Tacomasailor
Veteran Member
My wife and I are experienced long distance sailboat cruisers who are now quite close to purchasing a trawler in the 50-foot size range. I am 68-years old and have had 7-knee surgeries and now need total knee replacements. My 60-year old wife suffered a serious bicycle accident two years ago resulting in the loss of functionality in her left arm and hand. I seriously doubt our ability to manage our 40-foot cutter rigged sailboat while sailing offshore.
We have been living aboard (for the 3rd time) our sailboat in San Diego for 3-years. We are looking at trawlers in California and Puget Sound with plans to cruise to the US East coast during the next three years. We've done the Western Mexico thing twice including 900 consecutive nights at anchor.
My only trawler miles are 1,000 NM from La Paz back to San Diego in a 53’ bulbous bow 25-ton boat with paravanes.
In the last 20-years we have sailed over 12,000 miles in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans including:
4 trips Seattle to San Diego
2 round trips San Diego to Puerto Vallarta
Non-stop Annapolis to BVI
Almost all of the miles have been downwind, down swell (except the two 1,000 mile trips from Puerto Vallarta to San Diego, which is all heavy uphill sailing) and that is what I wonder about in a mid-size trawler.
We have experienced hundreds of hours sailing with a 15 to 20 knot wind from well aft of abeam and swells/waves greater than 6-feet from the stern quarters. That is great fun in a well-rigged sailboat but what is it like in a trawler?
A sailboat just accelerates down the swell and then the wind in the sails carries the boat up and over the next swell… and on and on for days. How does a trawler handle those endless waves and swell from astern?
We’ve also done thousands of miles in beam seas of 4 to 6 feet and 12 – 25 knots. Those are heavenly conditions with a properly set sail plan and good autopilot. But, what is it like in a trawler?
We’ve experienced many 10 – 15 hour blows at sea, that occur in the middle of a three day passage and are thus unavoidable. The wind builds to a moderate gale and the seas reach 10’ and are breaking at 10-seconds. Our boat, with a double reef in the main and a staysail, just flies downwind like a train on tracks. What does it feel like in a 50-foot, 30-ton trawler with active stabilizers?
I know seaworthy trawlers travel thru those conditions on a regular basis but I am having trouble imagining that with no lead filled keel six feet down and no sails for stability. I don’t think I am worried about safety – more about comfort and livability in moderate conditions for several days at a time.
How do I have to change my mindset and voyage planning when I “mature” from being an aggressive sailor on a very well equipped bluewater sailboat to a trawler operator?
Our near choices are:
Nordhavn 50 (my current favorite)
Selene 53
Seahorse 52
All have active stabilizers.
We have been living aboard (for the 3rd time) our sailboat in San Diego for 3-years. We are looking at trawlers in California and Puget Sound with plans to cruise to the US East coast during the next three years. We've done the Western Mexico thing twice including 900 consecutive nights at anchor.
My only trawler miles are 1,000 NM from La Paz back to San Diego in a 53’ bulbous bow 25-ton boat with paravanes.
In the last 20-years we have sailed over 12,000 miles in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans including:
4 trips Seattle to San Diego
2 round trips San Diego to Puerto Vallarta
Non-stop Annapolis to BVI
Almost all of the miles have been downwind, down swell (except the two 1,000 mile trips from Puerto Vallarta to San Diego, which is all heavy uphill sailing) and that is what I wonder about in a mid-size trawler.
We have experienced hundreds of hours sailing with a 15 to 20 knot wind from well aft of abeam and swells/waves greater than 6-feet from the stern quarters. That is great fun in a well-rigged sailboat but what is it like in a trawler?
A sailboat just accelerates down the swell and then the wind in the sails carries the boat up and over the next swell… and on and on for days. How does a trawler handle those endless waves and swell from astern?
We’ve also done thousands of miles in beam seas of 4 to 6 feet and 12 – 25 knots. Those are heavenly conditions with a properly set sail plan and good autopilot. But, what is it like in a trawler?
We’ve experienced many 10 – 15 hour blows at sea, that occur in the middle of a three day passage and are thus unavoidable. The wind builds to a moderate gale and the seas reach 10’ and are breaking at 10-seconds. Our boat, with a double reef in the main and a staysail, just flies downwind like a train on tracks. What does it feel like in a 50-foot, 30-ton trawler with active stabilizers?
I know seaworthy trawlers travel thru those conditions on a regular basis but I am having trouble imagining that with no lead filled keel six feet down and no sails for stability. I don’t think I am worried about safety – more about comfort and livability in moderate conditions for several days at a time.
How do I have to change my mindset and voyage planning when I “mature” from being an aggressive sailor on a very well equipped bluewater sailboat to a trawler operator?
Our near choices are:
Nordhavn 50 (my current favorite)
Selene 53
Seahorse 52
All have active stabilizers.
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