Family of 7! Trawler Size Question?

[GalaxyGirl]

Hello all,

Some of you may have been following my story on other post, but basically I am in the planning stage of a move aboard with my 5 kids(when this is executed they will be 5,12,13,13 and 15) and my mom. I am now trying to figure out what size Trawler I should get and will be able to safely operate with just my family, (after plenty of courses, training etc.). I need as many cabins as possible. I need a minimum of 4 and would LOVE more if possible. On another thread someone suggested that I not go bigger than 50', while some else said 60-65' should be fine. Any thoughts?

Also, does anyone know what the limitation is on the ICW as far as size, draft and how that relates to Trawler size if at all?

[The Blue Heron]

Powercat 340 series ? I think they also have them in the 40's

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by GalaxyGirl

Hello all,

Some of you may have been following my story on other post, but basically I am in the planning stage of a move aboard with my 5 kids(when this is executed they will be 5,12,13,13 and 15) and my mom. I am now trying to figure out what size Trawler I should get and will be able to safely operate with just my family, (after plenty of courses, training etc.). I need as many cabins as possible. I need a minimum of 4 and would LOVE more if possible. On another thread someone suggested that I not go bigger than 50', while some else said 60-65' should be fine. Any thoughts?

Also, does anyone know what the limitation is on the ICW as far as size, draft and how that relates to Trawler size if at all?

I may not have meant to imply completely "fine" -- maybe learnable, manageable, etc. comes closer...



In the meantime, you are aware of the Yachtworld website, yes? Not a bad place to get a basic overview of various brands/models...

-Chris

[Kevin84]

What about this:
Ashley Yachts LLC (Charleston, SC)&

Instead of paying 300k per boat for two boats, why not spend 600k on one really nice big boat?

[GalaxyGirl]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

I may not have meant to imply completely "fine" -- maybe learnable, manageable, etc. comes closer...



In the meantime, you are aware of the Yachtworld website, yes? Not a bad place to get a basic overview of various brands/models...

-Chris

That's a good word, manageable. That's what I understood, Chris, that you meant, that it could be done with proper training, practice. It could be learnable.

[pyeguy]

People are adaptable, and space is really not as important as your interactions and how well they get along. I live aboard a 25' bayliner with my wife, 19 year old and two cats. I think a 50' would be more then enough for all you to live on. Cheers

[DeepFrz]

86' Nordhavn should do.

[Amapola]

It depends on your family. Personally, there's not a boat big enough to travel with that many people. We have a 48' trawler that is just right for me, my wife, and out cat Mickey.

[Kevin84]

Just an observation, from following your threads, it seems to me that you want the experience of living aboard without any of the sacrifice. I think, and this is purely my opinion, that you have an idealized idea of what it is to live aboard a boat. This is not like being on a cruise ship. There is a lot of work involved in owning a yacht. And no matter how big it is, it will probably never be enough. Most yachts are not designed for families as large as yours. They're designed really for one or two couples, sometimes three with one or two crew members. I'm not trying to discourage you here, but I think it may be in your best interests to really think hard about this lifestyle. Or even better, see about chartering a yacht for a few weeks and see if the lifestyle is really for you and your family.

[bobconnie]

Time to start looking at Trawlers! There are many 55 to 75 ftrs out there! with up to 5 staterooms Ya need to look and decide what ya really need ! If ya want to REALLY go to sea, and cover some distance, that will cut the list down a bunch! If ya want a dock queen, and are not looking for Long Distance Cruiseing, ya have a bigger bunch to look at ! don't know where ya are but ya need to look on Yatch world in the Washington State area ! there are more big Trawlers, with sea going hulls up there then anywhere! the 2nd place to look is the Fla. area. lots of big motor boats there! some sea going, some dock queens. If you are really want to do this then it's time to start looking and don't worry about what anybody else thinks!! buying 2 boats is a really silly Idea! if ya want sail look at sail if ya want power look at power !! Nobody on here seems to have what ya want but there are so many big and huge boats out there that have been for sale for a long time!! so do a little looking ! thats the only way to find out what ya really need !! Just my 2 cents !

[Capt Phil]

Had my kids and two grand kids plus wife and I aboard a DeFever 54... not cramped, easy to handle (we lived aboard for 5+ years) but water tankage was a little light for the big crowd. Everyone had a blast for about the 6 weeks they were with us. I believe there is a reasonably priced one for sale in WA. Good luck in your search... Capt Phil

[DumnMad]

Finding the right sized boat is not so hard, our kids sharing bedrooms were never as untidy as friends who had bedrooms to themselves. What may be difficult is upkeep of the boat & maintenance of your plumbing, drainage, electrical & mechanical systems. Will there be one boat maintenance slave or will the others all play their part? If you haven't done so already, figure out how these things all work & whether your team will be happy looking after them. Good luck.

[GalaxyGirl]

Originally Posted by bobconnie

Time to start looking at Trawlers! There are many 55 to 75 ftrs out there! with up to 5 staterooms Ya need to look and decide what ya really need ! If ya want to REALLY go to sea, and cover some distance, that will cut the list down a bunch! If ya want a dock queen, and are not looking for Long Distance Cruiseing, ya have a bigger bunch to look at ! don't know where ya are but ya need to look on Yatch world in the Washington State area ! there are more big Trawlers, with sea going hulls up there then anywhere! the 2nd place to look is the Fla. area. lots of big motor boats there! some sea going, some dock queens. If you are really want to do this then it's time to start looking and don't worry about what anybody else thinks!! buying 2 boats is a really silly Idea! if ya want sail look at sail if ya want power look at power !! Nobody on here seems to have what ya want but there are so many big and huge boats out there that have been for sale for a long time!! so do a little looking ! thats the only way to find out what ya really need !! Just my 2 cents !

Thanks for the advice. I am most definitely going to go with a Trawler, just a matter of what size. I don't plan on ocean crossing right away, but I need a boat that will go the distance at some point after my kids are off to college and I get good at operating it. I would like to see the world. I have actually been combing Yachtworld and some others for months trying to figure out what to get. You mentioned 75'. Do you think that a boat that size could be managed without a captain and professional crew?

[Kevin84]

Originally Posted by GalaxyGirl

Thanks for the advice. I am most definitely going to go with a Trawler, just a matter of what size. I don't plan on ocean crossing right away, but I need a boat that will go the distance at some point after my kids are off to college and I get good at operating it. I would like to see the world. I have actually been combing Yachtworld and some others for months trying to figure out what to get. You mentioned 75'. Do you think that a boat that size could be managed without a captain and professional crew?

By the time your kids are off to college and you're ready to go cruising, you will probably have the experience you need to run her without a captain. I would still recomend having one or two crew however, depending on if you're going to have anyone with you or not and how experienced they are. If its just going to be you and one other person, I would go with two crew to help with watch standing and docking/undocking.

[GalaxyGirl]

Originally Posted by Capt Phil

Had my kids and two grand kids plus wife and I aboard a DeFever 54... not cramped, easy to handle (we lived aboard for 5+ years) but water tankage was a little light for the big crowd. Everyone had a blast for about the 6 weeks they were with us. I believe there is a reasonably priced one for sale in WA. Good luck in your search... Capt Phil

Hey Capt,
Funny you mention the Defever 54'. I actually fell in love with that boat until I realized that I may need 4 or 5 staterooms and I can't seem to find one that has more than 3 staterooms. Now I have been focusing more on the Sea Ranger because they come with 4 staterooms. I found one that actually has a custom hardtop flybridge pilothouse. So, that is essentially a 5th bedroom on the 3rd floor. This boat was close to perfect except that they also did a 10' extension to the aft, making it 75'. That may be too long for us. But...I was thinking that maybe I could add one of these hardtop pilothouses to the boat I get, but would have to look into what an addition like that would cost. But it sure would be great, build up rather than out