Dear Ace: The Seamaster 46 is a GREAT boat! We bought ours from the original owner in 1996 and lived aboard in the
Pacific Northwest and the
Caribbean for many years. It was our first boat. We had never owned nor sailed before. We used it more like a sail stabilized
trawler thanks to the 85 hp
Perkins, folding
3 blade prop, inside
steering, and 500 gallon gas tank. The drawback to the boat is of course the small berths. They are great for one person but pretty cramped for two. Also the
center cockpit is too small although the rear
cockpit (if you have one) is great. We ended up selling it in
Florida and it eventually ended up in the hands of the previous post.
We have looked into
buying a trawler but after much
research decided to buy a sail
catamaran for the following reasons:
1. Stable at sea. Not all trawlers are stabilized.
2. 2 engines and
sails instead of only one
engine.
3.
Shallow draft. Ours is 3'9". Also will rest on the bottom if the tide leaves you.
4. GREAT maneuverbility. 2 engines set 20 feet apart allow for pivoting within its waterline.
5. Redundant systems. 2 of everything.
6. Giant increase in room. Our Prout 46 has 2 king sized beds, a 4X4 foot
shower, an 8 foot by 5 foot
head plus another one, huge
salon with a great inside
steering station. There is so much room, there are cabins that we don't go into unless we have guests. The
interior space of a
catamaran is estimated to be 50-60% more than an eqivalent length
monohull.
7. Giant cockpit and great
deck space.
8. PRICE! A used 40-50 foot catamaran is going to be almost half the
price of a used 40-50 foot trawler.
Good luck with your
new boat whatever you end up with. But just remember, you will be hard pressed to find ANY boat built as well as the Seamaster 46. Erik