My first Trawler

Just wanted to say hi to all, I have been reading your forum for a couple of years now and realy enjoy it, I have learnd so much! so thanks for that.
I bought a boat last fall its a 81 36' universal victorian. It has leaky and soft decks under the teak, the cushens on the upper deck are sun fried, one of the fuel tanks has a leaks, and the varnish is all pealing and the gellcoat is staind and chipped and generaly in very poor condition.
But the interior is in great condition and the engines were replaced in 06 with 2 new Isuzu 120 hp 4bd1t and they only have 360 hours on them.
I spent the last few years looking for just the rite boat, I wanted one that needed work but didnt need a lot of money spent on it this one seemed to fit the bill perfectly and I couldnt be happier!
Last week I had her out on the hard and I sripped the old bottem paint off, (Most of it came off with the pressure washer) and repainted it with Hempel olimpic bottem paint, and renewed the zinks.
Every thrue hull was siezed open (there the bronz cone shaped ones) so I pulled them all apart cleand polished and greased them up and they all work like new now.
Also I replaced the head and all the hoses
So she still needs lots of work but this summer I am going to enjoy her
Dean

Well, you're in the best boating area in the world and any boat in any condition that can move under it's own power and get out and back safely is a good boat to have in these waters. We enjoy working on our boat as much as we do using it, and our climate here in the PNW/BC lets us do both year round.

The most important thing is to not let the number of projects overwhelm you and do one at a time, finish it, and move on to the next one rather than try to do a bunch of things at the same time. That just gets frustrating and can potentially greatly detract from your boating experience.

And always remember, even as you're knee-deep in some project or another, this is supposed to be fun.

Different people like different things, but for those of us who enjoy working on boats yours sounds like it may be just the ticket. As my girlfriend put it to me when I bought my latest: "
I think you got exactly what you wanted with the boat: a place to go enjoy the water and a lifetimes worth of challenges and productive work.

I thought that was a pretty good analysis.

John

Thanks for the great advise I do love a project so this boat is perfect for me but I dont think I will take on any of the big jobs until after the summer.
I have a few trips planed, The first place were heading is prinsess louisa inlet probably wont head out for anouther month or so as its still a little cool out there.
This afternoon we whent out for dinner, we caught 2 big rock cod we bbq them up on the boat and had a great meal, life doesnt get better!

Welcome aboard, we have had our first trawler for almost two years now. Sounds like they were in identical condition.

Has anyone heard of a Grand Mariner? There is one for sale in BC and I'm unfamiliar with that make.
I'm new to this site and this is my first post. Is this the correct spot for this type question?

Welcome. And yes your in the right place. I've seen a couple of these. They seem like a great boat but I really don't know a lot about them. I'm sure others will chime in with some good advice.

jimro said:

Has anyone heard of a Grand Mariner?

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I put this same post in your other Grand Mariner topic as well not knowing which one you'll see......

A Grand Mariner--- and I assume you're looking at Scout up in Nanaimo--- was made in Taiwan and is just one of many marketing names that were applied to a number of almost identical boats that most likely came out of the same set of basic molds and were finished by small family boatyards. Some of the other brands that came from these same molds are Marine Trader, Puget Trawler, La Paz, Chung Hwa, CHB, North Sea Trawler, and C&L.

There is a very informative article about these so-called "Taiwan Trawlers" that was published in Passagemaker magazine. It is from this article that I got the information above. The URL to read this article is

http://www.bluehorizonsailing.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/venerable_taiwanese_trawlers.pdf



Hopefully that link will work for you. The article is about this whole type of boat in general, not Grand Mariner specifically. But it should give you a very good idea on what to look for in this generation of Taiwan boat.

From the ad, Scout looks to be very well equipped with some nice features like the SeaWise davit for the dinghy on the stern. But pictures and descriptions can be very deceiving. If you decide you are really interested in this boat, a survey but a topnotch surveyor very familiar with these Taiwan-built boats and the problems they can have is a must. The good news is that good surveyors are probably pretty easy to find in the Nanaimo area.

Victor_Chat said:

Welcome aboard, we have had our first trawler for almost two years now. Sounds like they were in identical condition.

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Thanks Yours is looking pritty good in the picture.

So I thought I woud have a peak into the the port fuel tank, the PO told me that it had a small leak so he drained it.
I pulled the cover of, looked in and to my suprise all I could see was sand.
I guess they filled the tank with sand to balance the boat
Also the out side of both tanks are covered with fiber glass but the resin is white almost like gelcoat with a layer of matt, very strange

Marin said:

I put this same post in your other Grand Mariner topic as well not knowing which one you'll see......

A Grand Mariner--- and I assume you're looking at Scout up in Nanaimo--- was made in Taiwan and is just one of many marketing names that were applied to a number of almost identical boats that most likely came out of the same set of basic molds and were finished by small family boatyards. Some of the other brands that came from these same molds are Marine Trader, Puget Trawler, La Paz, Chung Hwa, CHB, North Sea Trawler, and C&L.

There is a very informative article about these so-called "Taiwan Trawlers" that was published in Passagemaker magazine. It is from this article that I got the information above. The URL to read this article is

http://www.bluehorizonsailing.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/venerable_taiwanese_trawlers.pdf



Hopefully that link will work for you. The article is about this whole type of boat in general, not Grand Mariner specifically. But it should give you a very good idea on what to look for in this generation of Taiwan boat.

From the ad, Scout looks to be very well equipped with some nice features like the SeaWise davit for the dinghy on the stern. But pictures and descriptions can be very deceiving. If you decide you are really interested in this boat, a survey but a topnotch surveyor very familiar with these Taiwan-built boats and the problems they can have is a must. The good news is that good surveyors are probably pretty easy to find in the Nanaimo area.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. That is an interesting and informative article. Yes, Scout is the boat we located. Looks good in the photos. I,ve owned various sailboats for 40 years and in the Great Lakes there are different conditions and considerations. Trawlers, I've learned thus far in my search are different animals. Thanks again.