Westcoast trawler

I am thinking about buying a used monk design 2004 Westcoast trawler. It only has about 200 hours on the engine and is like new. I have been sailing for 30 years and my wife is tired of all the work. We have been cruising for 5 years and need some information about this boat. I can't seem to find much.

I'm guessing this is the boat you're looking at?* Wish I could get into something like that!* Like anything, survey and maintenance/condition is everything; with it being a repo, this might be a concern.* Welcome to the forum.

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http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/boatMergedDetails.jsp?boat_id=2365066&ybw=&units=Feet&currency=USD&access=Public&listing_id=2184&url=

By the way if any of you want to go to the dark side (Sail) Larry's current boat is a stunning Island Packet40 which I have listed and would be glad to get you into.

Larry,

Most "Monk" boats are old wood guys from the 50s and 60s. Or are you looking for a newer glass boat like Tony's Monk 36 for sale here on this forum?

Hi Larry,

I have a 2006 Westcoast 46, so I should be able to answer some of your questions.* We bought our boat in '09 in Vancouver, B.C.* The boat was built by Forbes Cooper in Mission, B.C. Forbes has build around 8,000 boats.* Everything from small sail boats to 110 ft + yachts. * He built 23-24 of the Westcoast 46 until the crash of '08.*

The story on the boat is that Forbes and his production manager were poking around in Washington State and found the old Tollycraft 43 molds in a field.* They decided that if they lengthened the cockpit 3 feet it would be perfect for the boat they wanted to build.* The Tolly 43 was designed by Ed Monk, Jr. and looks a lot like some of the Ocean Alexanders that Ed designed during that period.* They were built during the early 80's.* It is 51' 6" overall, beam is 14' 6", draft is 3' 6".* It is a rounded bilge, not hard chine.* If you look at the Tolly 43 plans, you will see that the Westcoast 46 is an updated Tolly 43 with a more usable cockpit.* So, it is a late 70's/early 80's hull design built as a new boat.* I believe all of the boats have Cummins engines.* Ours is one of 2-3 single screw boats.* The rest are twin screw.*

We really like the boat and have had no structural or major system problems. It seems stoutly built.* I heard Forbes say he wasn't building a Mercedes, but a Buick with this boat.* That pretty much describes it.* It doesn't have the finish of a Selene, but the details are all pretty well thought out.

Lyle

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Lyle
thanks I do have questions. We are planning to cruise the Bahamas. How does the boat handle in a rough sea. We will have to cross the gulf stream. There are no stablizers and it is a single engine.

That is a good question and I'm not sure that I have enough rough water experience in her to answer it.* The reputation of the 43 Tolly was that it was a good "heavy weather" boat and that is what I was told about the Westcoast 46.* I've not yet been out in anything bigger than around 3-4 footers, so I don't really have any experience in a rough sea as defined by a sailor.*

On our recent trip we got out into 25 knot winds for a couple of hours.* We were headed directly into the wind and the boat felt fine.* We also had a chance to surf a little downwind and she was stable and didn't feel squirrelly.* While crossing the Strait of Georgia we took 3 footers on the beam for a couple of hours with no ill effects, but she did roll a bit.* As you can see from our avitar, we have a hardtop and acres of canvas.* We run the boat from the upper helm, all of which have an effect on the roll.* My wife can tend to get seasick with rolling but with her running the boat she felt fine.

I have some performance figures that might help in thinking about crossing.* We have a single 270 Cummins.* The boat is very fuel efficient.* In the Northwest it's hard to test speed at each rpm because you're rarely in a slack current.* I did have some slack water on this trip and got the following numbers.* At 1400 rpm we were at 8.2 knots burning 2.5 gallons/hr.* At 1600 rpm we were at 9.2 knots burning 3.6 gallons/hr and at 1800 rpm we were at 10.1 knots burning 4.8 gallons/hr.* The boat is very quiet and smooth from the upper helm at all of the speeds mentioned.* Max rpm for this engine is 2600.* I rarely exceed 2000, so I don't have any performance figures at higher rpms.* The boat isn't going to plane with one engine, so wide open you're not going to do much better than 11-12 knots. *

So, not having ever crossed the Gulf Stream I don't really know what conditions are normal.* I think the boat could take a lot, but you will roll some in beam seas.* You can probably cross a lot faster than you do in a sailboat, so you have a smaller time window for enduring rough weather.* When I get home I'll post some pictures of the boat in and out of the water.

Lyle

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Lyle

Thanks again. When I look at the boat again, is there anything I should pay attention too. Of course I will get a survey if I get serious. It looks like the boat I am interested in is the same as yours, single Cummins engine, and both bow and stern thrusters.
I like the shallow draft, since I will cruising the Bahamas. I have looked at many boats and this boat seems to have medium quality for a coastal cruiser. We are planning to go to the Annapolis power boat show this year so will have lots of comparisons to make.
Larry

Larry,

That's surprising that the boat that you're looking at is set up similar to ours.* I didn't know there was one that close to our configuration.* We have made many changes to our boat in the last two years to make it more what we wanted.* We have had no structural or mechanical problems.* We looked at many boats before we bought this one, so we had a pretty well defined idea of what we were looking for in a larger boat.* I was looking at late 80's, early 90's trawlers.* None of them fit for us.* When we first got on our Westcoast, my wife's comment was "this boat has good bones, we can make it into what we want".*

An interesting note is that every commercial person that we've had on the boat has commented about how much they like it.* The surveyor said "if I was buying a boat right now, this is a boat I would buy."* He gave it a good report, with few items to change.* Our boat is simple to maintain.* There is no outside teak, big rub rails, good stainless rails, no high gloss interior finishes, easy wiring runs, simple systems.* We love the Jatoba wood floors, they are so hard that they can be refinished easily.* Because the engine room was designed for two engines and only has one engine, it's easy to get to everything.* We've grown to like her more instead of less as we've gotten to know her.*

Now for some things I haven't liked.* The cockpit doesn't have real scuppers, only 4 drains, one in each corner.* I don't like that because I don't think a big load of water in the cockpit would drain out fast enough.* I intend to add large scuppers.* There are two additional drains down below the lazarette hatch cover.* They are too small and can get easily plugged.* Even when washing the boat if those drains are plugged you can get water into the lazarette.* I'm planning on changing those drains when I get to it.* Because they added 3' to the stern, I think the stern is a little light if the two water tanks in the lazarette aren't full.* Unlike most boats, this boat needs more weight in the stern for the best balance.* A big dingy hanging off of davits would probably help this boat, not unbalance it.* We thought the interior colors were pretty dull and ugly.* When I asked about it, I was told that Forbes Cooper had made those decisions himself, he was color blind and he chose what he thought would be most durable and not show dirt.* We have changed much of the color scheme in the interior.

This boat doesn't have a name or pedigree, so you should be able to buy it right in this market.* Though well known in B.C., even in Washington State most people don't know what it is.* The boat is also an old design for a new boat.* We like that, but I'm sure that limits the market of potential owners.* The down side to that is when reselling you'll face the same issues.* I plan on owning this boat until either the boat is finished, or I am, so I wasn't concerned about resale.*

I've attached a picture of our boat out of the water, just in case you haven't seen a picture of the boat below the waterline.

Lyle

Larry LaPalio wrote:
Lyle thanks I do have questions. We are planning to cruise the Bahamas. How does the boat handle in a rough sea. We will have to cross the gulf stream. There are no stablizers and it is a single engine.

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*That boat looks like a near ideal cruiser for the Bahamas.* Take it over there and enjoy.* Just make normal preparations and take normal precautions about weather, etc.

There was, or still is, a Westcoast for sale here in Everett. If I was in the position, that would certainly be my next boat. Perfect for NW cruising. It has the bones of a Tolly, but with some improvements. It's had some huge price drops over the last year. Beautiful boat.

Hi Lyle,
Wonder if you still have this boat?

bcarli said:

Hi Lyle,
Wonder if you still have this boat?

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The post you responded to is 11 years old . . .

THese boats appear for sale from time to time. One recently in P.Y an issue or two ago.
May still be available.

If you have not done so yet send him a PM directly. If he listed his Email address he should get the message.

A friend of mine just bought the one that was for sale in Anacortes. It has a single Cummins. seems like a nice boat in pretty good shape. Adding a cockpit to the original 43ft Tolly hull is certainly an improvement. Problem now is finding a slip for it.