The Last Boats Afloat Show for Awhile
This past weekend, Scott and I attended the Annual Boats Afloat Show 2018 on Lake Union. Sadly, it will be the last Boats Afloat for awhile, as the marina and businesses are being re-developed by Vulcan. We first attended Boats Afloat seven years ago when we got the bug to buy a catamaran.
This year was a bit different for me, as I worked the show for the first time. Remember, I just joined Lake Union Sea Ray as their Marketing Manager. One of my job responsibilities is to decorate the boats and make them look top notch. Not only am I lucky enough to be immersed in boating and marketing, but I’m also part of a fun and dynamic team!
Boats, Boats and Boats – What are we looking for?
This boat show is unique and one of the largest floating shows on the west coast. It featured over 225 boats including cruisers, sport boats, fishing boats, trawlers, yachts, dinghies and sailing boats. After attending the show for so many years, Scott and I decided to focus more on what we might be looking for, not what we were dreaming of. (But I captured some of that too!)
I worked on our Sea Ray 510 Fly yacht for a couple of days. Yes, I could work here every day!
Lake Union Sea Ray featured eighteen boats including our Boston Whaler, Sea Ray, MasterCraft and brokerage boats. While I might be a bit biased, I did feel we had one of the best selections of boats for every lifestyle.
The Hunt for a Liveaboard
Looking at a Trawler
Our dock neighbor Jules has been telling us over and over, that we need to look at trawlers. As most of you know, I do not like trawlers. Of course, if someone were to give me a 55′ Selene or Fleming, then I might reconsider! But those are way out of our price range. Scott and I did look a Selene during the show.
Everything inside was gorgeous, but it just isn’t my style at all. It would be similar to those people who love a really old house versus a super modern house. You just know what you like and what feels right. This is the type of boat that is rugged, yet comfortable and designed for ocean crossings.
Yes, the engine room is adjacent to the master stateroom, but at least you can stand up in it!
Okay, Let’s look at one more
We also checked out a 1998 57′ Nordhavn Trawler. Keep in mind, that both Selene and Nordhavn are highly rated trawlers.
Enter the galley and the first thing I noticed was the boat had a Thermador stove / oven!! Now we’re talking.
It did have a large settee for entertaining too.
And the master stateroom was very roomy and comfortable.
The dream boat
One of the fun things about attending a boat show, is you can tour some of the big yachts. Nowadays, Scott and I don’t waste our time waiting in line for a tour. But on Saturday, there were no lines for Conundrum, so I couldn’t resist. This is a 2007 67′ Regency Yacht and the sales price is only $1,395,000. We could certainly live on this boat! I took a video of it, but no photos. So be sure to watch our tour on YouTube.
We did look at a 2017 70′ Ocean Alexander and it was only $3,195,000. It was beautiful and the door hinge would definitely keep the water out if you capsized!
Here’s another hinge on a trawler!
Scott checked out this trawler. I told him, don’t get any ideas! While it is not my style on the outside, the inside was gorgeous, including the galley.
Other vendors
One thing I always do at boat shows, is visit with the other vendors besides boat sales. I stumbled upon a company called Color Glo Marine.
Basically, if your vinyl is worn out, they will match the color and restore it. In the photo below, he had just restored the left corner of the bench yesterday. It used to look like the middle square!
This year, Boats Afloat had a live band playing and the mood was more festive than in years past. We really lucked out with the weather, as it stayed dry almost the entire time.
What about a Sailboat?
Scott and I still plan on retiring on a catamaran, but we did look at a monohull at the show, just to see what it was like. This sail boat was a 2019 Jeanuneau 490 and it had lots of space. We also liked the fact that the deck was pretty roomy and comfy. To give you some perspective, this 49′ boat new is $519k.
Okay, so we looked at boats – now what?
Great question! I will say that I was a bit distracted this show, as I was working it and not thinking about finding our next boat. But we did use the show to try and open our minds to a trawler – that didn’t happen.
We do have a plan (sort of) and we will share that with you in our next blog. The new owners of Kokomo will be moving the boat from Elliott Bay Marina this week and over to her new home on Lake Washington.
In the upcoming blogs, we’ll also share some of our favorite drink recipes and how life has been living in the city in small apartment. So stay tuned!
Watch Episode #23 below for a full tour of the boat show!
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