Any trashy Trawlers out there?

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psneeld said:
Read the thread about marine stuff not lasting long.

Buy a 30 year old boat and maybe you fix systems more, but I wash and wax it less.

Why work on or own an ugly boat? To live on, cruise and enjoy while making it acceptable...not Bristol.

So many narrow view opinions these days.
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I typically use this view. I buy pre-dented and pre-scratched:lol:

I recently bought a fancy 25 foot Tritoon/ larger 4 stroke with all the bells and whistles that are currently all the rage. I was sure to buy one pre dented and pre scratched..lol. Otherwise I would be too worried when the inevitable happened. Also I wanted people who came on board to enjoy themselves too and not worry when something was spilled or broken. Worked out real good...at least for my own sanity :eek:
 
To me, any boat I have to take my shoes off for is way too nice.... :D

I do it out of respect...but still find it funny.
 
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David Ess said:
Ghost.....So your boat was already 25 years old when you bought it right? What if a guy buys a new boat , and only intends using it for 10? Not nearly so much maintenance as a 25 year old one.
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Think you missed the message.
 
Simi 60 said:
You have shoes?;)
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I aspire to not have shoes.

Funny - I've been looking for a good small daysailer for my parents & was just aboard one of the most astonishing vessels I've seen. It was immaculate - I mean not a wire out of place, could eat off the bilge, varnish perfect; far better than new. I wonder if it had ever been sailed - anchor was tiny for the boat and clearly had never seen salt. After ooh-ing and ahh-ing over it for a while I thought about what it would look like after a month or two of being used the way we use our boats - little kids, sand, cheetos, peanut butter...

Just like classic cars, it's nice that there are people who like putting the time into making their boat look like a piano, but not for me thanks!
 
I keep my boat in good shape and try to keep it clean, but because we live on it half the year now, and because we use it often, it's got a "cluttered" look with lots of coiled lines hanging (neatly, but still...), a spare anchor lashed to the bow rail, boat hooks in useful places, extra fenders ready to use, and such. Last Summer we spent 3 nights in a slip in Northeast Harbor, ME and our boat was, by far, the trashiest looking recreational vessel in the marina. It was also one of the only boats that left the dock while we were there...
 
A boat covered with cruising gear to me always signaled a cruiser. Decks covered in junk...a pack rat.

Just like a chipped and slightly rusty anchor. Probably an anchor being used, not stored.
 
Greetings,
My mom always said a house should be clean enough to be healthy and messy enough to be comfortable.
 
psneeld said:
A boat covered with cruising gear to me always signaled a cruiser. Decks covered in junk...a pack rat.

Just like a chipped and slightly rusty anchor. Probably an anchor being used, not stored.
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But if one actually .....goes cruising, big problem.
 
David Ess said:
But if one actually .....goes cruising, big problem.
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No its not. It can be lashed, wedged, cleated, etc...and not all cruising is out to sea in rough conditions.

I never said it was all loose. Reread post #98.

Really?
 
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psneeld said:
No its not. It can be lashed, wedged, cleated, etc...and not all cruising is out to sea in rough conditions.

I never said it was all loose. Reread post #98.

Really?
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Ok, i just though " decks covered with junk", meant loose.
 
The way I see it... Use It! - or - Lose It!!

See last photo: Stud muffin grandson Cooper now 6'4"... turns 20 today. Strikingly beautiful granddaughter Kylie is 17.

Had family over yesterday for Christmas Eve get together.

Merry Christmas to ALL !!!
 

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My boat is tired looking outside with faded paint and scrapes and blemishes on the hull (war wounds carried proudly). The exterior wood, the hand rail, is grey and weathered. The black trim stripe is fading. But everything mechanical works great, the interior looks great with new carpets and wallpaper and we have been making constant repairs and improvements and upgrades.

However a new paint job on a 70’ boat is well beyond what we want to spend on simple cosmetics. For the cost of painting we could probably rebuild both 12 cylinder Detroits and we would probably do just that.
 
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I read somewhere on TF that a boat should look good to a critical eye from a distance equal to or greater than its length. I like that one.
 
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My boat tends to get messy and dirty when cruising. Imo, getting it back to a standard after the cruise is important in the overall maintenance of the boat. When you start ignoring the maintenance, removing the clutter, and addressing the minor problems, things start to snowball in a very bad way.

Recently sold my charter boat and was extremely disappointed at how a year on the hard degraded the boat. Thankfully it's all recoverable with a week's worth of work. Normally wiping down the interior each season with a mild bleach solution eliminates any change of mold on walls and vinyl covered cushions. Miss a year, plus a humid summer, and there's some clean up in areas.

Ted
 
MurrayM said:
I read somewhere on TF that a boat should look good to a critical eye from a distance equal to or greater than its length. I like that one.
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Old saying in the US Navy, "Run it may, shine it must."
 
Over the years I have built aluminium super yachts and performance multihulls with mirror finishes and inordinate amount of hours, weeks, months and dollars spent getting and maintaining that finish.
Other boats, docks, tenders , birds do not care and dish out the damage regardless of dollars and time spent.

Now, as long as she looks OK from 100ft away I am fine with that
Ours gets washed when it rains and after it rains the decks get hosed with saltwater
Workboat finish is so much easier and leaves time for things of actual importance.
 
Simi 60 said:
Over the years I have built aluminium super yachts and performance multihulls with mirror finishes and inordinate amount of hours, weeks, months and dollars spent getting and maintaining that finish.
Other boats, docks, tenders , birds do not care and dish out the damage regardless of dollars and time spent.

Now, as long as she looks OK from 100ft away I am fine with that
Ours gets washed when it rains and after it rains the decks get hosed with saltwater
Workboat finish is so much easier and leaves time for things of actual importance.
Click to expand...

Quite right...just hose down that bare alu with sea water...no problem. I dontvlike anything above waterline thatneeds painting or polishing, or is made from wood.
 
Simi 60 said:
birds do not care and dish out the damage regardless of dollars and time spent.
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I love this thread and some of these replies:D

I feel much better now:lol: Looking at many of these boats only through member thumbnails and our own descriptions one might think this board is only habited by the very very wealthy

After reading MurryM's post above I have a new goal. 31 feet :lol:
 
I keep the boat looking good to MY EYE whether cruising or long-term moored. Way too much Navy time to allow for Irish pennants and slovenliness. That may be good or bad from your perspective; doesn't matter to me as long as I'm happy with it.

Whenever I get tired of boat work, I elect to adhere to the 60-mile an hour test where it's acceptable when viewed going by it that fast.
 
40’ Defever- great “ugly” boat!

I have this 1977 40’ Defever I have been working on for a couple years. She has twin Lehman 120’s, one recently rebuilt with 30 hours. (Rebuilt because the previous owner accidentally closed the Thru hull to the sea water strainer overheating the engine).
Twin radar, auto pilot, dual racor fuel filters, dual magnum inverters! Paravane stabilizer system, brand new Honda 3000 generator, twin diesel
Furnace’s, propane oven/stove. Nick Jackson stainless Davit, brand new West Marine 9’ inflateable tender—- go to Alaska with no worries!
Factory Fiberglass (not teak) decks are pretty good, a little delamination in the bow, but not structural.
Ready to go!
$49k
 

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Walk the docks rather than surf the web to find a wider variety of trawlers in assorted conditions. Get onboard whenever you can just for a look-see (and don't trust what you see in the "for sale" photos). Weigh your available time, skills and budget as you assess various yay/nay conditions for you. We have 2 wooden trawlers, 50 years old, in different climates. Neither are perfect but both were cruisable from day 1. Yes, there are always projects, some urgent, some by choice, but to us, they're both beautiful classic DeFevers. Good luck!
 
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