Newby from the Great Salt Lake

[eags84]

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:

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1978-ocean-alexander-trawler-9484383/

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1981-grand-banks-42-classic-9492885/

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!

 

[Comodave]

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…

 

[Sababa]

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

 

[PierreR]

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.

 

[ranger58sb]

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)

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

 

[kthoennes]

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.

 

[eags84]

Thanks everyone for your comments!

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

 

[RCook]

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.

 

[Sababa]

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