Searching for Liveaboard in Pacnorwest

[GeoPowers]

Hello, first time posting and new forum member. There's lots of great info on this board, thanks to the posters for sharing thier knowledge and opinions.

My family (myself, wife, 1 year old, and 2 1/2 year old) are moving to Everett/Seattle area from Louisiana the first part of April. We have lived in WA before, are glad to be returning, and this time are seriously considering moving to a liveaboard monohull sailboat. Do any of the local folks have any advice on resources to find local liveaboards/slips? Normally we would go the old fashioned route and go marina-to-marina, but flying back and forth could get expensive. We found the website for 48 North and the brokerage listings on there, which is pretty helpful for brokerage listings. The Everett marina shows a long waiting list online for slips for the size we would need, does anyone know if the slips are transferrable? Should we go ahead and put ourselves on the waiting list? Are there many boats at the marina that are for sale and are not listed with a brokerage? I understand that Everett allows liveaboards but charges a little extra and requires a seperate application? Do they have a max percentage of liveaboards for the marina?

Also, if anyone knows of a boat around 35 ft long up to 51 ft long max in the local PNW area fitting this description, I'd be very interested!!:

Must haves- 100k or cheaper, fairly turn-key except for cosmetics okay, 2 cabins, shower, all lines led aft. Older okay. Design should be good for cruising, but doesn't have to be fully ready for cruising right now.

Really nice to haves- larger fridge, watermaker, platform stern, deeper keel/draft, enclosed pilot house(almost a must-have), updated/newer interior.

Fancy extras to seal the deal- washer-dryer, tub (hahaha).


Thanks for any information!

Frank & Jody

[GeoPowers]

Ok, replying to our own thread in the interest of sharing information to others looking for the same.

Go ahead and get on the waiting list- it's not too much to decline if you change your mind, and while slips can be sublet, that's not permanent, and slips in themselves are not transferrable. There are some spots that are space-available (and usually open) for those in a pinch or in transition to a permanent slip.

Yes, there are a respectable number of boats that are non-brokerage. For brokerage yachts, we found www (dot) yachtworld (dot) com to be a great site for internet searches.

Finally as far as a limit on liveaboards, we found none. However, we did note that although the 12th street yacht basin was better equiped for liveaboards than the main marina, it currently does not allow them. However, we were told by the marina that this may change in the next 3-6 months depending on various consensus by various people.

Anyway, we're boat shopping in two weeks. Sweet!

[SweetSurrender]

Hey there - I've heard that there is more liveaboard moorage available at Shilshole and other locations on Lake Union.

[Unleashed]

Here are my tips; First get on every waiting list that is free. Second, try to find a boat for sale with inherited live aboard priveleges.

Our marina is privately owned and is open to having a few liveaboards, but slips over 30' are hard to come by.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions. I'd be glad to help out.

[lookoutnw]

There is a CSY in need of TLC & some $ in Tacoma. $10K because of loss of attraction by owner. You woudl need to look at it before making a decision. It is not turn key, but if I didn't have mine, I would snatch it up quick.

[GeoPowers]

Thanks to all for the tips/advice. We'll be in the area Jan 10-19 with kids in tow. Our plan right now is to meet a broker for listed boats, but spend a good bit of time still going marina-to-marina for unlisted boats, esp. at Everett and close by. It should be fun and nerve-wracking at the same time!

[lookoutnw]

If you are interested, give me a hollar, and we can meet up. I work & live in Tacoma during the week. That CSY needs a biot of care prior to moving onboard. I would guess $1K and 1 week it would be sufficient. The rest could be done as time and funds allow.

[GeoPowers]

We just accepted the seller's counter-offer on a sweet 2006 Beneteau 393 that is a perfect fit for us. We couldn't be more excited! We've got the financing nailed, now we just need to get though the survey/sea trial, secure a lead on a subleased slip, and get the boat from BC to Everett. All while living in Louisiana and flying back and forth! But who cares, we're one step closer to livin' the dream...

Oh yeah, we've already heard how crazy we are, even from our broker. At this point in our lives, I think we are used to such BS.

[Sea Maid]

We liveaboard at the Port of Brownsville. I do know that the Port of Bremerton has lots of open slips.(That includes liveaboard slips) It is a new Marina located in downtown bremerton. I would say it is about 50 percent full. There is a ferry terminal here that can get you to seattle and you can drive to work from there, if you will be working in Everett. Best of luck to you and your family. You will absolutely enjoy the life style and you are coming at a great time of the year. Sounds like you do not have a fixer upper and will be able to head out and see the Pacific Northwest right away.

[GeoPowers]

Thanks for the info Sea Maid,

I just got back from the PNW sailing our '06 Beneteau 393 from North Vancouver, BC to Everett, WA. It was as perfect a weather as could have been hoped for given the time of year. The only regret on the weather was there was very little wind, and we had to motor most of the way.

I'm amazed how lucky we are. We found an amazing deal on the perfect boat for us. The listing and buyer's brokers were both great, the survey and sea trail went perfectly, we lucked into a 6 month sublease on an amazing slip, we closed on an international deal in 2 weeks from the offer date, we sailed from Vancouver to Everett with NO bad weather and in fact some really beautiful and rare weather, and were reaffirmed every nm on our purchase. The wife and kids didn't come with me for the maiden voyage, just an old (and reliable, common-sense) friend. We had a great time. Our first night was in Pt Roberts. The Customs folks there were very polite, efficient, and believe it or not pleasurable! The second night we went to Cap Sante in Anacortes via the San Juans for our longest day underway. Our third night we spent on the hook at honeymoon Bay in Holmes Harbor after coming through Deception Pass. We got to Everett the following afternoon.

What a great place to live. We're looking forward to living aboard, and made sure to tell our broker that if he sees us in the slip for more than 3 weeks without getting underway to give us a kick in the butt!