Am I crazy? Doing it cheaply in our 30s

Hi all,

Thanks for all the great information on this forum. Truly an awesome resource.

My wife and I are in our early 30s, no kids yet, and have a house on the water in the Florida panhandle. A trawler is a dream of ours. I've owned a 22' center console for four years and we spend most nice days on the water. I had a hole in the water bowrider before that. I'm no stranger to boat bucks.

Am I crazy to think we could pick up a decent trawler for $40-50k, finance 2/3s, keep it on our dock, and overall escape relatively cheaply? Sure there is maintenance but I'm not scared of learning it and doing it myself. Yes, insurance and fuel but those are predictable. No slip fees. An annual haul-out but we would probably do the hull ourselves, so just the marina fee.

We don't need a perfect boat and I see no reason we can't work on it on our schedule, with the exception of emergencies. I realize that there could be large unexpected costs but then the wife works an overtime shift or three and I work to keep the costs down with my labor. We aren't hurting for money in the first place.

We would use the trawler for one to two night trips on weekends and the odd week here or there. If kids aren't in the cards in the next couple years, my wife may start looking for travel nursing assignments along the coast. I would find something to do remotely. And perhaps we would live in the trawler for months at a time.

I would have any trawler carefully surveyed. I don't want to mess with soft decks or a complete repower if we could know upfront.

So, how far off base am I? Thanks!

-Tristan

Not too far off base, assuming you have enough depth at your dock even at low, low tide. Certainly a decent used trawler can be picked up for $40-$50K. Cannot speak to the financing -- probably can be done but not my area of knowledge. Routine maintenance is not all that difficult assuming you get a well-maintained boat to begin with.

So yeah, go for it. As you get older, you will be glad that you did. Too many people wait until they are doddering to even start.

Your idea is not crazy at all. We picked our trawler last year for 50k. A 1992 Marine Trader that was in great shape. No slip fees for you is a real plus. The only problem you might have is financing. You might want to look into maybe a home equity loan or re-morgage, might keep things easier.

Heck no, you're not crazy. I started boating later than you are but I also started with a bowrider. I tend to keep boats a long time and had that one for 11 years before moving up.


I wish I'd thought of a boat when I was younger but I had too many other things going on in my life.


You're young, you have no kids to tie you down so I say GO FOR IT!!!

Make sure you have enough water depth for the intended boat and it fits under any fixed bridges between you and where you wanna be. Then get after it. Berthage "tends" to be the largest annual expense and you have that covered.

I wish we had done it at 30 instead of 50.

Mark Twain said it best. "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."


Go for it.

Greetings,
Mr. P. You're not only off base, you're miles from the stadium. Don't be foolish GO FOR IT NOW!

Yes, you are probably a little crazy.

So what?? Do It!!

I bought a 34' wood Harker's Island snapper boat when I was 27. Lived on it as my rented house was eaten by hurricane Hugo. Traveled far and wide on the old Harvester. Many good trips and many good memories.

Go for it. That simple.

The only flaw I see with your plan is the part where if things get tight your wife starts working OT. In my family that would be the perfect recipe for a disaster. But then, I am well trained.

Bought mine at 50....wish I had started at 30! Absolutely you can get into it easily for $40-50K, especially in FL. Go find a well cared for 38 Bayliner and make some memories! Or a 34 Californian...or a Carver... or a CHB...or a ...

FlyWright said:

Bought mine at 50....wish I had started at 30! Absolutely you can get into it easily for $40-50K, especially in FL. Go find a well cared for 38 Bayliner and make some memories! Or a 34 Californian...or a Carver... or a CHB...or a ...

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Tollycraft tri cabin - if you can find one where you live!

We bought our boat in our 30s with two kids. It just works into the budget. There are sillier things you can drop 40k on, that won't reward you nearly as much. I say go for it too, particularly with your own moorage.

That mooring spot with no boat just looks wrong.

Tristan,
Not that my two cents is worth much but I like everything about your plan except the financing portion. Work your OT on the front side, save your dough and purchase the boat outright. That way you won't be in debt and, most importantly, your wife won't feel a slave to OT for a boat which she may grow to despise.

"Am I crazy to think we could pick up a decent trawler for $40-50k, finance 2/3s, keep it on our dock, and overall escape relatively cheaply? Sure there is maintenance but I'm not scared of learning it and doing it myself"

For $2,000- $5,000 you can pick up a running IO Bayliner or similar

Probably the interior will suck, but few specialized skills are needed to replace and repaint.AS you wont be aboard except for days at a time , a work in progress is no big deal.

An IO suffers less from bouncing in the mud at a shallow berth.

And most of the boats of that class have little buried plywood to rot.

Your best chance of having a zero dollar round trip ,and no banksters , just out of pocket expenses.

What you will learn will be invaluable , and you can enjoy the boat from day 1.

Panhandler

Why a slow trawler? All sorts of fairly new non trawlers out there in your price range. So many vessel choices and good availability in your area. Do you have reliable dock power so you can run AC?

Enjoy the search and find, it will be a life altering experience.

Thanks, all. Good to hear! I'm glad to know that many of you feel the good stuff shouldn't be postponed so to speak.

A few things. The wife doesn't need to work overtime; we would be fine with an extra 1-3k a month in expense, or we could sell or mortgage a house etc. I see your point about not letting her feel the pressure.

Docking and air draft are issues but not terrible. Need to be less than 15' air draft to clear the bridge. My understanding is this is quite possible, just need to do my research. Correct?

We currently have 3.5' at low tide in the winter at our dock, but it'd be simple to run it out another 40' feet. Or build a longer one at the property we own two doors down. Yes, I understand it would take a permit etc. I pulled them all the first time

We do have reliable power at the dock. I ran it myself and had an electrician connect it all. Plenty of capacity unless we wanted to run the lift for the CC while running several A/C units on the trawler. I believe 60amps total.

A trawler for a couple reasons. The first is space/layout/living room. We love the aft cabin/sun deck design. Lots of room to host people for the day and very comfortable for us. I also refuse to ever own another gas I/O. If we have a gas boat it'll have a 4 stroke outboard on the back. We have looked (online) at older carvers and others which are more motor-yacht, but they lack the character and some of the space. A trawler is slow, but, for us, it's about the journey and not the destination. And finally, what a fun a never ending project!

Northern Spy, good to hear. We think it would be fun even if kids come along, maybe more so!

Jim Gandee, noted and good point. Thanks.

FF and FlyWright, why the recommendations for non-trawlers? Cheaper and faster?

Thanks all!

I started at 37 (41 now) and, as my signature line states, my mantra is "go small, go simple, go now". You could spend years saving and looking for the ideal boat but you'll likely be missing out on wonderful experiences. My wife and I work hard, have a mortgage, and save for retirement; so it was important not to incur huge boat related expenses that would impact our long-term savings plan.

1. Be sure you BOTH like the boat before purchase!

2. Keep Wife Happpppyyyyy!!!

Link is worth a look. May take fun water trip to get one to your dock; some Tollycraft are on your coast. Well designed and built boats.

Tollycraft Boats For Sale


PS: Tolly's listed are planing hull. Cool for going relaxing hull speeds (7 to 8 knots, depending on wll). Great for planing-out; averaging 16 to 18 knots, continuously. Can reach 21 to 24 knots at WOT when desired/required. Taint nutten wrong with slow cruising - and/or - fast cruising. Tolly's 34' to 40' models offer multiple cruise-speed opportunities.

Trawlers aren't for everybody. You have to be able to enjoy the trip as much or more than the destination. You will be seeing the world at seven knots. That said, I love mine.

The only flaw I see in your plan is the part about your wife working and maybe having children. If you're counting on the income from her working and she has to stop to have a child or two and raise them, you may be stuck with a boat you can't afford and/or don't have time to use. And raising children is far from inexpensive. I suggest making the decision on children first, then the decision on the boat.

As for a $50K trawler, keep in mind that the cheaper the boat, the more expensive maintenance and repairs are likely to be. I would set my sights a little higher than that is possible.

I say go for it and make it work out ,you already have a jump on most getting
started .Our 32 ft draws 3'4" .
Neither one of us grew up boating,so we got a late start probably around 40 . We love evrything about boats , looking ,sitting at the dock , cruising and working on them . I'm almost 60 now and had we started earlier we would probably be cruising more now. Now it's mostly weekend cruises ,sitting at the dock or working on the boat but man all of it's fun. We are looking at moving up to something larger with even more work and it's still exciting . Good luck to you and your wife .

Panhandler said:

We currently have 3.5' at low tide in the winter at our dock, but it'd be simple to run it out another 40' feet. Or build a longer one at the property we own two doors down. Yes, I understand it would take a permit etc. I pulled them all the first time

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Um, 3.5' is right at the ragged edge, IMO. I would strongly consider running the dock out further. Bad things happen to a boat which sits on the bottom, even with a fiberglass hull. Thru-hulls tend to get stopped up, more growth and critters on the bottom. Probably other things too, but those two I know about from having had a sailboat which sat on the bottom a lot of time (even with a retractable keel).

jwnall said:

Um, 3.5' is right at the ragged edge, IMO. I would strongly consider running the dock out further. Bad things happen to a boat which sits on the bottom, even with a fiberglass hull. Thru-hulls tend to get stopped up, more growth and critters on the bottom. Probably other things too, but those two I know about from having had a sailboat which sat on the bottom a lot of time (even with a retractable keel).

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Not having owned my own dock, I can't help but wonder...

Would it not be reasonable cost to have a dredge that may be in area on some larger project stop by during transit to give a quick berth and "channel" dredge (say 100' long X 75' wide) that reaches into deeper water off existing dock? Then you could drive some marker posts into bottom. Or, would that small "channel" simply silt back in too quickly; requiring dredging cost too close in successive years? Guess that last question depends on bottom-material conditions in dredged area.

I'd buy a 10-15 year-old 2-foot boat, Bayliner, SeaRay, Wellcraft, whatever. Spend a year or two running around, learning the boat and boating. It can be a great weekending platform. You'll learn in the first year whether you like/need/want the ability to run at 22-30 knots. Then you can make your trawler decision. Most of the couples I know who have trawlers and are still employed bemoan the fact that they have to choose close-by destinations because of their lack of speed. With fuel prices half of what they were a couple of years ago, the most compelling element of trawlering (fuel savings) is less compelling.

What about a sailing catamaran (or power cat) with an outboard engine or two?. I see those advertised on craigslist from time to time for around 30-50 grand. They seem to have pretty good living space and very low draft.

Modern four stroke outboard power seems like a simple solution.

This might be too strange or utilitarian, plus it's too much money, but just for ideas...

www.ibis035.com

"FF and FlyWright, why the recommendations for non-trawlers? Cheaper and faster?"

Usually better construction as most are all GRP with no buried plywood to rot.

Better does not mean ocean scantlings , it means less repair work for you.

Many have gas engines which are cheaper to maintain , or replace, and far quieter to live with.

Your shallow dock makes an IO easier to not have destroyed bouncing on the bottom with every wave,

With less panasche than a "TRAWLER' the price is 1/2 or less for a newer useful boat , and when you move on buyers with few bucks are easier to find than bigger bucks.

If you decide you will be living aboard and require more room , an out of flavor boat like a Hat or Post or Bertram sport fish will have fine US GRP built hull and deck , and the build will usually be far higher (systems , wiring, opening ports)
as their decades of experience and higher output per year , helps greatly.

Sport fish are usually sold on performance , and reputation , not on mere internal volume and teak trim..

IF dollar a gallon diesel comes back the value of these fine old boats might soar.

I say go for it!!! I bought my first trawler at 34. Mine was a Prairie 29....something to look at in your price range if you can find one. They do have a tendency to be in Florida. Also the older Mainship 34s. For that kind of money you can find a nice one. Or you can spend $30k and put a little back into it. Californian 34LRC. A Bayliner 38 is also a good buy but they have a tendency to be on the upper end of your price range. Look at my boat in my avatar. I don't think you can get a diesel powered one in that price range but there is a gas one down by me for $59k. And it looks to be in great shape. A Carver is an excellent boat for space...and the build quality is nowhere nearly as bad as most people would have you think. Anyway, you can do it. And if you do decide to have kids, there is no other activity on earth that is better than a family spending time together on the water!!! The kids love it as do the parents!!!!

I like your plan. I'm going to do that in my next life.

Art said:

Not having owned my own dock, I can't help but wonder...

Would it not be reasonable cost to have a dredge that may be in area on some larger project stop by during transit to give a quick berth and "channel" dredge (say 100' long X 75' wide) that reaches into deeper water off existing dock? Then you could drive some marker posts into bottom. Or, would that small "channel" simply silt back in too quickly; requiring dredging cost too close in successive years? Guess that last question depends on bottom-material conditions in dredged area.

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Next time you're at the boat ask your harbor master how easy it is to get a dredge permit. The dock extension permit should be a piece of cake by comparison.