O/B Trawler type loop boat

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BandB

BandB

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Definitely not a trawler but great for the uses most have and a great loop boat for a couple. I believe this boat is what the TT35 aimed or aims to be, except for the trailerable part. However, I think it's a great potential in an outboard.

The Aguila 36.

Aquila-36-Running-03232017.jpg

Yes, has more speed than most here require. But shallow draft, outboards, low cost, great viewing of the loop from the bow seating. Not an ocean crossing boat, but interesting. Now they do have the 44 with flybridge and diesel inboards, but I just thought this was an interesting alternative.
 
For most couples just wanting to run the Loop, a 25ft or so used IO will cost less than the sales tax on a bigger new boat .

As always , the boat or the voyage?
 
I need a new Bravo 3 drive on my Bayliner 2855. I considered making a motor bracket for it and hanging a little 100 HP 4 stroke outboard on it and using it for the loop. It would not be able to get on plane but it should be able to do loop speeds of 7 to 8 knots.

I decided against this because it is a planing hull and would use to much of the power trying to lift the hull.
 
BandB,

That is an interesting boat, and looks like a great day boat for one that wants a lot of folks on board, but not me. But sure looks nice. Also like the efficiency and stability of a cat, but not the crowded state rooms.

I like the trend of OB motors for the mid 35ish boats and seems like a lot of the builders are heading this way.

Thinking an ideal boat would be a 35 foot cruiser, small flybridge with stairs, single engine big diesel with IO for shallow water so one has speed and efficiency. Could use as a day boat, or a loop boat.
 
Seevee said:
BandB,

That is an interesting boat, and looks like a great day boat for one that wants a lot of folks on board, but not me. But sure looks nice. Also like the efficiency and stability of a cat, but not the crowded state rooms.

I like the trend of OB motors for the mid 35ish boats and seems like a lot of the builders are heading this way.

Thinking an ideal boat would be a 35 foot cruiser, small flybridge with stairs, single engine big diesel with IO for shallow water so one has speed and efficiency. Could use as a day boat, or a loop boat.
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For any who don't know, Aguila came out of Marine Max's charter program. At first they were just built to go into charter. Then they started selling. However, the charter heritage contributes greatly to them. Designed for several guests, but for inexperienced operators. Designed to have minimal issues. Stability and shallow draft both important when you're turning them over to novices to explore the islands. Also designed for resell when coming off charter. Thing is a lot of charter guests were asking where they could buy one.

Now that also opens up a way to find out if it's the boat for you. Go charter one.

To me, only one negative, and that is having to deal with Marine Max.
 
Outboard boats aren't trawlers.
But one kind of OB boat can do trawler duty ..... sailboat.
Sailboats don't outnumber powerboats in SE Alaska but hundreds of them go way up the coast every year. And they rarely put up sails.
An OB (even on a bracket) would even be better on the loop than in Alaska. A swing keel hull w it's lower draft would be excellent. Sailboats (small) are dirt cheap and a small four stroke OB burns next to nothing.
 
Nomad Willy said:
Outboard boats aren't trawlers.
But one kind of OB boat can do trawler duty ..... sailboat.
Sailboats don't outnumber powerboats in SE Alaska but hundreds of them go way up the coast every year. And they rarely put up sails.
An OB (even on a bracket) would even be better on the loop than in Alaska. A swing keel hull w it's lower draft would be excellent. Sailboats (small) are dirt cheap and a small four stroke OB burns next to nothing.
Click to expand...

Many sailboats do the loop under power. They have the great advantage of economy. They typically have a disadvantage in inside space.
 
BandB said:
For any who don't know, Aguila came out of Marine Max's charter program. At first they were just built to go into charter. Then they started selling. However, the charter heritage contributes greatly to them. Designed for several guests, but for inexperienced operators. Designed to have minimal issues. Stability and shallow draft both important when you're turning them over to novices to explore the islands. Also designed for resell when coming off charter. Thing is a lot of charter guests were asking where they could buy one.

Now that also opens up a way to find out if it's the boat for you. Go charter one.

To me, only one negative, and that is having to deal with Marine Max.
Click to expand...

That interesting.

As for Marine Max, I go hot and cold. Here in the Clearwater area they have a great sales guy and a great parts dept, and pretty reasonable. The one in St. Pete, I could tell you one heck of a horror story about their repairs on a boat that took almost a year and ran the cost up about to what the boat is worth. The only good part is that the some one who buys it will get one heck of a deal, at the expense of my friend, the seller and how Marine Max really treated him poorly.
 
Converting sailboats to trawlers is becoming popular. I thought of it myself 12 years ago.
Here's a fairly good example.
It can be seen where he cut the hull horizontally, raised the foredeck about 7" and has inserted a hull plug of sorts.
He has a V type twin cylinder air cooled engine (small tractor?) driving the shaft of an OB lower unit. Home grown Sea Drive if you will.
The website "Terminal Trawlers" is devoted to sailboat conversions.
 

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Friends and marina-mates have a Rossborough. Plenty of boat for them. They bought her and brought her up from NC to MD. That's an every day large OB and a get-me-home smaller OB.

She must be a trawler, she has a helm door!
 

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There are a bunch of nice loop worthy outboard boats out there, depending on desired accommodations; in monohulls C-Dory,Rosborough, Pursuit, Grady White, Intrepid, Boston Whaler,Albemarle and many others make nice express or walk around boats, and good looking too. I far prefer outboards over I/Os... you can get the running gear completely out of the water when not in use, easy to service, and don't take up room in the boat.

In catamarans, Glacier Bay, World Cat, TomCat (a C-Dory product) come to mind.
At trawlerish speeds, modern gas out boards do just fine on MPG.
 
The Rosborough are a serious small cruising boat. The resale prices of these, reflect that. Small in a big way, not much for creature comforts but seaworthy. I would stick to the Outboard version...
 
Jack,
They look rather top heavy to me.
But otherwise seem a decent boat once you get by the high price. Many boats that are similar are expensive. Sea Dories have always been pricy. Not as cute but I’d get an old Bayliner w an OB. Or convert a sailboat as in my post #9. I don’t know why some of these newer boats are so expensive.
 
I can't see why they would be considered top heavy? Lobsterbost style top.sometimes extended. No fly bridge. Very popular and don't stay on the market long if correctly priced.
I like the C-Dory but think the Ros is a much better boat.
 
Not sure if I'll ever get to do your loop. I'd like to, and enjoy reading threads and posts about it and the places along the way.

It seems to me that there would be an opportunity to introduce designs like the 'plastic' canal boats in France. Steel barge conversions have a lot of romance, but vary widely in quality. The GRP canal boats have often been designed with needs in mind - keep the LOA down (can impact licence requirements), use space efficiently and have low draft. Draft seems to be an increasing concern on the loop. It might not stop you but can limit where and when you go places.

Here are some styles that one of the charter's have. I have not been aboard many so cannot rate or give detailed insight. But given popularity of the loop, boats like these in a fleet for extended charter, or buy and sell-back, could well be ideal for those folks with the loop on their bucket list.
Your Holiday Search Results | Le Boat[0]=comfort%3A100
 
Insequent said:
Not sure if I'll ever get to do your loop. I'd like to, and enjoy reading threads and posts about it and the places along the way.

It seems to me that there would be an opportunity to introduce designs like the 'plastic' canal boats in France. Steel barge conversions have a lot of romance, but vary widely in quality. The GRP canal boats have often been designed with needs in mind - keep the LOA down (can impact licence requirements), use space efficiently and have low draft. Draft seems to be an increasing concern on the loop. It might not stop you but can limit where and when you go places.

Here are some styles that one of the charter's have. I have not been aboard many so cannot rate or give detailed insight. But given popularity of the loop, boats like these in a fleet for extended charter, or buy and sell-back, could well be ideal for those folks with the loop on their bucket list.
Your Holiday Search Results | Le Boat[0]=comfort%3A100
Click to expand...

Layouts look nice but what are the speeds and seaworthiness like? That's a problem of the loop, that you have canals, you have rapid river water, you have lakes, you have the Great Lakes, very large bodies of water, and you have coastal areas.
 
BandB said:
Layouts look nice but what are the speeds and seaworthiness like? That's a problem of the loop, that you have canals, you have rapid river water, you have lakes, you have the Great Lakes, very large bodies of water, and you have coastal areas.
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Canals are low speed zones, and the purpose-built boats would typically be low-powered SD hulls to give max interior volume for as little draft as possible, but still be be fuel miserly at slow speed.

Yes, seaworthiness might be an issue for some of them. Typically you step down a few steps from the cockpit into a spacious interior, but the doorway may not have a sill or a robust watertight door. Freeboard is usually good since full beam cabin is the norm to max interior volume. Forward hatches good or at least adequate. Side windows, not so much but it varies from brand to brand. Not sure how many would be up to coastal use, but lakes OK except for when bad/adverse weather.

If significant waves will be encountered then OK, take your coastal boat to the loop or be patient in your canal boat in waiting out the weather.
 
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DHeckrotte said:
Friends and marina-mates have a Rossborough. Plenty of boat for them. They bought her and brought her up from NC to MD. That's an every day large OB and a get-me-home smaller OB.

She must be a trawler, she has a helm door!
Click to expand...



I saw a bunch of these this summer on the canal, they look really nice.

L
 
Insequent said:
Canals are low speed zones, and the purpose-built boats would typically be low-powered SD hulls to give max interior volume for as little draft as possible, but still be be fuel miserly at slow speed.

Yes, seaworthiness might be an issue for some of them. Typically you step down a few steps from the cockpit into a spacious interior, but the doorway may not have a sill or a robust watertight door. Freeboard is usually good since full beam cabin is the norm to max interior volume. Forward hatches good or at least adequate. Side windows, not so much but it varies from brand to brand. Not sure how many would be up to coastal use, but lakes OK except for when bad/adverse weather.

If significant waves will be encountered then OK, take your coastal boat to the loop or be patient in your canal boat in waiting out the weather.
Click to expand...

Significant waves will be encountered on the loop. On the coastal portion the ICW is an option to minimize them. The Great Lakes, however, you're exposed. You can wait out the worst, but still are likely to encounter some very choppy, short period, 3-4' conditions.

By speed are we talking 6-7 knots? Or slower?
 
My answer for an outboard powered loop boat was to build one. This is a Hankinson design "True Grit" that I custom built over 4 years and launched in the of Spring 2017. Spec's 31'6" overall, 8'6" beam, 150hp Evinrude, 180 gal fuel, 130 gal water, 18 mph WOT. I plan on taking off on the Great Loop in the next couple of years. More details of my build and travels this summer can found on the Glen-l.com site.

Short video at http://youtu.be/qk1eHWqbcYc
 

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That's a great looking boat, Boatbuilder1, but I can't find your post on the Glen L site. Do you have a detailed specific URL for them.
 
Boatbuilder1 - Welcome and that is a cool boat.

What kind of fuel economy do you get and what is your draft?
 
C-Dory
Ranger Tugs
Minor Offshore
Great Harbor

All make a cruiser with an OB. I'm hesitant use the word 'Trawler', but these are stout boats with OB options.
 
Shrew if they are stout they are heavy. Outboards don’t do well on heavy boats w their small propellers unless they are FD. And then the prop comes out of the water on occasion when it gets real lumpy.

And yes Cruiser is right on.
 
Nomad Willy said:
Shrew if they are stout they are heavy. Outboards don’t do well on heavy boats w their small propellers unless they are FD. And then the prop comes out of the water on occasion when it gets real lumpy.

And yes Cruiser is right on.
Click to expand...

Notice that none of them are over 26-27 ft. I never said big, spacious or comfortable.
 
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