We are embarking on a new adventure - which will involve, at least to start, having our 40ft trawler up in the PNW while we live 8 hours away.
Anyone have experience with boat watching companies and what services they perform, costs, etc.?
How often do they check on the boat, do you augment that with remote sensing like cameras, temperature, humidity etc.??
Thanks!
I am guessing from your phrasing that the boat is not yet yours, or alternatively is yours but not yet in the PNW.
If that is the case, by far the most important piece of the puzzle is to secure a slot in a marina. Once you have that you can figure out the resources in that marina. It makes sense to try and find a marina with liveaboards and to look to that community if possible/suitable. Someone that close will be more attentive and aware than someone that is hired and 'drops in'.
We have been lucky, we had a boat neighbor watch our boat in Turkey for 5 months while we were in Italy, they were happy to do it, and all we could persuade them to accept was a really good meal at the end of it.
We watched a fellow's boat in Gibraltar for a month. He had been away for a while with family illness, knew me and knew I would be in Gib for a while.
Boat looked fine on the outside, he mailed me the key, when I went below every surface was covered in black mold. It had been left untouched for some time before I arrived in the marina. I told him frankly that I didn't even want to be inside that boat until the mold was treated, but was happy to check his shore power, and that the sole was dry (ie bilges not flooded) from the companionway.
As others have noted, you can monitor your boat's essential vital signs from afar (SOC, Bilge, Humidity etc) but you actually need a human to resolve any issues and to spot loose covers, missing or deflated fenders etc.
~A