We found a boat!

In looking at the move from sail to power, we knew that we had steep learning curve ahead of us.  We did have some strong ideas however as to the type of boat that we looking for, informed by our experience sailing the in the PNW.  We wanted a "trawler".  While boat owners love to argue over semantics, consider it simply a roomy vessel designed to go slowly and efficiently.

I was looking for a single engine, pilot house design without a fly bridge.  I didn't want to maintain a second engine or a second helm station.  I didn't want exposed wood on the exterior as I want to spend what little free time I have enjoying being out on the boat and not sanding.  We wanted good, secure side decks, a covered aft cockpit, and good visibility from the both the pilot house and saloon.  A bow thruster was a must and a stern thruster would be a plus.  Karen wanted two heads, two staterooms, and the boat needed to have a certain "cute" factor.  We wanted the saloon to be roomy and comfortable for family groups.

Very quickly we found that the Nordic Tug or American Tug designs checked off all the boxes.  Nicely laid out designs, attractive boats with all the features we were asking for.  The only downside, was that the American Tugs were way out of our price range, and the only Nordic Tugs within our range were much older than I wanted to go.  We were discouraged.

Eventually, I was pointed to the North Pacific 43.  Here was a single engine, pilot house design that was roomy and efficient.  North Pacific 43s are well equipped, have very nice interior layouts and a great covered cockpit.  The downside, is that they don't have side decks and have a fly bridge.  A fly bridge is seen by many as a "must have" but for me it was a negative.  Finally, it simply wasn't as "cute" as some of the other boats.

The more we researched, we came to the conclusion that needing side decks was a sailors way of thinking and I needed to get past that.  We started to view the fly bridge as a bonus feature that could be used if desired.  The fly bridge also has nice seating which our adult kids liked as they wanted good outdoor space, like the cockpit of a sailboat.  Finally, the North Pacific 43 is very well priced.

We started looking for a NP42/43 in the PNW and found a few.  We were fortunate to be able to negotiate a pice on a NP 43 in Port Ludlow.  After getting a survey and going through all the financial machinations necessary, we now own a 2010 North Pacific 43!  Tomorrow, we should be able to drive to Port Ludlow and then bring her back to her new home in Gig Harbor.  The trip should take about 8 hours depending on conditions and if we stop for fuel or not.  We are incredibly excited.

There is still a lot to do.  There is a bit of deferred maintenance that needs to be taken care of and a lot learning about the boat.  We have to take off the old name and give her the new one.

I have to mention how much help North Pacific Yachts has been in this process.  As I corresponded with North Pacific Yacht owners they were uniformly happy with their boats, and also extremely happy with Trevor Brice from North Pacific Yachts.  Trevor has been informative, patient, and helpful throughout the process.  He has worked hard to make the experience as smooth as possible and to ensure that we will be as happy with this boat as her original owners were.

I can't wait until tomorrow....