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| Safe Boat Length for Puget Sound Cruising
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This e-mail was unsigned, so we're unable to tell you who it was from. The subject is important, though, and of interest to many.
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January 2, 2001
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Hello, I am new to the boating community, with a recent purchase of a 21-foot boat with a 225 hp Johnson outboard motor. Is this boat of sufficient size to go family cruising from the San Juan Islands to Lake Washington -- basically all around Puget Sound? I really appreciate your response.
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Response
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Assuming it has a seaworthy hull, a 21-foot boat with a 225 hp outboard is plenty of boat for cruising Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. In fact, of the elements that go into safe, successful cruising, I would say seamanship and boathandling ability are more important than the boat itself, as are a knowledge of the rules of the road, the ability to read charts and understand at least the basics of the buoyage system, and a healthy respect for what weather can do to the water. A 21-foot boat needs to be properly equipped with good-sized fenders (at least four, preferably six) . It needs at least four 25-foot nylon mooring lines, a proper anchoring system, and at least 100 feet of line for towing. It needs a quality compass, adjusted by a professional compass adjuster. It needs a good VHF radio. It needs a depth sounder. It needs life jackets for the entire crew. It needs at least one fire extinguisher. It needs a decent tool kit, and spare parts for vulnerable equipment that might fail or be damaged.
This equipment (and much more) is overlooked by the hard bellies, happy faces and string bikinis that decorate the boat ads, but combined with good seamanship, they are what make possible the happy faces. (The hard bellies and string bikinis are individual options, outside the purview of the Waggoner Cruising Guide.)
You say you are new to the boating community, so I don't know if you have taken a Coast Guard Auxiliary or U.S. Power Squadrons introductory boating course. If you haven't, I heartily urge you to do so. In only a few weeks of class time, these courses provide an astonishing amount of information.
Beyond Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, how far can you range in a proper 21-footer? As far as you want. Last summer we met a couple from Kamloops, B.C., who were cruising the wilds of the central B.C. coast in a 18 1/2-foot Campion. Boats smaller than yours go to Alaska and back. Since you're new to the sport, I suggest that you keep your goals more modest than that, but perhaps you get the idea.
You don't say if you're familiar with the Waggoner Cruising Guide or you just stumbled on the Web site. Whichever, I recommend that you get the 2001 Waggoner. The new book has been completely updated and substantially rewritten, with information and wisdom gleaned from yet another year of research and experience. More than any other single source, the Waggoner will help you enjoy safe and rewarding cruising in the Northwest.
--Bob Hale
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