Here we go...

This is a thread about our family moving from trailer boats to a trawler yacht. And about our family relocating from Sonoma County CA to somewhere TBD in the SEA area. There will be a great number of dumb questions, etc. If this bothers, annoys or offends you, please do not read.

You have been warned!

Greetings,
Welcome aboard. The ONLY dumb question is the one that is not asked. As far as the warning? Have YOU been warned?

We're planning on relocating our family, and our company to the greater SEA area within the next 12 months.

We've had a variety of trailer boats, from tournament ski boats, to sailboats, to sportfishing boats. Our last boat was a 25' Shamrock. I've owned boats since I was 12, and that was 45 years ago! My dream has always been to get a trawler yacht. Well, it looks like the time is approaching.

Our intended use (subject to change...) is day cruising on the Puget Sound, trip to the San Juans, and maybe head further north as our experience increases.
I'm thinking something that will day cruise 6-8 people, and sleep 4 is about right.
Europa style boats seem well suited, such as the GB 32, and up. I also have a thing for pilothouse boats. DeFever 49, etc...
Budget: for this "beginner" trawler, I want to keep it under $150k. I think that is realistic, considering we do not have ANY aspiration to cross oceans.

Galley up/down; no preference yet. Single or twin: as a retired airline pilot, I always like twins, but a single engine could be real fine too... I do prefer a good size cockpit for fishing, as in no flush deck aft cabin boats.

Also, we want to join a fun yacht club. That will of course be somewhat dependent on where we live. I'm guessing we'll look at Bainbridge, Gig Harbor, Poulsbo, Snohomish, Woodinville. Don't need easy access to Seattle. We do need acreage, as we have a collection of vintage British cars, and a few vintage race cars. And, for some reason my wife like the "homesteading" type of thing. Big vegetable garden, a few chickens, sheep, pigs, etc...

OK that's the start...

Welcome aboard.
Since you don't have a boat to post pictures of yet, we wouldn't mind seeing some of those cars. I think the forum wants you to have ten posts before it will let you post a picture but you'll be there soon.

He can post pictures, the post they are in gets diverted for moderator approval until the forum software "learns" him. Normally 10 posts.

Welcome

I would charter a boat in the Pac NW to help you sort out what you want and don't want.

Normally I'm not a fan of charters bit it does have it's place and this is one of them.

You may love or hate galley down and may decide a separate pilot house is not that critical.

As for singles or twins?
Had I had twins, I would have destroyed then twice this past week.
But then the good news is that I would not have had the second opportunity.

But then as an airline pilot, you probably pay attention better then me.

For $150k plus all the expenses save fuel, if you are not going to use the boat all the time year around, and/or do not want to have boat fix up and repair as a hobby, chartering instead of owning will likely make more sense. Especially up there where there are so many different boats available for charter. Plus, you don't have to make any compromises for a any particular type of cruise or number of people on board... you rent a boat configured for what you need at that time.

When we last lived in the Bay Area, we belonged to a charter club that had a variety of styles and sizes of both power and sail boats and it was wonderful. Also there's nothing quite like tossing the the keys to the guy when done and simultaneously having all your concerns for the boat end.

Welcome aboard and best of luck on your search

As others have said, Chartering is such a great place to find out your feelings about a trawler. There are so many questions you need to be able to answer before buying and the best way to get those answers is to get out on a few different boats. You'll also get an idea of how you both feel about the type boating you have planned. You may find yourself saying, "This is it. Perfection" or you might be saying "This is not for me."

Thanks for the advice. Haven't really considered the chartering thing. We tend to be more owners than renters, but that is an excellent suggestion. I expect we'll end up buying, maybe after trying a few different configurations. I view it similar to owning a motorhome.

We like the ability to always have our own stuff onboard, ready to go. Sleeping in our own bed. Using our own bathroom, etc. So when we want to go on short notice, all we need to do is grab a few clothes, stop by the grocery store, and we're outta town. We're more spontaneous versus calendar planners. Even though our single engine diesel motorhome is capable of cross-country, even cross-continent travel , we tend to use it for three day trips to the race track or the desert.

I also envision using it for a lot of day trips with friends & family.

Heading north to scout properties this week, will visit a couple brokerages and see if any of them click.

Ed

GT6 said:

Thanks for the advice. Haven't really considered the chartering thing. We tend to be more owners than renters, but that is an excellent suggestion. I expect we'll end up buying, maybe after trying a few different configurations. I view it similar to owning a motorhome.

We like the ability to always have our own stuff onboard, ready to go. Sleeping in our own bed. Using our own bathroom, etc. So when we want to go on short notice, all we need to do is grab a few clothes, stop by the grocery store, and we're outta town. We're more spontaneous versus calendar planners. Even though our single engine diesel motorhome is capable of cross-country, even cross-continent travel , we tend to use it for three day trips to the race track or the desert.

I also envision using it for a lot of day trips with friends & family.

Heading north to scout properties this week, will visit a couple brokerages and see if any of them click.

Ed

Click to expand...

I'm one to own rather than rent as well. However, I suggest chartering prior to owning to assist you in your selection process. Even in the same brand boats you will see differences and there will be some things you find really bother you. The age old question of galley up vs. down. Well, if you charter one with it up and one with it down, maybe you'll get a feel of your preference or find out it's not a key issue to you. We've chartered some incredibly nice boats that for one reason or another we realized we absolutely would not want to own.