Part 1 of the Guide to West Coast Yacht Ownership breaks down how to find the right boat for your West Coast application and how to make it perfect.
Making the most of boat ownership on the West Coast requires more than meets the eye. More than simply the ability to operate the vessel, optimizing the experience starts with knowledge of the boat market and how it operates.
In many ways, West Coast boat ownership is defined by two competing sets of facts. The first relates to how boats are used, the second relates to where boats are made.
1. The West Coast is an incredible place to own a boat.
It boasts many proud boating and fishing traditions and world class opportunities for lifestyle and recreation. The rocky shorelines of its many islands and coves are unmistakable.
2. The West Coast is also largely removed from where most yachts and center consoles are manufactured.
In addition to the East Coast origin of new boats, a large percentage of used vessel listings are located beyond the borders of the West Coast. This gallery provides context.
-
- A custom Carolina built in NC
-
- Yellowfin center consoles come from Florida.
-
- Viking Yachts are made in New Jersey.
-
- Contenders are built in South Florida.
-
- A 42′ Mussel Ridge from Maine.
-
- Albemarle from North Carolina.
Kusler Yachts specializes in helping clients source, modify, and take delivery of the perfect boat for their West Coast applications—no matter where in the world it is listed. For more than a decade, we have bridged the gap between East Coast boat building and West Coast boat ownership.
Kusler Yachts in headquartered in San Diego’s Kona Kai Resort and Marina.
Whether you are looking for a sportfisher, center console, motor or mega yacht, the team at Kusler Yachts can help you navigate the new, used, custom and production markets. Kusler Yachts’ team of experts specializes in using their knowledge to put clients in the right boat for their situation.
What follows is Part 1 of Kusler Yachts’ Guide to West Coast Boat Ownership.
Finding The Perfect Boat
Perfection in a boat is a function of how well it fulfills the owner’s vision of what boat ownership should be. The vision of perfection is entirely subjective. It is defined by the owner and the lifestyle he or she wishes to enjoy.
For some the bridge of an 80′ Ocean Alexander is the ultimate vision of perfection. This one is available through Kusler Yachts.
The boat that is perfect for your vision is probably not the boat that is perfect for someone else. Not only is every person’s vision of perfection different, it may well change through the course of a person’s time owning boats.
For some, it is the center console’s ability to get on bluefin foamers that is central to the perfect boat. This Regulator 23 is available through Kusler Yachts.
Sourcing the perfect boat is an evolutionary process. It starts by understanding what you would like out of boat ownership experience and knowing which types and styles of vessel best deliver them.
Having a good understanding of what you wish to do and how you’d like to do it is a great first step in finding the perfect boat. A good brokerage team can definitely help this process along—leveraging their knowledge and experience to refine the search.
An expert broker can help you navigate the universe of yachts for sale. This guidance helps the process, the outcome and the result– getting the right boat for you at the right price.
For some, the perfect boat is one that cruises 12-knots and accommodates 10 passengers comfortably for five days. For others, the perfect vessel runs 45 knots and is outfitted with the hardware needed to catch bluefin, swordfish and striped marlin.
Variables such as accommodation, salon space, speed, range and frequency of spending the night aboard can be just as important as understanding annual maintenance budgets and how you plan to crew the vessel. By working thinking through your desires and suggesting vessel and hardware options, the process of finding your perfect boat is a collaborative effort made better by a broker’s experience.
Options that Fit Your Vision
Armed with a vision of the experience that you’d like to enjoy, a good broker will then provide a list of boat styles and models. An explanation of each model—it’s benefits and drawbacks—will help refine your search.
The Hatteras GT 70 offered by Kusler Yachts.
Knowing what is possible and how it relates to fulfilling your vision of boat ownership makes the process tangible. You can then begin to narrow down your search—no longer is it models and types of vessel, but now its individual boats.
In times past, prospective boat owners on the West Coast were largely bound to vessels located on the West Coast. That is no longer the case. One of Kusler Yachts’ primary points of difference is the ability to find a suitable boat on the East Coast and lead buyers through the process of buying, refitting and getting it to the West Coast.
Once you have sourced the right boat for your application, we can lead you through the process of making a reasonably-priced offer. We’re also experts in the closing process and can help arrange the many things (surveying, sea trials, and the like) that need to happen in order to purchase a yacht.
Now That You’ve Purchased Your Boat
Now that you sourced and purchased the right boat to fulfill your vision, it’s time to make it perfect. From the Down East style boats from Maine, to Viking in New Jersey to Hatteras and the many custom sportfish builders in North Carolina to the many sportfisher and center console builders in Florida, boat building by and large is an East Coast institution.
Unless you have purchased a newly built custom vessel that already has them, your new boat will likely need a few modifications for West Coast applications. In many cases, having the work performed on the East Coast is your best bet.
Kusler Yachts has extensive experience and an expansive network when it comes to East Coast boat yards and service providers. We can not only suggest some modifications to make your new boat perfect for you, but source the right place to do the work.
Typical West Coast modifications include:
- Bow Rails
- Additional live well capacity
- Stabilization systems
- Sonar upgrades
- Removing viewing obstructions from bridge or tower to improve ability to “glass” for fish through gyroscopic binoculars
- Bow pulpit—with toe kick—for casting to tailers.
Getting Your Boat to The West Coast
Now that you have outfitted your boat with all of the tools and West Coast Modifications, its time to get the boat from the East Coast to the West. Twenty years ago, you would have had to run the boat yourself (or hire someone to run it). These days, Kusler Yachts can lead you through the many options at your disposal.
