Like, why doesn't everyone own a Marine Trader?

[unbusted67]

As a lapsed sailor it just seems like these boats have a crazy amount to offer: absolutely palatial interior, single diesels that sip fuel just like a sailboat engine, seemingly overbuilt hulls, oh, and did I mention they are all dirt cheap compared to Grand Banks. Like, what am I missing here? Do they have a terrible reputation?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by unbusted67

As a lapsed sailor it just seems like these boats have a crazy amount to offer: absolutely palatial interior, single diesels that sip fuel just like a sailboat engine, seemingly overbuilt hulls, oh, and did I mention they are all dirt cheap compared to Grand Banks. Like, what am I missing here? Do they have a terrible reputation?

Arnt they the ones built in Taiwan , ?

[StuM]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Arnt they the ones built in Taiwan , ?

Yep. With the typical problems of "leaky-teaky" Taiwan built boats

And to answer the OP's question: Because there are a lot more boaters than there are Marine Trader boats and not everyone wants a trawler.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by StuM

Yep. With the typical problems of "leaky-teaky" Taiwan built boats

And to answer the OP's question: Because there are a lot more boaters than there are Marine Trader boats and not everyone wants a trawler.

And “ lapsed “ sailors buy 600HP twin mobos too if my friends recent purchase is to go by

Cant see why anyone would buy a trawler , just keel the sailing boat and motor.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by unbusted67

As a lapsed sailor it just seems like these boats have a crazy amount to offer: absolutely palatial interior, single diesels that sip fuel just like a sailboat engine, seemingly overbuilt hulls, oh, and did I mention they are all dirt cheap compared to Grand Banks. Like, what am I missing here? Do they have a terrible reputation?

They don't have a wonderful reputation, maybe compared to other "brands," but they don't cost an arm and a leg and owners seem to like them. More at trawlerforum.com (sister site).

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Arnt they the ones built in Taiwan , ?

Originally Posted by StuM

Yep. With the typical problems of "leaky-teaky" Taiwan built boats

There are several other brands built in Taiwan, some upscale, some price-point... No reason to assume Taiwanese can't build a decent boat if the brand wants them to. Similarly, boats build in China, Singapore, etc. all seem to spread across the "quality" range... as with boats built in the U.S.

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Cant see why anyone would buy a trawler , just keel the sailing boat and motor.

Compare available space and amenities in trawler of X length to sail boat of X length. Some folks are OK with living in a cave, some aren't. Different strokes. Just an observation, not a recommendation.

-Chris

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by unbusted67

...absolutely palatial interior...

This line struck me. I think this is why a lot of former sailors gravitate toward "trawler" style boats. They can put up with going slow, but after living in a narrow, dark tube the average trawler does seem palatial.

Marine Traders are great boats, and have a loyal following. They would be on my short list if I were in the market for another trawler. There are some known issues, like leaking teak decks and even some with iron fuel tanks. These issues can be fixed, and nowadays many of them on the market have been.

Grand Banks are great too, but when you look at the price difference you can see why MT's are also popular.

[rslifkin]

The MTs are good boats, but there are also plenty of other boats out there that are as good or better. Plus, not everyone who wants a powerboat wants exactly what the Marine Traders provide.



Tom has a very good point on perspective of interior size. Many of our sailor friends comment on how absolutely massive the interior of our boat (38 foot powerboat, but not a real trawler) seems to them. Even the ones with sailboats of similar size find it huge.

[Tetepare]

In our area, aging sailors do migrate to the MTs. Most have sailed for decades, know the issues, and are accustomed to "fix up" and maintenance. For a while the MTs were inexpensive, but as the savvy sailors aged and fixed up MTs the word was out and the prices increased.

Most of the older crowd likes the traditional design of the MT, as opposed to the "powerboat" design of rslifkin's Chris Craft. It's "culturally OK" to migrate to a trawler, while a Chris Craft is "going to the dark side".

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

Most of the older crowd likes the traditional design of the MT, as opposed to the "powerboat" design of rslifkin's Chris Craft. It's "culturally OK" to migrate to a trawler, while a Chris Craft is "going to the dark side".

That's a very good point. Sailors are definitely far more willing to move to a traditional looking, slow trawler than any other kind of powerboat. Something like my boat is another step beyond trawler, and then heaven forbid they consider a boat that's actually fast. My boat realistically gets used like a trawler most of the time and has just as much space as a similar size trawler (save for not having a flybridge), but it's capable of cruising at planing speeds if desired and isn't trawler shaped.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Cant see why anyone would buy a trawler , just keel the sailing boat and motor.

Because the living space if far nicer as you aren't living in a cave. If you were comparing to a catamaran, I might agree...just pull the mast and keep using it (actually contemplating that for our next boat).

Also, cruise speeds for single engine displacement trawlers are typically about 50% higher (sure you can go slower to improve MPG but back in reality, it's largely a non-issue in the bigger budget picture). A 35ft monohull might cruise at 5-6kts. A similar size trawler is likely running at 8-9kts. Doesn't sound like much but if you are coastal cruising and like to limit you daily run to say 8 hours, it increases your range from maybe 40-50miles up to 65-75 miles.
- Example: Crossing the armpit of Florida (Carrabelle to Cedar Key) is about 100miles. At 5kts, that's 20hr and most slow boats are forced to do an overnight thru crab-pot infested waters. At 9kts, that drops to 11hrs and can easily be done during daylight.

Also, the comparison to Grand Banks needs to clarify which construction Grand Banks...the older wood hull models, I wouldn't touch if you gave it to me for free. The newer ones are nice but overpriced for what they are.

If you get a Marine Trader, make sure to get a good survey and account for any needed repairs but otherwise, nothing horrible about them. They just aren't the "gold platers".

[marcjsmith]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Cant see why anyone would buy a trawler , just keel the sailing boat and motor.

If I had to give up my sail boat, I'd go trawler or tug. would be pointless to keep the sailboat and just motor. the benefits of a dedicated power boat would outweigh the sailboat. Sailboat has deeper draft, tall air draft, all those pesky lines in the way and shrouds holding the mast up. a hull form and interior thats been designed for sailing, (heeled over), rather than dedicated motoring. which mean many compromises on interior spaces



and likely the power boat would be much quieter when motoring likley better hull speed, although likely higher fuel burn. ability to carry much more fuel.

[rslifkin]

Keep in mind, even if the trawler and the sailboat cruise at the same speed, the trawler is still faster. Your travel speed and direction aren't as dependent on wind direction, and in any reasonable weather, you don't need to tack, plus you can maintain a more steady speed. So 7 kts in a trawler heading straight for your destination can be a lot faster than sailing at 7-ish kts.

[unbusted67]

These are all good points. Thanks guys.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Cant see why anyone would buy a trawler , just keel the sailing boat and motor.

My sailboat is a trawler with a stick!


Seriously, though, we sailed this boat on SF Bay for 18 years before sailing (motoring) her up here to BC in 2016. There is a lot less reliable wind here, so I find myself motoring 90% of the time anyway.


There are a lot more motor yachts here, of course, but except for the bigger Nordhaven types, man even when they are motoring past me they roll like crazy, even when at anchor. Please consider that in your choice - my deep keel keeps me a lot steadier.


Also, consider the ability to singlehand. Many trawlers do not have doors from the helm nor control stations out on the back deck, so it takes two people to safely dock the boat. Sorry, not for me...

[Jean Louis]

We sailed for 40 years, 18 years full time around the world on a Endeavour 37. We now have à Marine Trader 36. We like her for all positive facts mentionned in the up comments . But that will never be like à sailboat.