On Apr 16, 12:05�pm, "dene" wrote:
Quick background. We sold our 25 foot express cruiser and bought a 22
foot alaskan bulkhead trailerable cruiser (Campion) and an '82 30 foot
Carver AC. The Campion is for the Columbia River wherea the Carver is
for cruising Puget Sound in the offseason. *Summers, it is chartered.
Last weekend, most of the work was finalized on the Carver and we
delivered, with the help of a charter captain, from LaConner to
Anacortes yesterday. The boat will be in charter for the summer (4
weeks are already booked).

We've really enjoyed extended stays on the Carver but....getting the
boat underway and moored that has me very concerned. We faced wind and
a strong tide current which took us an hour just to get away from the
dock. We had to move another boat too in the process. Arrival was a
similar challenge. The captain had to do it....no way I could. This
raised our eyebrows on the feasability and expenses of using the boat
in the off season. On open water, she handles like a dream. In close
quarters, she's a toad....and I question if the white knuckles
experiences we'll have docking it is worth the reward, not to mention
the cost of moorage and gas for twin crusaders.

Consequently, we're thinking about selling it after charter season. In
it's place, buy a creme puff RoadTrek Class B RV (campervan) for
around 25k and haul the all season 22 footer Campion wherever we
please. Under tow, the van get 12-15 mpg. The boat gets 4 mpg. Heck of
a lot cheaper than moorage and gas for a 30 footer. Also, we have the
versatility of sleeping in the RV or the boat, cruising land or sea or
both.

Our other thought is chartering the Carver year after year and while
using it ourselves a few times each year. Offseason, put it on the
hard. If the income vs. expenses is on the plus side each year, then
essentially somebody else is buying our boat while I enjoy some nice
tax benefits.

Thoughts??

-Greg
Kalama, Washington

There was a time in that charter captain's life when he would have
felt uncomfortable docking your 30' Carver as well. Nobody is a born
boat handler.
Takes practice, experience, and a few hard knocks along the way.

Depending on just which direction and how fast the Swinomish is
running, it really can be a bit tricky to get away from the dock at
LaConner. If you were tied up at one of the guest docks and didn't
have a lot of room fore and or aft between boats, there's a
possibiilty that it could have been downright challenging. Since I
wasn't there, I won't second guess the guy who was- but without any
more specific information it sounds a lot like one of those situations
that would go much smoother with the use of a spring line or two.
It's normal for skippers with a lot of experience on a specific boat
to pay extra attention and breathe a minor sigh of relief when
successfully landing or departing during a strong ebb or flood in the
Swinomish.

I'd suggest hiring somebody to help you get up to speed in the
handling department. Did you place it for charter with ABC? If so, I
know they have some suitable trainers available.

Anytime you get a new boat, it takes some time to get the feel of it.
Tell yourself that you'll give it 4 90-minute practice sessions before
throwing in the towel; I wouldn't be surprised to hear that you were
able to develop sufficient confidence.