buying a boat and somewhere to park it, while knowing virtually nothing and living 850 miles away - is something we should not do too hastily.

So here is my question: we love the vision of spending that kind of time with our kids, making memories through adventures they'll never forget - what is a sane way to get there?

Possible answers I can think of:
  • You are overthinking things, it is possible and you should go for it! (maybe this suggestion will be accompanied with sane plans for hiring a broker, surveyor, taking some courses, more grounded cost expectations, etc)
  • You are completely nuts. If step one of this plan isn't "Move to Seattle and immerse yourself in boating life" or "I have enough $$ to unflinchingly throw money at any problem that may arise" (both not my reality), you just won't be able to stay ahead of everything you'll need to learn and do. Owning a boat requires knowledge and time
  • Get something way newer, smaller and cheaper that will require way less maintenance. Explore a smaller area until you get more experience and retire with more time to deal with a larger boat and bigger adventures.
  • Rent/Charter for a couple summers to get more familiar, buy in 2028 (I looked into this and charter prices I saw were super high for longer trips)
Buying somewhere in the $80K range won't break our bank account and I understand there are monthly and yearly costs (analogous to owning a home), but I'm only starting to get a sense for what those expenses are and the expertise required. If it turned into a big enough money and time pit, we would feel the pinch.

I'm probably not imagining many great ideas and considerations, so I'd love to hear what people think. How can we make this work?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts!
Click to expand...
——————
Do not buy a wooden hull, expensive to maintain. Do not buy a boat with a lot of ‘bright work’, maintenance is addictive and expensive.
Hire a training captain for a week.
Study the navigation rules. Learn to navigate with paper charts too.
Learn the limitations of your boat’s design.
 
Sababa said:
Anacortes Yacht Charters. They have everything from a 27’ Ranger Tug on up. They also have a three day crash course that will get you to the point where they will let you take that class of boat out from them on your own.

Power Yachts - Anacortes Yacht Charters

anacortesyachtcharters.com anacortesyachtcharters.com
Click to expand...
We chartered with AYC twice; a Nauticat 44 ketch. Found them satisfactory in all regards.

The first time, the "check-out" captain showed me around the boat and said: "You sound competent; if you can get us out of this (awkward) slip and drop me off at the fuel dock, I'll call that demonstrated ability. I suspect they may be more demanding now.
 
San Juan Sailing out of Bellingham. Great group of people. We did a 3 night 4 day cruising/boating class with them and it was great.
 
Yep, we've done San Juan Sailing too, twice actually (Misty Blue Yonder, a Jeanneau 45, 4 staterooms), that was a good one. We got to really like that boat, although the aft cabins are kind of snug. Nice handling though. I see they still have it in the charter fleet.
 
Unless you live next door to it, any type of trawler will be over your head. I grew up working on tractor and car engines and owed two inboard sailboats. that I cruised on throughout the Great Lakes. Even so, I am still learning things about my GB 32 six years into it. Find a Ranger 27 and tow it around with a pickup truck.
 
grandbanksbayfield said:
Unless you live next door to it, any type of trawler will be over your head. I grew up working on tractor and car engines and owed two inboard sailboats. that I cruised on throughout the Great Lakes. Even so, I am still learning things about my GB 32 six years into it. Find a Ranger 27 and tow it around with a pickup truck.
Click to expand...
 
1) take the courses
2) do a few charters. Not cheap but it is costing me $5k for a long weekend at Disneyland for 8 of us (adult kids and spouses). Not my favorite thing to do but keeps everyone happy.
3) consider joining a boat club like Freedom (I have no affiliation. See how many times you make it there. This is day use only but a good way to gain experience, test out the practicality of the distance from home and see if everyone enjoys the time on the water. Stay in hotels or Airbnb, still cheaper than owning.
4) Do some more week+ charters

5) at this point you all should have a good feel for whether ownership makes sense.

It is not uncommon that reality of life steps up and the plan no longer makes sense. At least you had some shared adventures and made memories. Better to spend $20k for all of that vs tying yourself into what now is a boat anchor. It is usually much easier to buy a boat than sell a boat.
 
eags84 said:
I'm curious though, is it possible when you do buy a boat to buy a fraction, like a time-share? Might that be a decent option?
Click to expand...

Look into Carefree Boat Club: Carefree Boat Club Seattle | Puget Sound Lake Union Washington Chelan We just learned about it, and it might be a very good option for you to start with. My partner is going to join when they sell their current boat. That way they can go boating/cruising up here for the year or two they will be in between boats.
 
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