Transport Fl. boat or sell and buy local PNW boat

Moving boats by transport isn’t trouble free but it’s a viable strategy for many. Yes sometimes booking early or last minute will get you a better rate. Depends on demand.
Sounds like you’ve got a handle on the basics for boating in the PNW. The challenge may be finding another boat there that meets your requirements.
If you love the boat you’ve got I would lean towards moving it.

Easy enough to transport the boat. As to what you're being told:

Dock space is at a shortage in the PNW regardless of size and type boat. A lot of waiting lists but still some of nicer marinas have space. Those there think of it as expensive. Compared to Tampa, they are not.

As to reverse cycle vs. diesel fired system, I know the PNW boaters push the diesel as essential. While it is better if you're trying to use the boat in the dead of winter, there are not a lot of days it's inadequate as winter temperatures are generally highs in 40's, lows in 30's. Not a lot of the 20 degree and lower weather. You can always add diesel heat. I'd try it one year and then decide.

You've got a boat you love. I'd keep it.

Now I must ask, why the PNW? You say you're stuck in Southern California and the Tampa commute is getting old. I don't know where in Southern California, but don't see the PNW commute solving your problem. Yes, a 3 hour flight vs. 8 hours. But all the early arrival and boarding and getting transportation remain the same so more like 6 hours vs. 11 and a day spent either way. So, the obvious question, I must ask is why not keep the boat in Southern California?

Hey there. as a PNW boater, I think folks are over blowing the concerns. We only have reverse cycle heat in our 60' and its WAY more than adequate. we had diesel heat in our prior vessel and it was great, but i wouldnt spent the $$ retrofitting given what you have.
the cruising up here is amazing and get the desire for a change.

as for logs, yeah, they are here and there, but i would still say the majority of big boats and friends that i know still go everywhere at cruise speed. We tend to go slower (10kt) but just because i am cheap lol.

moorage is tough like it is everywhere, but there are always spots that open up. if you are willing to go a little out of seattle there are plenty around. even in seattle on the lake or sound you can usually always find one if you search diligently.

best of luck.

Transport can be fairly straightforward. There is a transport ship that routes from Florida to Ensenada then up to Victoria BC. I moved my boat from Ensenada to Victoria. Pretty easy really.

The log issue is overstated. Are there logs - yes. Can you run at cruising speeds with a watchful eye - yes. I'm in SE Alaska that has more logs than Puget Sound and I run at 25+ knots regularly. However, I will not run at night nor would I ever leave the boat underway on AP with the helm unattended.

Heat is a preference issue. Your system may be able add supplemental heat strips to overcome cold water. Some reverse cycle seem to do OK. As mentioned by others, you can always add diesel heat if you decide you want/need it.

I think you're right about overblown. Are logs worse than traps? We went to Alaska and spent months in total in the PNW and didn't hit a log, but from the warnings we got you would have thought it was unsafe to navigate.

Similarly on the heat. If starting from scratch you might choose diesel but reverse cycle will cover most days and nights.

I do think moorage is more difficult there than most other areas, but if you're flexible in price and location it's available.

I boat in PNW with reverse cycle heat and I also cruise at 30 knots most the time. Do you have to pay attention. Yes or you will hit something. When the Temps dip in Dec to March it will test your system but if in good shape you will be fine.
The shortage of slips is currently a reality but there are options. If I were living on boat and had private aviation I would slip in Roche Harbor.

Couldn’t agree more about SoCal. I grew up in CA. I’ve been on the water since the 1960’s, a boat captain in the 1970’s and a boat owner since the 1980’s. If it wasn’t for offshore sport fishing and Mexico I would have little interest. Yes there’s Catalina Island, some SCUBA and other interests but I’ve heard many people when selling their boat say it’s because there’s just no place to go.
Crime in CA is out of control and on the coast in particular where masses of the “unhoused” now congregate. But if you bring that up you are quickly shouted down as some sort of hate filled monster. The auto glass companies aren’t complaining though.

Lots of places to explore from Puget Sound - The Sound itself, San Juan's, B.C. and when you're ready the trip from Puget Sound to Alaska is incredible.

Just a warning, the sun in the PNW is sneakier and I know several people there with histories of skin cancer. The PNW sun doesn't warn you as much as other areas. We push sun lotion like we own the companies making it and we always have a top up.

As to taxes, you'll find out Washington isn't exactly tax free either when it comes to boats.

Now as to door to door time, I was including a change of planes so door to door thinking we're talking 4 vs 7 hours or so.

For fresh water you need to go into Lake Union or Lake Washington. Lots of boats there. More expensive and you have Ballard locks to deal with to get in/out when you want. But lots of people love it on the Lakes.

I’m with CaboFly…nice private airstrip right at the marina in Roche Harbor and super close to many nice cruising grounds throughout the San Juan’s. Also if Canada ever opens, very easy departure place for that.

If you want Fresh Water then as said above Lake Union is right downtown. We moor our vessel there and really enjoy the location.

Waggoners guide is probably the most popular. But there are many that are great

https://waggonerguide.com/

Waggoners Guide is regularly updated and covers a lot. For more detail, some of the books that used to be Fine Edge Publishing that are now part of Waggoner are here:

https://www.waggonerguidebooks.com/store/c5/fineedge-cruisingthenw

I've got a couple of the books by Don Douglass and Reanne Hemingway Douglass and have found them to be good for planning and getting ideas, e.g.:

https://www.waggonerguidebooks.com/store/p108/expscbc.html

I don't know how up to date they are, the books by Peter Vassilopoulos were pretty much "the standard" back in the days when he wrote for Pacific Yachting magazine.

As a guidebook it's long out of date (I think it came out in the 1970's when I was a kid and our family cruised up and down the coast a couple summers), but as a source of historical information, this is awesome:

https://evergreen-pacific-publishin..._id=15&zenid=a0c3cb00ee0441399379e069c3f70f89

Lots of good advice here. One thing not mentioned is as we very seldom need AC here in Washington and BC, the diesel heat option allows both hot water and heat as needed without running the generator.

When it was 100 degrees last week I sure enjoyed the AC on the boat. I use my AC almost every trip in the summer. While not required I had a number of friends last week that were miserable on their trawlers in the heat wave that came through Seattle.