Honestly, my head is spinning with sooo much information here. I read on the live aboard forum, a great conversation concerning selling the homestead and living on the water. Great stuff there! Including why most would not like the grind, pushing their boat back to WA from Mexico. Someone recommended buying a tug and trailering to Mexico and the light bulb went on. I could keep the wife happy by keeping the house, and trailer a floating camper between Mexico and BC during prime winter and summer seasons. Now the rookie question; The Klaus Baess 32 in the classifieds looks like a better camper and better price than a 26’ tug for my tastes. My truck would pull the weight and it wouldn’t break my heart if I had to pay for the sling to take the boat off and on the trailer for those couple month seasonal trips. I’d probably have $50k in the setup by the time I had the trailer built. What scares me is I don’t know what I don’t know. Experience to share? The school of hard knocks is too expensive!
Could I have my cake and eat it too? Please?
- Thread starter D Dub
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RT Firefly
Enigma
Greetings,
Welcome aboard.
Welcome aboard.
sean9c
Guru
It's an old boat. Big thing to tow. I bet you'd do that once and realize it's no fun.
Mac2
Guru
Have you worked out the cost of fuel for trailering? Were you talking about trailering back and forth from Washington to Mexico, or just a one way trip? Might be worth it to just buy something in Mexico and leave it there.
Retriever
Senior Member
One of the challenges is the prime seasons for the Sea of Cortez and PNW overlap more than I first expected.
The Sea of Cortez can be kind of cold and windy from December through March. My experience was late April-May and September-October are the nicest cruising weather, with lighter winds, water warm enough to comfortably swim, and comfortable air temps. Hurricanes are a challenge in September and October.
Winters can be cold and windy. Jackets when hiking, no swimming, too windy and cold for comfortable lounging outside. It's not uncommon to be pinned down for several days by strong "northers."
Mainland Mexico is much warmer in winter, but the cruising is very different. Anchorages are rolly and getting to shore through surf can be difficult. We spent most of the time at marinas and exploring ashore. It was wonderful, just different.
May and September are also ideal months for PNW cruising, and almost required if you want to make a leisurely trip to SEAK or explore further into Alaska.
Realistically how much time and effort is required to load a boat on a trailer, make the drive, and get launched and out cruising? Are you going to launch at the north end of the Sea of Cortez or trailer down Baja? Launch in Puget Sound, Prince Rupert, or Whittier? Nice to have choices. They don't have to be the same every year.
That said, I'm more comfortable making an offshore passage than towing an oversized load down I-5.
You're not going to get a powerboat capable of regularly making the jaunt from Mexico to the PNW for anywhere close to $50k.
The Sea of Cortez can be kind of cold and windy from December through March. My experience was late April-May and September-October are the nicest cruising weather, with lighter winds, water warm enough to comfortably swim, and comfortable air temps. Hurricanes are a challenge in September and October.
Winters can be cold and windy. Jackets when hiking, no swimming, too windy and cold for comfortable lounging outside. It's not uncommon to be pinned down for several days by strong "northers."
Mainland Mexico is much warmer in winter, but the cruising is very different. Anchorages are rolly and getting to shore through surf can be difficult. We spent most of the time at marinas and exploring ashore. It was wonderful, just different.
May and September are also ideal months for PNW cruising, and almost required if you want to make a leisurely trip to SEAK or explore further into Alaska.
Realistically how much time and effort is required to load a boat on a trailer, make the drive, and get launched and out cruising? Are you going to launch at the north end of the Sea of Cortez or trailer down Baja? Launch in Puget Sound, Prince Rupert, or Whittier? Nice to have choices. They don't have to be the same every year.
That said, I'm more comfortable making an offshore passage than towing an oversized load down I-5.
You're not going to get a powerboat capable of regularly making the jaunt from Mexico to the PNW for anywhere close to $50k.
Comodave
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Welcome aboard. What is the beam of the boat?
Mainship Pilot
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Ever driven the roads of Baja before? If not, you should before you think about trailering a 15,000# boat thru there!
Comodave
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That is why I asked the beam, it is likely oversize. So in the states you can get a permit up to some sizes but get into Mexico and go on some of the small rough roads with an oversize load, no thanks.
Mainship Pilot
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I trailered my BW Outrage 20 down there a couple times, as I live in So Cal, it's quite an interesting challenge! I can't imagine one with a 12-13' Beam in those hairpin potfilled turns on the "Freeway!"
The beam on the boat in question is 10’ 6” and weighs in at 10,000lbs, I think. The trailer is about 1,500. After the market crash in 2008, I drove a 60’ articulated bus that measured 10’ 6” at the mirrors. It was tight on Seattle streets, but splitting a few lanes here and there and properly setting up your turns kept things manageable. I haven’t driven in Mexico for some 45 years but have talked to RV owners that go down there regularly. I don’t recall where though. The smaller pocket cruisers with a galley sink the size of a dinner plate and a single burner hot plate, along with a V birth bed isn’t enough for more then a weekend by our comfort level. Comparing traveling for a day and a half to sit on a beach in Fiji to offloading a cruiser for a month or two on the water feels like an easy trade off, but I’ve never done it.
Just heard from the broker. The boat in question has an offer on it. The search for my unicorn continues. Thanks so much for everyone’s input! I don’t have enough time time make all the mistakes myself in figuring out if this is possible.
Doug
Doug
RT Firefly
Enigma
Greetings,
Mr. D. Fiji sounds much better to me. Bula...
Mr. D. Fiji sounds much better to me. Bula...
