Dear John, Thank you so much for your help and support during the sale of La Sirena. You made it as painless as possible, and I always felt like you were in my corner. John (Celick) would have appreciated it too. I hope we will see each other occassionally. I wish I was younger and more mechanically minded - I would buy a boat! Take care and thank you again. Nancy
Que Vida Trish and I purchase our first 62 foot offshore from John Olson @ Offshore Yachts in 2017. After owning other boat’s, we were so impressed with the quality and craftmanship of the Offshore that we started thinking of finding a 72 foot offshore. In 2019 John found a 72ft Offshore for us and with his help he was able to sell our 62ft in record time. We would never use anyone else to purchase a boat, (maybe a 76 in our future). Without any hesitation, we highly recommend John and his team and Offshore Yachts.
I had “Sea Eagle” (58′ Offshore Pilothouse) built in 1997 with the help of Greg Sturgis. From my many years of boating experience I made a lot of changes some notable. First boat with 800 caterpillar engines. 30 inch extended boat deck for a 14 foot dinghy to fit. Sportfish type hardtop that was made in Fort Lauderdale. Full-size refrigerator with microwave over the stove. 240v electric grill recessed in the top of the portside cockpit cabinet. I requested many other changes to be done while being made in Taiwan and finished up in Fort Lauderdale.The fall of 1998 “Sea Eagle” was the only Offshore Yacht in the Annapolis Md. Boat Show.From 1999 through 2009 my wife and I spent approximately three months a year roaming around the Bahamas including going to all of the Offshore rendezvous‘ in the Bahamas and Florida keys. From 2010 to present we now cruise the Florida Keys with extended stays in Marathon Florida.“Sea Eagle” is now 22 years old and I have taken great care of her,she is religiously waxed three times a year and looks almost as good today as she did when new,inside and out. I keep everything working on board. “Sea Eagle” has been a great boat throughout our 22 years of enjoyment. Skip and Terry Trunnell “Sea Eagle”
I have owned various boats for over 60 years, including a tugboat company, Boston towing, that docks all the ships entering Boston Harbor. We also transport oil by barge along the east coast. I’ve been a licensed Tug master for 45 years. That being said you can be sure my personal boat had a long list of requirements, and my 54 Offshore pilot House has them all. I purchased the boat in October 2017 from John Rocco; it’s name was “Whole Life”(Now “American Eagle”). I knew the vessel was in excellent condition, having made quite a few voyages with his captain. My 54 Offshore Pilothouse is the most wonderful yacht I have ever owned. It is a great sea boat, especially with the Naiad stabilizers. Around the docks, it handles like a dream, I hardly use the thruster. My wife and I have no problem cruising up and down the East Coast by ourselves (I’m 73 my wife is 70). The 54 Offshore is built like a battleship. “American Eagle” is 21 years old and to look at her you would think she is only five years old. The electrical, plumbing and machinery systems still operate perfectly, and most are original. It is still hard to find a joint in the woodwork the craftsmanship is the best. This is a testament to the top quality of Offshore construction. The only thing that might tempt me to sell my 54 is a 62, still a good two crew boat. If you ever venture over to the Eastside, stop by the Cape Ann Marina in Gloucester, Mass, if we’re not cruising you will find us on our Offshore. Vince and Karen Tibbetts “ American Eagle”
We purchased ‘Just Us’ (previously named ‘Hot Chocolate II’) in early 2017 after visiting a boat show at Marina Jack in Sarasota though at the time we had NO INTENTION of purchasing for a few more years! Though I’m a partner in a large marina in Key West (The Galleon Marina) I/we did not have a boat (of that size) of our own, and were apprehensive about going to a large (for us) one that just two of us could travel, etc. with… On our last pass through the show, we spotted this VERY nice looking vessel from aft, with an interior of gorgeous teak enveloping her..LISA said ‘ I know we’re just looking, but let’s take a look…uh oh, it begins… The OFFSHORE 54, as opposed to so many in its range, became obviously‘ user friendly’ to us, even as we were (at the time) oblivious to what we wanted/needed…As it turns out, the walk around decks would make it possible for Lisa and me to operate her without the aid of third parties as other yachts of her size do…The pilot house and flybridge would make her easy to operate while cruising (pushed by those purring CAT 3196’s) or docking (sometimes using our ‘Yacht Controller’)…The stabilizers in other than flat seas make our trips through the Gulf to the Keys and to the Bahamas extremely ‘wife approving’ and bow and stern thrusters take us in and out of docking like ‘experts’…the floor plan (two staterooms with full standup showers) makes staying aboard usually preferable to staying ashore, as the galley, washer/dryer setup, and overall open area seating, (not to mention the extreme open air feeling due to large well placed windows) make us feel like what has become our ‘second home’ could easily become our ‘first’… We have put hundreds of hours on ‘Just Us’ cruising, visiting, and entertaining, and though we see many different vessels in her class, after comparing our OFFSHORE, it becomes obvious there IS no comparison! Roy & Lisa Smith Sarasota, Florida
As a former Merchant Mariner I have always had an infinity with the sea, the problem was my wife (Libby) had not spent much time boating and other than weekend trips in the Pacific Northwest, her cruising time was limited. Even though I have had a Captains license for 35 years we both attended the Chapman School in Stuart Florida, essentially for Libby to get professional teaching in the arts of seamanship. She did well and received certificates in basic and advanced seamanship. When our new Offshore 80 Pilot House MY (let it Bee) arrived in early 2017 we were so excited, the commissioning progressed well and we were soon off to the Bahamas. We have traversed the Eastern seaboard from the Exumas to Northern Maine and have had such a great time and met so many wonderful people. We are often asked if 80 foot is to big for a couple to operate and our answer is no! She handles so well and in close quarter maneuvering she is so smooth to operate, it makes us look better than we actually are. However, when we first washed her down after a salty day cruising we realized that 80 feet is not that small! The first time we took about 4 hours and when finished we looked at each other and said something to like “I’m exhausted!” Libby suggested I used something bigger than a tooth brush (or words to that effect) and over the coming months we developed a system where we now can wash this boat and dry her down in about one hour. Friends and family all marvel at the fit and finish of the boat, she shows her high quality and has such a solid feel to her. Mechanically she has performed with amazing reliability and we have been supported well by the entire Offshore team when we have had any issues. In the full cruising years 2018/19 we have spent 19 months onboard and have travelled over 6500 Nm and are looking forward to this year’s cruising once the Covid19 situation hopefully settles down. We are based during winter at Sunset Bay, Stuart Florida and if you see us on your travels please feel free to say hi. Garry and Libby Hubbard "let it Bee" Stuart, Florida
What are some of the things you look for when choosing the right boat? One of John Thomas’s priorities was to find a boat that could safely handle “Heavy Sea Conditions.”
Dave Holt 54' Offshore Pilothouse owner discusses his decision making process to buy a new Offshore.
After many years of boating in a couple smaller, single engine boats we decided if we were to do something more comfortable we’d better do it now because we aren’t young anymore (77 and 80). We are fishing fiends so it was imperative that any boat we looked at could be used for fishing, prawning, crabbing, etc. Being based in the Pacific NW we spend 3 to 4 months on our boat. After looking at several boats (Flemings, Ocean Alexanders, Marlows, etc. we really liked the Offshore design. It had a big back deck, low to the water for our downriggers and rods, easy on and off access, etc. As you know, Craig was hesitant about something so big for his fishing purposes, trolling speeds, etc. We couldn’t find anything on the West Coast that fit the bill at the time so John Olson accompanied us back to Florida and showed us several boats there. We fell in love with this 62′ Offshore. We had it transported to Nanaimo, B.C. at the end of 2016 and are spending our 2nd summer cruising aboard. John Olson and everyone else involved made the tight timing work and were a delight to work with. In fact, we have put our home on the market on San Juan Island since we are rarely in it and the “Beche de Mer” is so comfortable to live aboard while we are here in the summer. We spend winters in Tucson. The boat has exceeded our expectations in all regards. It fishes easily, is very stable and comfortable in sloppy seas and the finish work, cabinetry, etc. impeccable. It works very well trolling on this boat and for pulling and storing all our prawn and crab traps. We would highly recommend to anyone looking for a quality, comfortable cruising yacht, which also is ideal for those who want to fish, to be sure to look at the Offshore line. We can’t speak highly enough about John Olson and the others at Offshore West that we worked with. They really go out of their way to find you something that you will be happy with. Lynda and Craig
