Contract Signed / New Build Underway

[N4061]

Hello fellow trawler owners / dreamers. I'm excited to share the news that Mary and I have commenced another new build trawler. While our last three boats where Nordhavn's (two new N40's and one used N35) we decided to set a different course this time around.

After a long search which included full-displacement to downeast style boats we decided on proven semi-displacement hull / boat that we plan to use for west coast coastal cruising from the northern Mexico to the San Francisco Bay area until we move the boat to Texas or Florida and experience the ICW up to Maine (a life long dream). Needless to say finding the right boat for this mixed journey required many compromises and I'll be straight forward and say "no boat is perfect". I think it was this thinking that allowed us to explore all the builders, makes and models out there before making our selection.

Over the next few months I plan to share our thought process and why we selected the boat we did, the options and Pro's & Con's in hopes it may help others starting out on their own journey. For now I will confirm the top three items on our list which we found were; quality, safety and surprisingly greatest value. I will go into detail on these plus many other aspects of the boat during future posts and look forward to sharing thoughts with other.

In closing I will admit that leaving Nordhavn was not an easy decision but since they didn't offer the size / type of boat we needed we knew it was time to move on and find a builder that could meet or exceed our very high standards. We found this builder and boat at Waterline Boats (Seattle) and the boat is called Helmsman 38PH.

One last note is that Scott at Waterline is allowing us to customize the boat the way we want it and plans to incorporate many of our ideas / enhancements into future builds. We couldn't be more excited about builder our next boat. Did I mention the boat offers (standard) a real engine room access door? To me this is a sign of well thought out and true medium range cruising boat.

John & Maria

 

[She-Kon]

Congratulations John & Maria

Looking forward to seeing your project as it progresses.

Cheers

Rick

 

[keb]

Congratulations John and Maria, I know it has been a long road to this point! One that I'm sure will turn into a great new adventure. Out of curiousity, what is the build time estimate?

 

[FlyWright]

That's a well thought out boat with lots of room and features. Windmist had one a few years back that I rode on for a short refueling run. Nice pilothouse and helm seat. Nice day head with the walk-in ER access door. Good access to lines for docking, too. His had an articulated rudder that acted like a stern thruster.

I'll be following your build with great interest. Congrats, John!

 

[menzies]

Remember, buy high, sell low!

 

[Larry M]

Our best wishes to the both of you. We can't imagine the precess you took just to get to here. Let the journey begin. This thread is already listed as a favorite.

 

[MYTraveler]

The specs are impressive indeed. And unless there are a bunch of hidden charges, an outstanding value as well. Congrats!

 

[markpierce]

Am very interested in seeing the drawings/design of the boat, as well as photographs documenting the boat's construction. I enjoy observing others achieving their dreams.

 

[Sailor of Fortune]

Congrats, kids ! Very exciting, enjoy the journey!

 

[CPseudonym]

Awesome John, exciting times ahead.

 

[N4061]

Build Time

Congratulations John and Maria, I know it has been a long road to this point! One that I'm sure will turn into a great new adventure. Out of curiousity, what is the build time estimate?

Build time is approximately six months. Word is starting to get out on the Helmsman line including the unbelievable work Scott did with the original Camino 31 thus the new boat order book is starting to fill up.

John

 

[windmist]

Build time is approximately six months. Word is starting to get out on the Helmsman line including the unbelievable work Scott did with the original Camino 31 thus the new boat order book is starting to fill up.

John

That's what they told me when I ordered my Mariner 37 (same boat) and 14 months later it finally arrived. You however, will be dealing with Scott - one of the most honest brokers out there and I know he will do all he can to meet your expectations. I had to deal with the previous broker, probably the most dishonest liar I ever came across in the boat business.

Good luck John. I remember talking to you a few years ago. You should have bought my boat!!!

Hope you ordered side doors. They really make a difference.

 

[Insequent]

John
Congrats, hope it turns out as you hope. Six months will be amazing if it can be done, but of course time is money so if they are able to do it its a win for all.

 

[N4061]

Build Time

That's what they told me when I ordered my Mariner 37 (same boat) and 14 months later it finally arrived. You however, will be dealing with Scott - one of the most honest brokers out there and I know he will do all he can to meet your expectations. I had to deal with the previous broker, probably the most dishonest liar I ever came across in the boat business.

Good luck John. I remember talking to you a few years ago. You should have bought my boat!!!

Hope you ordered side doors. They really make a difference.

h

I'm aware of some of the issues with the previous importer and what some buyers had in the past. As you mentioned, Scott has done a great job working the yard, establishing expectations and delivering on his word. A few changes at the yard have proven beneficial to all parties and their track record (which I have been following) has been about 6 months per boat.

Scott or his representative visit the yard and accepts each boat prior to it shipping to the states which has also improved the process. I had the opportunity last month to go aboard the latest new 38PH and was very impressed with the level of quality and attention to detail found through-out the boat. I believe Scott found himself a real diamond in the rough with this yard. I only hope that Scott can manage to keep the business on the small side and not let the potential for growth change the culture he offers to each and every buyer which we all seen with other successful builders.

John

John

 

[twistedtree]

Cool. Where is it built?

 

[N4061]

Build Location

Cool. Where is it built?

A smaller yard in China on the coast. If you go on the Helmsman Trawler Facebook page you will see some pictures on the most recent built boat that is being shipped over this month. You can see a few pictures of the yard and surrounding industrial park. Very clean and well organized. Reminds me of the early days with Nordhavn.

An interesting note that shows the extra steps taken to protect the boats is the use of shrink wrapping. I know when we had our two Nordhavn's shipped to San Diego they were not protected from the elements and were covered with salt and soot from the freighter. On one boat someone left a PH window open just enough it left a mess and almost ruined some the teak wood. It will be nice to see the boat arrive clean this time

John

 

[MYTraveler]

Build time is approximately six months.

Don't make the mistake I made -- my boat's construction took substantially longer than expected, so by the time it was finally "ready" for delivery, I accepted it based on the manufacturer's advice that, even though work remained to be done, none of it was "significant", so I should take the boat on an extended shake-down cruise and then bring it back for "fine tuning". In retrospect, I would have been better off insisting that everything be 100% before delivery. My mistake (one of many).

 

[GFC]

Congratulations. I'm anxious to see your thread about the construction.

 

[Moonstruck]

Yep, following the build process should be interesting. With Matt leaving TF, Fernando's project finished, Rick's Canadian building over and Ted's refit winding up we need something to satisfy our need for vicarious boat building. Thanks for taking us along on the process. I am very interested in seeing the changes that you plan to introduce.

 

[timjet]

Wow, what a beautiful boat. Gotta order the generator and the upper stearing station will get a work out when you're on the ICW. Love that engine choice too. Get a fortress anchor for the Chesapeake and it'll be a great spare elsewhere.

 

[Phyrcooler]

Envious!

Yep, following the build process should be interesting. With Matt leaving TF, Fernando's project finished, Rick's Canadian building over and Ted's refit winding up we need something to satisfy our need for vicarious boat building. Thanks for taking us along on the process. I am very interested in seeing the changes that you plan to introduce.

Yup! Vicariously living through you!!

 

[N4061]

Stabilization

Thanks everyone for your kind words on our new project.

I thought I would post something related to our most difficult decision with this new build - stabilization. Since I wanted this boat to be simpler, I struggled with every "system" we considered installing especially stabilization. I figured we have three options; Active Fin Stabilization, Gyro and good old fashion speed. Our experiences with Wesmar and Trac Active Fin stabilizers on our N40's were both positive and to be honest spoiled us. Recognizing that this type of system with 4' fins would create drag on a semi-displacement hull of this size I had to quickly rule them out. Our next option was a Gyro system and Seakeeper was willing to work with Scott and I to be the first boat with their system. While there is enough room in the ER to accommodate one of their smaller systems in the end I decided against this technology. My main reason was the need to have the generator running every time we needed the stabilizers and thus creating a more complex boat. Possibly in time when Seakeeper can design a unit that runs off the inverter using just the engine alternator. For now we plan to use the hull design for greater initial stability and various speeds to make the ride as comfortable as possible. On the west coast, our experiences have been that we didn't need stabilizers about 50% of the time we were out. I only hope that percent increases with the weather gods in the future. When I spoke with two previous Nordhavn owners who took their Helmsman 38PH's to Alaska they told me they had no hesitations and they would watch the weather a little closer. Here's to praying for calm seas.

John T

 

[cardude01]

If I was having a new boat built I would definitely include installing stabilization now instead of possibly being sorry I didn't have it later, and then having to retrofit it at a greater expense.

What about a simple paravane system?

 

[Capt.Bill11]

If I was having a new boat built I would definitely include installing stabilization now instead of possibly being sorry I didn't have it later, and then having to retrofit it at a greater expense.

I agree. I think they will regret that decision. And fins should not add much drag, even at displacement speeds.

 

[N4061]

Soft Goods Selection Process

One of the easier decisions when building a new boat is the selection of soft goods such as granite (standard), leather (optional) and lighting fixtures (standard). While we had to make our selections today from photo's of many samples, we didn't have any problems due to computer technology allowing for enlargement of photo's. Having been down this road a few times before also aided in the process. The other option would have been for Scott at Waterline Boats to mail the samples to us which he was willing to do.

The balance of soft good items (carpet, window coverings and bed spreads) will take place after the boat arrives. Mary will work with our designer Jeddy from Jeddy's Interior in Dana Point, CA. Jeddy did our all our Nordhavn's and we would recommend him to anyone looking for quality.

Window tint is something we learned should be done at the factory. We ended up tinting all three previous boats salon windows post delivery and while they turned out nice, this time around we want the windows to come with factory tinted medium dark.

Exterior canvas will wait until the boat is delivered and we decide which direction we want to go. While folding canvas tops are the most likely approach we are talking about a custom hard top of sort over the flybridge seating area. We will need to look at costs associated with this "nice to have".

That about covers the soft goods and this part of the process.

John

 

[MYTraveler]

I thought I would post something related to our most difficult decision with this new build - stabilization.

You may find that you wish you had stabilization, but adding either active fin or Seakeeper after delivery is especially expensive. If it were me, I would at least have the hull reinforcements put in place for active fin. That way, if you change your mind, it won't be nearly as big a deal to retro-fit.

 

[N4061]

Stabilization Preperation

You may find that you wish you had stabilization, but adding either active fin or Seakeeper after delivery is especially expensive. If it were me, I would at least have the hull reinforcements put in place for active fin. That way, if you change your mind, it won't be nearly as big a deal to retro-fit.

We acknowledge the cost trade off between installation of large systems during the build process and aftermarket. Like having a generator foundation and through hulls installed for a future installation. We do plan to have the hull structure enhanced for future fins just in case. Great point.

 

[Art]

Much looking forward to learn more about your new boat build! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Carolena]

Subscribed! And congratulations! This model is on our short list of next boats (along with a larger Nordic Tug). Really looking forward to following along and glad that although you are leaving the Nordhavn Dreamers list, you will be sharing here.

 

[twistedtree]

John, it would be interesting to hear how you selected this boat over other similar size boats. Nordic and American Tug come mind, and I'm sure a number of others.