trawler life

[MisterMichaelB]

Hello, While I love traveling, my intention is to seek out a trawler yet remain dockside 90% of the time. I'm too much of a newbie with boats. My only experience is with canoes and kayaks! Over a year or two, I would like to learn about the trawler itself and get by skippers licence too. My query lies in wondering how little mechanical maintenance costs I can avoid by remaining moored. On the flip side, because of my lack of marine experience, I wonder what costs lie in just keeping my trawler in the water over several years, and only moving it 4 or 5 times a year. What will I have to do over that time? I'm sure once I buy the boat, get into the marina, and go from there, meet people and learn. I just thought I'd jump in here ahead of time and see if someone can help with the planning stages of live aboard life. thanks.

[Lost Horizons]

Why would you go to a cruisers and sailing forum to ask about living at a dock in a fishing vessel?

[Chayal]

Hey MisterMichaelB and welcome to the forums...

I don’t think your question can be honestly answered because this depends on initial condition of your trawler.

If you move it 4-5 times a year, that’s a lot more then some of the trawlers I see in a local marina.

If you plan on living aboard for 90% of the time, that gives you plenty of time to learn, research, and execute. Nowadays with google, forums, YouTube, etc... there’s no excuse for anyone to not be able to learn and educate themselves.

With your hard work will come satisfaction, and those rewarding experiences of learning to do it yourself will feel that much more fulfilling.

I hope you find a good one that works for you...

[Chayal]

Originally Posted by Lost Horizons

Why would you go to a cruisers and sailing forum to ask about living at a dock in a fishing vessel?

The thread is in the live aboard forum so I don’t understand why you even bothered to post your comment.

Trawler or not.

Your an unwelcoming person and should keep those comments to yourself in the future.

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by MisterMichaelB

Hello, While I love traveling, my intention is to seek out a trawler yet remain dockside 90% of the time. I'm too much of a newbie with boats. My only experience is with canoes and kayaks! Over a year or two, I would like to learn about the trawler itself and get by skippers licence too. My query lies in wondering how little mechanical maintenance costs I can avoid by remaining moored. On the flip side, because of my lack of marine experience, I wonder what costs lie in just keeping my trawler in the water over several years, and only moving it 4 or 5 times a year. What will I have to do over that time? I'm sure once I buy the boat, get into the marina, and go from there, meet people and learn. I just thought I'd jump in here ahead of time and see if someone can help with the planning stages of live aboard life. thanks.

Dear Sir, go to www.trawler.com There you will find answers to all your inquires. Good Luck

[Lost Horizons]

Originally Posted by Chayal

The thread is in the live aboard forum so I don’t understand why you even bothered to post your comment.

Trawler or not.

Your an unwelcoming person and should keep those comments to yourself in the future.

Dear Chayal,
I am sorry you cannot tell a comment from a question. And thank you for the recommendation on what I should do in the future.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Lost Horizons

Why would you go to a cruisers and sailing forum to ask about living at a dock in a fishing vessel?

The forum is not just for sailing. It's equally welcoming to cruisers who have power boats of any sort, even if they just "move it 4 or 5 time a year".


And a trawler and a fishing trawler are two very different types of boat. .
Check out the sister forum.
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Lost Horizons

Dear Chayal,
I am sorry you cannot tell a comment from a question. And thank you for the recommendation on what I should do in the future.

When you start with "Why would you.." and finish with a question mark , that's a question.


(rhetorical or otherwise)

[Fbfisher]

Some would say that boats that sit unused can suffer more damage than those that are frequently on he move. Not sure if it’s true, or maybe boats that get used with frequency get fixed often because the owner is more likely to notice when a system is failing. You’ll save money by not using your boat, but that does not necessarily mean that things aren’t failing and you’ll spend the money eventually. Differed maintenance is problem that only gets worse as the repair list gets longer. You find out for sure what needs fixing when you are out those 4-5 times a year. Boats cost money just sitting...bottom cleaning, zincs, insurance, property taxes, slip fees (which may run 25%+ higher for a live aboard.

Hope this helps to begin to frame the issues for you. Get on a dock with a mix of friendly people, including liveaboards and you’ll have a great time and learn a lot from others experiences. Enjoy the process.

[mvweebles]

Welcome aboard. Do give TrawlerForum.com a shout. To my mind, your question pertains to boat ownership - power or sail. Majority of people who have significant ownership of both routinely state the long term ownership costs are similar unless circumnavigating or going ultra-cheap where sail is the only practical option.

Base ownership costs are slip, insurance (which all marinas require), hull cleaning/diver, bi-annual haul for bottom paint and zinc replacement. Does not include capital costs for the boat, not does it include usage-based expenses such as fuel or rigging, and does not include upgrades and repairs. It really does vary widely and any number out there will be vociferously disputed, but if I had to pick a number that represents most ownership costs for a 40-ish foot boat in most popular boating centers, would be $12k-$15k per year.

Theoretically, you could avoid all these costs by anchoring out. In time, the boat would become a derelict with negative value. So the money saved through neglect is offset by diminished value of the asset.

Good luck

Peter