Looking for info on Marine Trader

Considering a Marine Trader 34 Sedan (1979). I'm trying to find information on this company and I can't find much on the net. It looks like Marine Trading is still active in New Jersey but they don't seem to have a Web site (who in 2009 can be in business without a Web site???).

Anyway, all information on the company and its products would be welcome.

Thanks

Check out the Marine Trawlers Owners Association http://www.mtoa.net/

Have a look at our Beach House site on my signature line. Chuck

Mine's a 36, what do you want to know?

There is a WEALTH of information on Marine Traders, and you should be cautioned that condition is everything.* Your surveyor should be able to give you a thorough review of systems that will be potentially troublesome.

I have a 1973 double cabin MT 34,* and over the past few years have learned a lot. Some were* fairly expensive lessons, others just annoying.* Being at least marginally handy with electrical and plumbing work, as well as sanding, painting has kept my "pro" expenses down, but I did have to shell out for a transmission rebuild this year.

Teak decks, old wiring, window leaks, rusting tanks, etc are a few of the "low spots" in these boats.* On the other side, the Lehman diesel is considered to be almost bulletproof, and parts are still available.

I bought mine cheap, and most of the above* of the trouble spots had already been addressed, so when I look at my investment vs. my friends with newer Camano's, Grand Banks 32's, etc I feel I have a good thing going for a lot less cash.


This link will get you started on an article that set out some of the pros and cons of our "good old boats"

http://www.boatus.com/jackhornor/power/marinetrader342.asp

There is also* an article on Taiwan Trawlers on the Passagemaker website. Note - this article is 10 years old so prices don't mean much, but the info's still good :

http://www.passagemaker.com/Magazin...dArticle/tabid/277/articleId/909/Default.aspx


-- Edited by ARoss on Thursday 12th of November 2009 06:05:39 PM

I just*read the PM article for the first time-very informative!

"I bought mine cheap, "

was how they were sold when new , and continues to be their selling point.

A Gulftub of similar size will have as much room and is far less work to maintain.

You get what you pay for , if VOLUME is your goal and you don't mind constant up keep ,

there ARE cheap.

FF

What's a Gulftub?

I'd guess Gulftub is a Gulfstar.* I looked at a 36 a while ago.* I was told* they were built on the same forms as Gulfstar sailboats, and tend to be more* "rolly" since there are no hard chines on the hull.* Also, I think they were all twin-engined, with less protected props than a single, and at least some additional maintenance.** Still a good choice for us economy shoppers,* I guess.

Hey, thanks a lot for all this information. Really liked reading the PM article. Very informative and it puts a new perspective on things.

Spent the entire evening last night reading Chuck's blog on his refit of a Marine Trader. Great work and great blog. Very inspiring.

I'm going to see the boat tomorrow so I will know more about it's actual condition and the work required to make her shine again. I don't mind the work but I also don't want to rebuilt the entire boat. We'll see.

Great forum by the way. Really appreciate the input.

ARoss wrote:Still a good choice for us economy shoppers,* I guess.

Click to expand...

Gets my vote.* I paid less for my tired, old 1974 MT 34' sedan than most* of my coworkers paid for their cars. But, she floats, is safe, runs all day every day and gets me out on the water and in the sun.

And, I don't care if you don't wear the proper deck shoes, spill a drink or drop something heavy on the deck.* Less stressful docking too, I don't worry about banging into pilings, just other boats - 1/2 the worry!

So, unless you have to have the best, most pristine boat available or if it's you're "life's work" go for it.* MTs are a bargain.

*

"MTs are a bargain."

They certainly are capable of delivering the all joys of boating at a minor cost !

Caviat Emptor , if you like the boat you MUST get a knowledgable surveyer.

Went to inspect the boat last weekend. Lots of work to do. It looks like a massive restoration project. I was also surprised to see how some people don't really take care of their boat and don't make the effort to clean it and make it look good when they try to sell it. A lot of personal stuff was in the way everywhere.

Quick question: the boat doesn't have a mast. The owner says it wasn't there when he bought the boat and he didn't really need one. I certainly would like my trawler to have a mast. Can I but that somewhere (used or new)? If so How much could it cost?

You can usually find lots of aluminum masts laying around marinas that they would love to get rid of. You can take it to a rigger or do it yourself, cut it down and put a base on it and you are in business. Chuck

"the boat doesn't have a mast."

An old chunk of aluminum is not the problem , the question is weather the boat was built to handle a mast.

The compression loads and required chain plates to rig the mast ,

even to just lift a dink get complex to install as an afterthought.

If the dink is a Whaler with 20HP 4 stroke , full of fuel and other gear , the loads get really high.

FF

Fotoman, we have friends with a Marine Trader 34 Sedan, also without a mast.* One of their PO's installed a radar arch to carry the radome, antennae, etc.* which keeps the flybridge deck clear.* Pics I have seen of MT sedans with masts* show them installed in the middle of the flybridge deck, and if you were planning to install a boom as well, you would have a lot of "stuff" right in the middle of the fly-deck.*

FF is right in stating that compression loads would be a concern. You might wind up needing a compression post in the middle of the saloon to transfer the load off the cabintop.

On a broader level, you describe the boat as a massive restoration project. If it's as neglected as you say, installing a mast should be way down on my todo list. If the boat has been exposed to ice/freezing etc. over the years, your primary concerns should be the integrity of the hull, decks,* and house, as well as power systems, plumbing, electrical, etc.** If you think the trawler won't look "shippy" without a mast, and you're concerned primarily with cosmetic issues, you may want to rethink taking on this project.

Postscript:* After commenting here I noted another thread about a TT sedan and the Yachtworld link had pics of a "tripod" mast, which might spread the load, but still leaves a lot of "tripper" opportunities on the flybridge:

-- Edited by ARoss on Tuesday 17th of November 2009 07:52:05 AM

There use to be a mast but I guess it was lost/broken over the years. The footing is still there, right behind the settee on the fly bridge and the chain plates are equipped with turnbuckles.

I want a mast because I use to be a sailboat guy and I think it can be very useful on a trawler even if you don't have or don't use the steadying sail. Lifting the dinghy, antenna, etc. But you're right, it's not at the top of the list and it would take a lot of space on the bridge.

I had to get my mast rebuilt, so I went to a marine welder and for a modest fee he welded up a piece of 3 in aluminum pipe, used my existing spreaders, put a cap on the top end with the anchor light on it, fitted it to the existing base, and Bob's your uncle.
I didn't like the existing location, behind things on the top deck, with shrouds cutting you in half as you mounted the steps to that deck, so I had it built a few feet taller and located it down beside those same steps, with an attachment to the old base mount, this about 30 inches above the new base. This attachment holds it securely enough to do without the shrouds altogether, although for heavy lifting I rig a temporary shroud from the spredaer bases to a secure point forward. Without shrouds it is plenty strong and stable. It holds the radome, a radar reflector, flag halyards, deck lights, some nav lights, and carries a lifting boom. All that and it looks shippy too.

Actually Bob is my Dad.

And always remember, a boat is always in worse condition than you think. Once you start geting down to business and tearing stuff down to rebuild it, you will always find other stuff wrong that you did not account for.

Baker is right on,


The ART is knowing when to STOP, what to live with .

The diseases of Better-itis" & "Best-itis" has stuck more folks in port forever than any crappy construction or lack of maint ever has.

It has also got lots of folks BROKE , in the process of "improving " everything.

1/4 and 1/2 finished tubs can be found in many marinas.

A crowbar is easier to wield than a cabinet saw.

FF

Hey, cruising is just doing maintenance in better locales....right???

"Hey, cruising is just doing maintenance in better locales....right???"

Depends on the complexity of the vessels systems , and soundness of the basic design.

Our ex Navy Launch ran the loop with only oil changes.

But it was a high buck, high engineered and built without regard to cost (4th version for the USN) vessel expected to operate 24/7. .

6000 miles maint free is hardly a challenge for a commercial / militarty built vessel.

But then were back to the choice , is it the trip or the vessels visuals that count?

FF

RE: UPDATE - Looking for info on Marine Trader

I made an offer last week and had a survey done on the boat. Still waiting for the final written report but I had a chance to talk with the surveyor yesterday. It looks like the major concern is with the teak decks (no surprise there). I was expecting this to be on top of the list but what I didn't expect was that the teak has been laid directly on plywood (and not over fiberglass). According to my surveyor, the underlying plywood*has pretty much disintegrated over the years. This means a major deck job if I am to remove the teak, put new plywood and glass over it.

Any thoughts or previous experience?

Run away will Robinson.
Once the plywood gets wet it turns into saw dust over the years. What does the interior look like. If the bilge water is brown that is rotted wood Stains it like dark tea. The big problem is, how do you fasten new ply to what is left of the old stuff. Then there is all the glass work. Not cheep or easy. *Find another boat. lots of them out there. IMHO
SD**

Fotoman----

I have mentioned in other discussions the fellow on our dock who put a fiberglass non-skid deck on his Island Gypsy the other year. The Island Gypsy's subdeck is (I assume) the same configuration as our Grand Banks--- a fiberglass-marine ply-fiberglass sandwich. He was not trying to repair a failed subdeck was but simply replacing a worn-out teak plank overlay. So "all" he had to do was remove the original planking and apply new fiberglass layers over the subdeck to restore deck stiffness, and apply the non-skid surface.

It was a huge job (he did it properly and the end result looks outstanding and is extremely strong). It took him a full summer and part of the next summer. He recently told me if he'd known how much work it was going to be and how much time it would take he never would have done it. But this was just to replace the planking. So take this effort and then add the effort to repair or replace the subdeck and I expect you're looking at a project that will take you many, many months of work (depending on how much time you can devote to it) or will cost you many, many thousands of dollars to have a yard to it for you. And it's the kind of job that, once you get going, will prevent you from using the boat until it's done.

If the teak planking on the boat you're considering was bad but the subdeck was okay and you REALLY liked the boat, perhaps the effort and/or expense of replacing the teak would be worthwhile. But given your description of bad teak AND a bad subdeck, given that this is a production and not a custom boat, there are more of them out there without this particular problem. The smart thing to do would seem to me to keep on looking.

Depends.

If you like major projects and have the time, get a price reduction that would pay for getting the job done in a yard. Then tackle it at your own pace, maybe the side decks this year, the foredeck next, etc, depending where it cries out the loudest, and use the boat. If you like the boat, you will have a great boat when you are finished, at a much reduced price.

If that is not who you are, run from that one.

Got to go with Koliver on this. It all depends on what your capable/up to.

I will go with skipperdude on this.....RUN....you couldn't pay me.....!!!!!

Food for thoughts. It's a difficult decision for sure. The fact is I am looking for a fixer upper. I refitted a sailboat last year with great success. Redid the entire electrical system, the plumbing, the brightwork, etc. Sold the boat a few weeks ago and now in the market for a trawler that I want to use close to home as a small floating cottage.

I like working on boats and learning new things along the way. I will take a class on fiberglassing in February. But the thing is not to get into something that is too big for the time and the budget I have. I know the decks don't need to be done right away. It could wait a year or two. I could use the boat in the meantime while working on smaller projects.

I found a few pics on a similar project.