Need Help Picking the Right Trawler for Me

[jsschieff]

Since you do not have much experience operating and living aboard a powerboat, I strongly encourage you to charter a powerboat before you buy, or even better attend a powerboat school. There is a powerboat school for women called "Sea Sense" that offers you a chance to go out with other women and a captain and learn how to operate a powerboat. Sailing and Powerboating for Women at Sea Sense or 800-332-1404. There are other schools like Trawler School Charters - Learn to handle trawlers and have fun in the fabulous Florida Keys! and Florida Sailing Cruising and Trawler School Learn to sail vacations, boat handling lessons on sailboats, trawlers and powerboats. 800-262-7939. I have no first-hand experience with any of these places but I can't emphasize strongly enough that you should test the waters of powerboat cruising before you jump in and get scalded.

Powerboat cruising seems like great fun, and it can be wonderful. But people sometimes are surprised to find out how inconvenient it can be to dock somewhere and find groceries are a long taxi ride away, that navigating through the East River in a pounding rain storm with strong rip-tide currents can be tricky and even scary, that pumps and fiddly bits are always breaking down or wearing out at the worst possible times, and so on. Before you open the checkbook and buy your dream boat, learn about boating first to see if it fits your preconceived notions. At the very least, spending a week aboard a trawler school charter boat will give you a much, much better feel for what boat will suit your needs and what you do or do not want/need in your boat.