Seattle - what exactly is the 'boating season' ?

markrinker

New Member
Jul 19, 2011
325
Lake Union - Seattle, WA
Boat Info
2000 410DA
Engines
Caterpillar 3126
Heard lots of conflicting reports...up here in Minnesota its pretty clear, when the water freezes you need to be out and winterized. In the spring when it thaws, well...you can put your boat back in now!!! :)


  • So what is fall/winter/early spring boating like? Are services available or do marinas close up and lock their diesel pumps, too?
  • We plan to haul our boat October 15th and ship it to Seattle before weather gets bad through MT mountain passes. Should we go directly into the water, or should we pay for storage somewhere and launch in the spring?


Our 410 has a very sturdy custom enclosure that will tolerate any weather. We do not have cockpit heat, but that could be remedied in short order. We are excited about cruising, but looking for input as to the reality of November - April boating in the Pacific Northwest!!!
 
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We go to Washington in September and early October it is normally warm and little rain. We went in November from Bremerton to Nanaimo and it was cold, windy and wet. You need heat in all areas of your boat or you will be cold and damp. We have heat on the upper helm and it is a nice thing in the rain and the blower keeps the windows clear. Winds can be strong. We have stayed a couple of days in some marinas to avoid big waves. You will also run into fog. Best part of that time of year is few boats out.
 
I have a buddy at Salmon Bay Marina and he has his boat in the water from around May 1st - End of September.
 
Boating is all year round in Washington state, for many people they prefer the winter months as they do not need to plan for reservations at marina's - dock space is usually available at the state parks etc. Of course it is a much more solitude experience. Usually we see clubs or groups travel together at this time of year. The weather as mentioned above can be challenging or just completely beautiful it is crap shoot with following the forecast.
 
Heard lots of conflicting reports...up here in Minnesota its pretty clear, when the water freezes you need to be out and winterized. In the spring when it thaws, well...you can put your boat back in now!!! :)


  • So what is fall/winter/early spring boating like? Are services available or do marinas close up and lock their diesel pumps, too?
  • We plan to haul our boat October 15th and ship it to Seattle before weather gets bad through MT mountain passes. Should we go directly into the water, or should we pay for storage somewhere and launch in the spring?


Our 410 has a very sturdy custom enclosure that will tolerate any weather. We do not have cockpit heat, but that could be remedied in short order. We are excited about cruising, but looking for input as to the reality of November - April boating in the Pacific Northwest!!!

Please check out the ( www.bellevueyachtclub.com ) our club cruises year round.
 
We keep our boat in the water year round. The boating "season" is typically Memorial day to Labor day for the day cruisers. Fishing boats are out on the water year round as are the bigger boats like yours. Our yacht club has cruises every month of the year and usually the fall and winter cruises are very well attended. There are not too many weeks in the year where we can't sneak out and go to the Tides Tavern or similar place for lunch. We also like to go explore on nice days in the winter since there is so little traffic on the water.

One thing we have noticed is misty or "drizzley" days are usually the best since there is usually no wind and flat water. If you have good canvas its no big deal. Here is a photo taken in January to give you an idea:
207958_1907004365855_1564185740_31981976_8239010_n.jpg

As I remember it was about 45 degrees that day. A bit chilly outside but warm in the canvas.

This was in March of this year: http://clubsearay.com/showthread.php/49782-Got-out-today-sunny-and-BEAUTIFUL!?p=559265#post559265
 
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Our boat is in the water year around at Elliott Bay Marina in downtown Seattle. We don't winterize the boat, but leave the central heat set at 55 degrees to keep things from freezing inside. Truth is we don't go out much between November and March, but spend weekends on the boat just hanging out. I run the engines (including generator) for 5 or 10 minutes every weekend in the winter. The biggest problem for us isn't the weather, it's the light. It gets dark around 4:30 in the evening in the winter so we don't have much incentive to go out during the week, then there always seems to be something going on during the weekend too (Seahawks!)
 
Heard lots of conflicting reports...up here in Minnesota its pretty clear, when the water freezes you need to be out and winterized. In the spring when it thaws, well...you can put your boat back in now!!! :)


  • So what is fall/winter/early spring boating like? Are services available or do marinas close up and lock their diesel pumps, too?
  • We plan to haul our boat October 15th and ship it to Seattle before weather gets bad through MT mountain passes. Should we go directly into the water, or should we pay for storage somewhere and launch in the spring?


Our 410 has a very sturdy custom enclosure that will tolerate any weather. We do not have cockpit heat, but that could be remedied in short order. We are excited about cruising, but looking for input as to the reality of November - April boating in the Pacific Northwest!!!

You should look into a diesel heater. They are very efficient and silent.
 
We boat year around but in the winter not near as much... We are ski instructors on the weekends so it limits our boating time for 3 months.
 
Please check out the ( www.bellevueyachtclub.com ) our club cruises year round.

Am I reading their site correctly? Checked it out because we used to live near there. Is it really only $105 to join? If so, must be the cheapest thing in Bellevue:) It costs thousands to join a yacht club in FL!
 
The yacht club we belong to has yearly dues of $45. We don't have a club house or docks but we get the same treatment as anyone else when we go places and we are members of the Columbia River Yachting Association
 

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