sedan shopping / fishing and cruising

[Skippy jack]

Hi all, new here. First post (don't blow it). I have a larger boat in mind for 2025 and I'm slowly paving the way for that.
I currently operate a 25' skipjack which is primarily a fishing. Lately I have been using the boat much in the way I intend to use the new boat. Now there are some clear limitations as to what I can do with a 25' boat, but I have really been trying to test waters in regards to how I see myself operating and living on this new boat.
The boat i keep looking at the last couple years is the Californian 34 lrc. I really feel this model could check a lot of my box's.
* First off I think I can single this boat, provided it's not blowing 30 in the harbor.
* The vessel has a good size deck outback and excellent access up each side for both fishing and docking.
* The galley up model has two state rooms, big plus. I will have guest from time to time and it would be great if they weren't sleeping on my dinning table.
* Fairly economical with the in-line diesels, not interested in the 3208s.

I guess the question i'm asking is this, are there any other vessels (on the west coast) that meet this criteria.
I have seen a few other sedan trawlers in the 34 range but none have two state rooms.
I have seens some tolly's converted to diesel, not sure how well these work at trawler speed. I sure I could fish off one fine.
Other boat is a rough water 35,36,37 these look to be a hefty boat and having the helm so far aft would be great trolling offshore. And the single diesel would be perfect economy for the run up and down the Baja peninsula.
I know uniflite makes a strong boat, there are some models I like but the blisters kinda scare me.
The Californians that I have been looking at are generally in the 50 to 60k.
That's kinda where i'm looking.

So i'm reaching out to this new community. If there are any other boats that I have been overlooking; please enlighten me. I would really like to widen by search a little.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Welcome aboard. The only thing I would consider a downside to a trawler style boat is the freeboard. Our last vessel (Cheoy Lee 46' LRC) was a good 5' off the water and meant a LONG gaff or net. Difficult to handle with a covered aft deck.

 

[Skippy jack]

I agree, some of the boats I'm referring to are not ideal fishing vessel's. They do have a lot of draw backs, however I think the cal. 34 would be a great fit for multi day trips offshore. Should be ample room for one person and a dog full time.
Reality is the boat will be fished maybe 10% of the time it's in use. The sport fishing is a big part of what I enjoy and I don't want to exclude it.

 

[ranger58sb]

A "convertible" or similar would generally be designed for fishing, make it easier to land fish, etc. Many can come with two staterooms, and you can often drive them at "trawler speed" to save fuel.

-Chris

 

[mvweebles]

A "convertible" or similar would generally be designed for fishing, make it easier to land fish, etc. Many can come with two staterooms, and you can often drive them at "trawler speed" to save fuel.

-Chris

Bayliner 32xx comes to mind. I still marvel at the clever design with a second stateroom tucked-in. I am sure there are other more modern examples too.

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1991-bayliner-3288-motoryacht-9017141/

Peter

 

[Ken E.]

The sedan / convertible / sportfish configuration is certainly my choice. My cockpit is not only big and open for fishing, but is a patio area in good weather. The tradeoff of less interior living space is a good one to me. Makes docking and loading easier too. As Peter mentioned above, the 32 Bayliners have a good-sized cockpit, a good design, and many have diesels. There are many here in the PNW.

 

[Gdavid]

I use my boat in a similar fashion and frequently troll, bottom fish or jig alone. Having a lower helm station easily accessible from the cockpit is great. Visibility over the coach roof and bow from the lower help is pretty poor on mine, but at least I see enough to watch for traffic. Speed is a seriously limiting factor on my boat and friends with planing boats have a lot more ability to chase after a hot bite or cover more ground in a day. If I could cruise at 16 knots, it would be suited much better to fishing in my region but I've learned to make the most of the fishing grounds closest to me.

I have not been aboard a Californian 34' but the layout and twin engines would offer significant improvements over my boat.

If you do any trolling, a good autopilot can make any boat a much more pleasant trolling vessel and it would be the first upgrade I would make if the boat did not have one already.

 

[RickyD]

Why not 3208 engines. I like mine over gas or the Ford Lehmans I had on my last boat. I actually looked for boats with either Cummins or Cats. Just curious. Detroits were also off my list because of assumed economy not personal experience.

 

[Jetwag03]

Nothing wrong with well cared for 3208's. Mine are 40 year old 300hp, pushing 5 thousand hours. They are still running strong and the easiest starting diesel I have ever owned. The guys on my pier with newer diesels have had lots of issues. CAT 3116 needed a new head, the guy with Volvo's has all kinds of error codes and sensor failures. There are no perfect marine diesels, my point is older mechanical diesels can outlive their modern equivalent when properly maintained, so try not to write off a good boat with older engines.

 

[Skippy jack]

I didn't mean to sound negative toward the cat engine. I have operated the 3208 for years in heavy equipment and they are an excellent power plant. I just think my pocketbook would be better suited to the economy of the in-lines. Not as many exhaust manifolds to replace and there would be more room in the engine room. Which I imagine is not that big on a mid 30's with twins.
I have not been on a larger Bayliner, how are the diesels they use? And how do they track at trawler speed? I do dig the way they get two staterooms in a 32' boat. Very good use of room (what I've seen in videos).
As far as sportfishers go, I guess I kinda ruled them out thinking they would not be very economical at the slower speeds due to the larger higher horsepower engines. And the lack of lower helm is bit of a of turn off for me. Some time down the road I would like to see some of the northwest inside passage.
I have never owned or operated a boat in this size range i'm looking at. One of my biggest fears is that I will acquirer, what I think is my ideal boat only to find I can't afford to leave the dock. And I don't intend on being at a dock any more than necessary.

 

[Skippy jack]

One thing I failed to bring up is was range. Most of my cruising will be close to ports and fuel. However its a gap between Ensenada and Cabo. That run will be right between my two cruising grounds. I would like to be able too make that journey with out having to fuel at turtle bay. I have never heard anything good about a fuel stop there.

 

[Jetwag03]

Skippy Jack,
No worries I did not think you were, my point was only if you found a really nice boat that fit your criteria and it had 3208's keep it on your short list. I see you mention lower fuel and yes the older inline six engines are more efficient and a "little" less to maintain. If we go slow with our 38' Cali which is most of the time our 3208's use about a gallon per nautical mile. OF course there are a lot of variables that change the range, wind, currents, your cruising speed. Good luck with your search.

 

[RickyD]

Yes coming from smaller boats you worry about the cost of fuel but for most of us it is not a big percentage of the cost of owning the boat. Now if you are long distance fishing all the time that could change. My 47' Lien Hwa with twin Ford Lehmans 275s got about 1 mile per gallon at nine knots. My brother's Offshore Yachtfisher with twin 3208 375s gets about 1 gallon a mile at 10 knots, my Californian 55 with twin 3208 425s gets about 1 gallon a mile at 10 knots. Personally I see a trend here. Also, I average 7.73 gallons per operating hour because sometimes I'm idling or going slower than 10 knots and I don't idle much. I don't regularly idle my boat at the dock like some do. I see that you want range, if so, just plan to go really slow. Regarding the Bayliner 32, my dock mate has one. He has twin Hino 110s diesels. At 8 knots he gets 2+ kmpg. Thats running about 1900 rpm. Under way the boat works well but at anchor it is very rolly. He loves the layout but wants a 38.

 

[RonR]

Why not a sport fisher?
Viking/Egg Harbor or something like that?

 

[Skippy jack]

The sport fisher is an incredibly effective fishing boat no doubt. I'm not sure it would be as effective as a full time cruiser. I feel like i would want the lower helm in the bad weather or cold mornings. And i'm not sure what the fuel burn would be like at the 7 or 8 knot speed having such large, high power engines.

Even so, when rolls by out on the fishing grounds. I cant help but wonder what it mite be like.

 

[RonR]

We have an upper and lower helm.
2 rooms, 2 full bath
Twin 8v-92 TA’s 750hp
800 gallon of fuel
180 water
60 holding
15kw gen set
Full galley, full size fridge.
Ice maker
Rear freezer
Incredible boat for weather/waves.
But it’s also incredibly loud while underway


Fuel burn is not high on the list for me considering the cost of the boat. But we also do not fish much off this one, as it does not go slower than 6knots. (Pnw salmon speeds are more like 2.5-3) Old boats need a full time maintenance . And that’s where my real cost are.

28knots = 80 gallons an hour
16knots = 50
8knots = 10 gallons

Bang for buck I would do a sport fisher again, and recommend them to people that can work on Detroit power plants.

For a cruising boat… I would go to a OA Mark 2

 

[RonR]

Another boat ( hard to find ) is an Albin 35-38 Tournament.
Good amount of room for 2. Very capable fishing boat

 

[lwarden]

Along the lines of the Albin TE 35 FB which we came close to buying is what we did buy, a Lindell 36. This boat was modeled after the Riviera 36 in terms of layout and general style, but build quality, fit and finish are a step above. Being in the PNW where they are built there are a few around, but only a couple sell each year. There is one in BC listed on YW now which looks pretty clean. The 38 is a stretched version of the 36 with an extra 2' in the cockpit they spliced in, I think that is the better model and wish we had bought one.
The boat does pretty well on fuel when fast cruising getting ~1MPG at 20 knots, and if you slow down to 7-8 knots it gets over 2. It's a nice compromise if you want a nice layout with nice interior, upper and lower helms, some room for fishing (better in the 38) and decent economy.

Riviera are also an option and more plentiful. Most of the Lindells and Rivs have Cummins power in the 370hp range, but some of the earlier Lindells have Yanmar power. Can't go wrong with either.

 

[ranger58sb]

The sport fisher is an incredibly effective fishing boat no doubt. I'm not sure it would be as effective as a full time cruiser. I feel like i would want the lower helm in the bad weather or cold mornings. And i'm not sure what the fuel burn would be like at the 7 or 8 knot speed having such large, high power engines.

Even so, when rolls by out on the fishing grounds. I cant help but wonder what it mite be like.

Enclosed helm with heat and AC can speak to weather, and the visibility from a flybridge is better anyway. I wouldn't mind having a lower helm again, but don't really miss one (we rarely used it, anyway).

Fuel burn can mostly be managed by paying attention to speeds, staying under max theoretical displacement hull speed... when sea states permit.

We usually saw around 4 GPH on our previous 42 convertible with twin mechanical 450s, depending on wind/tide/current. Our current 58' rides shows us about 6 GPH with twin electronic 900s.

We don't always run at trawler speeds, of course. Then too, we don't always have to run at trawler speeds.

-Chris