Cruiser -vs- Trawler

[Aaronjr]

I am in the midst of buying (possibly) a Regal 4260 or a Mainship 40 Trawler? I know they are radically different... (both 2004 models)

My plans are to keep her in FL, and every kid vacation (my kids are 14, 11 and 9) go somewhere... We plan on being on her for a week in Feb, a weekend in March, and spending the month of June (possibly May too) on her (In the Keys and Bimini, unless I hear wiser counsel?). Ultimately we will home school the kids for a full school year and do the Great Loop in 2013.

Any advice is more than welcome, and appreciated.

Peace, and Happy New Year!

[Bill Lee]

Hi Aaronjr,
Apart from the obvious differences of looks and functions there are some other differences to consider. If you'll spend any significant time onboard, which boat offers more privacy, storage space (will you leave any belongings such as clothes onboard)..... The Mainship can offer some speed albeit not as much as the Regal, but your water capacity is larger, your holding tank is greater and the shower stall is more useable. Do you plan on anchoring out a lot? There's lots of other considerations but enjoy the process. I've owned 2 boats, an express cruiser like the Regal (but smaller) and my current boat (offshore convertible). We anchor out a lot and spend the entire summer onboard with our 2 kids (10 and 12). For us, the express style didn't work well, and we needed the water capacity, holding tank capacity and diesel capacity of out current boat. We have tons of storage onboard and everyone has their own drawer for clothes (our boat clothes are onboard all year long). Different strokes for different folks. Enjoy! Cheers,
Bill

[Epiphany]

Have you looked at catamaran trawlers like Endeavour or Fontaine Pajot. I have found they seem to have more room for the length, shallower draft and tend to be more fuel efficient.

[Aaronjr]

I will look into the catamaran idea now... Are they ok is rough seas?

[speciald@ocens.]

You need to buy the boat that best fills your needs. You may get better fuel milage on the trawler but you will sacrifice the distance you can go on a short visit. i went with an express cruiser for my power boat; it can waddle along at 8 knots like a trawler but will also go 30kts if needed. Holdings tanks?- the Sea Ray 460 holds 120g, 400g diesel.

[Epiphany]

I live in the Keys and have cruised the Bahamas. For those areas I think catamaran trawlers are fine. Leopard delivers their 39' trawlercats from South Africa. All hulls have seas they "don't like" but I think they are safe in blue water. In my opinion the room, shallow draft and fuel economy are the key considerations if you are sticking to the Keys, Bahamas and coastal areas.

[svHannabel]

Wow, radically different boats, to be sure.

To my mind, the Mainship wins with aesthetics, better fuel economy, room, deck space/safety, and comfort. The upside to the Regal would be speed (if you need it) and a much more modern express cruiser look. Does it have diesels? V-drive, straight shaft or sterndrive?

[Epiphany]

I like the look of the Mainships as well. They are also more roomy than express cruisers. FP and Leopard make very attractive trawlercats. The Endeavour trawlercats are "ugly" in a functional way but very roomy. They are reported to reach 15 Kts while the FP and Leopard are reported to be faster. As you can tell I am a fan of the cats though I have enjoyed cruising on monohulls as well.