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| Trailering and Mooring a 41-foot Powerboat
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February 23, 2005
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Dear Waggoner Cruising Guide,
Sent you an earlier question (see below), but I think I've figured out the answer: 41'/30,000 lbs boats aren't towable by a pickup truck, even a 1 ton. Right?
Different question, please: Is there a quick way to get a handle on moorage fees on the east side of Puget Sound? A one-stop shop, web-site, anything?
Thanks,
Gary
Prior Letter
Dear Waggoner Cruising Guide,
First, thanks for being such a great resource. We are so new to salt-water boating, we haven't even started yet, so I've been reading your web-pages with great interest. I fully expect once we take the "plunge" we'll become avid users of your service.
A QUESTION: Is it feasible to trailer a large sedan-type power boat? For example, the 41' Maxum 4100 SCB ('98, '99 models), weighing approx 30,000 lbs? Is this the sort of boat you can put in the water strictly when you are ready to use it, rather than mooring it full time?
Thanks,
Gary
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Response
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Hi, Gary,
You're right -- a 41', 30,000 boat is well beyond the "trailer boat" category. It will be hauled out here on a special lowboy boat trailer towed by a Class 8 diesel tractor. There are companies that specialize in this sort of hauling, and they do it very well.
You'll want to pick an appropriate yard to receive the boat and launch it. Since it's a freshwater boat, it will need to be set up for Northwest saltwater use, meaning appropriate shaft, rudder and trim tab zincs, engine and transmission cooling system zincs, possible bottom paint, possible new anchoring system, possible radar, cabin heat, canvas, and goodness knows what else. You'll want a yard that is accustomed to commissioning new boats, knows what is needed and where to get it, and has personnel who can do it right the first time. The Waggoner has ads from several yards that fall into this category, and others exist.
Now for moorage. If there is a web site that quotes moorage rates on Puget Sound, I don't know of it. Furthermore, I'd be skeptical about what the site told me. Data changes too fast, and that's if the site were to get good data in the first place, which I would doubt. Rates in a given marina can be all over the place, depending on slip size, convenience, water and electric availability, covered or uncovered, deep draft or shallow, and often, what kind of day the manager is having.
The Waggoner lists only marinas that take overnight visitors (the book is a cruising guide, not a marina guide), but nearly all the marinas in the book have permanent moorage as well. We give each marina's name, address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail address and web site address. If you can't get here to prowl around yourself, you could make contact by phone, fax or e-mail, and begin the learning process. I recommend that you make phone calls if you can. They're more personal, and if the marina manager thinks you're the right kind of person, you'll learn things you can't learn otherwise. A phone call also gives you a feel for the marina and the manager. If you're like most of us, you'll fit in well at some places but not so well at others.
A few years ago I became an Admiral for a brief time, meaning I had a fleet: the boat I had owned for more than 5 years, and the boat I had just bought. Until Boat No. 1 was sold, I needed a slip for Boat No. 2. I found it the old-fashioned way, I started talking to people. One lead led to another, which led to another, and so on, until I found a good slip in a conveniently located, well-run marina. Fortunately, Boat No. 1 sold within a very few months. I retired my Admiral's stars (my wife Marilynn kept hers; I may be the Captain on board, but she's still the Admiral) and we moved the new boat into the old slip.
It sounds like you're excited about doing some cruising out here. Me, too. I can't wait for our boat to get back from its annual waxing and varnishing, get some needed (scheduled) engine work completed, and get us back out on the water.
Regards,
Bob Hale
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