Hello from Los Angeles

[twindiesel]

Interested in getting a trawler to cruise for when I can pull away or eject from normal life. Im getting the sense it may be better to start this new lifestyle somewhere on the east coast. I can only imagine boat slip costs here on the west coast.

[Peter B]

Welcome to the forum. You'll find plenty of information on here.

[DavidM]

Welcome aboard. We lived and cruised on the west coast out of Long Beach for ten years but are now back to the east coast where we have cruised the entire coast. So let me give you my perspective on each:

The west coast is undeniably nice particularly SoCal. Slips are expensive and anchorages limited though. We have anchored from San Diego to Catalina and the Channel Islands and found very nice spots, but I think I can count all of the anchorages in that stretch on two hands, maybe a bit more.

If you want to cruise full time and rely on anchorages it will get old. You need a marina base and then head out for several days at a time to anchorages. Long Beach is a good central location but slips will be $15/ft/mo or more and many do not allow live aboards.

The east coast OTOH has thousands of anchorages. You can live aboard full time and rely on anchorages 95% of the time. Or you can pick a home base for the winter like Stuart Florida and travel north when it gets warmer. I believe that Stuart slips are available for three months at a time at reasonable rates, maybe $10/ft/mo. Maybe someone can confirm.

Long term slips are available in places like New Bern, NC for about $7/ft/mo and would be a good place for full time living in a marina.

So the west coast is pretty with nice weather but expensive with limited anchorages and slips. East coast is cheaper with tons of anchorages but you have to move with the seasons for decent weather.

David

[Pete Meisinger]

Don't forget the Great Lakes ! Cheap marinas, fresh water,(actually drinkable), lots of protected anchorages and islands. NICE PEOPLE! Transient slips sometimes going for a buck a foot. Summer slips for around $250 a month. Winter storage, generally around a grand.
Cheese shops in every town (at least in Wisconsin). Lots of Great food. There is a festival somewhere every weekend. Farmers markets start in July for fresh everything in every town. Near "Blue Water" adventures can be had by crossing Lake Michigan or especially Lake Superior. Our bathrooms are almost always clean, parking is free, locking your boat is optional, dogs always allowed. Fuel, licenses, taxes and fees are generally low.

Should I go on?

pete

[LaBomba]

Originally Posted by Pete Meisinger

Don't forget the Great Lakes ! Cheap marinas, fresh water,(actually drinkable), lots of protected anchorages and islands. NICE PEOPLE! Transient slips sometimes going for a buck a foot. Summer slips for around $250 a month. Winter storage, generally around a grand.
Cheese shops in every town (at least in Wisconsin). Lots of Great food. There is a festival somewhere every weekend. Farmers markets start in July for fresh everything in every town. Near "Blue Water" adventures can be had by crossing Lake Michigan or especially Lake Superior. Our bathrooms are almost always clean, parking is free, locking your boat is optional, dogs always allowed. Fuel, licenses, taxes and fees are generally low.

Should I go on?

pete

[twindiesel]

Ok Pete. U had me at Hello. Lol. I like the idea staying in freshwater and traveling thru rivers to ocean. Farmers markets and lots of outdoor activities would be nice. Change of seasons would be kewl for a change of scenery as well. Now all i have to do is give my girlfriend an ultimatum. Lol.

So what would be a good size Trawler to start with?
I noticed some older ones around the $50k mark. Are these worth investing in.

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard. At 50K you will have to do a lot of work on them. That is ok if you enjoy working on the boat. I like working on my boat but not everyone does. Have fun looking.

[Codger2]

I notice you're from LA! True, there are a lot more anchorages on the east coast than there are here on the west coast but given the weather (a huge part of boating..) and access to the PNW, I love the Pacific!

(Examples East Coast going north & arriving in Main. Fantastic scenery! West Coast north to Puget Sound...also fantastic. East Coast south to Florida & the Keys...Paradise. West Coast south to the Sea of Cortez...It's an aquarium- nothing like it!

Also, the California Delta north of San Francisco Bay. Literally dozens of places, rivers, marinas to explore.

Don't write off the West Coast and the best of all....you already live here!

[Fletcher500]

A lot of boaters never step off their boat and enter the water. If you enjoy water sports, paddling, swimming, spear fishing, etc.,then the south west coast of Cal is an amazing playground with crystal blue water, nice air and water temps, with plenty of offshore Islands to have fun and explore. If you are not into the water immersion stuff, then heading to the PNW may make more sense for some. Whatever you are into.

[Pete Meisinger]

Hi, Great Lakes pete here again,

Of course I would be expected to recommend a boat like I have. And I will.. Plenty of 35 - 40 foot trawlers in the $50 -$75,000 dollar range. Go single diesel, buy fairly close to wherever you will call home port. Expect to do some deferred maintenance until you get it caught up.

You can own a nice boat around here for $500 per month (once it is paid for), thats dockage,fuel, insurance and some do it yourself maintenance. Expect to pay at least double that amount for the first year or so getting it like you want.

You don't mention your age, financial situation or employment. Just judging by your price range I expect you are just like most T.F.ers. (Somewhere past middle age, around middle income and probably a "working stiff" or recently or soon to be retired. Great lakes area is not a tech center but there are lots of jobs around here and if you are in the healthcare field (Nurse, mid admin, P.A., N.A.etc) you can write your own ticket wherever you want. If you are "skilled", i.e.:butcher, baker, carpet layer, candlestick maker, you can slide right into a decent job. Girlfriend also.

Did I mention that you can pick cherries off the trees in Door County, Literally tons of apples in Bayfield, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries are everywhere. Cross Lake Michigan when Peaches are ready and there are unlimited amounts. Of course we are not California like for produce but then again we don't have California prices.

Hmmm, what are you waiting for?

pete

[BandB]

Originally Posted by Pete Meisinger

Don't forget the Great Lakes ! Cheap marinas, fresh water,(actually drinkable), lots of protected anchorages and islands. NICE PEOPLE! Transient slips sometimes going for a buck a foot. Summer slips for around $250 a month. Winter storage, generally around a grand.
Cheese shops in every town (at least in Wisconsin). Lots of Great food. There is a festival somewhere every weekend. Farmers markets start in July for fresh everything in every town. Near "Blue Water" adventures can be had by crossing Lake Michigan or especially Lake Superior. Our bathrooms are almost always clean, parking is free, locking your boat is optional, dogs always allowed. Fuel, licenses, taxes and fees are generally low.

Should I go on?

pete

Wifey B: And......all that.....but.......

Three month season....or perhaps four.

Love the Great Lakes to visit but not where I'd want to spend all 12 months of the year.

[twindiesel]

Well im 46, not sure how long will take me, but if i can take my gf to see some of these cities I know she will be interested. As far as what we will do on the boat, id say mostly sight seeing with a social aspect. I think it would be kewl motoring from city to city with friends and their boats. As far as costs you mention, well sounds doable. I appreciate the enthusiasm. Reminds me of my motto ive stuck with all my life. "Just do it ", lol.

[twindiesel]

Pete, whats a TFer btw?

[rgano]

Originally Posted by twindiesel

Interested in getting a trawler to cruise for when I can pull away or eject from normal life. Im getting the sense it may be better to start this new lifestyle somewhere on the east coast. I can only imagine boat slip costs here on the west coast.

I lived aboard and cruised out of San Diego where after ten miles of "cruising," you are out into the Pacific Ocean. But when I retired, the draw of family and more diverse boating/cruising waters landed me here. Many on the left coast will tell you the waters there are just fine, but I think you may have a predisposition to what I considered the obvious.

[BandB]

Originally Posted by rgano

I lived aboard and cruised out of San Diego where after ten miles of "cruising," you are out into the Pacific Ocean. But when I retired, the draw of family and more diverse boating/cruising waters landed me here. Many on the left coast will tell you the waters there are just fine, but I think you may have a predisposition to what I considered the obvious.

Wifey B: You make the most of where you are. When we lived on the lake, that was our boating world and we loved it. We didn't know anything more. If I was on the Pacific Coast, I'd find great boating. I'd take advantage of San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco and all the large small towns in between (large because they are but small compared to the big 3).

Just like I'd make the most of the Great Lakes if that's where I was. I'd take every possible boating moment and enjoy what was there.

If I lived in the NE, I'd dislike the shorter season, but I'd find the incredible areas for boating and take advantage of the season.

Don't compare the west coast to the east or the NE to the SE, just love where you are and take advantage of it. It's like going to Hollywood on the west coast. Well, we live near Hollywood, FL but it's not the same. If I moved to the west coast I'd sure miss the Bahamas and the Caribbean, but I'd savor what is there.

[STB]

Hey TwinDiesel,

I used to keep my boat at Island Yacht Anchorage #2 in Wilmington, CA. I paid less for the slip there than I do now in Clearwater, FL. The weather was also nicer more often, e.g. less rain, so I got to do more boating. Especially for a beginner, it was much easier boating -- much deeper waters, no sand bars, all floating docks, etc. And, there were some great short trips, e.g. Avalon, Isthmus Cove, Newport Beach, Huntington Harbor; some great longer trips, e.g. the back side of Catalina, San Diego and Tijuana; and some great, free, protected places to anchor for free, e.g. Island White. I loved all of the moorings @ Catalina.

I'm very glad I started in the easy waters of SoCal. And, I might sell my current boat and buy one back there after finding my way to the Bahamas for a bit and otherwise exploring where I am.

Don't fret. Enjoy SoCal!

[rgano]

Originally Posted by BandB

Wifey B: You make the most of where you are. When we lived on the lake, that was our boating world and we loved it. We didn't know anything more. If I was on the Pacific Coast, I'd find great boating. I'd take advantage of San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco and all the large small towns in between (large because they are but small compared to the big 3).

Just like I'd make the most of the Great Lakes if that's where I was. I'd take every possible boating moment and enjoy what was there.

If I lived in the NE, I'd dislike the shorter season, but I'd find the incredible areas for boating and take advantage of the season.

Don't compare the west coast to the east or the NE to the SE, just love where you are and take advantage of it. It's like going to Hollywood on the west coast. Well, we live near Hollywood, FL but it's not the same. If I moved to the west coast I'd sure miss the Bahamas and the Caribbean, but I'd savor what is there.

Certainly, but the PO apparently has a choice and was asking....

[johnma]

If moving is in the cards for you and short cruises with thousands of anchorages in an area with a lot of jobs for as long as you're working you should look at the Chesapeake. There are fresh water areas in the northern part of the bay, probably well over a thousand marinas to use as a base, a seven month boating season or you could take the boat south for the winter and take short vacations or long weekends on the boat. We've been cruising the bay for almost 40 years and still find new anchorages on every trip. Also if your not sure what to buy and you and your significant other want to look at the area head to Annapolis in October for the boat show, then take a few days to drive around and look at some of the most interesting little towns in the country. (St Michaels; Oxford; Cambridge; Chesapeake City; Havre de Grace; Solomons Island; Easton; Crisfield; Tangier Island all in Maryland then head a little south to Virginia with just as many beautiful little towns; the through the canal into the Outer Banks or through the C&D to the north into New Jersey.
John

[twindiesel]

John that sounds amazing. I will consider this. May work as a selling point. U never know, wink!
Also to all those in favor of the Left Coast I have fished up and down the Pacifics nicest offerings and even though u do have a point to start and learn here where I live, i have 3 biases. #1 Not only are the marinas super expensive, but they are filled to capacity, I cannot live within 60 miles of the ocean due to housing costs and every single marina Ive boarded a boat at seems to be filled with snobs. #2 theres not one place I can think that id like to sail to cause its surroundings are ugly. #3 California is over rated and the PNW is too cold. In general just seems to be more water, rivers, inlets and access to hundreds of thousands potentizl slips with access to the Bahamas. Score Left Coast 1 , East Coast 10.

[STB]

Out of curiosity, what is your monthly $$/ft. slip budget?

Cali, esp the LA area, has all types of marinas. Some are resort style with folks looking for that and others who are, and some with simpler offerings, for those looking for that.