Best live aboard trawler for <$40,000?

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Craig- indeed it is. Really interesting split-level setup, tho I would imagine the Galley can be a bit of a cave...

And agreed about "looking at the boat." My Coronado 25 was an ugly little thing (tho she sailed well); the 27 I had was much handsomer. If I had my druthers, I'd be buying some Lake Union 1925 wood cutter/yacht, but sanity prevails over looks in that case. I like the cut of most trawlers, but the Grand Banks Europa sure has a nice set of lines...
 
BruceK said:
Welcome Dan, We have a large flybridge but the nicest place to eat drink and chat is the cockpit, with instant access to the cabin. Some trawlers have a longer cabin which makes cockpit sitting area too small.
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Something I noticed about quite a number of trawlers....rear deck cockpits too small to really be of use,...and often not covered.
 
these are most of the questions that quickly come to my mind, as i also embark on my journey of retirement on the sea. so perhaps you could give me some quick advice, as i give you my rundown

i'm married, no kids and look to retire with my wife in about 2 years. i embrace the spartan lifestyle. my whole wardrobe fits in one suitcase
i love the trawler for it's amount of liveable space that's protected from the elements. flybridge not wanted, but upper galley a must. my wife cooks fish. we will mostly be parked in a marina nearby our condo, but a little light fishing and some island hopping up to 100 miles at times as well. looking to spend $150-$250K, depending on what i find. while there is no skill or technical knowledge that i don't possess; i've done every trade in building houses, fully restored autos for years, HVAC, appliance repair, computer programmer, you name it. still, i prefer newer and smaller (28'-34') at my age (51) not being a slave anymore to problems and upkeep in retirement. if i had to pick something from what i've been looking at, i'd say "american tug" 34' roughly 2006-2012. with the set of initial questions you put out, i think you may have the insight that can help point me in the right direction. please give me your feedback?
 
nuccifilms said:
my journey of retirement on the sea.

....we will mostly be parked in a marina nearby our condo, but a little light fishing and some island hopping up to 100 miles at times as well.
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So where is this condo?

And you only expect to travel 100 or so miles from it??
 
our condo is in cebu, philippines. the logistics and steps of having a liveaboard vessel in that area is a whole big topic of discussion itself. even though the country is made up of over 6,000 islands, my main use of my vessel would be as a houseboat. i may change my berths from time to time, but just a few miles from my marina for some fishing and open sea is all i need to mark a perfect day.


brian eiland said:
So where is this condo?

And you only expect to travel 100 or so miles from it??
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We are not flybridge fans either... we're IN retirement and looking to keep at this game of fun boating as long as reasonable and feel the less stairs, ladders the better.

We spend most of our time in / around our marina & lake but do travel on canal, great lakes, etc usually once / yr for 4-6 wks. Our 34 is a great boat for 2 people.

We looked at galley "up" layouts but didn't like them as they were rather spartan galleys and cut into living space. Ours is 2 stpes down but open to saloon & light / air etc - best compromise for us - really like it compared to completely down or up

Our Bacchus website (linked below) has some pics, projects etc - take a look and ask any questions that might come to mind
 
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Sticking with original question.. Grand Banks, followed close by Defever and Sea Ranger... No trawler just for coastal and lakes, Bluewater
 
couldn't find grand banks and sea ranger in the low 30s in length, also i couldn't seem to come up with defever in 2010 or newer

20 or so years ago i'm sure i was the guy searching for a deal on a 30 year old, 40'-60' castle on the sea. now, this old guy just wants a 5 yr old, 30 footer he can cast a line out just a few miles from the marina.



garrobito said:
Sticking with original question.. Grand Banks, followed close by Defever and Sea Ranger... No trawler just for coastal and lakes, Bluewater
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humm.. under 30 or close (for me) it's very small for living everyday... I would suggest a minimum 40' or close in order to get a more comfortable space...
 
a good percentage of boaters feel your way. i, on the other hand, spent 10 years in an 80 sqft apt (8x10) and loved every minute of it. of course, i had the whole city of NYC, but here we'll have a condo a short distance from our marina. i go along with the adage, "don't buy the biggest boat you can afford, get the smallest one that suits your needs" i've separated needs from wants, and know that boats are an expense by the foot. i've been a slave to managing and maintaining all my properties most my adult life. it will be a relief for me to be back to a spartan lifestyle.




garrobito said:
humm.. under 30 or close (for me) it's very small for living everyday... I would suggest a minimum 40' or close in order to get a more comfortable space...
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Rather than focus on the original cost of the boat might be better to look at the cash flow and overall cost from buying to selling the boat especially if on a tight budget and or cash. The main reason is banks will not loan for maintenance and or up grades, but they will for buying the boat. Also if you can buy a boat that you can start using and enjoying.

Also most marines do not allow fixer up boats and or limited working on them at the dock. Further more live aboard moorage is limited so you want to stay in the good graces of the Marian. So a low original cost may not be the deciding factor or the way to go. Lastly being a live aboard many times is not as cheap as living on land or as cheap as people think. Remember cash is king so don't be catch short.

Lastly most boats do not make a good live a board in the pnw, as there are few year around full time live a board's.
 
i agree pretty much with everything you say. however, my choice of going small is purely in terms of upkeep, and possible accessible to some smaller ports. also, a smaller, easier to manage boat may buy me a few extra years on the water in my old age? does that make more sense to your perspective?

there are few liveaboards in the philippines. i think for most, that's all the indication not to pursue. it's just not my personality to leave it there. i've heard 100 times in my life someone say "i had no idea you could do that?" and i'd reply. "and if i went by popular opinion, i sure i couldn't" anyway, i'll be visiting again in 6 months, this time i'll spend most of my time at the marinas, talking to the few american, liveaboard, retirees, who are there living my dream.




Phil Fill said:
Rather than focus on the original cost of the boat might be better to look at the cash flow and overall cost from buying to selling the boat especially if on a tight budget and or cash. The main reason is banks will not loan for maintenance and or up grades, but they will for buying the boat. Also if you can buy a boat that you can start using and enjoying.

Also most marines do not allow fixer up boats and or limited working on them at the dock. Further more live aboard moorage is limited so you want to stay in the good graces of the Marian. So a low original cost may not be the deciding factor or the way to go. Lastly being a live aboard many times is not as cheap as living on land or as cheap as people think. Remember cash is king so don't be catch short.

Lastly most boats do not make a good live a board in the pnw, as there are few year around full time live a board's.
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nuccifilms said:
our condo is in cebu, philippines. the logistics and steps of having a liveaboard vessel in that area is a whole big topic of discussion itself. even though the country is made up of over 6,000 islands, my main use of my vessel would be as a houseboat. i may change my berths from time to time, but just a few miles from my marina for some fishing and open sea is all i need to mark a perfect day.
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Have to think about that one for awhile.

One think that comes to mind is security of anything on-board ( I lived and worked in SE Asia, and I have a wife in Thailand). Thief is a normal occurrence.

And a second one is hurricane damage to the investment. The Philippines gets hit hard and often.

Oops I answered your quote above before I saw the other discussions :eek:
 
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Hi Dan,

I am currently working on a 36' Marine Trader Sundeck. I bought her oh about 8 weeks ago. It is a lot of work. Be prepared to roll up your sleeves and open your wallet. Everything costs about double of what you expect.

I was in the 50,000 range. Don't get me wrong, it can be done. My boat has 2 staterooms, 2 heads, a huge galley and salon. If I wanted to live on it, I absolutely could. There would be plenty of room for 2 and my little dog.

My main checklist was not cosmetic. I can do all that myself plus minor engine maintenance. My concern was the engine. As long as that was sound along with other major systems including the hull on pullout, I knew I was good to go.

Still even today as I have the bright work in my garage working on it, on my mind are a million and one other things that I need to do on it.

Good luck on your search!
 
one thing about philippines is i've had some good experiences regarding theft. i find a lot of good people there. i'm sure i got some nephews that will be boat sitting 24/7 i'm looking at the most typhoon safe marinas, Atlas insurance and wil continue to investigate on that.

there are no obstacles, only challeges to overcome.



brian eiland said:
Have to think about that one for awhile.

One think that comes to mind is security of anything on-board ( I lived and worked in SE Asia, and I have a wife in Thailand). Thief is a normal occurrence.

And a second one is hurricane damage to the investment. The Philippines gets hit hard and often.

Oops I answered your quote above before I saw the other discussions :eek:
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as i become better informed (a work in progress) what i currently like are the 34' ameilcan and nordic tugs with raised pilot houses. getting exactly what i want won't be possible by local purchase. i got time to learn all i can to accomplish my goal.





brian eiland said:
nuccifilms
Maybe consider a 'local boat'

Probably a bit more boat than you want, but sure could be made comfortable,....and twin diesel engines....for 20k or negotiable...

https://www.olx.ph/item/for-sale-fi...duce-ID4WNao.html?p=1&h=62648befff#62648befff

and another
https://www.apolloduck.com/feature.phtml?id=458882
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i don't know enough on the pros and cons of powercats to give a fully vented answer. but what my gut tells me so far is, a double hull means; several small berth spaces, not me at all. also, the philippine marinas i will be looking for mooring will be quite limited as it is. adding to that a double hull, may make this obstacle even more difficult. thirdly, the powercats i've seen look pricey. i'm not one of those that's looking to be a slave to owning as much boat as i can afford. a 10 year old, seaworthy tug with one engine, decent galley, 1 head and 1 berth is what i came up with. there's time for me to study the powercat, but those are my initial concerns.




brian eiland said:
How about this powercat

HK 40 Hong Kong powercat
Multis for sale

There were two versions of this same design that had a sail rig added to them.
HK40
Aftmast rigs??? - Page 29 - Boat Design Forums
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i'm not looking for opulence. just all the modern conveniences of full bathroom, hot running water, air conditioning, electric, wifi, nice sanitary metal and fiberglass compartments and surfaces are what comes to mind. a mobile studio apt. anything else is a fishing boat.





brian eiland said:
Or perhaps you could find somethine like this in Thailand,
Trawler Forum - View Single Post - Redesigning the Pilgrim 40 Trawler / Canal Boat

or have one built in Cebu area where there are a number of builders as I understand it.
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yeah, as of now, that certainly looks like what i'm suited for.


the powercat route will get a bit more exploration before puting to rest, but that amount of boat to manage over the long run could be it's undoing. it seems the ultimate choice for a family that can afford, but i'm hoping just me and my wife can get by with a little less? they way i see it, a powercat or 40' trawler just isn't worth any extra years in delaying my retirement just for added buffer of operating capital, combine that with my theory that a bigger boat means cutting my window at the other end of my ownership, in it being physically more to manage in my old age.


i'm 51 now, and plan on giving myself a year to figure it out before "bon voyage"








brian eiland said:
Maybe one of these:
Great Harbour N37 trawler: spacious, stable, unsinkable - Great Harbour Trawlers
These people build good boats, and if you keep it in good condition it should maintain that value, particularly if it was one of the only (or few) ones over there.

With the way international shipping is these days, you could probably get a good rate to ship it out of Jacksonville FL
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nuccifilms said:
yeah, as of now, that certainly looks like what i'm suited for.


the powercat route will get a bit more exploration before puting to rest, but that amount of boat to manage over the long run could be it's undoing. it seems the ultimate choice for a family that can afford, but i'm hoping just me and my wife can get by with a little less? they way i see it, a powercat or 40' trawler just isn't worth any extra years in delaying my retirement just for added buffer of operating capital, combine that with my theory that a bigger boat means cutting my window at the other end of my ownership, in it being physically more to manage in my old age.


i'm 51 now, and plan on giving myself a year to figure it out before "bon voyage"
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Sounds like you want to make the right choice and explore your options. That is a good idea. I didn't think I wanted a trawler. Guess what? I got a trawler. I am however going to relocate her at some point to St. Petes, Fl. I, like you am looking at it like a mobile apt.

Don't wait too long. It is a whole lot of fun!
 
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