Good/best live-aboard 35’ approx.

[Nomad Willy]

A friend is looking for such a boat.

Emphasis on live aboard but w reasonable capabilities running to SE Alaska.
Serious shopper but will probably take time choosing the boat.

Good older (1970) boats will be considered.

Puget Sound Wn. State.

Post your suggestions here.

 

[mvweebles]

Manatee.

 

[Nomad Willy]

HaHa Peter that’s the first one I mentioned to him.
I think he’s looking for an 75to 90% live aboard not a 98%.

 

[Lostsailor13]

He should have bought the 36 aft pilothouse for 15000,probably could have went down there next day after posting it for sale with 11000,but since that's gone get him to buy willard 40

 

[IslandTractor]

Monk 36. Excellent sea boat. Very well built (Taiwan before 1990 then Nova Scotia) Most fully depreciated. No teak decking. Usually powered by either Cummins 4BT or 6BT. Some with Perkins. Good access to engine room. Aft cabin with island bed is great for liveaboard couple. Main cabin is workable. Forecabin somewhat superfluous but great for storage and has extra head. Flybridge accessed via steps rather than ladder. My only beef is lack of "back porch" and associated salon but the aft cabin is a fair trade off.

 

[Nomad Willy]

IT,
When I think of a “Monk boat” I think of the 40’ wood bridge deck type cruisers of the 50’s.
But I caught on at the end of your post.
How much cabin beam does the M36 have? Seems to me they aren’t beamier that average. Wouldn’t that be a “must have” for a liv-aboard? Either that or pay for an extra 10’ of moorage.

We had an admin guy on TF some years ago that had an M36 and posted pics of the M36. But that’s been years ago. Guess I’m work’in up to the question of “does the M36 have more beam space than a MT or CHB or Tollycraft”? Boats like the GB and my W30 have too much space lost to side decks. But more that one person has lived aboard my little boat in the past. haha

I remember most M36’s had twin engines like most other trawlers. Wouldn’t a single engine boat be better for a live-aboard? You could put another 3000lbs of live-aboard stuff in the boat w/o being overweight .. like converting a twin to tripple screw weight wise.

I was hop’in there would be some other than Manatee wide beamed boats.
Got any handy pics? Looks like you have an M36. They have a good rep.
I’ll mention it to my friend .... he’s the man here - not me. He dosn’t know I’ve made this post yet.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Lostsailor13,
W40’s are expensive floor space per $.
Can you make a case fo a W40 live-aboad?

 

[mvweebles]

What about some of the sundeck model boats? Does it have to be a trawler? Uniflite made ACMY36 in the 70s. I'm sure there are others. I seem to recall a Nova Sundeck in the 36 range, may have even been a single.

 

[mvweebles]

Bayliner 38xx is a very liveable boat (the 32xx isn't bad either). Good runner too. I'd imagine many are tired by now, but there are probably a few that have been brought back to life by a caring owner with too much disposable money.

Roughwater 37 (not the 35) is a decent layout and a Monk design. It's a Sedan so not as roomy as a trunk cabin trawler, but decent usable space and easy to get on/off. There are a few of them running around up there.

 

[IslandTractor]

IT,
When I think of a “Monk boat” I think of the 40’ wood bridge deck type cruisers of the 50’s.
But I caught on at the end of your post.
How much cabin beam does the M36 have? Seems to me they aren’t beamier that average. Wouldn’t that be a “must have” for a liv-aboard? Either that or pay for an extra 10’ of moorage.

We had an admin guy on TF some years ago that had an M36 and posted pics of the M36. But that’s been years ago. Guess I’m work’in up to the question of “does the M36 have more beam space than a MT or CHB or Tollycraft”? Boats like the GB and my W30 have too much space lost to side decks. But more that one person has lived aboard my little boat in the past. haha

I remember most M36’s had twin engines like most other trawlers. Wouldn’t a single engine boat be better for a live-aboard? You could put another 3000lbs of live-aboard stuff in the boat w/o being overweight .. like converting a twin to tripple screw weight wise.

I was hop’in there would be some other than Manatee wide beamed boats.
Got any handy pics? Looks like you have an M36. They have a good rep.
I’ll mention it to my friend .... he’s the man here - not me. He dosn’t know I’ve made this post yet.

The beam of a Monk 36 is 13 feet. It has two side decks so the cabin beam is probably about 9-10 feet. I haven't measured. It's functional but not spacious. It seems about the same as what many similar size salon boats have but certainly not as much as the widebody versions like the Manatee. (FWIW, I like the idea of a Manatee from the inside, I just can't stand what they look like!) The Monk is a pretty classic looking Grand Banks style type.

Most Monks are single engine with modest horsepower. Mine has a Cummins 4BT rated at 150hp and I think it is overpowered. Cruise is 7-8 knots at 1800rpm or so. The newer Nova Scotia boats typically had the 6BT and probably do 9-10 knots but very few Monk 36s ever exceed that speed. I have only seen one with two small engines and I believe they are quite rare.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Weebles,
Yes that’s a good one. Haven’t thought about the Roughwater’s. There was one in Craig and I always gave her the eye as I walked along the float.

Wonder how they are about durability .. hull, deck and cabin?
They have some sort of a keel as I remember. Look like the’d be roomy inside.

We looked at Sundeck boats but I think he’s cool on them ... as am I but the make sense re the live-aboard issue.

I’ll PM him now on FB.

 

[Nomad Willy]

IslandTractor,
4BT = 4cyl turbo?
Must be as the NA is 80hp .. I think.
The Monk has a strait run aft so w twins or a medium sized turbo 6 should get more speed. I’m sure the M36 was designed for 200+ hp and a bit more speed. Or they designed it that way and the speed never materialized.

Anyway your setup sounds like an excellent slower SD trawler.

If it had more space I’d recommend a GB 36/42 w twin 4cyl engines. And I know lots of people live on GB 36’s. But not something I would call an ideal LA. And you’d half-ta settle for a 6cyl single as twins would be 6 cyl. I saw on YW 8 years or so a GB 36 w twin Yanmar J series (55hp NA). Sold fairly fast too.

 

[localboy]

Monk 36. Excellent sea boat. Very well built (Taiwan before 1990 then Nova Scotia) Most fully depreciated. No teak decking. Usually powered by either Cummins 4BT or 6BT. Some with Perkins. Good access to engine room. Aft cabin with island bed is great for liveaboard couple. Main cabin is workable. Forecabin somewhat superfluous but great for storage and has extra head. Flybridge accessed via steps rather than ladder. My only beef is lack of "back porch" and associated salon but the aft cabin is a fair trade off.

I’d agree. But good luck finding a decent one in the PNW. I’ve been looking for over a year. The ones with a centerline queen are few and far between and that’s a need, not a want for us. See more on the east coast for some reason.

 

[IslandTractor]

I’d agree. But good luck finding a decent one in the PNW. I’ve been looking for over a year. The ones with a centerline queen are few and far between and that’s a need, not a want for us. See more on the east coast for some reason.

They are pretty common on the East Coast and Yachtworld usually has half a dozen listed at any given time. There were only a few that were built without a center island "queen" (really a true double plus a few inches). The aft cabin is what really makes the Monk 36 much more desirable as a liveaboard than the typical GB36 which almost always has a pullman type berth in the aft cabin. The aft head has a partitioned shower/tub so it isn't a wet head. The forward head is wet.

Monk 36s range in price from mid 80's for a decent Taiwan boat needing updating to almost 200 for a newer Nova Scotia boat but the vast majority are in the 80-120 range. Most of those will need some updating of electronics, electrics etc so figure on spending another at least 20-40K or more to really bring it up to date. I haven't seen much evidence that engine rebuilds are necessary before 10,000 hrs or so and it is unusual to see even a thirty year old example with more than 6-8,000 hours. Quite a few have less than 4,000 hrs on their Cummins or Perkins engines. Not sure about Perkins parts but the Cummins 4BT and 6BT engines are ubiquitous and easy to get parts for.

I've never seen any concerns about hull or cabin in older boats. Woodwork was first class. Windows need renewal of weather stripping etc which can be pricy.

The biggest problem with the Monk 36 as a liveaboard to me would be the main cabin size. It's fine for cruising and makes the great aft cabin possible but there isn't room for a sofa other than the dinette. The galley works well however and the "full" upright refrigerator freezer is a big advantage over the squat to open type found on the GB36.

 

[IslandTractor]

IslandTractor,
4BT = 4cyl turbo?
Must be as the NA is 80hp .. I think.
The Monk has a strait run aft so w twins or a medium sized turbo 6 should get more speed. I’m sure the M36 was designed for 200+ hp and a bit more speed. Or they designed it that way and the speed never materialized.

Anyway your setup sounds like an excellent slower SD trawler.

If it had more space I’d recommend a GB 36/42 w twin 4cyl engines. And I know lots of people live on GB 36’s. But not something I would call an ideal LA. And you’d half-ta settle for a 6cyl single as twins would be 6 cyl. I saw on YW 8 years or so a GB 36 w twin Yanmar J series (55hp NA). Sold fairly fast too.

Yes, the 4BT is turbo and 150hp. The 6BT is typically rated at 210 but there are a few of the Nova Scotia boats that got 300+hp versions.

To my knowledge very few people try to run the Monk 36 as a "fast trawler" and most agree that 7-8 knots is the sweet spot. It was designed I believe to compete with the original Ford Lehman powered Grand Banks 36 so was never intended to travel at more than 9-10 knots.

Twin engines on the Monk doesn't really do much except make for a very crowded engine space.

 

[rslifkin]

For cabin beam, as an example, my salon is 10'8" between the sidewalls. Boat is 14' beam overall with side decks on both sides. A bit of that space is reclaimed in the form of some cabinets and drawers built into the sidewalls below the side decks in both the salon and aft cabin.


Layout wise, something like my boat would work, but for this specific need, it's too fast, too fuel thirsty (gassers) and not enough range for good PNW use. Living space is pretty good for a 38 footer though, and it has room for a decent size fridge.

 

[mvweebles]

Weebles,
Yes that’s a good one. Haven’t thought about the Roughwater’s. There was one in Craig and I always gave her the eye as I walked along the float.

Wonder how they are about durability .. hull, deck and cabin?
They have some sort of a keel as I remember. Look like the’d be roomy inside.

We looked at Sundeck boats but I think he’s cool on them ... as am I but the make sense re the live-aboard issue.

I’ll PM him now on FB.

I believe the 37 is fiberglass topside vs plywood on the 35s. But I'm not positive. A good friend bought one last year there in PNW and had it trucked go San Diego. He had one 20 years ago and always regretted selling it. I think it's up in SE Alaska, and if I remember, possible the owner might be interested in selling. But I'd have to check with my buddy. My friend is a topnotch mechanic and I seem to recall he repowered it from the old Perkins 6.354.

Attached is a Pic of his current R37. He removed the flybridge which I think is a smart move on that boat.

Really is a sweet boat. Tags a lot of bases in my book. Good size, better living space than my W36, and a decent sea boat. It's a real sleeper in the fleet out there

 

[localboy]

Island Tractor you note many of the reasons we were looking for a Monk. No teak decks, centerline bed with ample storage, “full sized” refer, separate shower from head...salty trawler “look” much like a GB. We had planned on moving to AZ and then coming back to the PNW for spring/summer and living on the boat. Due to economic uncertainty brought on by the prez election, we have decided to postpone those plans.

 

[Gabe n Em]

Ahem..... Did someone say "beamy"?

We're 32' with almost a 17' beam. Seaworthy... liveable...

But this is TRAWLERforum so maybe I'll go back to my corner......

 

[IronZebra]

Nauticat 33 with 85hp Perkins on Seattle Craigslist. $35K

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/boa/d/oak-harbor-nauticat-33-pilothouse/7256260055.html

 

[IslandTractor]

Island Tractor you note many of the reasons we were looking for a Monk. No teak decks, centerline bed with ample storage, “full sized” refer, separate shower from head...salty trawler “look” much like a GB. We had planned on moving to AZ and then coming back to the PNW for spring/summer and living on the boat. Due to economic uncertainty brought on by the prez election, we have decided to postpone those plans.

Hope you revitalize those plans. We don't live forever!

BTW, I lived in Kailua near the beach and in Honolulu in the mid 70s. My family was in Kailua for 45 years and as a loyal son, I visited often .

 

[Nomad Willy]

I believe the 37 is fiberglass topside vs plywood on the 35s. But I'm not positive. A good friend bought one last year there in PNW and had it trucked go San Diego. He had one 20 years ago and always regretted selling it. I think it's up in SE Alaska, and if I remember, possible the owner might be interested in selling. But I'd have to check with my buddy. My friend is a topnotch mechanic and I seem to recall he repowered it from the old Perkins 6.354.

Attached is a Pic of his current R37. He removed the flybridge which I think is a smart move on that boat.

Really is a sweet boat. Tags a lot of bases in my book. Good size, better living space than my W36, and a decent sea boat. It's a real sleeper in the fleet out there

View attachment 113641

Thank’s Peter,
Never seen one w a FB.
You mean FG house and decks w plywood hull? That could be good. Much easier to repair than FG but FG on the house avoids lots of small leaks around windows, house to deck and deck to hull joints. I like. And they started that w outboards in the late 50’s.
I’m not familiar w their hull re design. I have a vague recollection of a keel .. the kind that “cuts away” aft and exposes the shaft and requires a strut. Don’t remember the rudder.

 

[Nomad Willy]

IslandTractor,
13’ should nake good living space. Good.
Don’t see the GB in the Monk .. at all. One’s high freeboard one’s low. One’s got a pointy bow and one dosn’t. Chine .. one soft one hard. Cabin Cruiser house and trawler house. Naww I don’t see it but they are mostly the same type of boat/trawler. But I could make a long list of boats that I could say that about.

None the less I’ve always liked them but don’t know enough to like them in a knowledgable way. But if my friend found one in good condition he’d probably be set. If he liked it though. That’s a must of course.