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Boat Shopping in Seattle (help)

The kids are gone, the house has been sold, most of the junk has been
sold or given away, and after nearly 10 years of being without a boat,
my wife and I are ready to start shopping again!

We just made airline reservations to fly from Juneau Alaska down to
Seattle Washington on the 22nd of April. Wow are we excited :)

Our last boat was a 36' Fuji Ketch. This time we're looking for Sloop
between 38 and 40'. Being in Alaska has made it pretty hard to get an
idea of exactly what boat will work best for us, so we're guessing
we'll have to crawl thru a few before we start getting a clearer
picture. We want something that can be safely taken offshore, holds
adaquate fuel and water, skeg rudder and fin keel with fairly shallow
draft 4 to 5.5' at the most. Some folks have recommended a Morgan 38
a while back, so plan to check one out if possible. Not sure if that
is a very good offshore vessel though. Suggestions???

It's been a long time since we've been in Seattle. Last time I was
there, most of the boat shopping seemed to be around Lake Union. Is
that still correct? Can someone recommend any other areas close by to
check out????

We'd really like to hear some recommendations on boat brokers too. It
would be nice if we could use one that comes recommended rather than
take our chances via email. Any recommondations???

If all works well, we hope to be bringing something back up to Alaska
in June, but if we have to wait another winter, that's ok too.

This has been a great news group. I've been lurking for about 2 years
or so and have really enjoyed the reading.

kl7rs - Norm in Alaska - Almost retired!!!!

Boat Shopping in Seattle (help)

Yo......

Seattle boater here.

More dialed into powerboating than sailing, but here's a few general answers to
your inquiries.

You're going to find fewer sailboat brokerages than you probably remember.
Of the brokerages that remain, there are even fewer than you might originally
think.
Signature Yachts, on Lake Union, has been acquiring most of the sailboat
brokerages as, one after another, they
get into trouble. I think they currently represent something like a dozen lines
of new sailboats, (operating in some cases under names of companies they have
acquired) in addition to their brokerage inventory of course. As far as I know,
they are probably very fine people to deal with. Never heard a bad word about
them, personally. You'd certainly want to include them among your
considerations.

Bob Ross, the J-boat dealer at Sail NW, is a friend of mine. I'm biased as a
result, but if I took leave of my senses and decided to forsake stink potting
in favor of sailing I'd trust Bob implicitly to give me good advice and find me
a good used boat. Bob is far more than just a "boat dealer" in the community,
he's the primary organizer of Whidbey Island Race Week, a supporter of
non-profit Sail Sand Point, and he owns a sailing school and sailing club in
addition to his J-boat dealership.

Max, over at Pacific Seacraft is a good egg, too. He has been serving as
president of the NW Yacht Brokers' Association. Well liked, well respected guy
with very high integrity.

Paul, over at Elliott Bay Yacht Sales, is a low key, easy going, straight
shooting sort of fellow and while he lists a mixed inventory he leans heavily
toward sail.

I'm sure there are other good sail brokers. Probably a lot of them. This list
doesn't preclude folks that aren't mentioned as somehow less than trustworthy
or what not. While there may be a crooked sailboat broker in town.....I
honestly do not know of one.

If you're going to consider pre-owned boats, it's almost as important to find
the right broker as to find the right boat. In fact, most brokers can sell you
a used boat out of another broker's inventory so the key is to find a broker
who you can trust and ultimately develop a strong level of personal comfort.

You might call a few of these folks on the phone and tell them that you're
"interviewing" potential brokers. See who gives you the time of day, and who
doesn't. One caveat, if you call around to a bunch of brokers to try to pick a
congenial person in advance, be reluctant to give your name and phone number
before you
find the broker who just feels right.
Not that you want to be a jerk about it, but if you are going to be asking
broker X to show you a boat out of broker Y's inventory, you don't want broker
Y trying to claim that you're "his" client because he got your name and number
during a recent phone call.........(trust me, that sort of thing goes on all
the time). *If* broker X and Y get in a tiff, you can be sure that listing
broker Y could be less than completely convincing when he presents your offer
(that came in through broker X) to his seller.

Final disclosu Some of the people mentioned in my response advertise in a
publication I am associated with. Others do not. Does not and would not effect
my recommendations.

Boat Shopping in Seattle (help)

Oops......

Forgot Pierre over at Dock Street Yachts at Fishermen's Terminal.

You wouldn't want to leave him off your list.

Boat Shopping in Seattle (help)

My own personal preferance (aside from my Ingrid 38) would be a Shannon, in
the size range you mention. Doesn't have a fin but rather a 3/4 keel..

They may be older but from what I have seen they are really well built
offshore boats and very comfortable live aboards.

If a broker offers to show you one, just go look and see if you don't agree.
If not you can alway tell my where to go.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Boat Shopping in Seattle (help)

Hi Steve!

Yes, a Shannon would be GREAT. It's just a tad out of our price range
though. We're hoping to find something for around $70-80k max.

On Tue, 30 Mar 2004 14:34:08 -0800, "Steve" wrote:

My own personal preferance (aside from my Ingrid 38) would be a Shannon, in
the size range you mention. Doesn't have a fin but rather a 3/4 keel..

They may be older but from what I have seen they are really well built
offshore boats and very comfortable live aboards.

If a broker offers to show you one, just go look and see if you don't agree.
If not you can alway tell my where to go.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions