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Old 12-31-2015, 05:17 AM   #141
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The next bargain trawler type boats...

Will be outboards. There has been a tiny bit of action here and there, but no reason for there not to be more, especially with the added hp of today's outboards. Tremendous money savings with the added benefit of space savings.
On the Great Harbour blog, they indicated the new Transportable Trawler (TT) will be powered by outboards and cited two 60Hp 4 stroke Suzuki's. They claim it will get at least 3Mpgs at 15 knots.

Three of TT's are in production now and they want to have them ready for the fall boat shows. They are looking for 3 owners to buy and participate in promotional activities. Unfortunately and maybe due to competitive reason, they haven't published the specs.

Great Harbour Trawlers - Great Harbour blog
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Old 12-31-2015, 07:56 AM   #142
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On the Great Harbour blog, they indicated the new Transportable Trawler (TT) will be powered by outboards and cited two 60Hp 4 stroke Suzuki's. They claim it will get at least 3Mpgs at 15 knots.

Three of TT's are in production now and they want to have them ready for the fall boat shows. They are looking for 3 owners to buy and participate in promotional activities. Unfortunately and maybe due to competitive reason, they haven't published the specs.

Great Harbour Trawlers - Great Harbour blog
I read most of the link; reviewed it in total - TY for providing. Impressive design thoughts and user potentials. Looking forward to hear more about the GHT TT's as the concept unfolds and their three test package TT's get used in marine conditions. Imagine there "might" be a sizable market-place for sales if most of what is mentioned becomes reality.

Short of it would be nice to be able to trailer "when desired"... I'm remain quite attached to our classic sea going and gunk hole capable hull design, comfortably livable accommodations, wet storage Tollycraft.

On different levels of my life's doings there were times when I was towing small, medium, and some very large units down the roads. Soooo... 6K lb. anticipated TT boat dry weight with a trailer weight of some 2K lb., and approx. 2K lb. gear-load = 10K lbs. (5 tons - seemingly minimum tow weight). With a length of 33' +/- behind the 20' + tow rig = 50' + going down any road. Doable for sure... but, I don't believe too many general vacationers would want to be responsible for handling that scope of a tow-unit-package. Additionally, the motorized tow rig for that considerable mass and length needs to be one heck of a stout truck or van; surely all wheel drive for handling any launch-ramp needs/conditions. A new towing rig's cost would be in $75 to $100 K + range. Additionally, what else would you do with that big tow rig?? Simply park it... till next boat use is desired.

Main concerns I see for often-times users of a TT is the launch, retrieve, and storage circumstances. For a "trailer" boat that size at ramps (if a ramp conducive to its easy launch/retrieve is can be located) there will be considerable time and effort spent on both the in and out sequences. As well, once out of water what do you do with a 5 ton 30 + foot long mass attached to a great big tow rig?? Matter of fact... what do you do with the entire tow package (20' + truck and 30' + trailer = 50' +) for parking them while out in the water for days or weeks. And, once back on the trailer... Do you... place it in open field dry storage at a marina that has acceptable boat ramp and then take time to cover the boat when leaving, until next-time usage, so field dust does not cover it inside and out, or, do you take it home and park it in your massive driveway so that neighbors don't complain??

I don't mean to shoot holes in a "pocket trawler boat" such as Great Harbor's TT... but reality concerning all usage parameters concerning a tow behind boat is just that - REALITY!!

The three boat TT tests that Great Harbor is planning to accomplish seems to concern water use only; that is all well and good. But, if the TT boat and all its needs for towing down the road are simply too big a hurdle for the general boat user... then TT's market may shrink to a minimum size.

Good luck Great Harbor Trawlers - I wish you the best luck. With interest, I will be reading about your TT boats while relaxing on the bridge of our Tollycraft!

Happy "Trailer-Trawler" Boat Design Daze! - Art
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Old 12-31-2015, 08:42 AM   #143
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Trawlers are heavy and slow boats.
Trailer boats are small and light. The opposite of trawlers.
Having a trawler is vouge now .. so vouge there's many boaters about calling their boats trawlers despite the fact that there's nothing trawler-like about them. Trawlers are the new cool and everybody wants to be cool of course. A sea of trawler wannabies. But unless they are quite heavy they just arent trawlers. Sea Dory started calling their OB camper cruisers " trailerable trawlers" just to popularize their brand just like GH is attempting to do but it didn't make them trawlers then and it dosn't now. Outboard trawlering is a wannabie world .. connected to the real world but only by a thread.

When he first came on to TF Art tried very hard to get us to accept his Tollycraft Cruiser as a trawler. Much was said and it eventially became obvious it just wasn't so. By that time we knew we couldn't do w/o Art and he realized we had accepted him and he's been a treasured member ever since. But his Cruiser is still a Cruiser. And if Art's Tolly isn't a trawler no OB even comes close.

In their masked parade GH may sell a few more boats but I don't see a revolution comming.
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Old 12-31-2015, 08:55 AM   #144
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Trawlers are heavy and slow boats.
Trailer boats are small and light. The opposite of trawlers.
Having a trawler is vouge now .. so vouge there's many boaters about calling their boats trawlers despite the fact that there's nothing trawler-like about them. Trawlers are the new cool and everybody wants to be cool of course. A sea of trawler wannabies. But unless they are quite heavy they just arent trawlers. Sea Dory started calling their OB camper cruisers " trailerable trawlers" just to popularize their brand just like GH is attempting to do but it didn't make them trawlers then and it dosn't now. Outboard trawlering is a wannabie world .. connected to the real world but only by a thread.

When he first came on to TF Art tried very hard to get us to accept his Tollycraft Cruiser as a trawler. Much was said and it eventially became obvious it just wasn't so. By that time we knew we couldn't do w/o Art and he realized we had accepted him and he's been a treasured member ever since. But his Cruiser is still a Cruiser. And if Art's Tolly isn't a trawler no OB even comes close.

In their masked parade GH may sell a few more boats but I don't see a revolution comming.
Yo Eric - - > Wo, Pony Wo - That's maybe your perception... but it's just not so!

From the gate I have always said that the word Trawler, as used for pleasure boating, is a non-starter. I've always said that I currently own and have always owned "Pleasure Boats" or "Cabin Cruisers" I often distinctly added that out Tolly is not to be considered as a "Trawler".

And that, in my opinion, the word "Trawler" in regard to pleasure crafts is simply a marketing hype.

Even Marin and I agree on this point! - LOL Come on Marin... chime in here to help get Eric' memory back in line!
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Old 12-31-2015, 08:57 AM   #145
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Originally Posted by Donsan View Post
On the Great Harbour blog, they indicated the new Transportable Trawler (TT) will be powered by outboards and cited two 60Hp 4 stroke Suzuki's. They claim it will get at least 3Mpgs at 15 knots.

Three of TT's are in production now and they want to have them ready for the fall boat shows. They are looking for 3 owners to buy and participate in promotional activities. Unfortunately and maybe due to competitive reason, they haven't published the specs.

Great Harbour Trawlers - Great Harbour blog
Just for clarity here, GH calls it a "transportable trawler" and not a "trailerable trawler" even though a trailer is being provided with the first three boats. Also, the Ranger R-27, which is billed as a trailerable boat is almost 1000 pounds more than the preliminary numbers provided by GH and the R-29 adds weight to that. The main question I have is can GH really build a 30+' boat at 6000 pounds?
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Old 12-31-2015, 09:04 AM   #146
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Did adding the words "Swift Trawler " help Beneteau's sales? Assuredly. Some owners even joined TF!

Interesting to note how many brands are popularly deemed trawlers, but never advertise themselves as one. We joined TF too.

Go figure.
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Old 12-31-2015, 09:07 AM   #147
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You can build light. When I built my 38, I paid no particular attention to minimizing weight, using plywood for bulkheads, adding extra beef to the longitudinals, and using double the glass in structurally inportant areas. Boat came out to 12500lb in light config, about 14000 typical cruising load.

If I used minimal structure, minimal glass, used foam for bkhds and interior, used a 1200lb engine instead of a 2200lb engine, skipped the 400lb gennie.... I could get the weight down to probably 9000lb. Scale wise, that would put it close to GH and their 6000.

It costs money to save weight. Both the materials are more expensive and more man hours.
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Old 12-31-2015, 09:26 AM   #148
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"Trawler" in vogue? Only with a very narrow demographic. Certainly not with most of the trailering group, although perhaps with some who would like to be able to have it transported to different bodies of water. Trailering has really dropped in popularity in the last 15 years except on various fishing boats where they want to explore different bodies of water and likely own large pickup trucks as well. Fishermen will go to the trouble. The average family with the runabout finds themselves using the boat far less as time goes on.

A boat of the general size of the new Swift Trawler 30 could easily be made to operate on outboards. Even several size larger ST's could.

Outboards have many of the benefits of pods without some of the drawbacks. On a smaller boat they have the added benefit of not taking up space inside the boat.
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Old 12-31-2015, 10:42 AM   #149
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I like outboards even better than trawlers.
But that dosn't make Ob's trawlers.
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Old 12-31-2015, 10:54 AM   #150
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"Trawler" in vogue? Only with a very narrow demographic.
Coincidentally, I signed up on Pinterest yesterday. You have to pick 5 topic areas. Trawler? Nada. Powerboat? Same. Not sure what I did but now I'm getting pontoon boats. Ugh.


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Old 12-31-2015, 11:30 AM   #151
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I like outboards even better than trawlers.
But that dosn't make Ob's trawlers.
It does if an outboard boat is rigged with trawl gear, Eric.
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Old 12-31-2015, 11:45 AM   #152
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You can build light. When I built my 38, I paid no particular attention to minimizing weight, using plywood for bulkheads, adding extra beef to the longitudinals, and using double the glass in structurally inportant areas. Boat came out to 12500lb in light config, about 14000 typical cruising load.

If I used minimal structure, minimal glass, used foam for bkhds and interior, used a 1200lb engine instead of a 2200lb engine, skipped the 400lb gennie.... I could get the weight down to probably 9000lb. Scale wise, that would put it close to GH and their 6000.

It costs money to save weight. Both the materials are more expensive and more man hours.
The other thing to consider is that the tow ratings of even a new 1/2 ton pick up are much higher than they were even 10 years ago. You can option a F150/1500 to tow over 10k pounds. Would you want to tow it every week - probably not - hell I wouldn't want to tow a 3k boat that often not because of the towing but because of the ramp hassle and time suck. However, if we are talking about towing once in a while to move from one cruising ground to the other that it a whole different animal - and a modern F150 is more than civilized enough to act as a daily driver. You can even cheat on the beam a bit because the permit for a slightly oversized load is pretty easy and cheap to get in most states (nor are you likely to get cited if you failed to get the permit).
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Old 12-31-2015, 11:52 AM   #153
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Coincidentally, I signed up on Pinterest yesterday. You have to pick 5 topic areas. Trawler? Nada. Powerboat? Same. Not sure what I did but now I'm getting pontoon boats. Ugh.


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Try ski boat. lol. Or wakeboarding.
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Old 12-31-2015, 11:56 AM   #154
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The other thing to consider is that the tow ratings of even a new 1/2 ton pick up are much higher than they were even 10 years ago. You can option a F150/1500 to tow over 10k pounds. Would you want to tow it every week - probably not - hell I wouldn't want to tow a 3k boat that often not because of the towing but because of the ramp hassle and time suck. However, if we are talking about towing once in a while to move from one cruising ground to the other that it a whole different animal - and a modern F150 is more than civilized enough to act as a daily driver. You can even cheat on the beam a bit because the permit for a slightly oversized load is pretty easy and cheap to get in most states (nor are you likely to get cited if you failed to get the permit).
Towing a large boat turns a 10 hour day into 6 and before long the pain of towing offsets the joy of boating. Where it's really the killer is the people who have half a day to go boating. The lake we lived on, except for fishing boats, the dealers would have to place a special order if you wanted a trailer. And that's for small boats. But when you talk about towing a 30' boat, not fun.
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Old 12-31-2015, 12:04 PM   #155
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There are some folks who refuse to recognize any of our boats as "trawlers". To them a trawler is a fishing boat that engages in trawling (for fish).


I call my boat a trawler. I don't care what folks think.


And, there is no shortage of small trawlers on the market, both new and used. Just like anything else, you have to start looking.
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Old 12-31-2015, 12:11 PM   #156
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It does if an outboard boat is rigged with trawl gear, Eric.
Ignoring the "trawler" term, I would say at least 30% of the boats here could have an equivalent powered by outboards with no problem. Now, when they were built, that might not have been possible. It still might not be preferable for most. Sea Ray offered a 370 Venture Express Cruiser with outboards but had no success. Pursuit has similar outboards. Seavee now goes to 43'. Contender just added a 40' Express. Intrepid goes to 48'. Now obviously those are not trawlers, but with outboard engines up to 627 hp and up to 350 hp through mainstream engine builders a lot is possible. I do believe we will see 60' outboard boats within 3 years. I say that, we already have outboard powered houseboats in that range.

We've also seen some interesting things in moments of desperation. There was a yacht purchaser who had engine issues in Florida. He owned his own shipyard on the gulf somewhere. So, he built a mount on the rear of the boat and added three outboards and took it home.
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Old 12-31-2015, 12:29 PM   #157
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I remember seeing a trawler with an outboard engine on eBay years ago. Speculation was that it was a "dock queen" and could probably be moved from slip to slip.


I think the difference in torque, not horse power is what is keeping inboards the favorite power for trawlers. We are typically trying to move a heavy boat at a slow speed. Outboards are better at moving lighter boats at higher speeds.


Also, a slow RPM inboard is likely to have a longer service life than a high speed outboard.


And then there's the choice of fuel. For a boat we may be living on for months at a time, many of us would feel safer sitting on top of 200 gallons of diesel than 200 gallons of gasoline. And, diesel is more economical to operate.
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Old 12-31-2015, 12:37 PM   #158
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There are some folks who refuse to recognize any of our boats as "trawlers". To them a trawler is a fishing boat that engages in trawling (for fish).
If you look it up in a dictionary, that's what it is. Somebody calling a toy recreational boat a "trawler" makes it one only their own mind. (Or in the mind of the manufacture's marketing person who attached the term to your boat in an attempt to convince you it has all the workboat attributes of an actual trawler which of course it doesn't.)

There are plenty of threads on this topic in the archives if you wish to discover the truth behind the toy boat use of the term "trawler." Pay particular attention to the posts from folks like Eric (manyboats) and sunchaser. Their opinions carry the weight of reality.

From Merriam Webster:

Full Definition
1 : a boat used in trawling
2 : a person who fishes by trawling
First use: 1629

Quote:
I don't care what folks think.
Good for you. You're still wrong but one has to respect folks who stick up for their beliefs.
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Old 12-31-2015, 12:45 PM   #159
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If you look it up in a dictionary, that's what it is. Somebody calling a toy recreational boat a "trawler" makes it one only their own mind.
Looking up "marriage" in the dictionary would indicate that it is a union between a man and a woman. You know how that goes.

Words change in meaning over time and the new meaning is accepted as the meaning. Remember what "gay" used to mean?

So is your boat a true "trawler" in the traditional sense of the word? How about the rest of the member's boats" Why is this the "Trawler Forum" if our boats are not true trawlers?

As far as being a "toy" boat", for what I paid for it and what I use it for, it's no more a "toy" than my car or truck (or my home).
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Old 12-31-2015, 01:02 PM   #160
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No, our Grand Banks is no more a trawler than our 17' Arima fishing boat or the rubber duck in our bathtub. To their credit, American Marine never called their Grand Banks lne of boats "trawlers" either.

Yes, language evolves but with a large degree of common sense applied to it. By your "rules" the photo below is of our pet anteater.

BTW the definition of marriage has not changed. It is still the union of two human beings. All that's changed is who the human beings can be.

The word "trawler" is no different. It is a term for a type of fishing boat. Like "marriage," that fishing boat can be any number of things: a power boat, a sailboat, a cabin cruiser, an outboard powered boat, a rowboat... The type and configuration of the boat is irrelevant, just as the type and configuration of the humans in a marriage is irrelevant to the definition of the term. The only thing of relevance to the use of the term "trawler" is the installation and use of trawl gear. If it's there, the boat is a trawler. if it's not there, the boat is not a trawler.

And it doesn't matter how much a recreational boat costs, it's still a "toy boat" in the eys of reality.

Also from Merriam Webster:

Toy
: something that an adult buys or uses for enjoyment or entertainment
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