News from the US Pacific Northwest – Boatshed Seattle

Stressless in Seattle?

Well, that’s not completely accurate. The many details that make a boat sale successful and happy for its buyer and its seller require attentive care, experience and occasional anxious effort. But there’s no doubt that brokering is a dream job. See page one in any book about following your passion!

My wife Lisa and I own Waterline Boats in Seattle. We sell new and used yachts and have operated our strong and growing brokerage business (Boatshed Seattle, and Boatshed Tacoma) as part of the UK-based Boatshed network since 2008. Boatshed has given us unique marketing capabilities and an international presence that has helped us translate our passion into production and profits.

Sunless in Seattle?

Not completely accurate either. Despite its reputation for rain and its location in the US Pacific Northwest, Seattle has temperatures and annual rainfall similar to the south of England. Seattle is the largest city on the Salish Sea, along with Tacoma and Bellingham in Washington State, and Vancouver and Victoria in British Columbia. The Salish Sea is a marine marvel – a collection of straits, sounds and inlets encompassing Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Georgia Strait. It may offer the best opportunities for year-round coastal cruising in the world. Much of it remains in an extremely natural state and is stunningly beautiful. We’re lucky to be located at the epicenter of the region’s vibrant boating culture.

Sleepless in Seattle?

Our offices and docks are located on Lake Union in the heart of Seattle. Seaplanes, floating homes, commercial fishing boats, yachts and megayachts, research vessels, kayaks and paddleboards all share this urban freshwater gem, which is connected to Puget Sound saltwater by the Ballard Locks. Not content to restrict boats to our daytime jobs, Lisa and I recently made the move to live aboard a boat on Lake Union where we are entertained day and night by the diversity of maritime activity. We’re located only a short distance from the floating home made famous by the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie “Sleepless in Seattle” and are happy to be part of the local fauna pointed at by tour boat guides.

Shameless in Seattle?

Might as well say it…we have more to offer as a full service brokerage and there’s no good reason to market a boat with anyone else! Our Boatshed marketing and customer management tools give us an advantage that no other broker around the Salish Sea enjoys. Boatshed has been relentlessly innovative in the very competitive UK brokerage market, and its methods have been unique and effective for us at this distant outpost in the Boatshed empire. Using the Boatshed System and Boatshed’s Online Boat Auction, BoatBid, we've sold power boats, sailboats, motorsailers, trawlers, and all types of yachts and have a long list of testimonials to our credit. We have prime display moorage space available in Seattle at a reasonable cost (“boats that get seen get sold”), though we will happily list and sell boats wherever they lie around Puget Sound. And our offices and crew are first-rate. We’re professionals and strive for integrity and forthrightness above all. There’s no shame in trumpeting those values, which are key to a successful and happy boat sale or purchase.

Scott Helker, Business Owner - Boatshed Seattle