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| Boat for Northwest Cruising
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August 2, 2005
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Dear Waggoner:
I enjoyed reading your book very much and wonder if you can answer some questions for me. I have lived in Bellingham for over three years and would like to purchase a boat to cruise the Islands.
I have my own business and can take the time off to cruise. I am looking for a used boat in the $25-50,000 price range.
The boat that I am looking for is 26-36 feet.
My questions:
Is it better to have a trailer/boat or moorage?
What is better, a gas engine or diesel? I want to go on long crusies.
I like the Grand Banks diesel. How does that compare with a Carver twin-gas?
How would you rate other boats -- Bayliner, Grand Banks, Tollycraft, etc?
Thanks for your help.
Bob Mellgren
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Response
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Hi, Bob,
You've asked some questions that don't line up very well. You aren't going to find a diesel-powered Grand Banks 36 for $50,000. And if you do, you'll have to spend another $100,000 on repairs and upgrades just to make the boat usable.
That said, you can find a wide variety of potentially suitable cruising boats for $50,000 or less. One example would be a gas-powered Tollycraft 26, a wonderful cruising boat. See our web site www.waggonerguide.com for several items about the Tolly 26. You can find a whole bunch of Bayliners, Sea Rays and other popular boats in the 26-28-foot range for $50,000 or less.
Trailerable or wet moorage? Both have their advantages and disadvantages. One alternative you didn't list is dry-stack storage, such as Twin Bridges in LaConner. Bellingham has some dry-stack storage, too.
Diesel or gas? Diesel is preferable for long range cruising, but you may not find diesel in your price range. The big advantage with diesel is its greater distance between refuelings. That's one reason why, even though it's gas-powered, I like the Tolly 26. It carries 140 U.S. gallons of fuel, which translates into a pretty good cruising range. If the boat carries only 70 gallons of gasoline, you'll be on the lookout for fuel docks all the time.
Grand Banks diesel vs. Carver twin gas? They're two entirely different approaches. If you want the one, you don't want the other. I can't make that decision for you.
As for rating the boats, my advice is to stick to brands and models that already are popular in the Northwest. They're popular here because they work well here. An example would be the Bayliner 32 twin-diesel cruiser. They sell in the $70-100,000 range, which is over your $50,000 limit, but they're a terrific package for Northwest cruising.
Whatever you buy, do not -- and I emphasize DO NOT -- buy a boat that needs work to make it usable. No matter how cheap this boat is to buy, it'll end up costing you a fortune to fix, and you still may not be able to use it. Project boats are for experienced boaters who know what they're getting into. They're not for newcomers -- although newcomers often are suckered into buying them, thinking they've found a bargain. Buy a good boat, one that's been loved and cared for by an attentive owner, who hates to see the boat go. Those boats are around. Invest the time and interest, be patient, and you'll find them.
Regards,
Bob Hale
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