Trawler Purchase Advice

[krbehney]

I am planning on purchasing a trawler 35-50 feet in length to use in the Chesapeake Bay in the summer and live on in Florida (Singer Island area) in the winter with an occasional trip to the Bahamas and the Keys. In doing my research I have subscribed to Passage Maker magazine and have read about the many brands of Trawlers available. It seems to me that some brands (like Nordhavn) would be too much boat for this type of coastal crusing whereas perhaps a Mainship or DeFever might be a better choice. Does anyone have any input? Also does anyone have any input on the Bayliner 4788 pilothouse motoryacht?

[lorenzo b]

Try to keep the draft to 4 ft or less as all the waters you like are shallow, and if you plan to stop at marinas, a smaller boat will save you money. When you're talking about boats like Nordhavn, DeFevers, Cady Krogen, etc you are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for " Bling ". Sort of like a pimps Caddy. My wife tells me I'm just jealous.

[SharAndy]

As a DeFever owner who spent 3 years researching what would be the 'right' boat, the comment that the draft is important for where you want to go. We've done the ICW & Bahamas from KeyWest to Canada with 4'6". KatyKrogan & Nordhavens are overkill for what you want. Do you really need submarine doors on your boat? You are not cruising to Alaska. Those two boats, + Flemings, Selene are top of the line in pricing. DeFever drops quite a bit in price from those. Suggest you go to TrawlerFests sponsored by Passagemakers and climb all over the boats there. There is a Trawler Crawl every day whereby owners who cruised to the event open up their boats for inspection, plus dealers are there with new boats for inspection. That was the MOST helpful thing we ever did! It enabled us to crawl over and inside so very many brands that we would never have seen otherwise. We were able to develop a MUST HAVE list and a NICE TO HAVE list of features that ultimately led us to a DeFever. Attending a TrawlerFest will save you years of time and perhaps a purchasing mistake! PS We also took lots of their classes, including such things as Diesel Engine Repair, etc. etc.

[Marinheiro]

a question you might want to consider is do you want a displacement trawler or a fast trawler (a real oxymoron), trawler can mean a whole lot of things far from the original definition.
Apart from De Fevers, another displacement boat worth looking at is the Hatteras LRC 48
Hatteras Long Range Cruisers
alot of boat for the money, but with an average age of 30yrs will inevitably need some work. There is one for sale called Playpen with a cockpit extension which looks very nice

[Fixer]

Have you considered power catamarans? Will have the shallow draft along with the benefits of two hulls.

[lorenzo b]

So much depends on your budget and lifestyle, and there are sooo many boats to chose from. If you can afford it, those Nordic Tugs give you a lot of space. Spend lots of time looking and ask yourself, can I live on a boat this size?

[Eric M]

The same hull shape that makes a true trawler relatively fuel efficient, and safe (read designed to right themselves) in very rough weather make them fairly prone to a "rolly" ride in even moderate seas. I grew up on boats and was really, really surprised how much even 2-3' seas could roll around a 46' Trawler I was aboard. Consider a boat with stablizers to help with this issue.

[gettinthere]

The tenderness of the hull is definitely something to consider. Also, line handling. The 'sundeck' style has a LOT of room but no side decks makes them difficult to handle docking or tying off.

A flybridge will be useless if the boat pitches and rolls from being too top heavy.

Where is the dink stored? Many try to carry a dink up on the 'boat deck'. That puts a lot of weight up high and lowering that is a big chore.

Aft cockpit with easy step into the boat or a LONG climb up & down a ladder with bags of groceries, etc? If you are always at a dock, that isn't an issue...

[AnchorageGuy]

Have a look at our Beach House blog for some info on our Marine Trader. Chuck

[dacust]

Originally Posted by Waterwayguy

Have a look at our Beach House blog for some info on our Marine Trader. Chuck

Thanks for reminding me about your blog. I haven't caught up on it in quite a while. I really enjoyed what I read before. That'll give me something to do this evening.

-dan

[AnchorageGuy]

Dan, Glad I can keep you entertained for a while. Chuck

[Cotemar]

krbehney,

Mainship 40 must be a pretty good trawler.
I have six friends that own them at my marina in Long Island Sound US.
They use them a lot and always have good things to say about them.

Mark

[jsschieff]

If you will be going up and down the ICW every year, get a boat that is easy to maneuver around docks. There is nothing more stressful than trying to manhandle a cranky, single-screw trawler into a tightly constricted marina slip. I suggest twin screws just for this feature alone. And I would even have a bow-thruster plus twin screws, just to eliminate "white knuckle" docking. Also try get a boat with good side decks -- it makes docking so much easier if you have fast, secure access to all parts of the boat as you come into a slip or a dock.

I had a 35-footer that was fine for cruises up to about a month, but for living aboard for several months I think I would want a boat at least 40-feet long. The prior commenters are correct about Selenes and Nordhavns -- they are overkill for ICW cruising. Mainship, Grand Banks (if you love to varnish), Sabreline, Navigator, Ocean Alexander, Island Pilot, and a number of Asian imports are all lines with models that could work well for you.

[Tom.B]

Originally Posted by jsschieff

There is nothing more stressful than trying to manhandle a cranky, single-screw trawler into a tightly constricted marina slip.

Not if you know what you are doing... AND ... the added benefit of better fuel economy and low annual operating costs.

Just a peek at the never-ending discussion of single screw versus duallies.

[kenny chaos]

Originally Posted by GonzoF1

Not if you know what you are doing... AND ... the added benefit of better fuel economy and low annual operating costs.

Just a peek at the never-ending discussion of single screw versus duallies.

Good point. I kept reading that one should get the smallest boat he will be comfortable on but I believe the truth is, after much research, that one will get the biggest boat he can afford (basic cost, running costs, etc.).