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**skipmac** · 19-07-2020, 04:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvweebles

BTW - a few months back on this forum a Defever 40 trawler was advertised on this forum. The couple had just completed a 2 year cruise from California to Miami. Asking price was $50k as I recall. I personally wouldn't hesitate to make the return trip with adequate planning for favorable seasonal weather. I've often surmised the most frequent type of recreational boat <60 feet through the Panama Canal is a sport fisher, a boat style many on forums such as these would not consider seaworthy enough for these types of journeys.

Interesting comment about the SF. My son in law just purchased a 56' Viking SF that came from Panama. He regularly goes 150-200 miles offshore to fish and occasionally the weather kicks up before he gets home but those boats are made to take it.

mvweebles · 19-07-2020, 05:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by skipmac

Very familiar with the trailers. Used them to move my boat, specifically hydraulic versions that allowed raising and lowering the clearance a good bit, at least a foot or more as I recall. When I moved my boat the trailer needed more than a few inches clearance to safely travel on the highway to allow for flex, suspension travel, potholes etc.

Regarding the escort cars, that is required due to the width of the load which varies state to state. Most states require at least one escort for loads wider than 12' so the GB would fit just inside that but again you have to check all the states you pass through.

All that being said, completely agree that the fuel capacity and range of most trawlers +/- 30' would require careful planning to make the trip under power but could be doable at least theoretically. The GB32 shows 125 gallons which should give a usable range with reserves of 400 miles more or less. However another concern is security in some of the Central American countries which you might want to bypass thus requiring a longer usable range to make it to the next safe fuel stop.

About 20 years ago, one of the last Willard 30s built went from Chesapeake Bay to Bermuda, about 700 nms. She carried 150 gals of diesel and I believe arrived with plenty of reserve. Steve d Antonio was yard manager with Zimmerman Marine, a Willard dealer at the time and was aboard her with Bill Parletore, then editor of Passagemaker Magazine.

Here's a reprint of an article on the voyage. One item I should have mentioned: in my opinion, boat needs to be stabilized.

https://www.passagemaker.com/cruiser...on-a-big-ocean

mvweebles · 19-07-2020, 06:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by skipmac

Very familiar with the trailers. Used them to move my boat, specifically hydraulic versions that allowed raising and lowering the clearance a good bit, at least a foot or more as I recall. When I moved my boat the trailer needed more than a few inches clearance to safely travel on the highway to allow for flex, suspension travel, potholes etc.

Regarding the escort cars, that is required due to the width of the load which varies state to state. Most states require at least one escort for loads wider than 12' so the GB would fit just inside that but again you have to check all the states you pass through.

All that being said, completely agree that the fuel capacity and range of most trawlers +/- 30' would require careful planning to make the trip under power but could be doable at least theoretically. The GB32 shows 125 gallons which should give a usable range with reserves of 400 miles more or less. However another concern is security in some of the Central American countries which you might want to bypass thus requiring a longer usable range to make it to the next safe fuel stop.

Regarding fuel economy for small trawlers : the passagemaker magazine article I just posted about the Willard 30 that went to Bermuda. 672 nms using 87 gals diesel over 4.5 days, on average, around 7.5 nms per gallon of diesel at a tad over 6 kts.

The livability of the vessel was indeed mentioned. Cramped underway, but workable for a dedicated couple.

Paul Howard · 19-07-2020, 10:23

I did Toronto, Canada, on the Great Lakes down to Panama and then north as far as Glacier Bay, Alaska, and back to Toronto on my 39ft. sailing catamaran.

Great Trip! Spent three years doing it, Lots of guide books to reference.
But if you are doing it to save money on the purchase of the boat, you should re-check time/fuel/maintenance/trucking costs.

**skipmac** · 19-07-2020, 10:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Regarding fuel economy for small trawlers : the passagemaker magazine article I just posted about the Willard 30 that went to Bermuda. 672 nms using 87 gals diesel over 4.5 days, on average, around 7.5 nms per gallon of diesel at a tad over 6 kts.

The livability of the vessel was indeed mentioned. Cramped underway, but workable for a dedicated couple.

That's pretty good mileage, better than my sailboat. I don't know the Willard but have owned a 36' power boat and it had as much interior space as my 42' sailboat. Would think 30' wouldn't be horribly cramped for just two people.

wingssail · 19-07-2020, 11:08

Most boats travelling from Fl. to Ca. stop in Puerto Vallarta, Mx. on the way north. I see them every year as they pass through. So it is a relatively common trip. We have followed a good part of that route ourselves (Caribbean through the Panama Canal, up Central America and Mexico as far as Baja).

It is big undertaking but doable, especially if you are experienced. I think a lot of delivery skippers would think little of tackling that trip, for a price, of course.

Caribbean is windy, but it's downwind. Panama Canal is easy but costs some money. Central America to middle of Mexico is easy (mostly calm or manageable with scheduling).

It's Baja and West Coast of North America that gets rough, but boats of all kinds do it every year, some do it every year over and over.

However it's a big trip, whether by water or truck, and will cost a lot and there is wear and tear on the boat. I'd say find a boat where you want to use it, unless you view the trip as a cruise.

Cheechako · 19-07-2020, 11:26

Interestingly, my 44 foot sailboat in my avatar averaged .65 gallons an hour over the life I had it. I kept a log of purchased fuel and engine hours. Most motoring was at a pleasant 23-2400 rpm. The boat did 7.5-8 knots at that rpm most the time. That's... 11 mpg. to make up any slower powering let's say 10 mpg.

Also interesting is my little 30 ft trawler burned 1-1.25 gal per hour at 7 knots. That boat was a bit over engined with a 4-236

mvweebles · 19-07-2020, 13:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Interestingly, my 44 foot sailboat in my avatar averaged .65 gallons an hour over the life I had it. I kept a log of purchased fuel and engine hours. Most motoring was at a pleasant 23-2400 rpm. The boat did 7.5-8 knots at that rpm most the time. That's... 11 mpg. to make up any slower powering let's say 10 mpg.

Also interesting is my little 30 ft trawler burned 1-1.25 gal per hour at 7 knots. That boat was a bit over engined with a 4-236

Wow! That's amazing that your boat can average 1.2-1.3 SWL. Must be swinging a decent sized prop. Who is the designer? I'd be interested in trawlers by that architect. Nothing from the great Naval architects like Garden, Mink, or Defever come close to those types of numbers, let alone in a sailboat that usually has compromised running gear to avoid contention with sailing performance.

wingssail · 19-07-2020, 14:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Wow! That's amazing that your boat can average 1.2-1.3 SWL. Must be swinging a decent sized prop. Who is the designer? I'd be interested in trawlers by that architect. Nothing from the great Naval architects like Garden, Mink, or Defever come close to those types of numbers, let alone in a sailboat that usually has compromised running gear to avoid contention with sailing performance.

I also was pretty impressed by the speeds he gets out of his Tanton44.

Maybe he has his knot meters set a km/hr?

rossikle · 20-07-2020, 06:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Mainly it's a long trip either way. West to East you have to bash your way East from the canal and it's notoriously bad unless you go North first through a bunch of shallow water. East to West you have to make the trip North from the canal, which is a real bash against prevailing strong wind and seas also for long stretches.

Wow, being new I didn't even consider wind and current prevailing directions. I thought wind and current are constantly changing directions. Sounds like it's pretty much a north to south direction on the west coast, so going against both forces from Panama to San Francisco sounds like a complete drag.

Thanks for cluing me in.

rossikle · 20-07-2020, 06:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by SV__Grace

Plenty of 30' trawlers on the west coast, especially where we are in PNW.

We are from San Francisco, which is awful for living aboard or cruising. What are your plans/desires?

If you like tropical warm weather, the Carribean and Mexico are for you. If you're like us and prefer the west coast and cooler climes, the PNW is a cruiser's paradise, particularly for small trawlers.

Thanks Grace. What is it about cruising and living aboard in SF that is so awful? My parents owned a 36' Grand Banks and kept it in Alemeda. While I wasn't around then to enjoy it very much, the little time I did get to spend on the Bay was breathtaking.

rossikle · 20-07-2020, 06:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by skipmac

Considering the trip is around 6,000 miles by sea, unless you get the deal of the century, any savings you realize in the purchase will be lost in moving the boat.

Unless you want to do this to enjoy the trip, buy a boat where you intend to use it.

I'm starting to clue in on this excellent advice...thank you.

rossikle · 20-07-2020, 06:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by captlloyd

Truck it yourself, a 30 footer shouldn’t be too big a deal. Take it on its bottom to say Houston or Brownsville, truck it the rest of the way.

Now there's a pretty good idea. Does anyone know what shipping from Texas to California might cost for a 30' Swift Trawler with collapsible mast? I have absolutely NO idea of this, as I haven't considered it until now.