Boat Lust at the Seattle Boat Show - 2024
Recently we attended the Seattle Boat Show. It is one of the largest on the west coast of North America. The indoor portion of the
event was held at Lumen Field, the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the
National Football League, the Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer, and
OL Reign of the National Women's Soccer League. The in the water portion of the show was on
the Seattle waterfront at Bell Harbor Marina.
We were in town visiting kids and grandkids and decided to
take a couple of days to visit the boat show to see what was new. While the grandkids were in school, we took
Seattle’s Light Rail from my daughter’s house to Lumen Field. It was a short walk from the station to the venue. We purchased a multi-day pass for $40 each. This gave us access to both the indoor and in
the water venues as well as a bowl of Ivar’s delicious clam chowder for
lunch.
As soon as we entered Lumen field is was clear that the boat show was a major event for Pacific Northwest (PNW) boaters. This area is a Mecca for folks who love the water. The two big draws are harvesting the bounty of the sea and recreational boating and cruising. The variety of solutions offered for fishing, crabbing, sailing, cruising, and enjoying time on the water was overwhelming. I felt like a kid in a candy store. It was possible to have your every boating fantasy fulfilled via the offered goods and services.
On board a 37 ' Backcove
We spent the first entire first day at Lumen Field systematically
visiting as many booths as possible. We also
attended a couple of onsite seminars on boating topics. Education was a big component of the
show. Nigel Caulder, author of several boat maintenance books, offered two all day
classes on diesel engines and marine electrical systems. A full agenda of half day and 90-minute
classes were also available.
The second day we started by visiting the “in the water”
boats at Bell Harbor Marina. All slips
were occupied by brokerage boats. They
were both power and sail and ranged in size from ~ 35’ up to 60’. Clearly there was something nautical for
every budget.
Boat lust started to sprout the first day. Midway through the second day it was in full
bloom. Suddenly our trusty classic
Ranger Tug R27 was looking older and less adequate next to the bevy of
beautiful boats we were encountering.
Yes, our hearts were going pitter-patter at the sight of berthing for 6 people,
pull out drawers instead of cabinets, real mattresses on beds which could be
accessed from three sides with storage underneath, engine compartments which
were large enough I wouldn’t have to contort myself in impossible boat yoga
positions to service the mechanicals. The allure and perceived
promises of a shiny new boat were starting to intoxicate.
Those feelings reached a crescendo when we visited the
Ranger Tug and Cutwater boats booth.
Here we found the Cutwater C30 Sedan.
It embodied all that we desired within its svelte styling, and it was
capable of 30 knots! Be still my
restless heart!
In a moment of lust induced irrationality, we put a deposit on a diesel
Cutwater C30S. It’s additional 3 feet of
length, 1.5 feet of beam, room to sleep 4 additional people, pull out drawers,
extra storage, extra 200 horsepower, and promise of being able to carry us to
Alaska with speed and style was too hard to resist. We rented a car to travel to Bellingham the
next day to see one in the water and inspect it in a more intimate and
leisurely manner. This visit only served
to reinforce the need for a new boat.
Then we travelled home and had time to sit down, let the boat hormones cool, and determine if the boat lust passed the test of the next couple of days. In the light of day, the C30 was not going to be as portable as our Classic R27, it would guzzle diesel rather than sip, slip fees are more expensive, there is a shortage of slips in the PNW, plus it would be expensive to purchase. The lust started to taper, and rationality won out. We decided our trusty R27 was really the boat for us. It may not check all our boxes, but it checked the ones that were most important. We have boated over 10,000 miles together and that familiarity led to a comfortability that could not be denied. With a clear mind, we called the broker and backed out of the purchase. Our deposit was returned and when we next visited Amy Marie, our beloved diesel Ranger Tug, we renewed our efforts to prepare her for the upcoming Pacific Northwest cruising season.
Alaska sounds like great cruise! The Cutwater would have been nice, but I think you made the right choice in sticking with your Ranger that has done so well for you. Looking forward to reading about Alaska!
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