A trawler in the near future

[sunfun1975]

I'm looking into an 80's Albin 36 or a Monk 36 . I want to base it in Nassau where I'm moving to in Dec 08. I plan to cruise around the Bahamas in my free time. It will be my wife , my 2 yrs old son and myself . I see them for around 75 K , but with this economy , I'm hoping for 25% less, with cash. Oh, I'm new to trawlers. Sailed for a few yrs. but a back injury ended that

Any thoughts?

[GDFL]

Originally Posted by sunfun1975

I'm looking into an 80's Albin 36 or a Monk 36 . I want to base it in Nassau where I'm moving to in Dec 08. I plan to cruise around the Bahamas in my free time. It will be my wife , my 2 yrs old son and myself . I see them for around 75 K , but with this economy , I'm hoping for 25% less, with cash. Oh, I'm new to trawlers. Sailed for a few yrs. but a back injury ended that

Any thoughts?

Those should be good boats. A single diesel with no bow thruster can be a real bear to dock; especially with any wind. You'll get used to it eventually. Since it is definitely a buyers market now, I'd hunt for a boat that has been well taken care of and maybe has several systems replaced already. It's cheaper and easier to buy a boat that a competent owner has upgraded and done most of the projects. You'll stay plenty busy with just the maintenance work. I currently have a ton of projects on my list and have trouble getting to them after maintenance and fixing the gremlins that show up.
Good luck.

[sunfun1975]

I believe these two vessels have a bowthruster. I had one on my 45' sailboat years ago. Helps alot

Cheers

[jsschieff]

This market is a buyer's paradise. I would think an offer 25% below asking with no financing conditions should be met with a positive response. If you are not in a hurry, and are willing to spend a lot of time and effort looking at listings, you may be able to buy a nice boat for even less than 24% below listing price if you negotiate well and are patient.

Older (1970's and 1980's) Albin trawlers built in Taiwan can be a good buy but make certain you have the bottom surveyed for blister problems and check for fuel tank problems. Albin also built express trawlers about 36-feet in the 1990's in the U.S. and they are decent boats but the layout is a bit odd. Monk trawlers might be a better bet since they have a traditional aft cabin layout giving you some separation between you and your offspring. Quality is OK.

If you are willing to look at boats without aft cabins you may want to consider Cape Dory 36, or look at some older downeast style boats.

Good luck! I envy you moving to the Bahamas -- there are so many superb places to cruise in the Abacos and Exumas.

[AnchorageGuy]

we just made the transition from 17 years of sail to Trawler and finished the survey on the new to us boat yesterday. All went as expected and the paperwork should be done in the next few days and we will be proud owners. Looking forward to new adventures and a radical change in style. We wish you well and good luck with your search. Whatever you buy get a surveyor that is knowledgeable concerning the specific type of boat you are buying and be sure he is thorough.

[GordMay]

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