Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 05-12-2019, 04:55 PM   #1
Member
 
City: NY
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 13
Engine Room for Claustrophobic Captains

Starting my hunt for a Trawler/Pilothouse in the 38' range. 1998 and newer with a flybridge. Interested in the Great Loop and family cruising. No boat shows in the near future, so I'd love to get 1st hand recommendations on what boats have more spacious engine rooms. I've seen videos of the Kadey-Krogen 39 and that looks great, but other's like the Nordhavn, American & Nordic Tug, Helmsman, Selene etc... look very cramped. Maybe it's just the video/pics. I'm somewhat handy in reasonable spaces, but useless in tiny quarters. Many have large top hatches, but I'm not sure they allow enough room for me to get around the sides. At 6' tall and 230 I don't want to get corked when I check the oil or do maintenance. I've been boating for over 30 years in sub 30 footers with I/O and outboards only. Thank you...
levrac68 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2019, 05:03 PM   #2
Moderator Emeritus
 
Comodave's Avatar
 
City: Au Gres, MI
Vessel Name: Black Dog
Vessel Model: Formula 41PC
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 21,131
Welcome aboard. Our deck in the salon mostly lifts out to access the engine room but it can still be challenging to get to the very back. We had a 46’ that I could crawl all the way around the engines and lay outboard of them but that boat had a 16’ beam. Our current boat isn’t as big and is tight in places. The starboard engine water pump is mostly sight unseen whan you work on it.
Comodave is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2019, 05:29 PM   #3
Guru
 
Ken E.'s Avatar
 
City: Bellingham WA
Vessel Name: Hatt Trick
Vessel Model: 45' Hatteras Convertible
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 1,971
Boats vary greatly in how accessible things are downstairs, both single and twin engines. When you have a shortlist of boats you're interested in, find one for sale in your area, pop the hatches and see if you fit. Bear in mind that some ER areas will likely be tight in most all the boats you look at. It's almost like boat designers have a code.....'if it isn't a little snug, you've wasted space'.
__________________
Ken on Hatt Trick
Ken E. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2019, 06:37 PM   #4
Guru
 
firehoser75's Avatar
 
City: Nanaimo
Vessel Name: former owner of "Pilitak"
Vessel Model: Nordic Tug 37
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 1,703
Hi levrac68,
Yes the KK 39 ER is spacious compared to a lot of boats in this size range. Usually twin engines will be cramped compared to single engine configurations. Makes sense, double the engines. Usually accessing the outboard side of each engine is often difficult to very challenging.
Just for info, the ER in my Nordic Tug 37 with a single Cummins 6bta 330 hp engine allows fairly good access to both sides and the front of the engine. However, it is NOT a standup ER, and it has sit down or kneel headroom. According to my mechanic (who sees lots of various ER's), the Tug's ER allows for comparatively easy access.
I do most of my own maintenance, and I am 6'2" tall and weigh about 200 lbs, so similarly sized to yourself.
When we were boat hunting, I came across a number of boats with way smaller ER's than the NT 37.

For our budget, the KK 39 (as they are relatively new) were priced outside of our budget, but maybe you can find one to fit yours.
Good luck with your hunt,
Tom
__________________
Tom
Nanaimo, BC
firehoser75 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2019, 06:56 PM   #5
Guru
 
Tom.B's Avatar
 
City: Cary, NC
Vessel Name: Skinny Dippin'
Vessel Model: Navigator 4200 Classic
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 5,841
From our shopping, this is what we saw: Californians in the 40+ range have huge, walk-in engine rooms. Big Defevers (47 & 49) have cavernous engine rooms. Lots of the Taiwanese 80's and 90's vintage - mostly single screws - have pretty good access through lift out floor panels. The Caver 47xx trawler have small engine rooms. You will do some belly crawling, but the floors do lift out and it does help some. Newer SeaRays and Regals (technically not trawlers) have extremely small engine spaces. Our Navigator has a meduim space. There is a little crawling, but once I am in, I have plenty of space.Most of that, however, is due to our 15' beam.



Good luck with your search.
__________________
2000 Navigator 4200 Classic
(NOT a trawler)
Tom.B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2019, 07:04 PM   #6
Master and Commander
 
markpierce's Avatar
 
City: Vallejo CA
Vessel Name: Carquinez Coot
Vessel Model: penultimate Seahorse Marine Coot hull #6
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 12,559
Generally speaking for smaller boats (under 44-feet?), single-engine boats have better engine access compared to multi-engine boats.
__________________
Kar-KEEN-ez Koot
markpierce is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2019, 07:05 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
AdmiralS's Avatar
 
City: Stony Point, NY
Vessel Name: VARKA
Vessel Model: Helmsman Trawlers 43 PH
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 250
The engine room on the Helmsman 38 and 43 are almost like having a 3rd stateroom. More than enough room to perform any inspection or task. There is also what we have dubbed the basement under the Saloon which is just a massive equipment and storage space. The Lazarette is also beam to beam offering easy access to running gear and storage.
AdmiralS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2019, 07:19 PM   #8
Member
 
City: NY
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 13
Thanks for the quick replies. There is zero chance of me crawling around. I am a bit claustrophobic. Not with elevators, but I can't do crawl spaces under houses unless they are high enough where I can sit in a mechanics chair and scoot around. Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs has had a few episodes that I've turned off. Can't even see it on camera.
levrac68 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2019, 08:03 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
HenryD's Avatar
 
City: North Port, FL
Vessel Name: Seven Tenths (sold)
Vessel Model: Mirage / Great Harbour 47
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 477
Take a look at the Great Harbour N37 - a stand-up engine room you can walk around both engines.
https://www.greatharbourtrawlers.com/n37.html
HenryD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2019, 08:07 PM   #10
Guru
 
South of Heaven's Avatar
 
City: Sharon, Ma
Vessel Name: Slow Lane
Vessel Model: 2005 Silverton 35 Motoryacht
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 1,167
Levrac: This seems like a real issue for you. You should consider a bigger boat then. The only way to get a bigger ER is to have more breadth (beam) and a single motor.
__________________
Jason

2005 Silverton 35 Motoryacht
South of Heaven is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2019, 08:09 PM   #11
TF Site Team
 
Bacchus's Avatar
 
City: Seneca Lake NY
Vessel Name: Bacchus
Vessel Model: MS 34 HT Trawler
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 7,808
From previous boat w/ twin gassers I feel like I'm in heaven when in our MS ER.
It's a single and I've had 3 Lg guys down there when we were adjusting valves.
Here's a few shots of the space. It's not stand up but plenty of room on hands & knees and I have used a stool at times but usually just as easy on knees w/ knee pads.
If that would bother you I'm guessing you will be in need of a stand-up ER?
Attached Thumbnails
Stbd Eng Rm Battys.jpg   MS34HT15.jpg  
Attached Images
 
__________________
Don
2008 MS 34 HT Trawler
"Bacchus"
Bacchus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2019, 08:43 PM   #12
Member
 
City: NY
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by South of Heaven View Post
Levrac: This seems like a real issue for you. You should consider a bigger boat then. The only way to get a bigger ER is to have more breadth (beam) and a single motor.
Yes it is.... Unfortunately. I don't want to go too big because of the loop and also the expense.
levrac68 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2019, 08:46 PM   #13
Member
 
City: NY
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by AdmiralS View Post
The engine room on the Helmsman 38 and 43 are almost like having a 3rd stateroom. More than enough room to perform any inspection or task. There is also what we have dubbed the basement under the Saloon which is just a massive equipment and storage space. The Lazarette is also beam to beam offering easy access to running gear and storage.
I do like the 38E. I'll have to find one to look at close by.
levrac68 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2019, 09:21 PM   #14
Guru
 
Codger2's Avatar
 
City: San Diego
Vessel Name: Circuit Breaker
Vessel Model: 2021..22' Duffy Cuddy cabin
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 6,691
Quote:
Originally Posted by levrac68 View Post
At 6' tall and 230 I don't want to get corked when I check the oil or do maintenance..
The video I'm enclosing is of a 2019 Mikelson 43. All Mikelsons, both old & new, have large hinged hatches that open up the entire cockpit for engine maintenance. I suggest you call Mikelson Yachts, PJ Sullivan and enquire about older used 43s. (Note
Even the older Mikelsons (1997 & up) have the cockpit hinged hatches, fishing rod holders in the salon overhead, molded in bait tanks in the transom, etc.

https://mikelsonyachts.com/2019-mike...ach-boat-show/
Attached Thumbnails
Screen Shot 2019-05-12 at 7.08.35 PM.jpg   Screen Shot 2019-05-12 at 7.09.07 PM.jpg   Screen Shot 2019-05-12 at 7.09.18 PM.jpg  
__________________
Done with diesel power boats! Have fallen in love with all electric!
Codger2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2019, 09:43 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
City: Henderson, NV
Vessel Name: HI-HO
Vessel Model: Diesel Duck 462 (my fantasy)
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 134
I do not know if this boat is still for sale, but at $250K, it's a bargain. Note the spacious, room-size ER on the DD 382.
ddw36 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2019, 10:36 PM   #16
Member
 
City: NY
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 13
Wow... That's some Engine Room... I just don't think she's getting under that 19' Bridge on the loop. Thank You
levrac68 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2019, 10:40 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
greysailor's Avatar
 
City: Matagorda Bay
Vessel Name: Salty
Vessel Model: 2005 Defever 44
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 227
Quote:
Originally Posted by levrac68 View Post
Starting my hunt for a Trawler/Pilothouse in the 38' range. 1998 and newer with a flybridge. Interested in the Great Loop and family cruising. No boat shows in the near future, so I'd love to get 1st hand recommendations on what boats have more spacious engine rooms. I've seen videos of the Kadey-Krogen 39 and that looks great, but other's like the Nordhavn, American & Nordic Tug, Helmsman, Selene etc... look very cramped. Maybe it's just the video/pics. I'm somewhat handy in reasonable spaces, but useless in tiny quarters. Many have large top hatches, but I'm not sure they allow enough room for me to get around the sides. At 6' tall and 230 I don't want to get corked when I check the oil or do maintenance. I've been boating for over 30 years in sub 30 footers with I/O and outboards only. Thank you...
Welcome Levrac,
May be a little more boat than you're thinking, but you'd be hard pressed to find a friendlier engine room on a commonly available trawler than a DrFever 44. I'm 6'3" and the Admiral keeps me locked down there most days!🤣Click image for larger version

Name:	imagejpeg_0.jpeg
Views:	187
Size:	74.1 KB
ID:	88504
__________________
Fair winds,
Luke
greysailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2019, 05:24 AM   #18
Guru
 
OldDan1943's Avatar
 
City: Aventura FL
Vessel Name: Kinja
Vessel Model: American Tug 34 #116 2008
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 10,595
Another suggestion, the American Tugs in the 42ft range.
__________________
Two days out the hospital after a week in the hospital because of a significant heart attack.
OldDan1943 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2019, 12:00 PM   #19
Guru
 
healhustler's Avatar
 
City: Longboat Key, FL
Vessel Name: Bucky
Vessel Model: Krogen Manatee 36 North Sea
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,196
Like Henry says above, it would be difficult to imagine an ER anything close to the Great Harbour N-37, but I’d give the KK-39 a second and honorable mention to the Selene 36. Consider that a single engined vessel with ample removable hatches is a very good alternative, since guys like us can stand and work around a single with no major issues. Pictured below is a KK Manatee 36, repowered with a 140 Yanmar. Even with a huge air compressor and bulkhead mounted filters, most maintenance work is easy peasy. House batteries are maintenance free and slide beneath the sole on either side. ER’s “can” be cleaned up.
Attached Thumbnails
A73D5FC6-8803-4E7A-A54F-12B0E1007FB6.jpg  
__________________
Larry

"When life gets hard, eat marshmallows”.
healhustler is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2019, 03:24 PM   #20
Member
 
City: NY
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 13
Definitely think opening top hatches would help.
levrac68 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Trawler Port Captains
Port Captains are TF volunteers who can serve as local guides or assist with local arrangements and information. Search below to locate Port Captains near your destination. To learn more about this program read here: TF Port Captain Program





All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:36 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2006 - 2012