Gonna buy a trailerable "trawler"

[ssobol]

... did not include the outboard in the dry boat weight....

The dry boat weight is usually the weight of the boat after final assembly at the manufacturing plant. IME only things that are built into the structure of the boat are counted in that weight. For example, the weight of the fuel tanks is included, but not anything that would use the fuel from those tanks.

Compared to what normal people think of when discussing a boat's weight, the manufacturer's published dry weight is very "optimistic".

On my boat if you take the published number of all the stuff that it contains (boat, motor, trailer, fuel, batteries, etc). The math still comes out about a 1000# less than it actually weighs. I don't carry 1000# of stuff either to make up the difference. Most people with the same model boat have similar numbers, so it is not just my boat.

 

[Nomad Willy]

David,
Is the OAL from the OB mounts to the end of the stem?
Or put another way is the boat length the WLL + the stem overhang?

 

[DavidM]

I looked up the builder's data:


The OAL from the stem to the back of the bustle is 23' 8". The stem overhang is 9" and the reverse transom on the bustle is about 3" so the LWL is 22' 8".


David

 

[DavidM]

Well, after 6 months of keeping my avatar of my Mainship Pilot 34 long after I sold her last spring, I finally decided to change it to my current boat, an Atlas Boat Works, Pompano 23.

It is my actual boat but the pic was taken before the canvas was added. I won't get any real cruising pics for a few months until I get down to Florida and take her out. Then I will change the avatar to a pic of her in a nice anchorage.

I will also post my experiences of anchoring out overnight with minimal systems: just a small water tank with a hand pump, a porta potti, a solar shower, an ice chest (for beer!) and a camping stove. What more do you need?

David

 

[sunchaser]

Ah, a good choice to get places quickly, whether by trailer or water.

 

[zarathu]

Looks like a nice Downeast Boat....since I live Downeast Maine.

We recently decided we were too old for the hassle of the sailboat, and boat a Pro Sports SeaQuest. It was a good deal since it was one of the last ones made by the company before going belly up in 2009, and this one never got into the water until 2011. Its 21 feet, with a 175 HP engine, cuddy cabin with sleeping for 2 and electric sink. Seats 7, and has a canvas/vinyl cabin.

We looked at the 22 C-Dory and even found one nearby in Maine, but couldn’t justify the cost along with the year fees for maintenance and putting in and out of the water. Besides, we discovered the waves/chop in PNW is rather different that ANE.

Looks like a nice boat.

 

[FlyWright]

Nice looking boat, David! Seems like a perfect fit for your mission!

I've entertained moving to a boat like this in my later years but the lack of facilities makes it a bit too challenging for my expected level of comfort. One of my most relaxing activities aboard (besides the IPA!) is my daily shower in a dry head. I guess I've just gone too soft to go back...but I sure love boats like these.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Well, after 6 months of keeping my avatar of my Mainship Pilot 34 long after I sold her last spring, I finally decided to change it to my current boat, an Atlas Boat Works, Pompano 23.

It is my actual boat but the pic was taken before the canvas was added. I won't get any real cruising pics for a few months until I get down to Florida and take her out. Then I will change the avatar to a pic of her in a nice anchorage.

I will also post my experiences of anchoring out overnight with minimal systems: just a small water tank with a hand pump, a porta potti, a solar shower, an ice chest (for beer!) and a camping stove. What more do you need?

David

Looks like a good move David and we may (quite likely) go the same route but w a smaller OB boat. Have a 19’ Winner but no cabin. Canvas is not cheap but it’s amazing what can be done w it.

I liked your comparison (Mainship 34 to Pompano 23) and it’s amazing how they stack up so parallel. My Winner has too much deadrise and takes too much power. My 60hp Suzuki is a great engine but we’re limited to a light load. Then we get 18 knots or so at about 2gph but that is probably off. I could sell the Winner and get a light (22’ aprox) plywood boat w less (probably far less) deadrise but we’d suffer a hard ride.

Right now I haven’t got much time for boats. Dug up a big setback/permit problem at home. Gotta move carports ect. Bad berries.

 

[DavidM]

Yes, the Mainship Pilot 34 and my new Pompano 23 are both downeaster style boats.

After that, the two diverge drastically. My old Pilot had lots of systems that required care and feeding: a big diesel below decks, a genset, air conditioning, fridge, pressurized hot and cold water, ..... When we kept our boat right outside our house in NC, all of that maintenance was somewhat pleasurable in my retirement, although 80% of the systems were in a cramped engine room and at 71 that was getting hard on the body.

But when we moved to Ct (now spend 6 mo and winter in Fl) we kept her 2-1/2 hours away, so maintenance got to be much more of a real chore than a retirement pass time.

So with the new Pompano I will make some compromises: only stay out for at most two nights, take a solar shower in the cockpit, cook on a portable gas grill, make coffee on a camp stove, and keep the cold stuff on ice. I am expecting that the outboard will be much easier to maintain than the big diesel.

Yes, moving to a smaller, simpler boat results in somewhat less convenience but all in all not much less comfort. Throw in the easier maintenance and I expect the Pompano will be much more comfortable.

Plus I can run the bow up on the beach, fold up the bimini and toss out a fishing line and hop in for a quick lunch or cocktail cruise.

David

 

[Bacchus]

Nice looking boat, David! Seems like a perfect fit for your mission!

I've entertained moving to a boat like this in my later years but the lack of facilities makes it a bit too challenging for my expected level of comfort. One of my most relaxing activities aboard (besides the IPA!) is my daily shower in a dry head. I guess I've just gone too soft to go back...but I sure love boats like these.

David
As usual Al has captured my thoughts better than I might.
I do like the look.
If you are in the market for a compact portable stove take a look at the one burner butane ones. We've had one for years and used it a lot on previous boat w/o a gen... not so much now.

 

[Vashon_Trawler]

Very nice! We seriously contemplated purchasing either the Pompano 23 and the Retro 21 Cape Island Trawler, but I loved all the features of the Pompano.



Enjoy and look forward to seeing more photos!

 

[Nomad Willy]

Don,
Don’t see any reason why a Wabasto can’t be used on a small OB boat.
Obviously one would need some kind of enclosure, “Alaska bulkhead”, soft curtain or whatever to keep the heat in where the people are.
I have an old Espar in my garage and often thought of trying to get it running and put it in my OB.
But they are so small butting them on a small boat is a no-brainer to me.

 

[Bacchus]

Eric
I was responding to Davids comment re campstove. Not really fsmiliar w Webasto or Espar but believe both are heaters. I'll guess David won't need much extra heat in FL.

 

[DavidM]

Yes, if the forecast is below 55 at night I am not going, so no need for heat. When I cruised that area on a sailing catamaran a number of years ago, there was a strong cold front passing through every week or two that drove overnight temps down into the 40s. But day time temps warmed to the mid 60s and within another day or so, the temps were up to the 70s daytime and low 60s at night in February.

I did spend a little time yesterday rummaging through my camping parts and equipment box. I found a beautiful (well not so beautiful with all of the verdigris on it, but well made from solid brass) Weems and Plath oil lamp and a Coleman camp stove:

I cleaned them both up, poured out the 20 YO fuel, refilled and they work fine. I still need to get a solar shower (about $25), a sleeping bag ($35) and maybe a Yeti cooler or a well insulated Igloo and I will be ready to rough it. Note that the lamp and stove only required fifteen minutes of maintenance and it was all at eye level and ten times less work than the last time my stove was on the fritz with the Mainship .

David

 

[Bacchus]

If in need of a good cooler take a look at the Wally World Yeti knockoffs. We picked up one of the mid sized ones and it does keep ice better than the avg coolers. I did have to oder & install a drain as that size didn't come w one.

 

[Nomad Willy]

David,
I just bought a new sleeping bag. It’s not nylon. Outer shell is like canvas (not slippery) and the inside is plad flannel. $50 at Cabella’s. Zipper seems ok so far.

 

[DavidM]

Since I just bought an outboard powered trailerable trawler and it has a sister model that is diesel inboard powered, I thought it might be interesting to compare the two.

The boat is an Atlas Pompano 23 and it has a 70 hp EFI 4 stroke Yanmaha outboard. Its sistership has a 70 hp Yanmar inboard.

The outboard model is a little faster, probably due to the lighter weight of the outboard and the 2' longer waterline of the outboard mount bustle. It will do 18 kts at a wot rpm of 6,000. The inboard model does about 17 kts at a wot of 3,200.

At a cruising speed of 14 kts, the outboard runs at 4,700 rpm and burns about 4 gph. The diesel inboard runs at 2,800 rpm at the same speed and burns about 2.7 gph. So the gas outboard uses 50% more fuel than the diesel inboard, not surprisingly.

Noise is different: high pitch and way behind the helm for the outboard, low pitch and almost below your feet as well as way behind- exhaust noise for the inboard. So the overall effect is similar- tolerable but not great at that speed but not quite as bad as my former Mainship Pilot 34 at that speed.

I am expecting that maintenance will be far easier with the outboard. I will do all work while it is on the trailer, the engine is at eye level and everything, although kind of tight, is accessible with the cowl off. The inboard has a high deck box (more about that later) which makes access decent, but changing an impeller or anything along the sides will be a bitch. That model of the Yanmar diesel is not inter cooled so you don't have the maintenance hassle of that chore.

I plan to use my outboard powered boat no more than 100 hours per year. At that level it requires about $400 per year more fuel than the diesel. Not trivial but won't make or break the purchase decision.

The diesel will last much, much longer than the outboard if maintained right. Running at 2,800 rpm that Yanmar should easily go 10,000 hours. I will be lucky to get 1/3 of that out of the outboard, but I will be long gone by the time I get there, so- so what. Also the outboard can be repowered for about $10,000 with a 4 bolt changeout.

What did break the purchase decision for the diesel inboard was the engine box. It totally destroyed the cockpit with that big box sitting in the middle. That is sort of the nature of the beast with this type of flat deadrise hull shape.

The question of gas vs diesel has been debated a hundred times on this forum and the foregoing comparison just reinforces the preference for gasoline if the boat is less than 30' and you use it less than several hundred hours a year.

David

 

[FlyWright]

Thanks for the comparative analysis, David. In my search for a boat years ago, I came to the same conclusion that 30-32 ft was about the point where the advantages of diesel exceeded the advantages of gasoline. I started looking at 24 footers with a single gas outboard and ended up 10 ft longer with diesel twins.

Having a big doghouse in the middle of a small boat cockpit and limited engine access would make it a no brainer!

 

[twiisted71]

Someone down around Cape Coral had one of the inboards and we'd see it out every so often. I LOVED watching it run. She threw off virtually no spray, it was like watching a hgh speed monohull sailboat!. Of course those soft chines and narrow forefoot meant she'd just as happily shoot through a big wake at speed and deluge the cabin for a second or two!
I mostly saw him when I had my 26 Shamrock and boy was I jealous. At ~16kts (light cruise) I would be burning right at 10 GPH, 350 V8 bellowing, and spray flying. He'd be doing the same speed and where I looked like a waterbuffalo charging a crocodile, he'd look like a pelican gliding a couple inches above the water! Come to think of it, I hated him!

 

[DavidM]

I am a bit surprised that the boat you saw had such a clean wake.


Mine also is clean but the hull shape isn't particularly efficient. It is a shallow v hull with a skeg. The skeg isn't nearly as deep as a "real" downeaster, but it helps with loading on a trailer. I expect that it will help the hull handle medium chop, but I have no illusions of it being an offshore hull.


My new boat is a miniature version of my former Mainship Pilot 34 which I never considered very efficient.



David

 

[twiisted71]

LOL efficiency is in the eye of the beholder!

 

[ted36m]

Congrats on a very good looking boat that should serve you well for intended usage.

I’ve followed your knowledgeable Mainship posts over the years and look forward to your thoughts as you go to simplified outboard life.

Enjoy!

Ted

 

[sunchaser]

As this thread meanders around some fun subjects, here's one. Ocean Alexander is advertising and building (?) a 45' vessel with quad outboards.

 

[DavidM]

Ted: Thanks for your thoughts and reactivating this somewhat old thread.


Having sat at the dealer's for several months a few days ago I moved it to Punta Gorda, Fl where it is in a yard having canvas fitted and bottom job done. Should have her in the water in a few days.


Give me a few weeks to check her out and try an overnight on her and I will report my experiences.


Later, David

 

[FF]

An Aladin kerosene mantle lamp is a great small boat heater.

About 5,000btu on high no noise no smell.


http://aladdinlamps.com/

 

[DavidM]

I put the boat in the water last week and yesterday took a shake down overnighter down to Boca Grande, Fl.

BG is about 25 miles from my dock in Punta Gorda, 5 of which are tediously slow getting out of the canal system. Once out in open water I ran at 15 mph down the harbor (the charts call it Charlotte Harbor but it is a 25 mile long bay). Conditions were calm and the O/B ran at 4,500 rpm out of a max of 6,000.

I anchored in a very protected wide creek in BG behind a golf course with homes and a restaurant on the other side. You drop your anchor in the middle and then back up and tie to the mangroves.

To brag a little, there was a Grand Banks 42 backing up after they had dropped their anchor as I pulled into the anchorage (and only one other boat was in the anchorage). I was anchored and tied down before they could get their aft line tied up. A 23' outboard powered cruiser is very maneuverable.

I stayed on board that night but there are public docks and the Pink Elephant restaurant's private docks right across from where I anchored where I could have gone in for dinner or drinks. I grilled a burger, and sipped some good whiskey until bedtime.

The next morning was a little rough heading back into 12 kts NE winds that kicked up 2' short period seas. A little tough but bearable, but I really wouldn't want to do more in that boat. It was the short period stuff that really makes it tough.

Sorry that I don't have better pics of the boat, just shots of the vista up and down the creek.

All in all a very successful overnighter in a boat that most would say is too small for that kind of stuff.

David

 

[Fletcher500]

As this thread meanders around some fun subjects, here's one. Ocean Alexander is advertising and building (?) a 45' vessel with quad outboards.

I thought OA was out of the mid size boat market and only building larger boats?

 

[FF]

"Zipper seems ok so far."

Purchase a toilet bowl seal at a big box store. $2.00 or $3.00.

Cheapest source of bees wax , and wax the zipper for long no stick use.

 

[WayneZurl]

DavidM...I'm looking at the Pompano 23 (and the Sisu 22) to use in the Mobile Bay area. Now that you've owned your boat for almost 2 years, how do you like it? My big concerns are the relatively narrow beam compared to other "lobster boat" styles and the 30 gallon fuel tank.
We would only be using the boat for inshore day trips and fishing.
Are you still satisfied with the 70 HP motor?
Thanks for your time.

 

[DavidM]

Wayne:

Well, my boat is sort of for sale now. I just sent you a PM. But to answer your questions:

I like it a lot, I just don't use it as much as I thought I would. I can run the boat at 15 mph in up to 15 kts of wind, after which I have to back off. At 20 kts I just won't go. This is in Charlotte Harbor which is a 25 mile long by 5 miles wide bay similar to Mobile Bay but not as wide.

I suspect the Sisu would do about the same but with its wider beam would have more inside room.

Here are some real world numbers at moderate load- 1/2 fuel but only me on board:

2100 rpm 7 mph
4700 rpm 15 mph
5900 rpm (wot) 20 mph

I understand from the dealer who ordered one with the 90 hp Yamaha after he sold me his demo that the 90 will go about 6 mph faster. The 90 hp is weighs almost 100 lbs more but that doesn't seem to be a problem.

Fuel consumption is about 4 gph with 75% at 15 mph and 25% at 7 mph. This lets me make two round trips down Charlotte Harbor, about 100 miles) on one tank of gas.

Watch for a PM with sales info.

David