Sailboat design for fishing

[Seagirt]

All ideas welcome.

The type of fishing I'm interested in is a few days spent offshore each year loading up on small (~7-15 kg/15-30lb) fish.

Ideally, the boat would:

-Be no larger than ~10m/35ft

-Be a platform conducive to fishing by being relatively clear on the stern allowing two people to fish with multiple lines (hand lines and rod/reels) and with space to bring multiple fish on deck at once without having to worry about them bouncing off if left unattended. Bringing fish into the cockpit isn't ideal since the blood and mucus would clog the drains.

-Have relatively easy access to coolers (removable, like Igloo rectangular coolers or collapsible kill bags) that preferably aren't stored in the galley or salon. A few hundred litres of cooler space is required.

-living quarters of at least 1 sleeping berth, simple galley, simple head.

I am mostly only familiar with smaller monohull sailboats and the time I've spent walking the docks hasn't produced any revelations about what type of sailing vessel I'm looking for. Aft deck of sailboats are often crowded with life rings, dinghy, stanchions, radar and solar towers, etc...and access to holds big enough to stow a few hundred pounds of ice are awkward at best.

Center cockpit boats have potential although I'm not aware of any that have easy external access to the aft cabin (assuming the aft cabin was where I'd stow my fish/ice).

(Pilot house style or ability to fit a hard dodger would be a bonus, but I'll pencil that on to the 'wish list'.)

[Seagirt]

I kayaked by a sailboat in Sooke Basin the other day that appeared to have fish holds in the cockpit and was definitely fishable off the back. Unfortunately I couldn't make out what type of boat it was, I'll have to go back and get pictures and more info.

[a64pilot]

I have never fished off of a worse boat for fishing than a sailboat, for many reasons.
First thing you do when you hear fish on in a fishing boat is reduce to idle and neutral. Tough to stop a sailboat on a dime, forget about backing down on a fish, and as far as opening the transom door to land one? Not happening. However I do still fish off of ours.
Invest in a good, long gaff.
I have been known to leave the autopilot on, start the engine and put it in reverse and just about stop the boat, the autopilot will still hold her on course

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I have never fished off of a worse boat Attachment 172185for fishing than a sailboat, for many reasons.
First thing you do when you hear fish on in a fishing boat is reduce to idle and neutral. Tough to stop a sailboat on a dime, forget about backing down on a fish, and as far as opening the transom door to land one? Not happening. However I do still fish off of ours.
Invest in a good, long gaff.
I have been known to leave the autopilot on, start the engine and put it in reverse and just about stop the boat, the autopilot will still hold her on course

Ah, you mean a traditional layout monohull like an IP...solid boats, not so handy for fishing.

By contrast catamarans are great for fishing. Ive run a spread of up to 5 lines off a cat...look Ma, no outriggers needed! We swept them around a school of tuna, got a hook up on all 5, and (much to my surprise) boated all 5!

Of course, even a cat under sail won't handle like a sportfisher (backing down fast, transom door, etc, ....), but you can heave to quickly and still fight the fish off a nice wide transom with steps down the sugar scoops...walk down and gaff it!

[a64pilot]

Yeah, a Cat would be better, especially with sugar scoops.
I guess what I was saying was even as terrible as it is to fish from, I’m still going to fish from it
I don’t think I could design a worse boat to fish from than an IP with a dinghy in the Davits and large Solar array.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Ah, you mean a traditional layout monohull like an IP...solid boats, not so handy for fishing.

By contrast catamarans are great for fishing. Ive run a spread of up to 5 lines off a cat...look Ma, no outriggers needed! We swept them around a school of tuna, got a hook up on all 5, and (much to my surprise) boated all 5!

Of course, even a cat under sail won't handle like a sportfisher (backing down fast, transom door, etc, ....), but you can heave to quickly and still fight the fish off a nice wide transom with steps down the sugar scoops...walk down and gaff it!

I recently finished a voyage on a Lagoon 52F, and caught a Bonito.

My first thought was an older cruising catamaran, with a larger open cockpit.

The OP did not mention his budget.

Here are some catamarans that are all Asking Price less than $50K.

Some designs have aft cockpits that could hold multiple ice boxes.
More fish storage could be put in place of the berths.


EndeavourCat. 30'
https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/199...g#.WyxMCtFOmhA

Prout Quest 31'
https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/198...g#.WyxLjNFOmhA

Gemini 3000. 30'
https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/198...g#.WyxK2tFOmhA

Gemini 3400. 34'
https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/199...g#.WyxJzdFOmhA

Proud Quest. 33'
https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/198...g#.WyxNRdFOmhA

[belizesailor]

Yes, if all the OP wants is a fishing platform with limited accomodations then he could pick up an older cat, even in rough shape, and refit it specific to fishing.

Ive got two heavy trolling rod holders on the sterns for trolling under way. Two spinning rod holders on the bows to hold rods when not fishing or if just still fishing. Ive even got enough deck space to fly fish off the foredeck! [emoji41]

Fishing off a cat pics:

[a64pilot]

Some mono hull pics

[Lepke]

There's several commercial sailing tuna boats. Mostly Skookum. The stern is usually setup like a powered boat would be. This one's for sale in California

[deblen]

Commercial insulated fish boxes keep ice for several days. / Len



https://www.google.com/search?q=insu...VkiysvKe4vK0M:

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Some mono hull pics...

Maybe less convenient, but that aint stopping you from catching some nice fish!

[Seagirt]

Thanks for the responses, everyone. Monohull and catamaran are two different classes and two different budgets. Yes, money solves many problems. I should have mentioned a budget, but I don't know that yet. Much depends on whether I will be living aboard or still living in the traditional house. Monohulls are what I'm familiar with and they are more readily available, especially up here in Canada, but catamarans aren't out of the picture. I should probably limit this to something like ~$30K, which means most likely an older style monohull. (Excuse my ignorance, but what is 'IP'?)

Great Pics! I don't know what half those fish are. I think I see wahoo, dorado, yellow tail...bft? I'd mainly be targeting albacore, at least while here in Canada. Small enough to hoist onto the deck even with out the use of a gaff of transom door if need be. A commercial style sailing vessel, but on a smaller scale, probably suits my utilitarian nature best but maybe the catamaran is a good fusion. The Skookum is an option I'll be looking into although the example given by Lepke looks to be out of my budget for now.

[billknny]

Originally Posted by Seagirt

All ideas welcome.

The type of fishing I'm interested in is a few days spent offshore each year loading up on small (~7-15 kg/15-30lb) fish.

Ideally, the boat would:

-Be no larger than ~10m/35ft

-Be a platform conducive to fishing by being relatively clear on the stern allowing two people to fish with multiple lines (hand lines and rod/reels) and with space to bring multiple fish on deck at once without having to worry about them bouncing off if left unattended. Bringing fish into the cockpit isn't ideal since the blood and mucus would clog the drains.

-Have relatively easy access to coolers (removable, like Igloo rectangular coolers or collapsible kill bags) that preferably aren't stored in the galley or salon. A few hundred litres of cooler space is required.

-living quarters of at least 1 sleeping berth, simple galley, simple head.

I am mostly only familiar with smaller monohull sailboats and the time I've spent walking the docks hasn't produced any revelations about what type of sailing vessel I'm looking for. Aft deck of sailboats are often crowded with life rings, dinghy, stanchions, radar and solar towers, etc...and access to holds big enough to stow a few hundred pounds of ice are awkward at best.

Center cockpit boats have potential although I'm not aware of any that have easy external access to the aft cabin (assuming the aft cabin was where I'd stow my fish/ice).

(Pilot house style or ability to fit a hard dodger would be a bonus, but I'll pencil that on to the 'wish list'.)

If you are serious about fishing from a sailboat, you need to get the book "The Cruiser's Handbook of Fishing" by Scott and Wendy Bannerot. I know internet people tend to poo-poo old fashioned books, but really this is a gold mine. Including an extensive section on boat designs and modifications for fishing.

https://www.amazon.com/Cruisers-Hand...11277ed48aab99

Get it. Read it. Catch more fish.

[Seagirt]

Thanks billknny, I'll check that out. The book isn't terribly old it isn't out of date either, given my budget for a plastic classic and with respect to fish evolution. I'm not thinking about fishing while cruising since one or two fish is plenty to catch at a time. I'm thinking about getting in one or two fishing trips a year that will stock the freezer. But I'm sure this book will have some relevant information.

Originally Posted by billknny

If you are serious about fishing from a sailboat, you need to get the book "The Cruiser's Handbook of Fishing" by Scott and Wendy Bannerot. I know internet people tend to poo-poo old fashioned books, but really this is a gold mine. Including an extensive section on boat designs and modifications for fishing.

https://www.amazon.com/Cruisers-Hand...11277ed48aab99

Get it. Read it. Catch more fish.

[a64pilot]

My advice is buy the best condition Boat you can for the money you have, one that ticks all the other boxes you have, you can fish from anything.
Don’t get set on a brand or type of boat, for 30K and a liveaboard, your looking for a deal.
An IP is just brand name of Boat, traditional stern and high freeboard, leaving you the side of the Boat to fish from, which works, just coming from a Sportfishing background isn’t optimal.
If your planning to fish for sustenance, don’t plan on it. It’s called fishing and not catching for a reason, look at as an activity to break up monotony and a good meal occasionally.