After Wayne and I decided to start looking for a new boat to use on the chuck (salt chuck, ocean), we developed our mandatory and "nice to haves" lists. That helped us keep us focused during our search. The key item was our maximum dollar amount. This had to include any upgrades that might be required to make the boat conform to our mandatory list.
Geoff from
Lake Union Sea Ray in Bellingham was a key player in our search. He also introduced us to
Yachtworld.com where we could review boats available in the U.S. and Canada. Narrowing the search to the Pacific Northwest (including British Columbia) made the search more realistic.
If we purchased a boat in the States, as Canadian permanent residents, we would need to import it to Canada. This would be advantageous if we could find a boat that was less expensive south of the border.
Importing a boat into Canada is fairly simple if it was manufactured in a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) country. If not, it could require expensive import duties. We definitely wanted to avoid those.
From craigslist we found several boats that we went to see. One definitely made it to the top of our list. We also went to several local dealers to see boats in their lots or on their docks. As I mentioned before, this process helped us narrow our search for three Bayliner models: the 2858 command bridge and the 2859 sunbridge (both 28-footers), and the 3058 (a 30-footer). Now all we had to do was find THE boat. -- Margy
After Wayne and I decided to start looking for a new boat to use on the chuck (salt chuck, ocean), we developed our mandatory and "nice to haves" lists. That helped us keep us focused during our search. The key item was our maximum dollar amount. This had to include any upgrades that might be required to make the boat conform to our mandatory list.
If we purchased a boat in the States, as Canadian permanent residents, we would need to import it to Canada. This would be advantageous if we could find a boat that was less expensive south of the border. Importing a boat into Canada is fairly simple if it was manufactured in a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) country. If not, it could require expensive import duties. We definitely wanted to avoid those.
From craigslist we found several boats that we went to see. One definitely made it to the top of our list. We also went to several local dealers to see boats in their lots or on their docks. As I mentioned before, this process helped us narrow our search for three Bayliner models: the 2858 command bridge and the 2859 sunbridge (both 28-footers), and the 3058 (a 30-footer). Now all we had to do was find THE boat. -- Margy
Ah, flying bridges, command bridges, sun bridges... what fun!
ReplyDeleteI used to think I'd like to live on a sailboat. I also used to think I'd like to live in a caboose. I came very close once to buying a tugboat to convert to a live-aboard.
I'm past all that now. If we didn't have a big dog, I think I'd like a small condominium. LOL
— K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
Thanks so much for sharing part of your search with us. It seems like such a daunting task, yet you do appear to be enjoying the hunt. Staying within your budget is very commendable - so many wonderful temptations out there...
ReplyDeleteKay - I've always thought living aboard a boat would be exciting. Maybe that is why I enjoy the float cabin so much. I did a rough calculation and the living quarters on our new boat is about half of what we have in the cabin. But at least it has a flush toilet.
ReplyDeleteYes 2 Tramps - We are enjoying all our boating adventures on both sides of the border.
Margy