Krogen 42 and Stabilizers

Having recently retired, my wife and I are interested in purchasing a Krogen 42 to use as a "get-away" for a few weeks at a time. We have been cautioned that the boat "rolls" due to the full displacement hull and we should avoid buying a trawler that does not have stabilizers.

This is a critical issue for us as our plans call for extended cruising once we have confidence in our skills to manage the boat in open water.

We would like current Krogen owners to post their opinion and/or experiences regards the need for stabilizers.

Thanks in advance.

There are a few 42 owners on the Forum whom know their boats and stabilizers, but you'd probably be better to consult the Krogen Cruisers Forum for a wider range of opinions.

They do roll, but it's a slow, comfortable roll. That being said, everyone I know that has stabilizers loves them. You have two choices, active or passive. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Active only work underway but can break down and require maintenance. Passive work underway or at anchor, and are simple, but require some man-handling to deploy and retrieve. Just look for a boat that already has them, or plan to spend the $$ to add them if you want to start with a new system.

Stabilization makes a significant difference in the comfort level but are they necessary? No. If you are going to cruise areas such as the PNW, the east coast (ICW), the loop and even the Northern Bahamas, I'm not sure you need them. The times you would go outside, wait for a good weather forecast. That being said, we just finished a 6 year trip from Alaska to Florida and for us, we would not have done the trip with out some type of stabilization.

Here's part of an email we received from a Kady Krogen 39 owner who had traveled from the Great Lakes to Trinidad who spent several years cruising in the Caribbean with out stabilization. They just added paravanes.


...We are also finding there is a large and steep learning curve to the paravanes. Things like launching and re-covering the dinghy, or re-covering and launching "the birds". Underway they are very close to a miracle. As you described, Larry, they seem to slow things down. The biggest difference I see is that the initial roll "down sea" is slower, but the "re-bound" is nearly non existent. We have been in beam seas with them that would have us running for cover before. At anchor, the characteristic roll Caribbean anchorage is far more comfortable. Bottom line....we like 'em!!

Glad to hear outriggers and paravanes are on option on KKs. I guess I didn't realize it was an option because I haven't seen any on YW.

The word "cruising" can mean many things. If you are doing the Great Loop, or plan to spend your time on the Intercoastal, or inland rivers, the $40,000 cost to add stabilizers or the$25,000 (guess) increase in price for a Krogen 42 with stabilizers may not be worth the benefit. If you are planning on going to the West Coast, or outside of the Atlantic Intercoastal then the money will be well spent. If you are going to the Caribbean then I strongly recommend stabilization. I have met only one Krogen 42/48 without stabilization in the Caribbean. They did not think it was necessary. My wife has a very strong opinion to the contrary.

The Krogen 42 can handle some heavy weather, the people inside may not enjoy it. With stabilizers the roll decreases significantly.

Once again, my mantra, determine how you are going to use the boat and equip it/buy it accordingly.

Very happy to be stabilized.

Marty