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Forget to put Greg Harmon's number: 949-444-4812

The guy you need to talk to is Greg Harmon at Harmon Marine in Anacortes. He is my favorite boat tech anywhere, and I've tried a few (meaning I've tried a lot). He can do or manage everything you describe, and it will be expertly done and fairly priced. He works with the yard in Anacortes when...

My advice is don't get a boat that size without thrusters. If you find the perfect boat but it has a single main and no thrusters, budget in the cost of adding at least a bow thruster. With the boat set up right and some training and practice, you can put the big boat right up against the dock...

Hippo, sounds like you are leaning towards the valise raft, but consider that a mounted canister has some benefits, including that weight limitations are much less important. You also don’t have to remember which cabinet its in and if stuff got stored on top of it. Our canister is built into...

I completely agree with your conclusion that ocean crossing in a recreational boat is not to be undertaken lightly. You should be fully prepared to operate and repair all systems on the boat. If you aren’t completely confident in your equipment, preparation, and abilities, don’t do it. You are...

Good call on the flybridge. That is a must-have in the Bahamas or Caribe, IMO. So much easier to see down into the water. Its a bonus for docking, also, but makes a world of difference when there are coral heads to dodge.

That is very interesting. Canada requires a PCR test so it wouldn’t work in that direction, but it seems like it would satisfy the requirement for reentry to the US. That could considerably ease the inconvenience of testing in one direction of the trip, which would be great. Thanks for the tip.

My goal is to be able to stay out of the water if forced to abandon ship, and to be rescued as quickly as possible. For a coastal boat, a “coastal” life raft very well may be enough. The likely scenario for coastal cruising in most (populated) areas is that you will only be in the raft for a...

CDC requirement, enforced by the airlines. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/covid-19-information1.html Yes, we are US citizens.

You may miss the long open-water passages, but I think you will find coastal cruising is a wonderful world of its own. You can get almost anywhere by hopping along the coast and there can be some great discoveries along the way.

Congrats, Hippo. Sounds like a great boat and will give you lots of terrific cruising options.

Lots of good comments here. Keep in mind that the right answer for sailing is different from the right answer for power boating or for working in the rain. As mentioned, breathable fabric is good if you are working hard and arent getting dirty, but isn’t waterproof to the extent pvc is. I just...

As a direct answer to your question, I would delay the first one and do both at the same time for all the good reasons already mentioned. If you are at all inclined to do some of your own work, look up the specific recommendations for the 1000hr service. Many or most items you can probably do...

Ha Ha, opinions vary, but some would say that is true.

Just for the record, there is no vax needed to fly into the US, just the negative covid test within 72 hrs of your flight. Rules for entry by water or road are different.

You need a negative covid test to fly into the US. We returned on our boat from Alaska earlier this month and checked into Canada with vax proof and negative covid test required. We worked our way south to Campbell River, then flew home from there. Had to get a covid test in Vancouver airport...

Not a stupid question at all. There are a few ways to keep them alive with varying levels of success, but none are perfect. We clean them and cook within an hour of bringing them back to the boat. If that’s early in the day, we refrigerate after cooking and reheat before eating or eat them cold...

The regulations now say that it is required: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/regulations/fishregulations/PDFs/southeast/2021se_sfregs_general_saltwater.pdf The link referenced earlier, although linked to multiple times on the ADF&G website, is from 2011. They certainly could make it more...

Satellite data is clunky and very expensive. You can do well with cell service as long as you know you won’t always be connected. You won’t be off grid for long at a time if you keep moving.

It usually takes people longer to make that conversion, so congrats on a fast assessment. And welcome to the 21st century.

Find a neighboring boat with a dinghy crane/davit of the right capacity (most bigger boats). They might have to lift it onto their own boat from the dock, then reposition the boat and lift into your cockpit. Lots of options.

I totally agree. There are too many of these “hearsay” statements that get repeated incessantly online because someone saw them online before. It wasn’t true then and it isn’t true now. We all need to take some responsibility to either only repeat what we know to be true, or just stay quiet on...

Maybe this is too obvious to bother suggesting, but you could move or modify the ladder and then tuck the dinghy mounts tight to the transom.

Is it worth it from what standpoint? What are your motivations for considering a 6-pack license? And welcome to TF.

The beauty of a discussion forum is that you don’t have to ask. Post something and you may get comments and opinions. Welcome to the internet!