Are marine services needed? Looking for a change of scenery. (Seattle: mortgage, maintenance)

[2ForTheSea]

I posted in the Oregon forum a couple of weeks ago the following paragraphs. I got a lot of good feedback from the fine folks there and some suggested Washington State for what my husband and I are looking for.
Here's our story and any thoughts --good or bad--will be so appreciated:

Currently, my husband and I are a two person company in South Florida. We provide yacht maintenance services here. Everything ranging from basic washdowns and detailing to varnishing, rigging and fiberglassing to engineering/hvac/plumbing, etc and many other services. We've been based in South Florida for about 6 years and are looking to relocate.

We've lived and worked from islands in the Caribbean to Alaska and many points in between. We really loved living in Alaska, but the cost, distance and extreme weather keeps up in the lower 48. We're both originally Midwesterners. He's from the Chicago area and I'm from S.E. MO.

We've been happy in Florida, but are getting itchy feet and are looking for a change of scenery. I'm a bit of a weather geek and would love to live somewhere that has it. Where we live now it's either hot and humid or just a little less so. My husband is crazy about fishing and we both share a love for the outdoors. Also, we're getting worn out from the obscene materialism here which I realize sounds a bit hypocritical considering we work on yachts that cost more money than most people will see in a lifetime. But, that's kind of the point. We're looking to move somewhere where people enjoy their boats and need to keep them maintained and looking good, but are a little more modest and not as "into" the see and be seen scene.

We're just starting our research on where to go next and will be in Florida until at least December. We don't have kids, pets, a mortgage or debt so we're pretty free to go anywhere. I'm in love with the idea of the PNW and we plan on making a trip out whenever we can find time. Winter and spring are our busiest time here. Summer, we need to be standing by in case of hurricanes and that's true, too, into the fall. Okay, maybe we can carve out a couple of weeks in early June. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Any thoughts/ideas are much appreciated.

[Hemlock140]

Seattle area is really big on boats, and while some dealers have gone under the last 2-3 years there are still many thriving. The current boat show ending this weekend has brought out big crowds. There are many marinas, some still have waiting lists for slips. I have noticed a slight decrease the last 3-4 years in the "opening day" numbers but I would think there is at least as good an opportunity for someone in boat maintenance here as anywhere else. We also have a big celebration in the summer called Seafair. We have the most boats per capita of any city in the U.S.



SeattleBoatShow.com - Your online resource for information, boat listings, services and accessories!

Seattle Yacht Club - Opening Day

Seafair

Seattle Parks and Recreation: Boating - Motorized Boat Launches

[2ForTheSea]

Thanks Hemlock140. That's really very encouraging. I didn't even realize there was a boat show going on this weekend up there. We have ours here in Ft Lauderdale in October and it always rains, storms or hurricanes!