Referring to your boat?

[Tony B]

I have a Mainship 36 Aft Cabin boat. After coming from sailboats, I had a hard time describing to the non-boating public what I bought.
Mainship refers to it as a motoryacht. To me, the word 'yacht' linked to anything is too presumptuous, so that's out for me. It is not a trawler, besides some people here on the coast automatically think 'shrimpboat' when they hear 'trawler'.
It seems like if I use a somewhat antiquated term like 'cabin cruiser', everyone knows what I mean.
How do you refer to your boat to the non-boating public?

[Steve]

Here too if you tell someone you have a trawler they'll say something like "how's the shrimp running" or ask the price of 20- 30s.
I usually say I have a "cruising boat".

[Nomad Willy]

Tony B,
It's kinda "antiquated" to call a house a house or a man a man but that's what they are called.
I think it's stupid to call a car a "ride". It's a car and that's that.
People tend to call things unique names to be part of a special group. If you call someone a "Dude" they may say "your'e too old to use that word". Teenagers are the best at this "cool" behavior. Gotta be what's "trending" now.
Old is old and to be pushed aside as undesirable but I'll admit I'm getting old and I wish I could push that aside.

Your boat is a cruiser. Not a heavy cruiser ... the boats people call trawlers are heavy cruisers. But most cruisers are lighter than yours so if one was in the need to be very specific I'd say you have a semi-heavy cruiser. But in most conversation I'd just say cruiser .. or wish I could. The word trawler has been used so much now we all use it even though it's not quite proper.

But if you want to be a little (or a lot) cool or trending you'd call your boat a semi-trawler or perhaps a light trawler. If it's styled like a trawler but light like a typical cruiser (think Camano Troll or Ranger) then I'd say light or very light trawler. You see I'm using the word trawler as it's so well intrenched it is probably very usable and lots of people that don't know much about boats at all know basically what a trawler is now.

But it's really a cruiser.

And it's also a yacht. A yacht is a pleasure boat. But many here are really put off by the word yacht and trawler being in the same sentence. It's the social status thing .. the pretentious thing. You want to be identified as part of a group .... tough knowledgable sea men. NOT the likes of Rodger Dangerfield in Catty Shack. But we are in that group too. To some people the most important reason they have a boat is to be part of a group. Very pretentious but to some degree we all are. There are some here (myself included) that would be very happy w what most think of as a yacht if someone else would buy the fuel. Up to a point. I can truthfully say arriving at Petersburg AK or any other port w a strong commercial presence I would rather be seen arriving w a trawler/heavy cruiser that a slick yacht.

But all that said Tony you basically have a trawler. If I saw more than your avatar I may change my mind though.

[Codger2]

Originally Posted by Tony B

How do you refer to your boat to the non-boating public?

I always refer to it as the "boat."

[Phil Fill]

Best to start out with the general term boat, and let them ask questions. If they ask what kind of boat, I say a trawler! Usually the next question is how big? If they have any more question I show them a picture as we have personal cards with a picture of the boat.

[Northern Spy]

Boat.

[Nomad Willy]

You guys aren't very chatty this morning.

[Conrad]

Usually when folks ask me what kind of boat I have, all they care about is whether she is power or sail. And how big. But any attempt to further categorize her just results in a glazed look.

[OFB]

Oldfishboat

[markpierce]

When asked I say "a 35-foot, 14-ton motorboat with a maximum speed of 8 (statute) miles an hour." The next question is "do you fish?" Answer: "no."

[ancora]

"Sundeck Trawler."

[Nomad Willy]

"Sundeck Trawler."

Is there really such a thing?

Mark I really think the "14 ton" part carries the most weight (pun intended).

Conrad,
"power or sail" ... that's the most important part. Your'e right for most folks ... and size is all they really need or want to know.

[FlyWright]

A recreational trawler...why yes, I do fish recreationally.

[CPseudonym]

I call it a boat or cabin cruiser if a more complete explanation is called for. When asked I might answer "we took the boat out this weekend" or "went to the boat".

I have a rather large circle of friends that are non boaters. Most of them call it a "yacht" or "motor-yacht". I have found that most non boaters generally tend to refer to anything more than a cuddy cabin as a yacht, unless it is a houseboat or commercial boat of some sort.

When they go out on my boat they get excited to be "yachting". I agree that it is a pretentious term for what we do and would never use the term myself, but frankly correcting it to boating doesn't seem to work and only serves to make me appear pedant. When I do protest the yachting term they insist it is what we are doing regardless of vessel size.

[Northern Spy]

Originally Posted by manyboats

You guys aren't very chatty this morning.

If they inquire more, I'll usually tell them blue motor boat. I mean, come on, they're non-boaters, right?

I'm not a horse guy. If you tell me you have a fourteen hand high Appaloosa thoroughbred. I want to know is it brown or does it have spots and can it pull a wagon or do you ride it.

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Well right now I have a "pocket yacht!" Or better described as a "tub."

[FF]

Lobster work boat is my answer.

[Nsail]

Power boat. And, most will ask about the length as they're interested in the size. That's about all they're going to understand or care about. For the non boating public, weight wouldn't mean anything as they have no idea how to translate that into size.

Trawler and weight = head scratching and maybe more questions, which is what some owners want.

[ancora]

If "Sundeck Trawler" is good enough for the United States Coast Guard it's good enough for me.

[markpierce]

Originally Posted by Nsail

... For the non boating public, weight wouldn't mean anything as they have no idea how to translate that into size.

Fourteen tons is equal to about 4 mature hippopotamuses, or about 1.5 African bull elephants, or about six Ford F-150 pickup trucks.