Category: Boat Tour

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Surprise trip to Fort Lauderdale!

Last month (before covid went rampant again), Scott surprised me with a quick trip to Fort Lauderdale. Other than passing through on our way to the Keys, I had never been to Fort Lauderdale, so I was excited to see what it was all about.

Fort Lauderdale is referred to as the “Venice” of Florida. After our visit, I can see why. All of the blue you see below is water!!

We’re definitely in a different boat world

Scott and I stayed at the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Marina, located right on a canal. We arrived in the evening and after grabbing a bite to eat, we decided to walk around and check things out. Immediately, it was obvious that we were in a different type of “boating world” compared to the Pacific Northwest. Across from the hotel was a business center and most of the businesses were yacht groups and brokerages.

As we walked down the street, we stumbled upon the big guys!

Check out this open air indoor Ferretti Group showroom that is under construction! This is absolutely beautiful!

A few blocks down, we came upon an indoor boat launch under construction. Turns out this is a luxury indoor storage facility with access directly on the water. Check out F3 Marina for more information. This is such a cool project!

Scott and I proceeded to walk down a random street to see what the neighborhood looked like. Boat life is very different in Fort Lauderdale compared to the Pacific Northwest. Granted, we have some very large yachts on Lake Washington and a few marinas, but there were huge yachts in Fort Lauderdale everywhere you went.

Exploring Fort Lauderdale

With only a few days to check things out, we did our best to try a few nice restaurants and go visit the recommended spots. Most of the time, we found ourselves on another canal. Their canals are basically like our roads.

The only difference is these water “roads” have some serious luxury yachts parked along side them.

Looking at this dock, it appears they also can have accidents along their water roadways – yikes!

The following morning, we found a quirky diner, called Joe’s Diner in the middle of a shopping center, about four blocks from the hotel. The food was good and the service was great!

Looking for a public marina to walk around

Since we have public marinas here in Seattle that you can walk around and check out boats, we wanted to know where those were in Fort Lauderdale. I texted a broker I know and he said to go to Bahia Mar or Harbour Towne. Since he was showing his boat at Harbour Towne, we decided to go their first.

Bobby had a gorgeous Manhattan at the dock that he was showing. We could have gotten a quick tour, but he had a full day and we didn’t want to intrude on him.

Hoping to find a boat we might be able to board, we walked up and down a few docks, but unfortunately there wasn’t much to see.

Ironically, Charles & Jess from Folsom Ocean Views had just had their catamaran worked on in Harbour Towne on this dock and we missed them by just a few weeks.

As we were waiting for our Uber, I was excited to see this Intrepid 47 that had just arrived. You can do some serious fishing on this beauty!

Bahia Mar Marina in Fort Lauderdale

Since this is Fort Lauderdale, there has to be a huge public marina we can walk around. Right? Well, taking Bobby’s advice, Scott and I headed to Bahia Mar Marina. This marina is home to the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show held every October. The Uber driver dropped us off at the hotel and we decided to first grab a drink and a snack at Bo’s Beach Bar.

From Bo’s, we walked back towards the Double Tree hotel, hoping to find some boats we could check out. Looking at where we walked, we managed to miss the brokerage docks. However, we did get to see some mega yachts, up close!

Even the Restaurants are Boat Themed

That evening, we walked across the street and grabbed dinner at the Boatyard. We had tried making reservations online, but they were full. Luckily, we walked right on in!

The food was fantastic! This is a definite stop if you are in Fort Lauderdale.

Touring a 1980 Hatteras 53 in Fort Lauderdale

The following morning we met with a local broker (she is also the owner of Luxury Yachts Int’l), to tour a 1980 Hatteras 53 liveaboard. The oldest yacht we have toured (for purchase) would be a 1995, so we were curious to see this particular boat. It was located on a canal and was a current liveaboard. She stated that the owners of the dock were willing to negotiate another liveaboard contract if we were interested in making an offer.

This yacht has a beautiful profile, one that will never go out of style. As we boarded, she had warned us that it was not tidy and man, she was not kidding! As a clean freak AND a marketer in the marine business, I had a hard time looking past the mess. Then Scott reminded me that is all cosmetic and to look at the architecture of the boat.

The Interior

The salon offered the comforts of home and the covered aft deck offered plenty of entertaining space. From the salon, we headed down to see the galley and staterooms. The galley was a bit tight and I was shocked to find a dishwasher under the stovetop!

The front V berth offered bunk bends and is currently being used for storage and as a work shop. It had a large hanging locker too.

Walking down the hall, you’ll find engine access on both sides, allowing you to easily work on them. This yacht is equipped with twin Detroit diesel 871-TI engines and each engine has 2500 hours.

Moving down the hall, you’ll find another guest stateroom with twin beds. There was also a washer and dryer located in the hallway.

The guest bath had plenty of counter space, storage and a separate shower.

This Hatteras has a nice large master aft cabin with plenty of storage, a makeup vanity and a hanging locker that is larger than some apartments!

In the galley, there was a hatch for battery and tank access.

Since we couldn’t do an official tour with proper photos (because the broker and her assistant were with us), I ended up not going up to the fly bridge. However, Scott did a full tour in the YouTube episode, so be sure to watch the complete tour below.

Overall, this was a great layout and could be an awesome project boat. However, we live in Seattle – not Florida, so this was not an option for us today. We certainly appreciated Linda for taking time to meet with us and let us tour the boat. It was an interesting three days in Fort Lauderdale and surely not to be our last. We had planned on attending the Tampa Boat Show in September, but due to the fact that the virus is now rampant again in Florida, we’ve decided to cancel and figure out a different adventure – so stay tuned.

As always, thank you for following our journey! Please be sure to subscribe to our blog and vlog to stay updated on our search. In the meantime, we’ll continue to bring you adventures on the water. Check out our social pages @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

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Tour a 1994 Bayliner 4587 Aft Cabin M/Y

Bayliner 4587

Scott and I are always on the hunt for our liveaboard boat and we were able to tour a 1994 Bayliner 4587 Aft Cabin moored at Shilshole last month. I was very curious to see how similar it would be to our 4087 Aft Cabin. The owner is a single mom and the ad was on Craigslist. As a result we didn’t do an “official” Boating Journey tour on camera, as she was with us the entire time.

Right away, I had a small panic attack, wondering how I was going to get onto the boat. To board it, I used the blue steps on the dock, but I’m really short. The distance from the top step to the side deck of the boat was pretty far, so I was worried I couldn’t make the stretch (but I managed to). Luckily, there is also access from the stern swim step like our 4087 and that’s how I disembarked!

The Cockpit

Scott and I both loved the cockpit and the entertainment space. This Bayliner 4587 has a built in bar and plenty of seating / room to entertain quite a few people.

Just like our 4087, you walk up a few steps from the cockpit to the fly bridge. There was plenty of seating and lots of storage under each of the seats. The Eisenglass and canvas was in great shape too.

The helm of the Bayliner 4587, had all original instruments with a few added electronics.

The owner actually lived on the boat for a few years. She was a sailor, but was looking for a liveaboard boat. At the time she bought it, she was also able to sublet a liveaboard spot at Shilshole. Those are since long gone. Unfortunately, because she single handedly operated the boat, she didn’t take it out much for cruising. Equipped with twin Hino 250hp engines, they only had a few hours added to them from the time she purchased it.

We seriously considered putting an offer on the boat, but without a guarantee that we can find a slip for it, we didn’t move forward. Scott and I didn’t feel like investing $2000 in a sea trial and mechanical inspection with that risk existing.

Bayliner 4587 Salon & Galley

As with our other Bayliner, you step down a few steps from the cockpit, into the salon. The salon was nicely decorated and everything was in great condition. The couch was big enough to allow for sleeping and the coffee table was a large storage unit.

This Bayliner 4587 also has the interior helm station, though Scott and I have never used ours in the past.

The galley had good space to move around in and plenty of storage! Just like our 4087 (are you getting the idea they are very much the same?) it had a Princess stovetop and the same fridge.

It also had a trash compactor and a HUGE microwave!

The settee was across from the galley and you could easily seat five people (two on each side and one at the end). The settee also turns into another bed.

The 4587 Living Space

Heading forward, you will find one day head on your port side and the guest suite in the V-berth. There was good storage under the bed, including good size lockers for your clothes. The day head is a wet head, meaning there is not a separate shower.

The aft cabin had a walk around bed (a must!) and so much storage. I don’t think we have that much storage at home with our dresser drawers!

The master head has lots of storage and it also has a nice walk in shower.

Overall Impression of the Bayliner 4587

Scott and I are so glad we finally toured this motor yacht! It was a great lay out and it checked all of our lists. We simply did not (and still do not) have a solid place to moor it, which is too risky of an investment right now. The owner did mention she would offer a sublet through her for regular moorage, but that’s not our objective. We don’t want to pay rent, plus a boat and moorage.

In the meantime, we’ll keep looking and doing our tours. Perhaps we tour a boat we’ve never considered and fall in love. We’re still pretty hooked on the Navigator Sundance 51. Next week, we’ll take you on a unique trip to Fort Lauderdale, FL! Stay tuned.

As always, thanks for following our journey! Please be sure to subscribe to our blog and YouTube channel (watch the video below). Follow us on social media @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney. Cheers, Scott and Ally

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Classic Yacht Show 2021 at Bell Harbor Marina

classic yacht

Last month Scott and I attended the Classic Yacht Show at Bell Harbor Marina. There were about twenty yachts on display, which was hosted by the Classic Yacht Association. This association was organized in 1969 to promote and encourage the preservation of fine old power driven crafts. At the end of your tour, they asked us to vote for our favorite classic yacht. Let’s see who we select.

Yes, that is a Bayliner 4588 on display – guess you could say it’s a classic yacht! (not really). I think they simply were visiting the show. By the way, next week we tour a Bayliner 4588, so be sure to tune in. This was my second in-person show for the year and Scott’s first. While it was small, it was great to be out. The show did request that you sign in for contact tracing due to covid.

Touring the Classic Yachts

We weren’t sure what to expect as we started walking down the docks. Turns out some boats were not open for tours, but we still got to view them from the dock.

As we came upon classic yacht MY Comrade, the owner welcomed us aboard. Once we saw his golden retriever, we couldn’t resist!

This classic yacht has a really cool story. Turns out, he and his wife were NOT boaters. She had spent time on boats as a kid, but they have never owned a boat before. This classic yacht was originally custom built in 1930 by Franck & McCrary on Seattle’s Lake Union. The owner, HW Davis was actually the great grandfather of the current owner’s wife. Her mother was a pack rat and had tons of photos of the boat and she knew who the third owners were. She called them up and asked if they wanted the photos and they told her they were thinking about selling it. Immediately, she called her daughter and said “You have to buy this yacht” and so they did!

Many of these yachts were built around the 1940’s and it was awesome to see how they were designed on the interior. To think that they are all wooden and still look so great, is amazing!

Classic and Timeless

Chris Craft has done a fabulous job recently, of bringing back a retro look of their brand new boats. There’s something about a Chris Craft that is simply classy and timeless.

Everything on this classic yacht was wooden, including the kayaks and dinghy up on top!

MY Dearleap 1929

Next on the tour, was MY Deerleap, a gorgeous 1929 85′ yacht built by Hoffar-Beeching. The current owners have had it for quite a long time (33 years) and they live on the Olympic Peninsula. They did try it out as a charter for one year, but it was too much work. Now they simply cruise and enjoy it themselves with friends and family.

They have done a fantastic job replicating how it originally looked in the 1930’s.

The galley was very large with plenty of room to prep.

They did have the lower level blocked off, but you will see on our next tour, what it possibly looks like.

Classic Yacht MY Linmar

After walking around the show, our last stop was MY Linmar. This 78′ yacht was built in 1932 by New York Yacht, Launch & Engine Co. in New York. The current owners recently purchased this boat after an extensive remodel due to an electrical fire. The work they have done on this yacht to bring it back to life is remarkable.

We were able to go down below and check out the guest staterooms. The current owners rent the yacht out as an air b & b – click here for rental info.

The dining room was one area that was spared from the fire.

When they did the restoration, they purposely left a bit of the char on the wall as a remembrance of the fire. Ironically, they store the fire extinguisher right next to it.

If you want more information on all of the classic yachts we saw, be sure to visit their website at https://classicyacht.org/search/node. Who did we vote for? Watch our video to find out – link at the bottom.

As always, thank you for following our journey. Please subscribe to our blog and vlog to stay updated as we search for our liveaboard. You can also follow us on social @BoatingJourney and #BoatingJourney. Next week, we’ll take you on a tour of a Bayliner 4587! See you next time!

Cheers, Scott and Ally

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Tour a 2004 Meridian Pilothouse Motoryacht

Meridian 490

Finally after a few years touring boats, Scott and I toured our first 490 Meridian Pilothouse. I had been told it was in pristine condition and I was still surprised how great it looked. I only took a few photos for this week’s blog, so be sure to check out our YouTube episode (link at the bottom of this blog) for an up close tour.

This is a consignment listing at Union Marine and though it is out of our budget, we still wanted to check it out. Remember, that the larger Bayliner yachts actually became Meridian. In fact, our 2002 Bayliner 4087 was the last year that model was a Bayliner. In 2003 it became the Meridian 411. Same happened with the Bayliner 4788, which became the Meridian 490. With that said, it was remarkable how similar the two yachts are. Check out our 4788 tour from a few months ago.

This yacht has plenty of space at the stern to hang out or go fishing. It also had lots of extra storage and two large lazarettes.

Meticulous Care

It is obvious when you walk into the salon how well maintained the boat has been kept. Not only did it look fantastic, but it smelled great too! That’s not normal for a 17 year old boat!

The galley was nice and spacious with plenty of counter space and storage. Not only did it come with a HUGE microwave, but it also came with a trash compactor! It has the same Princess stovetop/oven and fridge we had on the 4087.

Ready for Entertaining

This yacht is ready to cruise and entertain guests. The owners have decorated it beautifully and the salon has plenty of entertainment space.

Heading up to the inside helm station, there’s more space to invite your guests to enjoy the cruise. The captain’s chair looks brand new and VERY expensive! We loved how easily you can see everything from the dash to the bow with plenty of visibility.

Meridian 490 Outdoor Space

There are two pilothouse doors in the helm station that lead out to a large walk around. The railings are high and very sturdy; allowing for paddle board storage.

Up on the fly bridge, they had canvas covers for all of the seats, dinghy and grill. The canvas on this Meridian 490 looks brand new too. Our only caveat for any boat we buy, is we do want a full enclosure for the fly bridge. You could easily add Eisenglass to this canvas though.

Could We Live in the Staterooms?

As I mentioned earlier, the Meridian 490 is basically the Bayliner 4788 and this model comes with an island berth in the forward cabin. With me only being 5’3″, it’s difficult for me (and my bad back!) to climb into this bed on a daily basis.

However, the master stateroom came with an enormous amount of storage! You could easily store all of your clothes and then some on this yacht. This yacht also has the bath tub in the master head, which I would never use. In fact, I worry that I would kill myself climbing in and out of the shower! LOL

This Meridian 490 does have two other staterooms, including bunks and a double size bed.

Plus it comes with a washer and dryer, which is located in the hall way. That’s a great feature, compared to some that have them tucked away in the corner of the master stateroom and a must for any liveaboard for us.

This Meridian 490 is equipped with two 330hp Cummins diesel engines with only 650 hours! Wow! The engine room was spotless and the cleanest engine room we have ever seen.

Be sure to watch the full tour below on our YouTube channel. This boat is ready for cruising and fantastic for the Pacific Northwest. We’re glad we toured it, but we’re still holding out for an aft cabin. As always, thank you for following our journey! Follow us on social on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok @BoatingJourney.

Next week we head to the Classic Yacht Show, so come along. Cheers, Scott and Ally

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1909 MV Lotus Edwardian Cruising Houseboat

MV Lotus

Last month, Scott and I had the pleasure of touring a 1909 Edwardian Cruising Houseboat on Lake Union, the MV Lotus thanks to our tour guide and volunteer Scott. This vessel was originally built by Mosquito Fleet builder (see our blog about the Mosquito fleet here). At 92′ long, MV Lotus was commissioned by wealthy Seattle lawyer Maurice McMicken in 1909. She remained in the McMicken family until shortly after World War II.

During the period leading up to the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle, she was used as a floating lodge on Lake Union for visitors. Subsequently, she was again operated as a private yacht by the Gruye family, cruising back and forth to Alaska. She now belongs to a non-profit foundation dedicated to maintaining and sharing her history, and is once again operating as a floating lodge in Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. (per MV Lotus organization).

It was the largest private yacht on the West Coast when she was built, and was constructed with all the latest amenities of the time: electric lighting, a state-of-the-art intercom system, and a gas distillate engine. Currently the boat is maintained by the MV Lotus Foundation and is available for overnight stays. It does not currently leave the dock, but it has in recent years.

The Tour Begins

Upon entering the vessel, you are taken back in time and into a lavish salon. The custom fireplace still works and the furnishings are almost all original or similar to the original. The original china for MV Lotus is still kept in the china cabinet, along with many old photographs and books.

The fixtures are all custom made and many are from Tiffany’s.

Maurice McMicken was not only an avid hunter, but he was a bit eccentric when it came to obtaining things he wanted. For example, he had a beautiful custom desk built, featuring a beaver on the lid. This piece of wood, actually came from the HBC Str Beaver 1836 after it wrecked. The Beaver was a steamship originally owned and operated by the Hudson’s Bay Company and served the remote parts of the West Coast and Canada. McMicken also had a painting of the steamship in the salon.

Sleeping quarters

There are three sleeping quarters, including the master stateroom. Each room has a sink that hot water can be poured into. When not in use, it’s tethered to the wall in some rooms.

The guest rooms, have a shared bathroom that has been updated with a shower.

Moving down the hall, you will find the master stateroom. Even for 1909, this room was very large and lavish. Notice the claw foot tub – on a boat!! Can you imagine filling that with hot water?

The MV Lotus was outfitted with an intercom system throughout the vessel. This was very high tech back in 1909.

Upstairs to the bridge and entertainment deck

From the master stateroom, you head upstairs and enter the bridge. Keep in mind, this boat traveled regularly up to Alaska and then through the San Juan Islands and around Puget Sound. Imagine having no electronics or GPS? All they had were paper charts, a compass and wheel.

Outside of the wheelhouse, you can see the original “brand” in the doorway threshold.

Remodeling the Upper Deck

Currently, the MV Lotus is under construction as they make repairs and minor changes to the upper deck. Normally, this is the place to hang out, enjoy the vistas and a cocktail or two.

Notice in the photo below, where the yellow arrow is pointing. This “base” is actually the soffit down the salon, allowing light in. Now that’s pretty creative!

When the MV Lotus is rented, the upper deck is used for dining and outdoor parties.

Check out the Galley

The volunteers on the boat, do provide some food and beverage service to customers. Typically a small breakfast, coffee and tea are provided to overnight guests. The galley still has the original stovetop plus they have added a newer model. Notice all of the cups are pointed in the same direction inward hanging from the ceiling. We were told that this keeps all of the good luck inside the boat and prevents anything from going overboard.

Best view on the lake

While the MV Lotus no longer cruises, it still offers the best view on Lake Union. As a venue or a weekend getaway, this is the perfect destination. Be sure to check out their website and come down and take a tour. The tours are free, however, the boat is supported by a staff of volunteers and a non-profit organization. Any donations, are surely welcomed.

As always, thank you for following our blog and YouTube channel. See the full tour in the YouTube link below. Be sure to follow us on social @BoatingJourney and use the hashtag #boatingjourney.

Cheers, Scott and Ally