First time poster here...similar to another recent post, thinking about our first boat. We have never boated ourselves, but I love being on the water and dream of boating to Alaska from Seattle, where we live. Why?
We did a small boat cruise in 2017 from Sitka to Juneau with The Boat Company (10 rooms, 145 ft boat) that was simply a trip of a lifetime and we've travelled a lot, (are returned Peace Corps Volunteers, I work in Thailand/Ghana, etc.). The Boat Company trip was simply incredible (just a customer, no affiliation). The wildlife, the fishing (only small cruise in AK we found that is also a licensed fishing vessel), and the scenery was just spectacular. We have signed up to do it again for our 20th anniversary in 2023.
To do it ourselves from Seattle to Glacier Bay? Well, that would be a dream come true! Taking a class with NW Expeditions in Bellingham in April and have been salivating over Ranger Tugs. Went to the Boat Show and loved the R27 (I love to cook, and that oven….) and salivated more. Seems like an excellent fit for us 2 adults and 2 pups (not sure our 10 year old Boxer will adapt, but our 5 year old Boston Terrier is adaptable, especially if a lot of food/meat is involved).
We owned a 1985 vanagon with 285k miles for 5 years and currently have an overland vehicle with a pop-top camper (2015 Toyota Tacoma) that has worked well for us for 3-7 night excursions. Lessons learned from our compact “RV” experience is that we want the Tacoma of boats and not the Vanagon (loved the design, the reliability, well, it wasn’t). I should add we are not particularly handy, but have relied on outfits/shops that specialize to do modifications needed.
So first step boating goal (next 3-5 years) is to get our skills up and really explore the PNW by water (as a WA native, it really appeals to see our state another way). An OB with a bit more speed and more reach/flexibility appeals. We hope to ditch our full-time jobs in 3-5 years and go part time until our portfolio can support our lifestyle or we get sick of working…might come sooner than later!
Anyway, are there others for whom the R27 (or R25, R29) was your very first boat without a lot of experience? Doing it again, would you start here or start elsewhere? We are planning to charter a RT 27 or 29 (?) out of Anacortes this summer. Regardless it’s going to be hard to drop 200k+ on a new hobby that we don’t have much experience with. There are a lot of cruisers for a lot less, but the Vanagon (engine repair after repair) lingers in our minds and makes us think a newer boat (recognizing there will undoubtedly be other costs) would be a better fit.
Would love to hear what you all think!
We did a small boat cruise in 2017 from Sitka to Juneau with The Boat Company (10 rooms, 145 ft boat) that was simply a trip of a lifetime and we've travelled a lot, (are returned Peace Corps Volunteers, I work in Thailand/Ghana, etc.). The Boat Company trip was simply incredible (just a customer, no affiliation). The wildlife, the fishing (only small cruise in AK we found that is also a licensed fishing vessel), and the scenery was just spectacular. We have signed up to do it again for our 20th anniversary in 2023.
To do it ourselves from Seattle to Glacier Bay? Well, that would be a dream come true! Taking a class with NW Expeditions in Bellingham in April and have been salivating over Ranger Tugs. Went to the Boat Show and loved the R27 (I love to cook, and that oven….) and salivated more. Seems like an excellent fit for us 2 adults and 2 pups (not sure our 10 year old Boxer will adapt, but our 5 year old Boston Terrier is adaptable, especially if a lot of food/meat is involved).
We owned a 1985 vanagon with 285k miles for 5 years and currently have an overland vehicle with a pop-top camper (2015 Toyota Tacoma) that has worked well for us for 3-7 night excursions. Lessons learned from our compact “RV” experience is that we want the Tacoma of boats and not the Vanagon (loved the design, the reliability, well, it wasn’t). I should add we are not particularly handy, but have relied on outfits/shops that specialize to do modifications needed.
So first step boating goal (next 3-5 years) is to get our skills up and really explore the PNW by water (as a WA native, it really appeals to see our state another way). An OB with a bit more speed and more reach/flexibility appeals. We hope to ditch our full-time jobs in 3-5 years and go part time until our portfolio can support our lifestyle or we get sick of working…might come sooner than later!
Anyway, are there others for whom the R27 (or R25, R29) was your very first boat without a lot of experience? Doing it again, would you start here or start elsewhere? We are planning to charter a RT 27 or 29 (?) out of Anacortes this summer. Regardless it’s going to be hard to drop 200k+ on a new hobby that we don’t have much experience with. There are a lot of cruisers for a lot less, but the Vanagon (engine repair after repair) lingers in our minds and makes us think a newer boat (recognizing there will undoubtedly be other costs) would be a better fit.
Would love to hear what you all think!
