We met up this summer with Bob and Shelley aboard their Cutwater C-32 Coupe “Play it Forward” in Lopez Island, WA. They enjoy cruising the islands in their Cutwater, explaining that the boat is comfortable and easy to handle for the two of them. They like the way the salon seats flip creating additional cockpit seating with the window popped up. Bob likened the innovative options and multitude of onboard features to a Swiss Army Knife which seems an appropriate analogy and is something we have heard before.

Bob has even personalized his Cutwater by adding additional shelving in the forward cabin and by setting up the mid-berth cabin with a custom pull out wine cellar. This works well since they rarely have overnight guests, and if they do the salon table can easily fold down to create a guest berth.

Bob and Shelley really like meeting all the other people with similar boats. Everywhere they go they find fellow Cutwater owners, and as musicians they like to entertain, lounging in their Cutwater’s cockpit and playing music. Bob and Shelley are not only musicians, but they support music education through a non-profit they developed called Music Aid Northwest. This 501c3 charity raised over a million dollars so far, all of which goes to support music education. Some non-profits have infrastructure costs and even paid staff, but Music Aid Northwest is all volunteer, so donation go directly into a pool that is then accessed through a grant process to help music teachers directly fund educational programs. On March 12, 2022 they will once again hold a fundraising gala at the Triple Door in Seattle which is appropriately called “Play It Forward.” During an unofficial summer gathering of Cutwater owners cruising the San Juan Islands, Bob and Shelley shared their love of music by playing a set on the dock one night spreading the joy of music and making the potluck special for everyone.

One feature aboard their boat that people often ask about is the dingy lift. The dinghy lift allows them to travel with and store a RIB above their outboards. A winch lowers the whole mechanism to the water where Weaver snap davits and Cutwater’s Clear Path swim platform allow for easy loading and boarding of the dinghy. This unique feature is found on select Cutwater and Ranger Tug models, their C-32 C being one of them. The dinghy lift allows Bob and Shelly shore access while anchored or on a mooring buoy, but they still have the benefits of fast and fun outboard power on their Cutwater.

Whether catching shrimp, crab, fishing or simply relaxing, playing music, and sampling some fine wines on the dock, Bob and Shelley appreciate the lifestyle their new Cutwater affords.

 Visit https://musicaidnorthwest.org/ to find out more about Music Aid Northwest’s fundraising gala.

What are you doing with your Cutwater? We’d love to hear about it. Contact sambisset@cutwaterboats.com to share your story.