Home Forums Fishing Saltwater Fishingboat/Wife help

My wife and I are talking about retiring in the Pacific Northwest in a few years. Naturally, I love the outdoors and would really like to spend many of my retirement hours on the water. This would include fishing and just generally enjoying stuff.

She is a closet princess. She tries to enjoy the outdoors with me, but starts to really wane when things get a little too spartan. Her idea of roughing it is not "slow room service." She just hates to be too cold and has to pee a bunch. We are working on the motion sickness thingy.

I have been eyeballing a few pilot house boats like the Kingfisher from Jetcraft in the 26' to 28' range. I don't know if they are good boats or not, I just really like that type of layout. Are their better, more reliable brands?

One consideration is that we may spend part of the year in Texas around South Padre Island. Which brings me up to another boat. Center console suggestions? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

The reason I bring this up is that I may want a boat that I can trailer out of the water and dry store it for part of the year. Suggestions......ideas....help!!!!

Can't help with the boat idea but I must say you have to have a pile of money to retire in the PNW. I live 50 miles from Seattle in a low populated area. My Property tax just went over the cost of my mortgage for a 1700sq ft house. That's 750 a month in property tax! And it ain't gonna be goin down any time soon! 6 years ago it was 250 a month!

If you can retire here you have done really well for yourself!

We've done alright. Property tax in our area is very high, also. What we are looking at is a condo on a harbor. One that we can button up and leave for extended periods of time without worry of ongoing maintenance.

Longbob:

You may want to look at each states property taxes/school taxes policies. Some have a senior citizen provision that will reduce your taxes. That's a state program. Then you may want to look at the towns programs that will reduce taxes even further. You'll need to go to the tax assessors office and ask because some of these programs are not widely known or advertised. You should also go to the towns mayors office and ask for information.

Next you will be well advised to look into a "reverse mortgage". If you own a home free and clear and you are a senior citizen you may qualify. The bank will advance you money monthly or open a credit line which you can tap into. Upon your demise, or selling the house, the loan has to be repaid. It is protected and guaranteed by the government. The bank, by law, cannot foreclose so long as you are alive up to age 150 years old..

You'll need to get used to the idea that "you can't take it with you ". Your heirs can either pay the bank and take the house or sell the house, pay the bank and pocket the balance.

In my particular case I have some properties valued at over one half mllion dollars. The value is escalating at 15% per annum. I'm making $60,000 per year in appreciation. The reverse mortgage companies will use a 4% per annum escalation over 30 years national average.

You will have adequate income to pay your taxes and expenses by tapping into your realestate equity.

Now about the boat. I have been a boat owner for neary 50 years. My son has owned boats for 20 years. There are several categories, sail boats, power boats. The power boats are inboards and outboards. Some are set up for fishing and some for pleasure craft. Some "cigarette" boats are for speed.

Some boats have a walk in cabin, kitchen, head. Some have a cramped "cuddy cabin". Some boats have a "walk around". You can access forward by walking along the sides of the cabin.

You'll be well advised to begin going to big inwater boat shows. Some will have 125 manufacturers displaying 500 models. There will also be brokers with used boats. My son and a friend went sailfish fishing in the Florida keys, Isla Morada, in February and the friend bought a 28' powerboat at a very significant saving over his home area. There are some good Florida boat deals. The hurricanes are churning things and making the market even better for the buyers. You could scoot over there and look arong and, unless Texas is also cheap, save a bundle.

My son has a 26" Seasprite fishing boat with a Merc-cruiser IO inboard/outboard. I prefer that over twin outboards as they are in the way fishing over the back. However, marine mechanics like the outboards better because they are simpler and easier to work on, more accessible.

If you will be going offshore, out of sight of land, you will want twin engines or at least a "kicker" auxiliary outboard on the swim platform. You'll want a good color fishfinder/gps, a marine radio, lifesaver vests, emergency smoke, flares, distress flag and other. EPIRB is good as is a hand saltwater converter reverse osmosin fresh water maker. You'll want twin batteries and an off switch. You'll also want to enroll in "SeaTow" the boaters energency towing service.

There are a dozen boat builder names that are generally "tops in the field". I would go with the names that have been around for a long time. Just be sure that you hull design will float if the boat sinks. *( My son sank our Chris Craft in a tornado/water spout ). 26'-28' is a good choice. In a storm you'll wish it was 100' long.

You'll also want to look into rack storage. The marinas have a gigantic Bull forklift and take the boat out of the water at the end of each use. Out of water you do not get the corrosion that eats up zincs and outdrives, barnacles die and the slime cannot live. The bottom maintenance is almost zero. For winter storage you may want to look for a property where you can keep the boat at your home and save a big bundle of winter storage marina fee. Better start looking for marinas also and get a booking . Some are booked solid and some have a 2 - 3 year waiting list. Boating has taken off like a skyrocket and shore properties have been escalating 50% per annum in some areas.

I'll politely decline to make any boat recommendations. I don't know enough about your personal preferences and there are so many boats around that you'll get scores of recommendations all contradictory to eachother. Buy on impulse, whatever strikes your fancy. Either it's for fishing or it's for just hanging out in a comfortable cabin tied to ten other boats - "rafted" - where everyone climbs over eveyone else, drinks beer, barbecues, BS's and plays cards. And to make this work be sure to have the misses in on the selection and let her have her input. If she's happy everyone is happy.

Good Luck. You'll soon learn that a boat is a bottomless hole where you throw your money and that everything marine is 3 times the price.

Bill Tibbe

I'll decline offering a boat

Thank you for the response. You have brought up several points that I have considered and a few that I haven't.

Currently, we are focusing our attention on the property on the Texas coast (Corpus Christi/North Padre) since this hasn't appreciated out of sight. We are thinking of buying a rentable condo in the $200,000 to $250,000 range. Not one that we would end up in, but one that should hedge us in that market if it were to start appreciating.

We are keeping our eyes peeled for a weakness or softening in the market around Puget Sound. May never happen, but we plan on doing the same hedging thing if it ever does or just buy the one we want. Depending on the overall timing and situation.

I understand about boats being subjective. Much like optics. I was mainly soliciting advice on how the spousal units have adapted or have been assimiliated into the marine lifestyle. I do know that mine won't pee over the side, so some type of head is in order for any boat selected. That is a given. The more I read some of the responses on a Northwest Fishing forum, the more consideration I have been giving to the heating system and such.

Oh the fun I am having daydreaming about all of this.....

Take a look at the Northriver 26ft aluminum or the Pacific Skiff 26ft. All boats are not created equal. They are not subjective and lots of crappy boats are on the market. For the pacific northwest I'd stick with the aluminum/outboard combo. The bigger 4 Stroke motors are great, with a good warranty to boot. Boating out of the Pac Northwest will be a little different than boating out of corpus. I've done both the gulf of mexico and alaska.............

Make sure you get the toilet for the wife. The suspension seating is a good add-on.

Good advice for a major purchase........... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Master:

Yep. As I said stick with the top dozen. He'll be just fine. No problem at all.

Aluminum hulls are not in my perview. Only fiber glass.

Bill Tibbe

As far as Pilot house boats go for the PNW There are queite a few and I am not the best to ask on them , but center consoles on the other hand I can help a bunch. Some really good sea boats and rugged at that are made by a company called Regulator in NC and also 2 more companies in FLA one is SEAVEE as well as Sea Craft all are strong heavy boats built very well in design and consruction. All have a head for the lady in the console. If it were my money I would look more so at the Regulator . Knowing you want to be in PNW the regulato has a larger bow flare (making for a drier ride ) a 23 deg deadrise tons of storage space lots of fuel and the heaviest in its class. Pugent sound is where the USCG does all there rough water training so I would wnt a heavy boat with a big flare and a real deep V if I were in that area . Yamaha's are hard to beat for power.

http://www.seaveeboats.com/
http://www.regulatormarine.com/
http://www.seacraft-boats.com/

Master Bonzi,

Thanks for the response. As you know, the Kingfisher is an Aluminum hull and outboard set-up. It was the one that caught my eye originally. I was curious why most people have been advising me to get the Aluminum hull for the PNW. Not that I am against it because that was the direction I was leaning anyway. What is the advantage/s for that set-up? I'll check out the others that you are suggesting, also.

wildone,

Thanks for the response. I looked over the links and agree that the center console is far preferred for the Texas fishing especially for the stuff that likes to run circles around the boat. Since I am also dealing with the comfort of the spousal unit, is it a bad idea to consider one of the center consoles with a far forward cuddy?

I thought it was funny that the Pacific Skiff I checked out has a "swim platform." Yeah, right. Like this Texas boy will willingly put his redneck in that cold a$$ water. Not in this lifetime. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

The main reason I believe the aluminum is more common in the PNW is the amount of fantastic river fishing in what can be some very shallow rocky areas. The most serious fisherman and guides all use jet sleds here and fish both the ocean and the rivers. The Sleds are not the best plan for the ocean but they will work. A glass boat is a frigging nighmare in a river though and will be ruined in short order! The Lady fishing Guide I frequently work with here has a 24' alumiweld sled and we have fished it a whole lot in the ocean and countless days in the rivers. You will find that it's the kind of boat to have after living here and seeing what all the big dogs are using. The Rivers are where the action is at for the majority of great fishing, and that is where the Aluminum shines from what I have seen.

Bob...you must ask your self these questions. What type of fishing do I think I will be doing most of , will I be using this boat for day trips or will I stay overnight , Is my wife going to be on the boat all the time or just once in a blue moon. Granted eventually you will get caught in the rain , but would you leave the dock if it was allready raining , do you want to run the rivers or just fish the ocean. These answers will ultimately help you make the descision, what I would do may not be the best for you. I have no use for a cabin in that size boat I fish for shark and tuna either by myself or with a crew , I overnight in the canyons of the NE in sept and oct and it really doesn't bother me . I use my boats for fishing exclusively , no sunset cruises or bar hopping to various ports of call however I do move ports to fish at times .My fishing styles include live and dead bait as well as trolling . When it gets rough the last place she is gonna want to be is in the bow of any boat when it gets cold will she be still going with you or will she opt for the shopping mall? Not knowing either of you it is hard for anyone here to tell you what is the best boat for you. I have owned as many as 3 boats at the same time 1 of them was always a centerconsole. Best advise I could give you is pick 2 boats of each style that you like the best and go see them in person , walk on them ride on them on not such a nice day( they all ride great when its calm out)open the hatches , play with the knobs, check the fit and finish , see if it has enough room for the electronics you want to put on it, make sure it has enough fuel for the traveling you will be doing, make sure there is enough storage for the crap that you will collect and want to leave on the boat like tackle ,PFD's, some clothes, raingear , flare kit , firstaid kit , drinking water. Make sure with all you stuff on board that you still have ample floor space to move around in rough water safley.See if you could get a referance list of some owners of that boat and talk to them and see what the like and dislike about that brand of boat or what they would have done differently . The two place you are talking about operating the boat are worlds apart in the weather synopsis that is another thing make it a bit difficult to get a grip on what the best boat is for you.

Actually, I'd make sure I'd have the swim platform/tuna door on a boat if I was spending the loot to get one. The make life easier when it comes to getting wet doggie in and out of the boat if you're going to be doing a little duck hunting with it.

One thing you didn't mention is what is more important, speed or economy. If you're retired and want to be taking longer leasurely trips, a diesel powered troller displacement hull or power cruiser sail boat will have a much longer range, and suck much less fuel running at 6-7 knots, vs a planing hull running 20-25 knots. What's more important, getting there quick, or enjoying the trip.

There is also a quantum leap in purchase and operating cost between a 22-24' cabin cruiser and a 26-28 foot, ie the double the cost of the boat, and double the fuel consumption. A 26-28' cruiser at today's fuel prices sucks upwards of 10 gallons an hour, so you can easily burn $200-250 per day.

That makes sense about using aluminum due to the rocks in the rivers and such.

The boats will be utilized mainly for day trips. It would be nice to be able to get out of the weather every now and then especially in the north. My wife will be with me most of the time. We try to spend as much time together doing stuff as possible (by choice) and I would like her to be as comfortable as I can within reason. We won't be hard core, just looking forward to being wowed by the scenery and overall ambiance of our surroundings. The fishing will give us something to do and formulate a purpose.

We have thought about the trawler option, but I'm not that convinced that we would utilize the overnight facilities that much if any at all. I think we would be more interested in speed and manueverability.

I cannot express how much I appreciate the feedback and advice. I realize that you are working at a disadvantage of not knowing us, but everyone has given me many things to think about and have helped narrow down my choices.

Any additional thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Aluminum is great for a hardcore fishing boat, very tough and very little maintanance. The downside of Aluminum hulls is they are loud in the water, and they conduct heat very well, so they are cold in Northern waters. I'd say for your use, Aluminum wouldn't be the best choice. That leaves fiberglass, and wood, though there aren't many commercially built choices in wood.

I also think for a couple that will primarily be taking day trips, a 22-24' boat will be more then enough for a comfortable day trip. The 26-28' boats are more for a family of 4-6 taking multiple day trips. The bigger boats are a little bit more comfortable in a slight chop, but they are still small boats. There is a good saying among boaters that the bigger the boat, the less it get's taken out. A C-dory 22 is a nice little boat, albeit the flat bottom provides a rougher ride than a semi-V.

In my highly biased opinion <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I think the best choice in the size range your looking for is the type of boat I'm building, a Tolman Skiff
http://www.fishyfish.com/paulhail/paul.html

Unfortunately there aren't any commercial builders of them. Even the 24' Jumbo is light for it's size, and hence fuel economic, and provides plenty of room to lay it out any way you want.

They are loud, I'll be getting mine sprayed inside with LineX this early winter. As far as the jet sleds go they are all fully lined and carpeted inside. You would never know you were in an aluminum boat while inside. They also have canvas enclosures which with the heat on will be toasty warm even in freezing weather.

Remember that in the PNW more then 1/2 the great fishing will be in the rivers or near them, and it's not usually warm or dry here when the fishing is best! There is also tons of great lake fishing so having a boat that you can trailler to the enormous east side lakes is a huge benifit. There you will have warm dry boating all summer!

If that is the case then I would look at a company called Parker boats. They are made in the carolinas I believe. They are a fiberglass hull with a huge cockpit to fish and rest . They also have a pilot house that you can dodge the weather and do an overnight if you want . They are well built , fast , economical , good ride and fit the profile you have given. I like their 25' sport cabib modle.

here they are http://www.parkerboats.net/

Longbob
You may want to check the SW Washington/Columbia Gorge area... No Income tax in WA and no sales tax in OR... Lots of fishing and hunting options there.

On the seasickness "thingy" you need to look into ginger... Ginger ale, tea, capsules and "crystalized" (dried and sugared) work extremely well.
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