Cutwater in Bellingham

Bling is limitless to some folks and thank goodness my wife isnt one of them. One of the things she is hard over on is a washer and dryer!! And she really just cant see herself in anything less than 40 feet right now. I am working on her with little success.

She has already suggested that I go ahead and buy a nice parker pilot house boat so I am more protected when fishing but that isn't the cruising boat that I want by a long shot. A parker pilot house that is big enough to modify for comfortable cruising puts me back into wide load permits for towing and I would like to avoid that.

I would like a TomCat or an R-27, maybe an R-25 and I think she would like it if she just gave it a chance but therein lies the rub

Her biggest thing is really the room, my biggest thing is wanting something I can park behind the garage when not in use to avoid storage or slip fees and to make it easy to perform maintenance or projects on the boat without having to drive to where the boat is.

In the immortal words of the great Pooh "Oh Bother"
 
OK, now we're talking. WHERE would your wife like to use that washer and dryer? The Chesapeake Bay? North to the Erie Canal (with a nice stay over in NYC)? South to the Florida Keys?

We used washers and dryers, one set with a view of the Manhattan skyline. Another set for FREE on the Erie Canal. And in a marina in Marathon visiting with other cruisers in the Keys.

How about some other neat places to use a washer/dryer? Like Lake Powell? Or beautiful Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest? Or after 3 of the most peaceful days by Chatterbox Falls in Princess Louisa Inlet, a funky little place at Powell River in Canada? Oh, wait... it would be a LOT of work and BIG bucks to get a 40' boat from the East Coast to the West. But, with a trailerable boat, the trip across becomes part of the fun. You don't have to run the same water over and over - just haul the boat up on the trailer, hook it up, and you are on your way to the next fun cruising area.

And all those cruising areas have washers and dryers. But, as cruisers, you'll be wearing shorts, t-shirts, and the occasional sweatshirt. Not to mention Naked Cruising Wednesdays! Yeah, just havin' some fun.

And now I'm going to reveal a traumatic part of my past... this place is a lot like group therapy. I was a poor kid. My Dad died when I was 6, Mom had no marketable skills, wasn't just from the wrong side of the tracks - we lived less than a half blocks from the tracks. My Mother would take me with her to the laundromat and leave me to "guard the clothes" while she went to find someone to buy her a drink. I grew up hating laundromats. When Joan and I first got married, we didn't have two nickels to rub together, but one of our first purchases (on Sears credit) was a washer and dryer... I'll be damned if I was going to have to go to another laundromat. When we started boat cruising in our C-Dory, there is no room for a washer/dryer... oh, don't get me started on our friends with the 22 who wash out clothes in the sink... or sailing friends who drag clothes behind them in a mesh bag. We had no choice but to frequent laundromats while out and about on the boat. And it isn't like the old days. Don't get me wrong, we have certainly been in some "third world" laundromats while boat cruising, but it's just another part of the lifestyle. Ya laugh and move on. Everything on a small boat takes a day: laundry - a day; grocery shopping - a day; and that's also part of the lifestyle.

Of course, the other option is short trips of a week or less so you can get back home to do laundry. :wink: But some of the really great cruising areas may take you MONTHS to see. Giving up a washer/dryer for the opportunity to see those places and anchor in spots that the 40 footers (who may have a washer/dryer, but not the water capacity to use it everyday) can't go... easy decision.

When it comes to a mobile lifestyle, any excuse to not do it works. It's sad when one part of a couple won't give it a chance... it's equally sad when one part of the couple calls it quits over being drug along to go cruising. If she really doesn't want to go out on a small boat, strapping a washer/dryer to the top of a Ranger Tug isn't going to make her happy. :roll: And as we all know, if Momma ain't happy...

Statistics show that if you "convince" her, it will come back to bite you in the butt. If she doesn't want to go, then you really have two choices, and "missing her" really is one of those choices. Some couples can make that separate lives thing work. I would be miserable.

Again, the best advice (it's free) I can give you is take her to a C-Brat gathering. When she sees people having a BIG time on small boats, she will either change her mind or not. If she does, you two can go boat shopping together and encourage her pick the options. If she doesn't, get the boat that will allow you to do the fishing and overnighting that works for you.

Some couples do everything together - my wife and I are like that. Some do very little together, but meet at home in between their individual stuff.

My take on cruising is: it's more fun when you have someone to share it with. A sunset is beautiful... it's even better when you share it with someone you care about and can say, "That is the second most beautiful thing I've seen today." (And we assume you aren't talking about that 40' boat you passed earlier. :mrgreen: )

OK, I just blew my New Years Resolution to not babble on. I feel for ya, and was just trying to help. Good luck with the discussions and the decisions.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Jim you are preaching to the choir as far as my wife hearing all of those points from yours truly. I am still working on her and persistence has paid off in the past and she and I have already learned the hard way that doing something we don't like to make the other happy doesnt work for either of us...

I am going to try and get her to a gathering at Wefings or one of the ones they do in Oriental NC and I am going to keep dragging her to boat shows, after all the garden shows aren't exactly my favorite thing, lol. The gatherings are probably the best idea so she can see what folks have done to thier boats and so she can meet other wives.

Until the next purchase it's fishing from the bay boat (which I intend to keep) for monster stripers in the Chesapeake bay
 
There's a lot of good ideas in this thread. In particular, take her to a gathering and have her talk to other women who are there. There's something about another woman saying the exact same thing that you say that somehow changes the image/value of the idea.

Here's an alternate strategy - give up on the boat talk (for now) and start talking about your desire to do a long backpacking trip with her in some remote area. Start looking at bivy sacks, small backpacking tents, tiny little stoves, light weight cookware, therma rests etc. Start mapping your trip along the entire Appalachian trail. Talk about that incessantly.

After 3-6 months of that, getting a C-Dory will appear to be a huge compromise on your part. :wink:

PS - don't forget to buy a few books on things like NOLS Bear Essentials: Hiking and Camping in Bear Country, Fangs: A true account of one man's life with snakes and survival against snake bites and How to Sh!t in the Woods, Second Edition: An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art. Read them nightly and pretend to show great interest.
 
Levitation said:
I have not checked, but what is the price of a new CD-25 with all the options, big engine or twin motors (you are much faster than I, durn it), the 12" Garmin MFD, autopilot, radar, electric stove and AC/heat, generator, and a trailer? My suspicions is that it is close to a comparable R-25...
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A new C-Dory 25 Cruiser was pushing $100,000 outfitted and ready to cruiser. A bit more for twins. I don't think prices have gone down any.

Interestingly enough, we have listed a 2008 Ranger 25. A very nice boat. What I find intersting is that sudden;y there are a number of R-25's on the used market, all around $120K to $130K. I would think there would be some interst in them with the strength of the brand, but so far they all seem to be sitting on the market.
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Our 25 is perfect for us. When we were looking, Meredith was adamant about the 22 Cruiser NOT being big enough and the enclosed head sealed the deal. I know...I know...surprised the hell out of me too. When the g-kids get bigger, it will still be large enough for us, although "Papa" will have to sleep in the cockpit. Oh, well. That's a small price to pay for family cruising for 4 while still being trailerable. We love the amenities of a Ranger and would prefer one over a Cutwater, but that ain't gonna happen.
 
Starcraft when I mentioned earlier that the cost of the boat wasn't really the issue I was talking Rangers and TomCats not the Sheiks dingy!!
 
That Delta 70 is certainly an impressive vessel! (but with a lot of upkeep and taxes--maybe OK for two couples cruising with a full time crew to keep the boat up!)

Washers and dryers. We have had them on two boats: Motorsailors designed for ocean passages and living aboard--one 62 feet and one 46 feet. Other trawlers from 32 to 42 feet we elected not to have a Washer/Dryer. We are currently in our RV which is plumbed for a washer and a dryer--and we elected to have more storage and not the Washer dryer. My wife did 4 loads of laundry this afternoon, in about an hour and a half. During this time she found out a lot of local information, and made some new friends. To do the 4 loads in a boat sized W/D, it would take about 6 hours, no new friends, and would take about 120 gallons of water. (Thus a water maker is essential)--you might also remind the wife that the use of washers on boats are frowned upon in marinas.
 
oh she knows all of that and is very aware of water usage as she is a retired Navy Senior Chief and has plenty of sea time on ships that were constantly on water hours
 
retired navy chief, no wander she wants a big boat. needs room for the crew and work parties to do the laundry. You just may need the delta. It has cabins for three crew members plus 6 guest and a 960gpd water maker. just the right size :wink:
 
retnavy":1lm027sd said:
oh she knows all of that and is very aware of water usage as she is a retired Navy Senior Chief and has plenty of sea time on ships that were constantly on water hours
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And the real issues are appearing. (Emphasis added is mine.) Yup, she's not wanting to spend that retirement in a 26 foot dingy :cry that would turn circles in the fuel tank of her last appointment. :lol:

Time to get to a CBGT therapy session and ....

"Hi, My name is Harvey and I have an addiction. I like to have affordable fun with happy people and see cool places. Some days I watch clouds all day, and some days I don't even think about doing laundry. I'm here for help, and how do you get along on those little boats :?:

Good luck with that :mrgreen:

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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You guys are killing me! I'll keep working on her until she gives in or I give uop and just go aherad and buy that bigger pilot house fishing boat
 
You shoulda known there would be the possiblity of tempest seas when you married a Navy Senior Chief! Just buck up and purchase what you want......then be prepared to walk the plank.... :shock: ....oh, and don't forget to wear your PFD. :lol:

(Just havin' a little fun with you..... :mrgreen: )
 
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