Allison, Author at Boating Journey

March 7, 2021March 7, 2021

Tour a 2004 Cruisers 405 Yacht

For the past few months, we’ve had a lot of folks tell us to our a Cruisers Yacht and fortunately for Scott and I, our friends just bought one. Cory and Stacy are avid boaters and last summer, they sold their 37′ Larson and upgraded to a 2004 Cruisers 405 Yacht. They have two teenagers and this offers them plenty of space.

Exterior Space

All of the exterior flooring is SeaDek flooring, which we love! The access is fairly easy from the dock, as they do have a large swim platform. Even with the davit system, there is plenty of space to move onto the boat.

One thing Scott and I missed on our last boat, was having space to entertain outside or in the sunshine. This Cruisers 405 yacht has plenty of seating, a small table and a great wet bar! The wet bar has a brand new fridge, cutting boards, storage and a faucet with a sink.

The helm has bench style seating, so the captain and co-captain can sit together. The port side seating offers loungers for relaxation. One interesting thing about this Cruisers 405 yacht, is you don’t use keys to turn on the engines, but instead you use a code. There is a control panel on the starboard side that controls all of the functions. This yacht has bow and stern thrusters which can be operated with a remote control.

Access the engine room through the floor in the main salon. We love that the engines hve good accessibility from either side. The engines on this yacht are twin Yanmar 370hp diesels and this yacht also comes with an oil exchanger system! For all of the specs, be sure to watch the episode below.

Great salon space

The salon is set up nicely with a large comfy couch and ottomans (something we really missed having on our last two boats). This yacht has a large fridge, a two burner stove top, a convection microwave and they bought a portable icemaker.

I love how deep and wide the sink is! You can actually put an entire pan in it! They did add a large flat screen tv to the dinette table (remember, they have teenagers!). It actually fits well and you can watch your favorite movies from the big comfy couch.

The couch also pulls out into a bed offering a third sleeping area.

Forward Guest Space

Going forward, you’ll find the day head on the starboard side (keep in mind, it is winter here in the PNW and they use this boat, so it’s not set up for show pictures.) What’s interesting about the day head, is the shower is a separate room that you access from the stateroom.

We were very impressed by the beautiful woodwork and attention to detail for the finishes.

The island berth has tons of storage and a nice wide bed. It is a bit high, especially for me, since I’m only 5’3″.

Accessories

On your way to the master stateroom, you’ll find the central vac located in the bottom step mid ship. This is a great location, as our last boat you had to lift a large couch cushion to access it.

The electrical panel is located behind a nice wood cabinet as you head into the master stateroom.

Master Stateroom

This Cruisers 405 yacht has an aft master stateroom, which is our favorite layout. This stateroom did not disappoint. With a full walk around bed and tons of storage, you could actually live comfortably on this boat.

Not only does the master have great storage, but it also has a washer dryer combo that is easily accessible.

The master head has plenty of room and the shower is tall enough to allow for a 6′ 3″ person to shower.

Overall impression

This Cruisers 405 Yacht is a great boat for cruising the PNW. It would make for a comfortable liveaboard, but it is definitely compacted into 41′. Ideally, our liveaboard will be at least 50′. A big thank you to Cory and Stacy for allowing us to tour your beautiful yacht and we look forward to being on the water with you soon!

As always, thank you for following our boating journey. You can follow us on social using @BoatingJourney. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and watch this week’s episode below. Next week, we share with you why we love the Caribbean and our favorite islands.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

February 28, 2021March 1, 2021

What’s next our Boating Journey?

For the past couple of months, many of our followers have asked us “what’s next for Boating Journey?” In this week’s blog and episode, we’ll share our thoughts and plans for 2021. First, let’s go back to why we started Boating Journey.

Back in 2012 I started reading true story sailing books as an escape from my reality (working non stop running our wine shop). That got me hooked and we started dreaming about cruising the world. I was fascinated by the details each author shared in their books. How did they remember all of the details of each trip or destination? So in 2013, Boating Journey was born (see that first post here). I decided to document our travels including boat shows and Caribbean vacations, as we worked closer to our dream.

Boat Trials

Before Scott and I could set a plan for cruising the world, first we had to make sure Scott liked boating. He had never owned a boat nor stayed the night on one. In 2017, we purchased our first cruiser, a 2001 Bayliner 3055 Ciera Sunbridge. It was a great boat and we cruised all over Puget Sound. He was hooked! After we owned the boat for 18 months, we decided to sell it, so we could save up to buy our liveaboard boat.

However, just a few months later, we toured a Bayliner 4087 (in February!) and decided to make an offer. This boat gave us a much better liveaboard experience and we loved it. But when the pandemic hit in early 2020, we found ourselves stuck at the dock. All of the marinas were closed and so were many anchorages. We knew this was not our actual liveaboard boat, so once again we sold the boat to begin saving for “the one”.

Now What?

We sold our Bayliner 4087 in July 2020 and managed to stay active on the water the rest of the summer, including a charter trip through the San Juan Islands. This weekend, we sat down and went over the options for Boating Journey’s Blog and Channel:

Option A

We find our liveaboard boat AND slip
It has to be within our budget

Option B

Continue looking and touring possible liveaboard boats
Look beyond the PNW for liveaboards (which could require us to relocate)
Share boating experiences (is there something you would like us to do and share with you?)
- Trips: whale watching next month and USVI in April
- Boat Shows: go back to Annapolis, maybe attend Fort Lauderdale too
- Experience something new: hot tub boat powered by a wood fired stove, rent a day boat for the day, maybe rent a houseboat on Lake Roosevelt, cruise on Lake Diablo

No matter what our options are, we are committed to investing in our experiences to share those with all of you. One way or the other, we’ll be on the water this year and we look forward to a fun year!

As always, thank you for following our boating journey. You can follow us on social using @BoatingJourney. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and watch this week’s episode below. Next week, we take you on a tour of a 41′ Cruisers Yacht, so tune in!

Cheer, Scott and Ally

February 21, 2021February 26, 2021

Bayliner 4788 Tour at Fisherman’s Terminal

Scott and I finally toured a 1998 Bayliner 4788 MY last week. Since we have owned two Bayliners many people told us to look into a 4788. This boat is currently moored at Fisherman’s Terminal in Ballard and we spent the afternoon exploring the marina as well.

The tour was impromptu and so we didn’t get a chance to take our time taking professional photos. The broker did tell us that the owner has added many upgrades to this Bayliner 4788, including a camera system to help him easily navigate and dock the boat.

Interior Upgrades

One thing you’ll notice immediately upon entering the salon is the upholstery and carpet are new. The two chairs are original to the boat and have not been redone. The salon has the same granite counter our 4087 had, but the wood is much lighter than what we had. This is because the owner also had all of the wood refinished.

The galley has decent counter space, similar to our 4087. It has an upgraded SeaFreeze fridge that is nice and roomy. The shades are all electric and move up and down with a press of a button! How cool is that?! The stovetop / oven is a Princess, the same model we had on our boat. You know how picky we are about the sink and this boat has two sinks, one of which is decent size. At least you can get a pan in it!

Drinks anyone? Check out the “wet bar”. Next to the sink, is a countertop blender! Haven’t see one of those in years.

The Two Helm Stations

A few steps up from the salon area, is the interior bridge. I was shocked by how great the visibility was from this bridge. Normally, we never use the interior helm station, but in this case you would want to. The captain’s chairs (upper and lower) were both recently upgraded and the best part is you can move it around (it’s not anchored to the floor). These chairs are very nice upgrades to the boat.

You can access the upper fly bridge from either the stern (via a ladder) or from the interior bridge. I was disappointed that the upper bridge didn’t have a table or a good area for entertaining. A large portion of the upper deck is used to hold the crane and dinghy.

For us, entertaining outside is important and we definitely want an area that has a table with seating so we can enjoy the outdoors during the summer.

The Sleeping Quarters & Heads

As you move down the hall, you’ll find one stateroom on your port side and the day head on the starboard side. Straight ahead is the master stateroom.

The first stateroom has a great design, as the bed is not on the ground level (like many aft berths). This makes it much easier to get in and out of bed.

The day head had lots of storage space and it did have a separate shower, which we like. I wasn’t too keen on the lip of the day head or shower in it. I would definitely trip on both of them.

As you move down the hall, you’ll find the washer / dryer combo. This is a definite must for a liveaboard boat.

The master stateroom is actually an island berth in the forward cabin. I don’t know what I was expecting, but that wasn’t it. I need a full walk around bed, so I was bummed to see that this was the design.

Apparently, the Bayliner 4788 was designed so that you could remove the partition between the master stateroom and the guest room with the bunk beds. That is exactly what this owner did and for privacy he put up a curtain. They use it primarily for extra storage, so this made a lot of sense.

I was also amazed by how much storage the master stateroom offered!

The master head has plenty of room, but we were shocked to see it has a bathtub! Now that’s a liveaboard boat!

Overall Impression

This particular Bayliner 4788 is beautiful and comes with a lot of great upgrades. The owner has taken really good care of this yacht and it shows. Is it what we are looking for? Unfortunately, no.

I really want a FULL walk around bed that I don’t have to hop into every night (remember, we’re living on this boat). While I love the entertainment space on the inside, there really isn’t any outside. The cockpit is too small for a table and chairs and the upper helm only has seating. Those are my two “must haves” for a liveaboard. If you want more information on this Bayliner 4788, please email us and we’ll send you the link. Many people ask us why we don’t include it in our blog or vlog and that’s because the link will become invalid when the boat sells. We don’t want to have any links on our website, that don’t go anywhere 😉

Fisherman’s Terminal

Fisherman’s Terminal opened in 1914. This marina is open to both pleasure craft and commercial vessels. Look for celebrity ships from Deadliest Catch! One caveat about this marina is it is not secured. The docks are open to the public.

The Seattle Fisherman’s Memorial memorializes more than 670 local commercial fishermen and women who have been lost at sea since the beginning of the 20th century.

Scott and I love that Fisherman’s Terminal is so close to us. If you recall from our previous blogs, we often buy our seafood from the Wild Salmon Seafood Market, located at Fisherman’s Terminal. There are also three restaurants and a gift shop at the terminal. Be sure to check it out next time you are in Seattle!

As always, thank you for following our journey. Next week, we sit down with you and share our thoughts on what’s happening in regards to our blog and vlog, and our search for a liveaboard boat. Follow us on social @BoatingJourney and please subscribe to our YouTube channel, by clicking on the video below and hitting “subscribe”. Cheers, Scott & Ally

February 13, 2021February 14, 2021

Swapping out the BVIs for the US Virgin Islands

Back in 2019, we booked a bareboat charter to the BVIs (British Virgin Islands) for March of 2020. We were the first group to be postponed due to the covid pandemic and it was probably a blessing as we may have been stuck down there. The four of us (Scott and our friends Ben & Maria) rescheduled the trip for February 2021. We were thinking that surely the pandemic would be over by then, right?

Opening up the islands to tourists

In October 2020, many of the Caribbean Islands started allowing tourists back, but under very strict guidelines. The BVIs implemented one of the strictest policies making travel there near impossible. First you had to have a negative covid test before boarding your plane. Then you received another test when landing and would then need to quarantine for four days. After four days, you take another test and if that is negative, you are allowed to tour only certain (non-tourist) locations on the island for another four days. After that, you were allowed to visit approved mooring fields and marinas on day nine.

Since our charter is only for five days, these rules would not work for us. As a result, we moved the charter to April 2021, in hopes they would ease up on the restrictions. That has not happened and it looks like they are here to stay for most of 2021. In addition, all water ports are currently closed and we were arriving by ferry from St Thomas.

Change of plans

Since we had our airfare booked (arriving in St. Thomas), the four of us decided to continue the trip and visit the US Virgin Islands. Ironically, Scott and I have traveled to many Caribbean islands, including the Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Dominica and St. Maartin, but never the US Virgin Islands.

Our plan is to stay three nights on the east end of St. Thomas, then take a flight to St. Croix. There we are staying on the northeast end for four nights. We were going to take a ferry to St. Croix, but in the end the flight was easier and much faster. From there Scott and I are heading to St. John for three nights, so it is a stretched out trip.

Boating in the US Virgin Islands

Looking at the excursions that are offered, there are a lot to choose from! Kayaking at night looks interesting and they also offer an eco kayak trip. We definitely want to go sailing and snorkeling a few times and squeeze in a sunset cocktail cruise too. If you have any recommendations of “must do” excursions in the US Virgin Islands, please let us know!

Scott and I have wanted to retire in the USVIs for a long time, so it will be interesting to see if this destination meets our expectations. We could have moved our Moorings departure from Tortola to St. Thomas now that they have a base there. But honestly, we have been waiting for years to do the BVIs and we didn’t want to swap that out for the USVIs. Maybe after we boat around in April, we might regret our decision. We’ll see.

Our trip takes off on April 23rd for ten days. We do have to complete an online profile for covid and provide a negative test before we can enter the islands. For this trip we did buy trip insurance, as things can change at any moment.

Tune in next week for a tour of a Bayliner 4788. Please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel (see Star Clipper video link below). As always, we thank you for following our journey!

Cheers, Scott and Ally

February 1, 2021February 1, 2021

Tour a 2018 Sea Ray L590 Fly Yacht

The Seattle Boat Show was this week and everyone loves to tour the yachts during a show. This week, we take you on a tour of a brand new (executive demo) 2018 Sea Ray L590 Fly yacht.

Sea Ray stopped building boats over 40′ in 2019 and they only made a limited number of Sea Ray L590 Fly yachts. This is the only new L590 on the west coast and a really beautiful yacht. With a full enclosure, it is perfect for cruising in comfort in the Pacific Northwest, especially because every level has heating and air conditioning.

Entertaining in Style

This yacht has plenty of room for entertaining. The cockpit has seating for over 6 people and it comes with a fridge, icemaker and grill! Plus the joy stick controls are located on the port side for easy docking from the stern.

The interior offers a large open salon with plenty of entertaining space. This includes a comfy couch, ottomans, large flat screen tv and a built in bar. Plus the “up galley” allows the chef to mingle with guests while prepping dinner. The settee offers seating for 6 people comfortably too.

More Entertaining Space!

If that’s not enough entertaining space for you, check out the fly bridge. It has seating for 12 plus people (pre-covid of course), a fridge, a grill and sun pads to relax on.

Liveaboard Comfort

When I think about living on a boat, I wonder how we can make the transition from a home to a boat comfortably – especially here in the PNW. Taking a tour of this yacht, I would have no issues! The master stateroom has plenty of headroom, lots of storage, a full walk around bed, a desk/makeup station, a large flat screen tv and a comfy lounge area. The closet even has an icemaker in it! This is nicer than our condo.

What I love about this yacht, is that Sea Ray put so much thought into the design and texture of the interior. It truly reminds me of a luxury home without being “gawdy”. The master head is beautiful and the shower offers plenty of room for a 6′ person!

There are two other staterooms on this yacht, including a double bunk room. This room has plenty of storage space plus the washer and dryer!

The VIP V Berth

It seems like every v berth we see, the bed is about 4′ high and for me (Ally) who is only 5’3″, it’s a chore to “hop into bed”. What I love about this v berth, is the bed is lower and it has two steps on either side, to easily climb into bed. This stateroom offers tons of storage and another big cedar closet!

The day head has access from the hallway and the v berth. It offers the same space and details as the master head.

The Helm Stations

There are two helm stations on this Sea Ray L590 Fly yacht. The interior helm offers two VERY NICE captain’s chairs with a fantastic navigation center. Sea Ray did not skimp here either, offering leather console and storage compartments in the bridge.

The helm station on the fly bridge has great visibility for easy navigation and docking. The Zeus pod joy stick controls help navigate this yacht through tight fairways and makes docking much easier than you would expect. Two large SmartCraft Vessel View display screens feature provide all the information you need for operating this yacht.

This yacht is equipped with triple Zeus Cummins engines. For info on this propulsion, check out this link: https://www.cummins.com/engines/zeus-and-cummins-inboard-joystick.

Cruising in comfort and luxury

Sea Ray is known for their high quality vessels and attention to detail. This Sea Ray L590 Fly yacht is a great example of that. With less than 60 hours and with a full factory warranty, this yacht is ready to cruise the Pacific Northwest. For more information or a tour, visit Union Marine on Lake Union in Seattle.

As always, thanks for following our blog! For a full tour of this yacht, please watch our YouTube episode below and please subscribe for future episodes. Be sure to follow us on social @BoatingJourney. Stay tuned for next week, as we take you on a tour of a Boston Whaler 325 Conquest Pilothouse. Cheers, Ally & Scott

January 25, 2021January 25, 2021

Seattle Virtual Boat Show 2021

Scott and I have attended the Seattle Boat Show for the past 20 years. This year the show will be a virtual boat show and quite different thanks to the pandemic. The organizers of the show NMTA, have launched a fantastic website at www.seattleboatshow.com. Here you can buy different ticket levels, which gain you access to many features, including four days of virtual seminars (83 to choose from) January 28 – 31.

This will be the largest virtual boat show in the country and already they have sold tickets in over 40 states. There are over 600 boats featured on the website ranging from $1400 to $3.6million.

Going from 35,000 sq ft

As many of you know, I am head of marketing for Union Marine and the annual boat show is one of my biggest tasks each year. Normally the show takes up over 200,000 sq feet at the convention center at Century Link and my company normally has over 35,000 sq ft of that space.

Like many boat dealers, we are not only doing a virtual boat show, but we’re also hosting an open house at two of our locations in Seattle and Fife. To try and squeeze in a show of this size into two local showrooms is definitely a challenge, but I feel good about our accomplishment.

Hosting a Virtual Boat Show

No other organization has ever put together a show of this size and honestly, none of us know what to expect. One very cool feature of the show, is many dealers chose to do a 3D virtual walk-thru tour of their showrooms. You can see the two virtual boat show displays for Union Marine on our website. These tours are real life videos of our actual show rooms. You can click on specific targets and get information about a brand, including a brand video, build a boat or see our inventory.

The question still remains, how many people will shop virtually versus in-person? Guess we will have to wait and see. Just like a car, everyone loves to touch and see a boat up close and in person. Scott and I put a quick video together to give you an inside peek of the show both in-person and virtually – so check it out below.

This year, we hope to get to the Annapolis and/or Fort Lauderdale shows, so be sure to subscribe to our channel for upcoming episodes.

As always, thank you for following our blog! Be sure to follow us on social media @BoatingJourney too. Next week, we’ll take you on a tour of a brand new Sea Ray L590 Fly Motor Yacht.
Cheers, Scott and Ally

January 18, 2021January 18, 2021

Avoid getting a BIG fine for flying your drone!

A year ago, Scott bought us a DJI Mavic Air drone so we could capture some great footage while boating. One of our favorite YouTube vloggers, Kara and Nate, always include awesome drone footage in each of their videos. In fact, it’s one of the reason’s we follow their channel. Unfortunately, this past year, someone turned them into the FAA and they got into big time trouble. Not only did they not have their Part 107 drone certification, but they filmed in National Parks which is not allowed without the proper permits.

That was a wake up call for us (though we don’t have 2m followers!) Scott discovered that if you want to use any of your drone footage for commercial use (business, real estate OR YouTube videos that are monetized, etc) you need to get the FAA Part 107 drone certification. Plus, you also need to register your drone with the FAA.

Prepping for the test

Scott signed up with Pilot Institute about a month ago for study guides and sample exams. The cost is normally $249 which includes lifetime access to resources, but he was able to get a deal for $149. There is a lot of information and the sample exams really helped him prepare for the actual exam. In fact, he recommends that you NOT take the exam without prepping first.

Some of the interesting things we learned from the institute were:

Before flying, check the city, state and federal rules and regulations. Just because the Federal authority might say it’s okay to fly your drone, the city might not.
Don’t fly over people. For example, you can fly over a football stadium, but only if it’s empty.
You can’t fly at night.

In addition, this training / exam is also used for people who are getting their pilot’s license. So Scott learned a lot about aviation in general. One thing that he learned was what the numbers on a runway represent. Airport runways are numbered according to compass bearings. This means runway numbers are based on the compass with 360 representing north, 90 representing east, 180 representing south, and 270 representing west. Who knew?

Test time

Scott scheduled his drone certification exam with PSI examination services in Bellevue. He selected this company because, while all testing sites charge a fee for taking the exam, many also charge another fee on the day of the exam – PSI did not. The exam was $96 and it had 60 questions. PSI said the testing time would be 2.5 hours, but after taking the sample tests, Scott guessed it would only take him about 20 minutes.

His appointment was for 1:30p and they ask that you arrive 15 minutes early. Since this is FAA regulated they are very strict with their rules. No phones are allowed and you need proper identification with a current address. Unfortunately, after I dropped him off he immediately called me from the office phone, stating his driver’s license had our old address and he needed the car registration to show his new address. After running a quick errand, I returned to pick him up, but it didn’t take him 20 minutes to take the exam. It was more like an hour.

You need to answer 42 out of 60 questions correctly to pass (70%). Did he pass? Drum roll please……Yep, he got 90%!! Woot! Way to go pilot Scott!

Time to officially fly the drone

Since studying, we learned we can’t go to the cool places we’d like to (Myrtle Edwards Park, Alki, Golden Gardens…..) so now where do we go? Well, we picked the dock at Ray’s Boathouse. Sadly, it’s closed right now due to covid and it offered us a dock all to ourselves. Ray’s has a special place in our lives, as we used to walk to it for happy hour when we first starting dating (I lived in Ballard). We can’t wait for them to re-open after the pandemic is over.

The sun was about the set and the sound was perfectly calm. It was the perfect day to fly the drone. Be sure to watch our next YouTube episode to see the footage.

We also figured out how to have the drone follow us – so that will be fun to include in future episodes.

Links and information

Scott certainly did his research and below are the links to various sites that helped him prepare for his Part 107 drone certification:

ONLINE TRAINING

PRACTICE TEST SITES

MORE HELPFUL INFO

As always, thank you for following our blog and our YouTube channel. Now that Spring is around the corner, we are actively searching for another boat and hope to find one by March or April – so stay tuned! Be sure to follow us on social media @BoatingJourney too.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

January 10, 2021January 10, 2021

Check out this 2000 Silverton 392 MY

This Silverton 392 motor yacht has an awesome layout and really could make for a great live aboard. Scott and I toured this yacht at Union Marine back in November and we were very surprised to see how much space it has.

The owners have put in some custom cutting boards in the cockpit above the refrigerator, which allows for great entertaining on the stern. We love how much open space there is in the cockpit for relaxing.

The Fly Bridge

The fly bridge on this Silverton 392 offers great visibility. One thing I noticed right away (and I think it’s a great idea), is the owner put labels everywhere to help who ever is operating the boat.

We also noticed that on the bridge, there were switches for engine fire extinguishers. How cool is that?!

The Silverton 392 Motor Yacht, with its innovative “SideWalk” flybridge steps, offers much improvement in safety, space utilization, and mobility. Never before has going forward been so easy and so safe.

The Interior

Compared to our Bayliner 4087, the salon offered much more space for entertaining. You could easily seat 6 or 8 people around the settee. For relaxing at night, the couch was directly across of the tv and it also has a reversible ottoman.

There is tons of storage space under the couch cushions, plus plenty more in the built-in cabinet under the tv.

With the galley just steps away from the salon, you can easily cook and entertain at the same time. There is a lot of storage space and I love that the stove top and oven are electric. Be sure to watch our YouTube episode, for a closeup tour (link at the end of this blog). For some reason, I hate propane ovens/stoves. I know they are the most practical for cruising, but if you are at the dock with shore power, I’ll take electric any day.

Two staterooms

Unlike our Bayliner 4087 that had three staterooms, this Silverton 392 only has two staterooms. However, someone could sleep on the couch, but that wouldn’t offer any privacy. The forward cabin has a double size bed and has plenty of drawers for storage.

There are two heads on this yacht and each has a VacuFlush toilet. The guest head does have a separate shower stall, which is a major plus. On our Bayliner, you had to use a shower curtain in the bathroom when you showered and things still got wet.

The main stateroom is an aft cabin, much like our Bayliner 4087. I feel this cabin is slightly smaller, but Scott disagrees with me. What do you think? I think that our bed was longer than the Silverton making the room bigger?

About our second boat — Main stateroom on our Bayliner 4087

The main head was a little smaller that I expected, but still offered everything you would need.

The Engine Room

This Silverton 392 MY comes with twin Caterpillar 3116 diesel engines which have a combined 740hp and they only have 150 hours of use! Access to the engine room is in the main salon.

This boat comes with a Kohler Generator and also has an oil change extractor! Super cool, especially if you have ever pumped out your oil manually.

Upgrades also include a WalVac system (a must!!), Inverter and an AB dinghy with a Honda 15hp outboard motor.

Overall Impression

Scott and I were pleasantly surprised by this yacht. It has a great layout, it’s comfortable and comes with many upgrades. While we loved our Bayliner 4087, had we looked at both boats at the same time, chances are we would have picked the Silverton.

Would it make a good liveaboard? Any boat can be a good liveaboard – check out our episode about living on a 32′ Nordic Tug. But in the end, we’re looking for a boat that’s a bit bigger with more storage. If you are looking for a great cruiser for the Northwest, be sure to check out this yacht. You will be impressed.

As always, thank you for following our journey! 2021 has a lot in store for us, including our (hopefully) upcoming bare boat charter on a power catamaran in the British Virgin Islands in April. If we can’t find the perfect liveaboard (or slip to go with it), we may decide to buy a smaller boat just to be able to get back on the water this year. Stay tuned! In the meantime, we hope you all have a fantastic New Year and we hope to see you on the water! See the full tour in the YouTube episode below.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

December 26, 2020December 26, 2020

Tour a 2006 Navigator 5100

This past summer, while touring a Viking Sport Yacht, broker offered to show us a 2006 Navigator 5100. She had overheard us talking about our love for Navigator yachts and she had one on the other dock. Unfortunately at $449,000 it’s out of our price range, but we were thrilled to be able to take a quick tour.

Almost identical to the 5300

If you have been following us this summer, you’ll remember that we toured a Navigator 5300 up in Bellingham. The big difference between this yacht and that one is, this one has furniture in the salon (because the 5300 had sank at the dock). Though two feet shorter, none of the layout appears to be tighter or smaller.

The cockpit is nice a roomy, perfect for a day out fishing. You enter through the heavy duty sliding glass door into the main salon, which is very spacious and comfortable. The salon and galley of the Navigator reminds me very much of a “home”.

The television is hidden in the cabinet until you’re ready to watch it.

One of my biggest issues with the our Bayiner 4087, was we couldn’t relax on a couch and watch tv comfortably. We had to sit in the settee to watch tv. This salon offers a great area to unwind and relax.

Large Upgraded Galley

For anyone who knows me well, you know I love to cook – even on a boat. But small kitchens and galleys, drive me crazy. Even in our big huge house that we sold, we had pretty limited counter space for prep. The Navigator galleys offer tons of prep space, plus a full pantry under the floor in the galley.

Up behind the galley, is the interior bridge. There’s a large settee behind the captain’s chair, which could be used for an office as well.

The bridge had great visibility and all upgraded electronics.

Expansive living quarters

Just like the Navigator 5300, the 5100 offers a large master stateroom with a washer and dryer.

The master stateroom had tons of storage, perfect for a liveaboard. The master head was enclosed and it has a separate shower to the right of the Vacuflush toilet.

I was also shocked about how much storage the cedar closets offered. Plus they smell great!

Room for the entire family!

Down the hall from the master, you’ll find a double bunk stateroom and a VIP v-berth stateroom. The amount of storage that is included in each stateroom was amazing!

The guest head has plenty of space & storage and the shower is a stand alone shower stall here too.

Up to the bridge

To access the fly bridge, you enter through the interior helm area. One thing I really like about the exterior of the Navigator 5100 is the height of the railings. Since I’m short and usually the one putting the fenders out, I feel safer with a taller railing.

When we toured this Navigator 5100, they had taken all of the cushions off, to keep them protected from the elements. One disappointing fact about this Navigator 5100 is that it does not have an enclosed fly bridge, which is a must for us.

As you can see, there’s tons of storage under the seats. Below is what the bridge looks like with the cusions.

There’s so much room up on the bridge! We do wish there was some kind of table, but so far, none of the Navigators we have looked at, have had one on the bridge.

Again, the upper fly bridge offers great visibility for ease of docking.

Is the Navigator our next liveaboard?

Scott and I admit, that after touring three different Navigators, that this is what we are looking for in a liveaboard. We especially like the Sundance model with the main stateroom located mid ship.

So we will continue to search for Navigators and hope that one will come with a liveaboard slip. If you know of anyone wanting to sell their 50′ – 55′ Navigator with a liveaboard slip, please DM us. Be sure to watch the full tour on our channel, video below.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and like most of you, we’re celebrating at home by ourselves thanks to covid-19. Thank you for following our journey and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on social @BoatingJourney.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

December 14, 2020December 14, 2020

Packing for the BVIs

Last Christmas, we were getting ready for our trip to the BVI’s and many of the gifts I gave Scott were for our trip. Unfortunately, the trip was postponed due to covid and now is rescheduled for next April. In this week’s blog, I’ll share with you many of the items I bought him (affiliate links are in this blog).

Since we have never chartered a boat outside of the US, we’re not sure what to expect. If you have chartered a boat in the BVI’s, please let us know if we are on the right track or if we’re missing something.

Drinking Water

I’m a water snob, as many of you know from our multiple posts about potable water and our drinking water episode. Our first boat had terrible water and I never even brushed my teeth with that water. On our second boat, we used a special antibacterial hose, with an external filter to add water to our fresh water tank. Then we had a drinking faucet with a 3M filter which provided us fantastic quality water.

Having no idea what the water quality is on the charter boat, I bought two things for drinking water. First, I bought Vapur ShakeFilter packets (what I thought were filtration packets) for drinking water. But the more I look at the product, it’s doesn’t say anywhere that it removes bacteria and that is one of my biggest concerns. (Glad I have 75 packets!!)

Next, I bought the world’s smallest water filter in a straw, called Clean Sip! These straws filter up to 200 gallons of water and they remove bacteria. I ordered one for each of our crew members for the trip.

Travel Guide

If you have ever traveled outside of the US, you have most likely used a travel guide from Fodor’s. I bought the Fodor’s Travel for the US & British Virgin Islands for our trip and I love it. It not only has all the travel info for hotels, restaurants, mooring balls, etc., but it also has information about the types of reef life, health information and currency. This guide is not only light weight, but the cover has a coating that protects it from moisture.

Phone Protectors

When Scott and I were at the Annapolis Boat Show a few years ago, we stumbled upon a cool new product for your phone & credit cards, called the Ugo wear wallet. The cases are made out of scuba gear material and zippers and they float. We love using these for dinghy rides or kayak trips.

For this trip I also bought us a waterproof bag from Earth Pak, for our longer trips to the beach. This pack also came with a waterproof phone pouch which we use all of the time when we go out crabbing.

Body Protection

While I love being in the sun, Scott does not because he burns so easily. For our trip to the BVI’s I bought him a Baleaf SPF 50 long sleeve shirt that we can wear out in the sun. It’s light weight and very comfortable.

Head Light

When I bought Scott a Cobiz LED head light last Christmas, I didn’t necessarily think we would take it with us on our trip. But after all of the issues we had on our last charter, we might want to rethink that. This is a great head light, with multiple functions. It also comes in a hard carrying case.

Mini Tri-Pod

I admit, we have a lot of tri-pods for all of our camera equipment. But when we are traveling by plane, we need to stay as light weight as possible. I found this great lightweight tri-pod from Pasavant. It only weighs a few ounces and it comes with a travel pouch.

Portable Camera

Last Christmas, Scott bought me all kinds of camera equipment including our drone and DJI Action Camera (all of those links can be found under shop our gear tab). One camera I love and will definitely take with us, is our DJI Pocket. It comes with a gimbal, it’s lightweight and really easy to use. Plus, when you are filming yourself in public, you don’t have this huge camera in your face drawing attention to yourself.

What’s the latest update on our trip?

I wish we were actually packing for our trip, but unfortunately we’ve moved it from February to April of next year. The BVI’s were open and they just closed again until January 21st. Before they closed again, their restrictions were so strict (4 covid tests, 8 days of quarantine, restrictions on to where you could travel), that it wasn’t worth going in February. As a result, we moved the trip to April, but we may very likely have to move the trip again. With vaccines on the horizon, perhaps we might make it.

If there is anything we’re missing here that we should take on the trip, please let us know. As always, thank you for following our journey! You can find us on social at @BoatingJourney. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season! See our YouTube episode below!

Cheers, Scott and Ally