Hello, We're moving to Great NW!

[Pau Hana]

Welcome to our little slice of heaven!

Yards- Swantown is great, as are the yards on Lake Union in the Seattle area (CSR, Canal are 2 great yards). Also consider the Anacortes area (North Harbor Diesel) to refit your boat.

From Olympia to the north end of Vancouver Island, then further north to SE Alaska, you have years of cruising nirvana ahead of you. As mentioned, the Waggoner Guide is the Bible for the PNW, and writer/editor Mark Bunzel is always updating the guide in a hands-on fashion.

A couple of forums very active on cruising in the Northwest are Trawler Forums and the Bayliner Owners Club. Don't worry about the branding, just jump in and absorb the knowledge.

Tidbits- Gig Harbor's Jerisch Dock is a great weekend spot (look for the huge American Flag). You can't visit Gig Harbor without visiting Tides Tavern!

Bell Harbor in downtown Seattle is a must visit, as you'll have a perfect location from which to explore Seattle. The Pike Place Market is an elevator ride away, and there are plenty of world class eateries (google Tom Douglas and Serious Pie).

Blake Island is about 7 miles from Seattle- it's a state park accessible only by water. You can anchor, grab a mooing ball, or go dockside. Excellent place to spend time and explore...

When you get here, touch base- we'll have you over for dinner!

[Mycroft]

Let me be another to recommend Swantown for the boatyard. You can't get much deeper into the sound and the boatyard can do everything you need done. The Swantown marina is also VERY nice!

[SkiprJohn]

Ok, first off. It is the Great Northwest or PNW or Pacific Northwest or God's Country. That's just so we know you're going to be one of them. I was a native until the Navy got hold of me and showed me Hawaii.

[Roger275]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

Let me be another to recommend Swantown for the boatyard. You can't get much deeper into the sound and the boatyard can do everything you need done. The Swantown marina is also VERY nice!

Swantown says their lift won't unload a truck. Has anyone had dealings with "Modutech Marine" in Tacoma?

Also, my transporter is reporting truck problems / delays so I am looking for suggestions for oversize transport services. Thanks.

[Pau Hana]

Dudleys's Transportation in Tacoma, WA and Associated Truck Transport in Marysville, WA are two companies I can highly recommend for transporting boats.

I've had no experience with Modutech Marine, so I can't comment. You might want to ask your questions on Trawler Forums, which has quite a few PNW based folks milling about...

[TacomaSailor]

"Has anyone had dealings with "Modutech Marine" in Tacoma?"

I used them in 2005 to repair some minor damage to my 40' sailboat which occurred as it was being unloaded from the truck that brought her to Hylebos Marina.

I asked Modutech to repair and repaint some long and deep scratches that "magically" appeared in Miradors hull about mid-ship. They did a great job on the physical repair but the color matching did not work out as well as they or I would have liked.

I was impressed with their customer service, work ethic, and serious attempts to remedy a problem that was most likely not caused by them.

They are setup to deal with larger commercial vessels such as USCG and commercial fishing. I spent some time wandering thru their yard and covered work area and was impressed with what I saw.

Modutech is just down the Hylebos waterway from Hylebos Marina.

Dudley Trucking is good and reasonably priced. I have used them and have recommended them several friends who were also pleased.

[Jesse]

Modutech is a great place, good people who do good work. They have been in business at the same location for ages. And you can't beat Dudley for good reliable service. My Buddy Ron who is a boat broker tells me that Modutech is the best place if a truck is involved. Keep posting your progress, we might be able to help somewhere down the line.

[Mycroft]

Unless their travel lift broke, Swantown should be able to unload a truck. My 20ton 43-footer was unloaded with no problem at all there. Stepping the 60ft mast required careful planning on the tide though.

[Roger275]

Thanks to all for the posts and this is the latest on our boat relocation. We went with Dudley since they seemed to be highly recommended on this forum and others. After agreeing on a price and date, we discovered he brokers his loads out to other haulers and turned ours over to Wave Maker based in Florida. The driver is Jody and most communication has been through him. Jody has promised he will be at the Virginia yard where our boat is at when they open tomorrow AM and be headed our way as soon as they get it loaded. The current plan is to off load at Modutech in Tacoma around July 1.

We would love to hear about favorite anchorages and towns to visit between Tacoma and the San Juan's.

[Pau Hana]

Originally Posted by Roger275

Thanks to all for the posts and this is the latest on our boat relocation. We went with Dudley since they seemed to be highly recommended on this forum and others. After agreeing on a price and date, we discovered he brokers his loads out to other haulers and turned ours over to Wave Maker based in Florida. The driver is Jody and most communication has been through him. Jody has promised he will be at the Virginia yard where our boat is at when they open tomorrow AM and be headed our way as soon as they get it loaded. The current plan is to off load at Modutech in Tacoma around July 1.

We would love to hear about favorite anchorages and towns to visit between Tacoma and the San Juan's.

Welcome! Got your email, and replied with an invite.

[Roger275]

We had a major setback on our move but are still coming. The Dudley trucker we spent weeks setting up showed up to load the 380DA in Norfolk, and after trying various ways to load decided he couldn't haul it. He had detailed drawings and VIN but Dudley didn't do their homework.

We were waiting in Seattle but after unsuccessfully trying to find another trucker decided to fly to Norfolk and cruise the Chesapeake. We did this for a week but it wasn't what we were looking for so we rented a large SUV and unloaded our belongings off the 380DA and headed home to Galveston where the 280DA was sitting in a for sale lot on a trailer. This weekend we are heading back to WA with the 280DA behind my Ford F250 diesel truck and we are selling the 380DA (already have a contract). It's 9'5" wide so we still have to get permits but nothing like the 13' wide 380DA.

The challenge now will be storing the truck and trailer while we are cruising.

Thanks to all who have offered advice and encouragement.

Roger & Mary

[superyachtdub7]

I like this forum and everyone here looks really great. I am sure there will be plenty of things to talk about later.