48' US Navy Trawler

[Kwajdiver]

1955 US Navy Trawler Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

This trawler is posted on Yacht World. Believe it to be a new listing.
Tell me what you think, rip it apart if you must.
What I'm seeing;

A good DD 971
Huge aft deck for scuba diving and drinking. (Not at the same time)
Large fuel tanks. Would this boat get two miles to a gallon?
Small holding tank,,, really 12 gallons, can that be correct?
What about the wood hull, how much of a problem is that?
Has an extra gen set,,,,
Can it cross the Pacific?

Looking forward to your repies,

Bill W.

 

[FF]

Looks to me like someone purchases a navy launch , and built up the hull to the boat you see.

Weather they did a great job to create an offshore vessel would require a NA survey , not a condition survey.

Simplest is to ask a question , How thick is the glass in the deck house?

If its 1/4in glass the boat should go in blue water as deck cargo , 3/4 might be key to take a look at the rest of the boat.

My avatar is a later GRP Navy 50 Utility , many have been built up to great cruisers , but even with the superb hull construction , they are very hard to turn into a blue water boat.

 

[RickB]

Offer $25K

 

[motion30]

Its wood unless you are young and want to spend all your free time in upkeep then do not make an offer

 

[Nomad Willy]

I don't think being young has much to do w most boat maint. Granted I don't sand or scrape much of the bottom of my boat anymore and cramped space in the engine compartment gives my old body some arthritic pain but generally speaking maint should have little to do w age HOWEVER .... I'm only 72.

Re this boat the wood factor is dependent on condition. If the boat needs to be refastened that's a fairly big negative. I would buy most any wood boat in excellent condition. Don't even offer $10 until you've got a good survey to work with. If the survey comes out iffy consider the damaged parts. Wood boats are made up of many pieces of wood parts and any one can be replaced. Some planks are very easy to replace but others deep in the keel or "deadwood" can be very difficult to replace. It would also help if the boat was made of wood that is commonly available. Get a surveyor that specializes in wood const.

 

[Art]

Howdy and Ahoy!

I recommend before you purchase a BIG old wood boat that you read this entire thread titled: " I'm about to start a project on an older Chris Craft"... the link is below: "

Be SURE to see the rot repair pictures on pgs 1 thru 4. Now, I'm not saying that the Navy boat you are looking at is in same condition - BUT - You'd best make sure it isn't before purchase... or you'll enter into a world of hurt!

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s32/im-about-start-project-older-chriscraft-6833.html

Good Luck! - Art

 

[El Sea]

Before buying a wood hull boat, try working for free on a friends boat - non-stop.

 

[Nomad Willy]

El Sea,
I'd much rather work on a wood hull than a rotten cored deck of a FG boat. And anybody buying any boat should do so w their eyes wide open and having through surveys done irregardless of what the boat was built of. And usually wood boats are worth fixing because in the end you'll have a better boat. Lighter, stronger, better looking, more efficient, quieter and subject to less vibration. Some people think anything that is more modern is better but I will admit there is more painting to be done on a wood boat. But lots of people actually like painting boats. Marin says he does but then he covers up his wood even while cruising?????? I like painting to a degree but prepping is kind of a drag. But for most things (except painting) a wood boat is a better boat.

 

[El Sea]

Guru,

I like the look of wood and admire those that have the heart to maintain a classic woody. But you have to admit it requires a very strong commitment.

 

[Marin]

Marin says he does but then he covers up his wood even while cruising??????

I think I've answered this before, Eric. We keep our exterior teak covered most of the time because the boat lives in the weather and my schedule doesn't give me the kind of time needed to refinish a lot of the exterior teak properly. Some years I don't get much of a chance to work on it at all. For example between now and Christmas I'm scheduled to go to four different countries around the world. I'll be home for about seven days total between Nov 3 and Christmas.

Add to this the often rainy weather here and our opportunities to properly strip, prep, and finish exterior teak are not many. Maybe I'll get one or two coats of finish on a piece and then not have a chance to do any more for a year. Smaller pieces like grab rails I try to take off and take home to properly refinish. But handrails, caprails, bow pulpit, transom etc. don't lend themselves to being taken home.

So for now we do what we can to either preserve the too-little finish we've had a chance to put on or forestall any further deterioration of exterior teak in the weather. Hence the covers, which we usually do take off for our longer cruise each year. But for our weekend cruises to the islands throughout the year it's not worth the time and effort to take all the covers off and put them back on the next day or the day after.

I really enjoy working with the wood and if I had the time to properly deal with it---- heat stripping, finish sanding, three or four coats of CPES followed by ten coats of Bristol--- we'd have no need for the covers. There are some pieces of wood on the boat--- antenna mounting blocks and other things I've made--- that were given this treatment ten years ago and have not had to be touched since and they have no covers on them ever. These pieces are why I know Bristol is superior to any other bright finish on the market, at least in this climate.

So even if we wanted to pay to put the boat in a boathouse for a month or whatever to do all the exterior wood properly, I don't have the time. After I retire, maybe. But not now and not for the next several years. So we use the covers as a way of protecting what we've got until the day comes we have the time to do a piece or a section properly.

If people don't like the look of the covers, tough noogies. We don't either, particularly in that color. We do it so we don't create even more work for ourselves up the road.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Sorry Marin ... I really didn't mean to pick on you. And I'm glad you like do'in the work.

We had a covered slip in LaConner and will go back there when we're through doing the maint work at Latitude Marine. Then we plan to put new windows in and much else when we're back under cover. We may spend a good part of the summer working on the boat. Wish we had a FG "no-maint" boat.

 

[Kwajdiver]

Gents,

Thank for the comments. No one wants to guess what the fuel usage would be...?

I've ask the broker for more information. I sure like the aft deck, cover that and install a dive compressor and tank holders, I'd be in business.

Anyway, have ask, when it was last refastened. Among other things. I would never purchase a boat without a survey. Remember, I'm a newbie. Have not a clue what I'm doing here...... LOL

Bill

 

[Art]

Gents,

Thank for the comments. No one wants to guess what the fuel usage would be...?

I've ask the broker for more information. I sure like the aft deck, cover that and install a dive compressor and tank holders, I'd be in business.

Anyway, have ask, when it was last refastened. Among other things. I would never purchase a boat without a survey. Remember, I'm a newbie. Have not a clue what I'm doing here...... LOL

Bill

Bill - Off the cuff, a pure guesstimate/estimate... 2.5 to 3 gph at below hull speed, let's say 6 knots through the water speed (land speeds depend on current speeds and tide direction). You need a real good marine surveyor and marine mechanic. Be careful of info/opinions from a broker... especially if he is listing the boat for sale.

 

[Art]

Sorry Marin ... I really didn't mean to pick on you. And I'm glad you like do'in the work.

We had a covered slip in LaConner and will go back there when we're through doing the maint work at Latitude Marine. Then we plan to put new windows in and much else when we're back under cover. We may spend a good part of the summer working on the boat. Wish we had a FG "no-maint" boat.

Eric - May I respectfully recommend Tollycraft... with no wood on its exterior!

Lowest maintenance, sturdiest, best laid out, and most fun to play with "cruiser" boats I've found. OK, "Trawler" if you must! lol - Art

 

[markpierce]

Sometimes, one must start nearly from scratch.

(Bird-class sailboat)

 

[markpierce]

Eric - May I respectfully recommend Tollycraft... with no wood on its exterior!

All the wood on the steel (no wood core) Coot is interior.

 

[FF]

Weather the hull is wood GRP steel is of no importance if the boat is not suitable for the voyages required.

3 GPH would be a good guess , and with 4000 mile legs required an extra 10% over empty tanks is required.

4000 miles at 6 K would be 500 hours of motoring.

That 1500 gal , plus an extra 150 for contingencies.

My navy launch was built with 2 - 100G tanks , a long way from 1650G.

 

[Art]

All the wood on the steel (no wood core) Coot is interior.

Verrrry pretty Coot, Mark!

On last pict - my family raises a cup-o-Joe to you!

No wood on Tolly exterior except a white painted 1" x 4" trim-post at slider door front.

 

[Nomad Willy]

So what your'e saying Mark is that the parent material is unacceptable so you need to add lots of weight (in the form of wood) to the boat to make it pretty enough to be acceptable. Same can be said of lots of FG boats so it's no wonder they are so heavy. My cabin is sheathed in 3/4" plywood to attain enough strength to be acceptable. But FG and steel is considerably heavier than wood w/o the wood reinforcement or trim so they pay twice the penalty.

Wood boats are better in this regard.

 

[motion30]

No can question that wood is a strong material for boat building, we have sailed wooden ship for A 1000years . The fact still remains upkeep on a wood especially an OLD wood boat requires many hours and energy To me , no where near worth it

 

[Nomad Willy]

I hear you motion30.
Your FG boat says that too.
They say Americans are workaholics but they clearly don't like working on their own things. Look at consumer reports on cars. They report on the frequency of problems paying no attention to the severity of the problems. In other words just how inconvenient are they. There's no report on how difficult they are to repair either. Just "how often do they have a problem".
I wonder what the biggest reason the wood boat fell out of popularity? It's either the maint issue or the labor intensive element of boat manufacture. Of course it's both but what was the biggest reason?
Still if I was halving a new boat built for me it would probably be wood. But I'm sure I could buy a FG one cheaper or bigger.

 

[Kwajdiver]

A lot to take in. What I do gather, is wood is harder to take care of. Some of these old girls are really pretty.

Thank you for all the input.
Bill

 

[DavidM]

Let me weigh in on seaworthiness and fuel economy.

In addition to Fred's comment about glass thickness, you need to think about the beefiness of the superstructure. From the pictures I see lots of window area and not a lot of beef around them. Also IMO I wouldn't take any non ballasted trawler across the Atlantic. That boat would need tons of ballast to make it suitable. Remember it was designed as a harbor launch and now has much more weight up top.

Fuel economy should be in the three gph range and that should give you 7 kts which is well below hull speed. So a transatlantic passage is theoretically possible, but read above again.

I am puzzled why the person who converted her to a trawler put such big fuel tanks in. Maybe he addressed the problems noted above. But maybe not.

David

 

[charles]

Bill.
First, I had a wood boat, 40 ft, quality built, twin GM 6V53s and I would not do it again, PERIOD.
Plus a freind had a 50 ft wood sail boat with a GM 3 53 his boat was next to mine for years, so I can attest to the amount of work and expensive work required even if doing it yourself. As one said, just finding materials is a job and expensive. Dont even contemplate paying someone to do it, if you can even find a boat carpenter.
Hey, this is my EXPERIENCE and as always YMMV
The engine is bullet proof but the wood, and the pics indicate that a "quick sloppy" paint job was done to the boat, my observation only, for the sale?

 

[Art]

Howdy and Ahoy!

I recommend before you purchase a BIG old wood boat that you read this entire thread titled: " I'm about to start a project on an older Chris Craft"... the link is below: "

Be SURE to see the rot repair pictures on pgs 1 thru 4. Now, I'm not saying that the Navy boat you are looking at is in same condition - BUT - You'd best make sure it isn't before purchase... or you'll enter into a world of hurt!

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s32/im-about-start-project-older-chriscraft-6833.html

Good Luck! - Art

Just for S&G I recommend you again visit the link above, and be very careful to read the all posts from Steve, i.e. “Scary”. Since I originally posted my precaution onto this thread Scary has come a long way in WOOD ROT repairs, with even more great picts now posted. As Steve mentions... “At last the final planks are in. Just two new Gunnels and Spray Rails and we get to start on the bottom refastening.” I know from personal experience that this added task could run into even more tens of thousands$$$ (depending on many "bottom" conditions)... in addition to the tens of thousands$$$ already incurred from WOOD ROT and its FASTENER repairs on hull sides and adjoining gunnels/decks. Then thousands$$$ more in repainting entire craft.

Long and short of big ol’ wood boats... work/money, work/money, work/money... then of course deep love for your craft for a while until you too soon again renter into work/money, work/money. It becomes a hate love relationship. BTW, in New England states during 1960’s and 70’s I worked with shipwrights in boat yards repairing and restoring wooden boats. My family had wood boats. I well understand what Scary is accomplishing and I know of what I speak.

My recommendation is for you to search Yachtworld and other sales venue to locate a real good condition older FG vessel. Tollycraft / Uniflite / Hatteras / Bertram / Chris Craft... to mention a few builders of high repute and known construction quality. There are deals to be had due to economic conditions. Don’t be afraid to offer low on any boat... it will surprise you what people will accept, some simply want to get out from underneath a vessel they no longer use... worst you can get is a no from the owner. Then simply keep looking. Most important item to keep in mind of originally good quality builders’ older boats is the previous owner’s maintenance schedule and the current condition of all boat portions. When you find one that really seems like a boat you want to own be sure to have it checked fully by a reputable marine surveyor and reputable marine mechanic. That is more than worth the money in the short run and long run of owning any boat – via their reports you pretty much know what you’re getting into! Also, be sure to be right there with both “boat condition checkers” as they perform the task and ask as many questions as you can think of. Carry clip board for placing items they say... just remember, they work for you; you are paying them and have every right to make them work for their money.

Happy Boating Daze! - Art

 

[FF]

What I do gather, is wood is harder to take care of.

Harder in 2 ways , the paint and seals must be 100% perfect / 100% of the time.

There can never be delay between a leak and its repair.

Otherwise the boat dissolves in "dry rot".

The skill set to replace a piece of the boat like a holed plank is far higher than a mere GRP repair.

The easiest is steel, chop and weld , but steel comes with many other hassles.

SOLID GRP is probably best for someone that does not wish to spend years developing repair skills , and just go cruising.

 

[Art]

What I do gather, is wood is harder to take care of.

Harder in 2 ways , the paint and seals must be 100% perfect / 100% of the time.

There can never be delay between a leak and its repair.

Otherwise the boat dissolves in "dry rot".

The skill set to replace a piece of the boat like a holed plank is far higher than a mere GRP repair.

The easiest is steel, chop and weld , but steel comes with many other hassles.

SOLID GRP is probably best for someone that does not wish to spend years developing repair skills , and just go cruising.

Fred - SOOO Correct! - Art

 

[Phil Fill]

1955 US Navy Trawler Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

This trawler is posted on Yacht World. Believe it to be a new listing.
Tell me what you think, rip it apart if you must.
What I'm seeing;

A good DD 971
Huge aft deck for scuba diving and drinking. (Not at the same time)
Large fuel tanks. Would this boat get two miles to a gallon?
Small holding tank,,, really 12 gallons, can that be correct?
What about the wood hull, how much of a problem is that?
Has an extra gen set,,,,
Can it cross the Pacific?

Looking forward to your repies,

Bill W.

Unless you are going to ship the boat, most of the boat that you are looking at and price range will have the range and stability. As mentioned before for your price and range the best is to look at commercial, a commercial that been converted to pleasure or a pleasure built on/in a commercial hull/builder. Maybe looking at sail boat and/or motor sailor as they have stability and range. Also if you are going to ship then under 40 ft L X 12 ft and as a low as possible.


At least buy a boat that can be maintained in your area.
The size, weight and what the boat is made of depends a lot on what service and yard capacity/capability are on Marshall Island.

 

[ancora]

Reminds me of John Wayne's boat the "Wild Goose" a former navy mine sweeper. No matter how much money he put into it, it was never a "luxury yacht."

 

[RickB]

No matter how much money he put into it, it was never a "luxury yacht."

That statement leads me to believe you have never been on either type.

Those converted wooden minesweepers made beautiful yachts with interiors that few modern production yachts - even the 50 meter and over boats - seldom match.

They make superb PNW boats because of seakeeping, material characteristics, and the style in which they were usually converted and decorated by people who appreciated the beauty of the materials, climate, and geography.

They don't "work" any better cruising the Riviera than a 50 meter Italian go fast jet boat works cruising SE Alaska.

The only boats I have ever been on to match them in character and decor are large custom built Dutch yachts with owners in the "old money" fraternity who have as much taste as cash to invest in their boats.