what to look for in a trawler?

Just fuel the 'big tanks' when you need or want that extra range.

Glad you said tanks ,

I think for most yacht service a series of plastic tanks and a good sized day tank would be best.

The seldom used cruising tanks would be sized that they can transfer to each other and to the day tank.

First tank would transfer all its contents to the day tank.

When the day tank was 1/2 full or so a big tank would refill the first tank and any extra would go in the day tank. All tanks would use this procedure, from full to empty via first tank and day tank.

This would allow big fuel for big needs , a winter aboard with diesel heat , or even a cruise,and ALL the tanks (except the day tank) to be empty almost all of the time .

No fuel, no water , no bugs .KISS

Something that people do not think about is the ballast that full fuel tanks provides.

Many FD boats have thousands of pounds of ballast.

SD boats typically do not have ballast.

440 gallons of fuel is over 2500 pounds, down low, just where you need it. 2500 pounds of ballast.

200 gallons of water is over 1200 pounds of additional ballast.

So, together we have something over 3700 pounds of ballast when we leave the dock.

We have found that our SD boat rides much better with full fuel tanks, and full water tanks, so we keep the tanks near full all the time.

brian eiland said:

Where are these 'archives' , I didn't see a heading for them??

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Still didn't here anything about the location / access to these 'archives'

You are right, but I filled my tanks 3 months ago and I 'll just go next month. I'm at Luperon, Dominican Rep, and i'll go to Salinas, Puerto Rico.

Gopo

In the 32-35 ft range you described you may find:

Your 360 degree visibility is compromised at the inside helm if you have both an inside and outside helm. Few boats in this size range have a pilot house with a flying bridge as well. Thus the inside steering is part of the salon and is less frequently used than with the pilot house boats.

In the 32-35 ft range many twin engine boats have very crowded engine spaces. If maintenance is ignored because it is difficult to do you will suffer in the long run.

In the 32-35 ft range consider a single engine boat with one steering station. You may decide that for you there are better uses of the limited space than a second engine or a second steering station. Something like the 34 ft American Tugs/Nordic Tugs may be ideal and give you a great cruising boat as well as a good live aboard.

If you plan on living at anchor you will need to generate electricity. There are a few options here. The main engines alternator, a diesel generator, solar panels, or a wind generator. The decision here is two fold, do you intend to keep moving or stay in one place. Do you intend to limit your electricity use as if on a sailboat or does TV, computers and residential refrigerator appeal to you. If you want a residential lifestyle you will likely need a diesel generator.

Heads. Don't be afraid to go with a single head in a 34 ft boat. Just keep a full set of spares for the toilet. The space for a second head has to come from somewhere and you may prefer to have a larger salon or stateroom.

Tankage. If you are going to the Bahamas, you need good freshwater tankage. 150 gallons or more. In the United States waste tankage is an issue in that you don't want to go searching for a pump out every couple of days. 50 gallons or more is my suggestion for two people living aboard.

Good luck,

Marty

brian eiland said:

Still didn't here anything about the location / access to these 'archives'

Click to expand...

Try using the "search" feature. It should bring up threads for most any subject.

brian eiland said:

Still didn't here anything about the location / access to these 'archives'

Click to expand...

Moonstruck said:

Try using the "search" feature. It should bring up threads for most any subject.

Click to expand...

Don is correct Brian. Many members incorrectly refer others to "look in the archives". This forum does not currently "archive" threads in the sense that some do. Simply look into the topics and scroll through the pages or use the search feature.

At some point in the future we may find a need to archive threads but there is no need at this point. If we ever do access will remain as it is now, unrestricted to all.

We sailed the San Juans and into Canada, for 9 years in a 31' Cutter. Moved to a 45 CHB Pilot house with a single 671 Detroit and a bow thruster. Wabasto 2010 with multi zone heat. Galley up and propane for the stove. We are very happy with this boat. Take your time and find the boat that is love at first sight. Then get a survey and oil samples.

Just completed a delivery run from Turkey to Uruguay on a 44 Diesel Duck. I was amazed at the sea-keeping capability of this little boat. It's a single 165hp JD engine with a 30hp get-home wing. We used 3000 ltrs of (tanks are 4800ltrs) fuel, but did on occasion use the steadying sails - in 2m beam seas!

If I was buying a new trawler today - I would put a George Buehler design at/near the top of the list. I would want two small engines, rather than one big one and a bed in the pilothouse.

Ghostrider42 said:

Just completed a delivery run from Turkey to Uruguay on a 44 Diesel Duck. I was amazed at the sea-keeping capability of this little boat. It's a single 165hp JD engine with a 30hp get-home wing. We used 3000 ltrs of (tanks are 4800ltrs) fuel, but did on occasion use the steadying sails - in 2m beam seas! If I was buying a new trawler today - I would put a George Buehler design at/near the top of the list. I would want two small engines, rather than one big one and a bed in the pilothouse.

Click to expand...

I would like to read more about this trip. Did you have a blog?

Nope

Ghostrider42 said:

Nope

Click to expand...

Thank you!

cardude01 said:

Thank you!

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It's not something I do.

The trip was 45 days long and occupied by running my biz from the PH 6788nm @ 6.5nm/hr. Steel hull/decks, aluminum superstructure, all wood interior - no veneers, dry stack and keel coolers.

Ghostrider42 said:

It's not something I do. The trip was 45 days long and occupied by running my biz from the PH 6788nm @ 6.5nm/hr. Steel hull/decks, aluminum superstructure, all wood interior - no veneers, dry stack and keel coolers.

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Wow. 150 miles per day on average. No wonder you don't blog! When do you sleep?

cardude01 said:

Wow. 150 miles per day on average. No wonder you don't blog! When do you sleep?

Click to expand...

Who sleeps? Crew of 3.

Ghostrider42 said:

It's not something I do.

The trip was 45 days long and occupied by running my biz from the PH 6788nm @ 6.5nm/hr. Steel hull/decks, aluminum superstructure, all wood interior - no veneers, dry stack and keel coolers.

Click to expand...

I REALLY want a Diesel Duck.

Looks like the boat got 8.6 NM per US gallon of fuel.

Do you know what the boat cost?
Did this boat have the passage way around the engine room to go fore and aft? Or was the engine room from beam to beam?
Was the engine room cramped or easily accessed?

Thanks,
Dan

I've looked at the two 41 Ducks on Yachtworld and salivated on my keyboard many times. Love those boats.

I was reading an old article in Passagemaker online about Traveller, one of the 41' (38+2?) Ducks and was suprised that the deck was made of wood. I thought they were all steel.

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/200...542505/Ensenada/CA/United-States#.UvQovqN5mK0

http://www.passagemaker.com/articles/cruiser-reviews/motorsailer/diesel-duck/

cardude01 said:

I've looked at the two 41 Ducks on Yachtworld and salivated on my keyboard many times. Love those boats.

I was reading an old article in Passagemaker online about Traveller, one of the 41' (38+2?) Ducks and was suprised that the deck was made of wood. I thought they were all steel.

2007 Seahorse Marine DIESEL DUCK Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

Diesel Duck | PassageMaker

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I think the commercially built Ducks are made of steel but the designer, George Buehler, has plans that include wood construction. Stock Plans

Later,
Dan

Supposedly the first Diesel Duck, Ark, docked at Edgerley Island, Napa River:



In its latest paint scheme:

markpierce said:

Supposedly the first Diesel Duck, Ark, docked at Edgerley Island, Napa River:

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Looks kind of like this one:






http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/200.../Northern-Michigan/United-States#.UvQtHaN5mK0

Something about this 55 just does it for me.

cardude01 said:

...
I was reading an old article in Passagemaker online about Traveller, one of the 41' (38+2?) Ducks and was suprised that the deck was made of wood. I thought they were all steel.
...
Diesel Duck | PassageMaker

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Ah, I see what you mean about wood. I just read the link and it mentioned a wood deck which really surprised me too. I knew there were all wood Diesel Ducks but I did not know that Seahorse built some boats with a wood deck.

I have been drooling, err, ahhh, studying the various Ducks and I would love to have one of the 42, 46, or maybe a 48 footer. Now, if I just had the money. :lol: Somehow, I have to get the money.

Later,
Dan

Some of the41' Diesel Duck specs from Seahorse Marine's website:

"The DIESEL DUCK 382 shall be specified by construction drawings provided by George Buehler and shall consist of no less than general arrangements and construction details, including the framing and gauge schedule. SEAHORSE MARINE MANUFACTURER, ZHUHAI will build the vessel to the above designer's specifications, plus selected factory modifications which have been approved by Mr. Buehler.

"CONSTRUCTION: High quality ship steel shot peened or sand blasted inside and out, three coats of epoxy primer interior and exterior, four coats on the bottom, plus bottom paint and color top coat. Color scheme to owner's choice. Construction to China ship Classification Society (CCS) practice. CCS certified weld X-ray of all boats. CCS incline test. All doors, hatches, ports and windows to be aluminum heavy duty commercial ship quality. Windscreens to be 10MM toughened glass plate. All plywood to be WBP grade or higher. Complete vessel to be insulated with sprayed expanding foam. ..."

SEAHORSE MARINE

dannc said:

I REALLY want a Diesel Duck.

Looks like the boat got 8.6 NM per US gallon of fuel.

Do you know what the boat cost?
Did this boat have the passage way around the engine room to go fore and aft? Or was the engine room from beam to beam?
Was the engine room cramped or easily accessed?

Thanks,
Dan

Click to expand...

The one we delivered was built by Asboat in Izmir, Turkey to Buehler specs.* ASBOAT Yacht Building / IZMIR-TURKEY, DIESEL DUCK, CUSTOM BOAT BUILDER, BOAT BUILDING, YACHT BUILDING, STEEL BOAT BUILDING, STEEL YACHT BUILDER manufacture boat yachts Yacht Building Yacht Interior Design Yacht Advance Calculations and Testing Yacht You can order one with wood decks.* $650k delivered and commissioned.* $500k from Asboat + delivery fees.* That's brand spanking new.* And, they are built to EU class A standard, which are very different from US or China standards. No flex hoses – must be stainless, etc.

This one had a full engine room - not cramped at all - 2m headroom.* Three fuel tanks (2@1500ltrs & 1@1000ltrs); three water tanks (2@140ltrs + 1@100ltrs); Spectra watermaker @ 80ltrs/hr; 250ltr blackwater + y-valve; 100ltr graywater.

Smaller engines work the best (29-40kw) in boats up to 12m; 60-80kw up to 16m; and in the case of the largest one I've ever seen @ 21m - a Cat or Cummins I6 is needed (100kw)

Here's a photo spread courtesy George Buehler:
41-plus construction Page 1

George Buehler's "The Troller Yacht" is a good read.

Thank you GhostRider42.

Northern Spy said:

George Buehler's "The Troller Yacht" is a good read.

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Yes, that is a very good book as is Beebe's Voyaging Under Power.

I look at Buehler's website every night viewing his designs. :lol: I think I need help.

Later,
Dan

cardude01 said:

Looks kind of like this one:



View attachment 27167


2004 Diesel Duck 38 Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

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on the surface this looks like a decent price...

It really is more houseboat (and I mean cheap) houseboat quality boat.

just a quick scan of the pics and there are a lot of bad ideas and poor installation of items in those pics.

the builder had great woodworking skills... but no idea how to build a boat for what the DD is designed to do.

HOLLYWOOD

This 35' Nova Canadian trawler looks like the steal of the year to me for coastal cruising. Especially for Americans with the Canadian dollar in the toilet

boatpoker said:

Especially for Americans with the Canadian dollar in the toilet

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No, the C dollar is getting to where it needs to be for those of us Yankees who boat and berth in Canada. Another 20% down would be just about right where it was a few brief years ago.

boatpoker said:

This 35' Nova Canadian trawler looks like the steal of the year to me for coastal cruising. Especially for Americans with the Canadian dollar in the toilet

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Yeah, it does seem like a good value there.....sorta like the Coot in some ways. Never thought I'd hear myself say that "the stern is too square", not that it's a deal breaker, or course.