Trawlers to look out for

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

True, the migrating shift to a trawler for a sailboater usually corresponds to advancing years....

I don't deny that trawlers have their appeal.

I have this tiny ....ok...maybe not so tiny.....fear as what do you do when both engines crap out when 100's or 1,000's of miles from shore??

For better or worse, a sailboat does have sails to bring you home.

For crossing oceans, a suitable trawler with get-home engine gets pretty expensive. A sailboat is a much more approachable vessel for folks who seek to circumnavigate, but who's budget is less than around $400k, and even that can be a stretch.

But if cruising means coastal passagemaking from (for example) Alaska to Maine via the Panama Canal, there are many, many options in the $200k range such as the Defever 44 the OP asked about.

In TrawlerForum, the owner of a Willard 30 just arrived home in Alaska after a 9 month cruise to La Paz MX and up the Sea of Cortez. He completed about 10k nms, averaged just under 6 kts VMG, and burned 0.8 gph. Singlehanded.

I know of several 42-ish foot trawler yachts that have made significant passages between Alaska and Maine, including a few owned by past sail-circumnavigators who got tired of being cold, wet, tired, and living life at 20-degree heel while eating pre-prepared meals out of a dog food bowl - cool in your 20s, gets old in your 40s. You may say it's aging-out of sailing, but those who have done it call it wisdom. Also know of several sub-$200k trawlers that have crossed the Atlantic, Pacific, and traversed the Caribbean. Some are boats that I don't recommend for cross-oceanic passages but there are many who have done it.

If I wanted to circumnavigate, I'd go back to sail. I can't afford a suitable trawler. But I admit, I'm only a decent sailor but it's not my passion. And it's not my desire to cross oceans. Our current plan is San Francisco to Florida (currently in Ensenada) in our single engine 36-foot Wm Garden designed trawler. I love being on the water and exploring. I hate bagging sails and donning foulies for a cold early morning watch. But if that's your thing, no doubt, trawlers are not for you.

[mvweebles]

Hatteras 48 LRC for $249k. Current owners have cruised her from Maine to Grenada over the past 8-years.

https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/...-ga-68260.html

[ausnp84]

Funnily enough, we’re considering the same thing (tri to trawler swap).

If you’re not picky on year, there are a LOT of options out there... CHB 41s, 80’s Grand Banks, 80’s DeFever 43s, etc etc All can be had for under $100k and give a lot of cash leftover for upgrades.

Check out FB marketplace and Yachtworld as well.

Also, have a look at Bumfuzzle (they went for an older GB) and Tula’s Endless Summer just restored a DeFever 43 (44?)

Happy hunting!

N

[CarlF]

1) If you are going offshore stabilization is a must

2) Given your budget go to single engine. Lower maintence cost. You don’t have enough money for fuel to go fast so you’ll just go at 7kts anyways. Have the spare parts and knowledge to fix anything that will come up. Clean the fuel tanks and polish the fuel.

3) Over the first 6 months a trawler of that size and age will require $50k-$100k for upgrades and replacing items that are near end of life. The 20 year old foam in the mattress will make your back hurt. Your wife won’t like the head. You’ll buy a new anchor and chain. You’ll add some solar panels. The dinghy will need replacing. It adds up. Budget for it.

[nonav]

Some trawlers have an auxiliary engine to get back to shore.

I have thought about rigging low ratio trans to a gen for emergency cases.

Seen a few Grand Banks under $200,000.00, though likely no seakeeper.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by CarlF

.....3) Over the first 6 months a trawler of that size and age will require $50k-$100k for upgrades and replacing items that are near end of life. The 20 year old foam in the mattress will make your back hurt. Your wife won’t like the head. You’ll buy a new anchor and chain. You’ll add some solar panels. The dinghy will need replacing. It adds up. Budget for it.

Why does this pertain to a trawler and not a sailboat? Sure seems like sailors are equipping their boats with same kit as trawlers, especially catamaran owners.

BTW - many trawlers have regular sized queen mattresses. Much less expensive to replace than custom mattresses in other boats.

[David Mathis]

Be aware that the ideal boat to head to the Bahamas is not the ideal boat for the Great Loop. With that said, many trawlers are excellent long term live aboard residences. My express cruiser is a great vacation boat, good for about a month aboard but not for a year or more for several reasons I won't go into here. As to the comment on the engine room, my 43' express cruiser has twin 420 hp Caterpillars and a 9kw generator along with a water heater and two ac units. It has a walkway between the engines which makes changing oil and filters tolerable. The first venture into that area with big engines, hoses, pipes, unknown mechanical devices, and other things that make strange noises can be intimidating. Take it a little at a time and it all becomes logical.

The great advantage of the express cruiser as a vacation boat is we get to places in one day that would take a trawler three and a sailboat four. However, the fast cruising speed comes with a price - at a 23-25 knot cruise we get about two gallons per mile, at an eight knot hull speed (about trawler speed), we get about two miles per gallon, four times the mileage of the fast cruise. Our last boat was a trawler that got about 4 - 4.5 mpg at seven knots. Had the admiral not constantly complained about taking all those days to just travel and having less time at our destination, we would still have it.

We're in upstate New York where the water is hard from about Christmas until March. If we were to head to the Bahamas, South Florida, or Coast Rica each winter, the cost of fuel would force us to opt for sail. However, we stay in the northeast for the summer, rarely going more than 200 miles from home, so we'll stick with a powered fast vacation hull.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by David Mathis

Be aware that the ideal boat to head to the Bahamas is not the ideal boat for the Great Loop.

I thought most folks who do the Great Loop include the Bahamas in their itinerary? It's as if the Bahamas is part of the Great Loop.

Wondering why a loop boat is not a good Bahamas boat. More info please. Frankly, a trawler with its modest draft and low air draft seems like a great choice for both.

[ausnp84]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

I thought most folks who do the Great Loop include the Bahamas in their itinerary? It's as if the Bahamas is part of the Great Loop.

Wondering why a loop boat is not a good Bahamas boat. More info please. Frankly, a trawler with its modest draft and low air draft seems like a great choice for both.

Yep I’d agree. Pick a decent day to do the Gulfstream (it’s only 50nm after all) and then you’re in a huge expanse of relatively protected water where a trawler makes a heck of a lot of sense.

N

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by CarlF

1) If you are going offshore stabilization is a must

Define offshore.

We don't have stabilisation, but we only go 100nm from land

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

True, the migrating shift to a trawler for a sailboater usually corresponds to advancing years....
.

Sometimes
But I know several from a yachtie background who made the change in their 40's

I don't deny that trawlers have their appeal

As do large comfortable sailing vessels that actually sail.

I have this tiny ....ok...maybe not so tiny.....fear as what do you do when both engines crap out when 100's or 1,000's of miles from shore??

And why would they do that?
Lack of maintenance?
Poor fuel filtration?
No spares, no skills?

For better or worse, a sailboat does have sails to bring you home

Guessing you've never spat a rig before
We have, twice.

I can assure you of this - the sails did not help us get home.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Sometimes

But I know several from a yachtie background who made the change in their 40's





As do large comfortable sailing vessels that actually sail.



And why would they do that?

Lack of maintenance?

Poor fuel filtration?

No spares, no skills?







Guessing you've never spat a rig before

We have, twice.



I can assure you of this - the sails did not help us get home.

Losing propulsion mid ocean is a concern - sail or power. Prudence suggests prepping for the possibility if crossing an ocean. Prep will be different for sail than power. Intellectually, recovering enough mast and rigging for a jury rig sounds easy. Practical terms is likely very difficult. Personally, getting an engine going again would be easier.....assuming the failure was the engine.

A sistership to my Willard 36 trawler went from California to Hawaii and burned 335g diesel. And returned to the PNW, though details have been lost to time. If it were me, I'd have an A-Frame 'mast' built and fastened to the gunwales. Essentially, a pre-built jury rig. Would not have a lot of choice in destination, but would get somewhere, similar to a jury rigged sailboat.

That said, if you're on a limited budget, there are a lot of $100k sailboats that could cross an ocean relatively safely in-season. The choice of powerboats in that budget is slim to none. But if your goal is coastal pasaagemaking - Alaska to Maine - there are 1000s of trawler and motoryacht options that are arguably better suited to the trip than sailboats.

[Messing About]

What about the best of both worlds? Would this provide good stability crossing oceans? It’s a model I’m considering, with ease of access and movement for my dogs. Seems like $200k would be a good price for this.

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/200...uiser-8702232/

[Cargile]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

In my opinion, a big item is stabilization..........

Somewhat of a novice. What exactly is the stabilization of which you write? I have a 50 year old trailer trawler with "cupped chines" for stabilization. I believe that is what they are for. I know there are outriggers for stabilization but most of the boats I see crowing "stabilized" do not have outriggers. Gyros?

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by Cargile

Somewhat of a novice. What exactly is the stabilization of which you write? I have a 50 year old trailer trawler with "cupped chines" for stabilization. I believe that is what they are for. I know there are outriggers for stabilization but most of the boats I see crowing "stabilized" do not have outriggers. Gyros?

There are several types of stabilization. Sail is one, hydraulic fins is another. Paravanes - outriggers with plates in the water are another. Seakeeper/gyros are another. Finally, new kid on block are Magnus effect rotating cylinders below waterline. There are also roll-chocks which are essentially bilge keels that are static appendages to the hull.

According to Naval architect Michael Khasten, stabilizers improve comfort, but they do not improve a boats design stability. I have hydraulic fins and I can tell you they are wonderful in open water. My boat - a Wm Garden designed trawler form a 1950s era design - is low and stable. I don't run the stabilizers often, perhaps 50% of the time. Most power boats run them full time.

I hope this helps.