Joining today

The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Riona

Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2015
Messages
5
Location
USA
Hi, I'm newly retired and hoping to spend time on the water. I've spent the last year getting settled in Seattle and now I'm starting to think about a boat ....

Hoping to meet some new friends and learn some stuff.

I've been boating on and off my whole life - sailing dinghies in the English Lake District, and then a couple of small sailing cruisers. Then in my second marriage I got introduced to power boats - SeaRay 340, Carver 395 ...

Now I'm single again, I'm looking for a gentle, easy to manage trawler suitable for Seattle lakes, up the coast to the San Juan's and across the sound to Port Townsend and Port Angeles.
 
Welcome to the forum .
 
Welcome aboard stay away from the anchor and chain threads until you form your own firm biases.
 
Welcome aboard stay away from the anchor and chain threads until you form your own firm biases.

Anchor and Chain threads ? I'm also in a motorcycle forum, and they have a section called "never ending and pointless recurring threads" .. where people can debate endlessly over brands of tires and viscosity of oil. Does trawler forum have similar discussions about what type of anchor is most effective and how much chain to have on board ?

Riona
 
Anchor and Chain threads ? I'm also in a motorcycle forum, and they have a section called "never ending and pointless recurring threads" .. where people can debate endlessly over brands of tires and viscosity of oil. Does trawler forum have similar discussions about what type of anchor is most effective and how much chain to have on board ?

Riona

You got it. Yes to Devlin no to self built.
 
anchor and chain threads ? I'm also in a motorcycle forum, and they have a section called "never ending and pointless recurring threads" .. Where people can debate endlessly over brands of tires and viscosity of oil. Does trawler forum have similar discussions about what type of anchor is most effective and how much chain to have on board ?

Riona

yes yes yes
 
Anchor and Chain threads ? I'm also in a motorcycle forum, and they have a section called "never ending and pointless recurring threads" .. where people can debate endlessly over brands of tires and viscosity of oil. Does trawler forum have similar discussions about what type of anchor is most effective and how much chain to have on board ?

Riona

Don't start on that or here we go again :)

By the way, welcome on board!
 
Now I'm single again, I'm looking for a gentle, easy to manage trawler suitable for Seattle lakes, up the coast to the San Juan's and across the sound to Port Townsend and Port Angeles.

While you don't mention a budget for a boat--- and you've certainly no obligation to---- a very nice boat for this whole coast, Puget Sound, the San Juans, Gulf Islands, the Inside Passage up the BC coast and on into SE Alaska is the Grand Banks 32. Single engine (there were a handful of twins made but they are extremely rare) and easy to single-hand with a nice,full-walkaround main deck, they are a fine boat for coastal cruising. There is a great GB dealership in Bellingham, which is where we keep our GB36. The broker you want to talk to if you have an interest in learning more about these boats is Scott Blake. He found us our boat and is an eminently knowledgeable and honest broker.

Another nice boat for this region is the Nordic Tug. The originals are 26' and they have increased their line to include 34', 37' and more recently some larger models. Again, single engine and probably pretty easy to single-hand.

Tollycraft is a very respected make and they were made in sizes from the Tolly 26 on up to some in excess of 50 feet. Many of the smaller ones tend to be gasoline powered but that should not be looked on as a detriment. There are lots of them in this area because they were built here and they can be found in just about every condition and price imagineable.

Bayliners have gotten a lot of people into the cruising lifestyle and their larger ones (30 feet on up) are of very good quality.

All makes of boats can be kept up nicely or can be neglected and abused. So the brand name is not necessarily an automatic indication of condition and value for a particular boat.
 
Last edited:
You may consider looking for boats in Canada. Brian Kell at Grand Yatchs in Vancouver, BC has a long history of working with US buyers. Make your best deal in Canada and take 25% additional discount due to the exchange rate. Canada is on sale. Here is the fine print, I have no financial connection with Grand Yatchs.
 
While you don't mention a budget for a boat--- and you've certainly no obligation to---- a very nice boat for this whole coast, Puget Sound, the San Juans, Gulf Islands, the Inside Passage up the BC coast and on into SE Alaska is the Grand Banks 32. Single engine (there were a handful of twins made but they are extremely rare) and easy to single-hand with a nice,full-walkaround main deck, they are a fine boat for coastal cruising. There is a great GB dealership in Bellingham, which is where we keep our GB36. The broker you want to talk to if you have an interest in learning more about these boats is Scott Blake. He found us our boat and is an eminently knowledgeable and honest broker.

Another nice boat for this region is the Nordic Tug. The originals are 26' and they have increased their line to include 34', 37' and more recently some larger models. Again, single engine and probably pretty easy to single-hand.

Tollycraft is a very respected make and they were made in sizes from the Tolly 26 on up to some in excess of 50 feet. Many of the smaller ones tend to be gasoline powered but that should not be looked on as a detriment. There are lots of them in this area because they were built here and they can be found in just about every condition and price imagineable.

Bayliners have gotten a lot of people into the cruising lifestyle and their larger ones (30 feet on up) are of very good quality.

All makes of boats can be kept up nicely or can be neglected and abused. So the brand name is not necessarily an automatic indication of condition and value for a particular boat.

As Marin says about boats (see his post above) - and, I agree with him! It's good to have Marin on this forum... often saves wear and tear on my finger tips!

BTW - Welcome aboard! - Art

PS: Look closely into Tollycraft boats. My favorite builder... see my avatar.
 
Thanks everyone,
- for your welcomes
- for the injunction not to mention anchors & chains (ooops, there I went mentioning them !)
- for the advice on possible boats and brands.

Marin - nice to meet you ! I see you're opinion is esteemed. I do apprectiate your thoughts.

Art, ODH, thanks to you also. The Canada suggestion is one I had intended to consider.

My budget is modest - $50k or less.

Getting a fiberglass GB 32 would be a stretch, they are about $10k over of my budget. I have a degree in Marine Carpentry, which taught me enough that I don't want to be responsible for the care of a wooden hull.

Same goes for the Nordic 26 - used ones seem to start at around $70k

Lots of Tollycraft .. but I'm really looking for a tug / trawler rather than a sport sedan

Probably my next move is to look at a few GB32's and Nordic 26's and see how I feel.

I also saw Ranger Tugs ... how do they stack up ? There seem to be a 21' and a 25' and a 29'.

Riona
 
Anchor and Chain threads ? I'm also in a motorcycle forum, and they have a section called "never ending and pointless recurring threads" .. where people can debate endlessly over brands of tires and viscosity of oil. Does trawler forum have similar discussions about what type of anchor is most effective and how much chain to have on board ?

Riona

Oh, I see you are going to fit right in.:dance:

I too had a moto for almost 20 years. When i reflect on it, probably why I thought crossing the Atlantic was a piece of cake.:facepalm:
 
Talking of budget .. If I buy a used boat, what do I pay in the way of taxes ? I live in Washington state. Am I liable for 9.5% of purchase price plus regisration fees ?
 
Marin - nice to meet you ! I see you're opinion is esteemed.

Not really.:)

To your question of taxes, if you have not already found this here is the link to a PDF from Washington State about boat taxes. It might prove to be useful to you. [URL]http://dor.wa.gov/docs/Pubs/WatercraftVesselTax/BoatBroc.pdf[/URL]

We bought our boat in California. We flew down, inspected, sea trialed, and had it surveyed, and when we had decided it was the best boat for us at the time, we bought it and had it trucked to Tacoma. We took it frfom there to where it is now on its own bottom.

I frankly don't remember how the taxes worked. My wife handles all the money stuff in our family. I assume we paid a sales tax in Washington.

I know we pay they annual boat registration/licensing fee. Our boat is documented with the USCG, but all that means as far as Washington is concerned is that we don't thave to display the state registration number on the boat. We have one, we just don't have to stick it on.

We do, however, have to display the annual registration sticker on the boat (the square colored one with the expiration month and year you see on just about every boat around here).

Some states do not require a boat to be registered with the state if it is documented with the USCG. Washington is not one of these states. Documented or not, a boat has to be registered with Washington State and the annual fee paid.
 
Last edited:
Hi Riona, welcome to Puget Sound. You may check out the Roughwater 35. They were designed by Ed Monk, and come up for sale at sometimes bargain prices. One of the members here has one. The early ones were wood, then changed to Fiberlgass. Salty no frills, single diesel. For singlehanding, look like they'd be ideal, though bow thruster may be necessary. Lots of docks to walk.
 
welcome
 
Riona, it's about time! You're fortunate to be located in prime trawler territory.
 
Welcome aboard, here you'll find a lot of friends


Sergio "Alemao" Sztancsa

Sent from my iPhone using Trawler Forum
 
Welcome, Riona! If you're looking for inexpensive, reliable and efficient with classic lines, then look no further than the 34 Californian!! It's not that I'm biased or anything...

1982 Californian 34 LRC Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

Mine has the same engines that limit it to a realistic 7.5 kt cruise (10 KT WOT), but they're bulletproof without the requirement for 50 hr fuel pump oil changes like a Lehman 120. It's got a Philippine ribbon mahogany interior instead of the GB teak but the joinery of the GB is hard to beat. The Californians I've seen can't hold a candle to the GB in that department.

They come on one- and two-stateroom models. Mine's galley up with 2 SRs as shown below. The layout suits us well. All are twins, most are diesel. There are some gassers around, too, but their numbers are few.

img_315741_0_d5f03061af91b719de201304cb5b9dfb.png
 
Last edited:
Hello and enjoy the process. I've been looking for a year or so and am getting real close.
Patience and try not to fall in love.....with a boat-before you buy it.

Am I liable for 9.5% of purchase price plus regisration fees ?

Yes You Are!!
Unless you get it out of the country (Canada) within 60 days of purchase.
You can return-but then you have to leave again. :blush:

Ken
 
Back
Top Bottom