What is a trawler?

How much sail is a "trawler" allowed to have? I might be on the borderline. Maybe my pilothouse with wannabe windows allows me to sneak into the trawler camp.

I often classify my boat as a motorsailer, but the definition of that term is argued almost as much as trawler. On some sailing forums, sometimes the kids don't want to play with me. Its tough being a half-breed. I know how the fast-trawlers feel.

angus99 said:

"... epic drift here... "

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Drifting - Whole Other Thread! :lol:

AusCan said:

How much sail is a "trawler" allowed to have? I might be on the borderline. Maybe my pilothouse with wannabe windows allows me to sneak into the trawler camp.

I often classify my boat as a motorsailer, but the definition of that term is argued almost as much as trawler. On some sailing forums, sometimes the kids don't want to play with me. Its tough being a half-breed. I know how the fast-trawlers feel.

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Not a motorsailer, but rather a sail-assisted motorboat (motorboat hull, sails too small):



AusCan, your boat appears to be a motorsailer leaning toward a motorboat. Does your hull liken a sailboat?

Mark - you are all-trawler. No

My hull is full displacement, soft chine, canoe stern, sort of similar shape to a mini-Willard 40. A little wider than most sailboats, but much rollier (without sails) than most power boats.

I consider it a (recreational) trawler within the Chapman definition, but it is hard-chimed with a square stern (like most fishing trawlers.) Note upward sweep of hull bottom toward the stern. You won't see that with semi- or full-planing hulls.



Yours is much a motorsailer.

PS. My boat seems to roll as much as sailboats at an anchorage.

AusCan said:

I often classify my boat as a motorsailer

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If sailboats are called yachts down under wouldn't your boat be a motor yacht?

angus99 said:

Realizing that we're in epic drift here, I'll just say: 'Vette? Mustang? Jag? All toys!

0 to 100 Mph and stop in 13.8 seconds! Not many cars could do that in 1965.

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If it was in a drift the front wheels would not be turning in.
I`m no great fan of the US sportscar, with some exceptions, but big plus, you only need one, unlike the Jag,"one to drive, one in the shop".

CPseudonym said:

If sailboats are called yachts down under wouldn't your boat be a motor yacht?

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Craig - I think I'll just call it a boat.

Bruce - I'm with you on that one. The Ford GT is my all time favourite American car.

BruceK said:

If it was in a drift the front wheels would not be turning in.
I`m no great fan of the US sportscar, with some exceptions, but big plus, you only need one, unlike the Jag,"one to drive, one in the shop".

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Plus, to run an old Jag, an advanced degree in electronics helps.

However to own a 3.8 you would die a happy man. (although they did fib a bit about the top speed, it didn't quite do the 150 mph advertised)

manyboats said:

Another way to define "trawler" is to take away elements of the boat that you think make it a trawler and reconsider.

Older GB and NT are about as trawler as one can get.

Change them to gasoline power. Still a trawler? Yup.

Make them not fuel efficient. Still a trawler? Yup.

Make them fast. Still a trawler Yup.

Make them not seaworthy. Still a trawler? Yup.

Make it light. Still a trawler? Yup.

Make them look like something else. Still a trawler? NOPE.

Put a NT cabin on a Cruiser. Is it a trawler? Ask most anybody and they'd say it's a trawler.

The one thing that is essential to being a trawler is how the boat looks. Everything else is just details to talk about on TF.

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Wow...Eric, we are in agreement..! See my post 87. Admittedly you said it quicker, but essentially we are sayin' the same thing…it's how it looks, and nothing else...

Greetings,
AHA! You've all fallen into the clever trap I laid in post #106 although I think Mr. AC picked up on it quite properly by stating: "...but the definition of that term is argued almost as much as..." Do y'all see where I'm coming from? Trawler? Sports car?
Mr. A. Advanced degree in electronics? Not at all. All the wires are black (burnt) and they don't work. Oh, and the beer is warm because Lucas made the refrigerators.

Ah yes, Lucas was the prince of darkness. I had an early 70s vette that had the fiber optic light indicators. Each head and tail light had a fiber optic cable coming from it to the dash. It was interesting and worked fine. And yes without some tweaking and aftermarket help the early vetts didnt handle that great. But what racing enthusiast wouldnt do that anyway. Mark, your stern and bottom profile is very similar to the big shrimp trawlers we see here.

Art said:

YES - The most beautiful kind too!

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Thank you Art.

Considering the name of this site, these threads always make me chuckle.

Greetings,
Ms. S. Indeed a beautiful boat AND a magnificent name.

Quote "Trawling is more likely to be associated with commercial fishing and a large catch, so I would guess this would equally imply harder work than trolling"

So if Trawling means hard work, my boat was a trawler vessel, is slowly becoming a trolling vessel and when all work is done, will be a pleasure vessel....

I do think you guys are on to something with sports car analogy. People see a sleek low slung car and think it mist be fast and have good handling. The E type certainly looked the part but followed the British tradition of the time by running occasionally. My 1954 Corvette certainly looked the part and had lots of sports car features except it was a 1954 Chevy underneath all that glitter and ran like one. I think Chevy and ford with the Mustang called their cars sports cars. perhaps they were but great handling and speed were not an automatic feature.


So it is with trawlers. Buyers think something called a trawler will have better sea keeping ability and economy that a similar size, hull shape and weight ACMY. Like the sports car buyer that just isn't so. But again and again people ascribe attributed to something based on looks. Applies equally incorrectly to other aspects of life as well.

SCOTTEDAVIS said:

Thank you Art.

Considering the name of this site, these threads always make me chuckle.

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Scott - IMHO... TF is for:

- Newbies to go WOW? (maybe, WTF!)

- Midbies to go SO? (maybe, Oh - I Knew That!)

- Oldbies to simply keep GOING! (maybe, learn a bit more too!)

The word "Trawler" has become vastly ubiquitous inside the “Yachting” err “Pleasure Boating” World. It’s current over reaching, pliable meaning for Pleasure Crafts can be applied to sooo many types of boats, and sooo many people’s desire to place a seemingly meaningful/knowledgeable term upon their boat, that over the last few decades boat company advertising guru’s have brought it to the pinnacle of instant “pleasure marine” word recognition. What seems to me not too long ago (ha ha ha), in the 50’s 60’s and even early 70’s – back in New England, the term Trawler meant ONLY a BIG Working Fishing Seagoing Boat.

None the less it is now 2014 (wtf – lol) and nomenclature “Trawler” for pleasure boats is here to stay. Being it has gained a nearly universal recognition factor in the pleasure boating world the name of this forum suits the public well!

May Trawler Forum Live On!

Happy Trawler (err Pleasure Boating) Daze - Art

Greetings,
Mr. Bv. YOU GOT IT! Exactly why I employed the sports car analogy in my ingenious, so easily interpreted as thread creep but all part of the plan, ruse. One can analyze and debate until the cows come home. Semantics IMO.
The majority of the posts mentioned characteristics (range, hull shape, economy etc.) which could be applied in various amounts to most any vessel, looks being the predominant feature. Pretty much the same as sports cars.
Sooooo.....In conclusion, the definitive answer is......There is no answer. Do your homework kids and get the boat that suits YOU.

RT: You know that and understand but the sail boaters looking to go to power don't. Put V8 cats in a GB and they run in favor of old Lehmans.

Greetings,
Mr. B. Well, let's hope this thread serves to "illuminate" those who are still, and I hesitate to use the word, misguided. Hey, have I got a deal for you... https://www.qray.com/

One sailboat friend just sold his Moorings Cat after 50 years of sailing and he bought a Meridian 49 with pretty big Cummins.

My other sailor friend (45 years and owns a 42 Catalina outfitted for long range cruising) is thinking of selling and going power and is looking at Nordic and Ranger tugs...he likes the idea of the extra speed when you need it. He thought it comical that his sailboat was way faster than my trawler.

They both like the guys Meridian because it can go fast, has twins and when throttled back with the newer engines and longer waterline gets the same fuel economy as my 40 Albin.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Mr. Bv. YOU GOT IT! Exactly why I employed the sports car analogy in my ingenious, so easily interpreted as thread creep but all part of the plan, ruse.

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So, Mr. RT, this was pseudo thread drift? Still, you raised an interesting prospect: what if CTF or some of the other yards had cut a deal with Lucas to source electrical components for our [insert adjective] boats? Imagine the endless joyful opportunities to become intimately acquainted with your wiring diagram!

I wonder if any of you recall that the Cobra wasn't created in the US. It was a very nice Brit sports car called an Ace. Had a SOHC six engine and was much like the Austin Healy 3000. I've not driven one but as a sanely driven street car it probably was a lot more pleasurable to drive than the Cobra.
A friend of mine in the 60s had a 300SL Gull Wing at the same time I had my 140 Jag roadster. Totally different cars. The Jag was complete sweetness on the way to church or on the lakeside boulevard. A dream to drive as many would say. The GW on the other hand (held as far apart as possible) was a bear to drive. Two to one steering w big wheels & tires meant one needed to keep one's hands on the wheel all the way around a corner. Couldn't shift then and of course that's usually/frequently when you wanted to shift. The clutch was abrupt and heavy. The shifting notchy. Numerically the cars were extremely similar. But as different as bunny rabbits and gators.

The British Ace sports car got Americanized and became something almost totally different loosing all of it's original charm but it now had BALLS. And of course the American Corvette was much the same .. But not at first.

Three questions;
1 . Is the trawler an American creation?
2. . Does the fact that trawlers are almost all over powered have anything to do with the above sports car comparisons? And I think FAR more trawlers built other than in the US have FD hulls.

And then is the concept of trawler basically an American thing


PS .. My Jaguar had no electrical problems. If you really want to see bad electrical stuff look at Italian cars and motorcycles.

Greetings,
Mr. a. Self induced thread creep to prove my point so, yes, pseudo thread creep if you will. Let's use the term "creep" please. Use of the "d" word suggests, as some have noted, doing silly things in reprogrammed imported Asian cars. The use of the "d" word may also suggest and encourage use of the "a" word and we don't want THAT do we? I know, I know Mr. HopCar. It's either too big, too small or the wrong color. Anchor.....oops, sorry I panicked....

bayview said:

Bill:
In my opinion they do but as you can see by all the responses here there is little agreement. Everyone thinks a GB is a trawler as with an Island trader and all the Asian copies. Semi planning hulls all but people will buy pass a nice Hatteras ACMY for one of those brands because some marketing type named it a trawler.

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Those are semi-displacement hulls - not "true" trawlers. A "true" trawler is a shrimper! We take them and convert to live-aboards. Biggest problem is getting smell out of the holds!

Ghostrider42 said:

Those are semi-displacement hulls - not "true" trawlers. A "true" trawler is a shrimper! We take them and convert to live-aboards. Biggest problem is getting smell out of the holds!

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Having had four boys, I don't think I'd notice the difference.The shrimp may be if anything less odorous.

Ghostrider42 said:

Those are semi-displacement hulls - not "true" trawlers. A "true" trawler is a shrimper! We take them and convert to live-aboards. Biggest problem is getting smell out of the holds!

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So is a boat that stinks of shrimp or fish a true trawler and all others are wana bees. Now we can call this site the stinky boat forum. So far that seems to be the simplest solution to the mystery of what is a trawler?

Greetings,
Andropause:
Flashy red "sportscar"=bimbo magnet
Trawler=babe magnet....that's it, that's all.

Andy G said:

Having had four boys, I don't think I'd notice the difference.The shrimp may be if anything less odorous.

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I guarantee you will lose your breakfast, lunch and dinner once you're in the hold. Those sweat socks will smell like roses by comparison.

eyschulman said:

So is a boat that stinks of shrimp or fish a true trawler and all others are wana bees. Now we can call this site the stinky boat forum. So far that seems to be the simplest solution to the mystery of what is a trawler?

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If it's not a full displacement hull, it's pretty much a wanna-be. IMHO - trawlers on this forum - are not real trawlers. Sadly, 99% wouldn't meet the criteria. They are merely pleasure craft. They have turbo charged engines, luxury quarters, multiple heads, sleek lines and are fiberglass. They cannot pull or drag anything but a skiff.

Romsdahl, Ducks, tugs & shrimpers meet all the criteria - dry stacks, keel coolers, low rpm single engines, high bollard pull, low free board - you get the picture.