And then what?

[Boredaboard]

Wife and I live on a sailboat in the Caribbean. Things are getting small and we're looking to expand so we've been talking about switching to a trawler and sticking in the Loop for awhile.

But, then what?

How far down south could an average person venture with a 40'+/- Carver aft cabin type trawler?

I'm not talking circumnavigation or Cape trips, but...Baja? Belize? Panama?

I see Carver style aft cabins for sale from San Diego to th4 PNW, and Florida to Nova Scotia, so why not?

Am I missing something?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Boredaboard.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Boredaboard

How far down south could an average person venture with a 40'+/- Carver aft cabin type trawler?

Hard to pin down what people mean when they say "trawler" -- but any Carver is generally not considered to be one.

OTOH, you can usually run it at slow speeds, extend your range that way. And diesel versions can extend that a bit further. OTOOH, they tend to have smaller fuel tanks than "trawlers" and tend to be aimed at a marina-hopping market.

OTOOOH, the hull shape doesn't always lend itself toward all sea states at slow speeds. But then if you pick your weather, you could mitigate that at least to a certain extent.

This might be one where, if you like the boat for the features it offers, you can always just use it the way it works best for you. Which may or may not mean long near-shore or especially off-shore legs... but which you may find perfectly acceptable.

You might check out the sister forum at trawlerforum.com. Lots of discussion there about "what's a trawler?" too. And some Carver owners.

-Chris

[River Cruiser]

A couple from Midland Canada took a 38' Bayliner thru the Bahamas, Caribbean, stopped in Cuba and end up on the Rio Dulce, they've been there for 7 or 8 years now. She wrote 2 or 3 books about their cruising, they are on Amazon, the titles were The captain's Log Diamond Lil Does - the loop, the Bahamas and the Rio Dulce I believe we're the 3 titles. The boat was Hino diesel powered, 175 hp na 6 cylinders and carried 304 gallons of fuel. A similar Carver should be capable of similar cruising. Careful planning for weather, fuel and provision stops and it should be a fun trip.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[CaptTom]

Here's the thing: there's going to be a trade-off between top speed, sea-keeping, interior space and fuel economy. To my way of thinking, Carvers generally go for interior space at the expense of the rest. Some of the Bayliners were actually better in seas.

A lot of people coming from sail to power go with something relatively big, comfortable and slow. There's also a lot to be said for small, quick and light. And if the budget allows, very big, quick, comfortable and fast is possible. You decide.

[Lepke]

With care, planning, and enough fuel, you can go anywhere a sailboat can go. The big issue is don't get surprised by the weather. Commercial fishermen go far out to sea in power boats. When I was fishing, we went to Midway Island (and about 1500 miles beyond) for Albacore tuna. There was a buyer boat staying at the island that bought the tuna and sold supplies and fuel. A big boat was about 65 feet. Some were wood. 30 years ago, most of the commercial boats were wood.
Weather is the issue. Learn to find the information the forecasters don't tell you.