A Boat Owner’s Insights – Swiftships 103 Dinner / Cruise

Imagine a day of whale watching followed by a gourmet dinner cruise. Or, a ferry taking passengers in style, complete with fine food and drink. Perhaps even a spacious liveaboard with an enviable upper deck, in a prime location for summertime entertaining and wintertime storm watching.

These, and so many more, are possibilities for this converted offshore supply boat.

With numerous recent upgrades, all with incredible attention to detail, this boat is prime opportunity for a new business venture or personal entertainment use. Truly, this is a valuable chance not to be missed!

From Offshore Supply Service, to Whale Watching, to Dinner Cruise Dreams

When the current owners found this boat, they knew it was the right fit to make their dream business of gourmet dinner cruises a reality. With a large top deck, and spacious main cabin, this boat had the structure they needed to make possible the dinner cruise atmosphere they envisioned.

The boat was originally built in 1974 by Swiftships to serve as a supply boat for the Gulf of Mexico offshore oil industry. Later the back deck was enclosed, thereby creating the now large main cabin and upper deck. Eventually the boat was moved from Boston to Washington, making the entire journey down the Atlantic Coast, through the Panama Canal and up the West Coast with ease.

The vessel was then used for northwest whale watching up until 2016, when the previous owner passed away. When the boat went up for sale along came the current owners, who recognized the vessel for the gem it is.

A Culinary and Commercial Fisherman Mindset

Stepping aboard this boat these days there is no doubt that every attention to detail was given in the transformation from a whale watching boat to a premier dinner cruise boat. From brand-new mahogany interior to totally new, enlarged windows, there’s no mistaking that all the work on this boat has been of the highest, top-notch quality.

Knowing the owners, this attention to design and construction doesn’t come as a surprise. The current owners brought with them years of experience in restaurant management and commercial fishing in Alaska – the right mix of customer interaction and seamanship to make this sort of vessel conversion a success.

Let Interrupted Plans Be Your Opportunity to Mold this Boat’s Future

World events and life, however, interrupted the owners plans to complete the dinner cruise project. The pandemic brought unforeseen delays to their planned opening date. Beyond that one of the owners became a new parent, and another is looking to spend more time back in Alaska. While this boat is full of their hopes and hard work, the time is right for them to let go of the project and move on. With that, let their extensive efforts become your opportunity.

Though work and upgrades on the vessel are substantial, the boat, in many ways, is still a blank canvas for the next owner. The current owners put in the hard work of getting the boat into excellent shape, but key design decisions that would depend on the boat’s final purpose are yet to be made – from the flooring in the main deck cabin, to seating arrangements for guests or passengers.

Accomplishing all the upgrades often entailed 16-hour workdays for the current owners. Though it was hard work, they learned a lot, made good memories, and still found time to enjoy the vessel. Happy hours were often enjoyed on the top deck following workdays (it is reported that one of the owners knows how to make the perfect Manhattan), where they would take in the water views and discuss plans.

Then there was the glorious cruise they took in 2020, moving the boat back from Port Townsend to Bellingham. Along with having a lot of fun, during this trip the vessel certainly proved its seaworthiness and capability.

Gourmet Cooking on the Hook at Sucia Island

In 2019 the boat was hauled out in Port Townsend. As the owners note, the boat can be lifted with just a 100-ton travel lift, which makes finding a yard to do a haul out easy. It was then that the hull was sand blasted down to bare metal to prep for a brand-new paint job, and then that it received its most current USCG inspection. Other work like having the fuel tanks polished, freshwater tanks cleaned, and seacocks serviced were also accomplished. A comprehensive list of most current work can be found in the listing.

In taking the boat back to Bellingham the owners and crew didn’t waste the opportunity to enjoy their hard work and spent some time in the San Juan Islands. First, they stopped at Friday Harbor, then they spent a few days at anchor at Sucia Island. With 4 staterooms having 2 berths each, and 1 large captain’s stateroom, each crew member enjoyed their own bunk, and the trip was a memorable success.

While at anchor they cooked fabulous meals in the spacious galley, all the while enjoying the peace and tranquility a place like Sucia Island brings. Truly, what they had imagined – creating amazing culinary experiences while on the water – had come true.

Though the vessel has a planing hull the owners noted that it rode extremely well the whole way back, even through 30 knot winds crossing the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Afterall, the boat was originally built for offshore work. This vessel, “…handles rough weather just fine,” one of the owners says, “takes it like a champ.”

In talking about this trip, the owners point out some of the things they most enjoy about the vessel, including:

• The swim step, “…it’s really handy for getting passengers on and off, skiffing people to shore.”

• The large windows, “…the panoramic view make you feel like your outside when you’re not.”

• Maneuverability, “…with three screws, it’s very maneuverable”

• Fuel efficiency for a vessel of its size

• Newly painted, spectacular blue aluminum hull, “You’ve got to take care of aluminum,” says one of the owners, “but it’s fairly durable.”