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MNdiver

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2020
Messages
31
Location
United States
Vessel Name
looking for 1st trawler
I recently joined the forum. Time to introduce myself. My wife and I are retiring soon and have decided cruising on a trawler is the way to go. We love the water( especially warm salt water). Spending time on the lakes in Minnesota is great but the is very hard much of the year. We have been reading, dreaming and researching for a few months now, so .... be prepared for newbie questions as we look for a boat. steve
 
Welcome Steve ! I've many fond memories of Park Rapids and Fish Hook Lake. My grandfather purchased 17 acres there more than 70 years ago. Some of that was along Ojibway beach, where he had built two cottages. Spent 6 summers there, adolesence and teen years, swimming, fishing, playing in a strip planked rowboat with a 5 hp Scott Atwater and a 16' cub sailboat. Northern leopard frogs were frequent visitors to the dock and boat ramps. Loons would dance on the water on foggy mornings. Most days were spent in swim trunks and sweatshirts. Grandpa passed in '70 and grannie sold, though it was there that after seeing the movie PT 109, and getting to see mahoganny runabouts cruise by (there were 3 on the lake) it occurred to me that I might be a boat nut.
Presently I'm starting my 3 year of ownership of a 1972 Grand Banks 42' Classic. I believe this was the last year of wood. Yes, there is alot of maintenance, though I'm looking to retire in 6 months so I have plenty to do. I have replaced hundreds of plugs in the deck and don't know if I will get all of the deck leak out though I know I've got alot of it, so that's progress. These wood Grand Banks are some of the best built boats, I consider myself lucky as finding a needle in a haystack. Also I honestly think of my boat as a yacht. Happy hunting
 
Steve
Welcome aboard TF
Congrats on the upcoming retirement - I highly recommend it, especially if you have a full time hobby like boating.
If you haven't seen it a good place to start is Boat Search 101 in the General Discussion section.
 
Thanks for the welcome everyone. I recognize a handle or two from scuba diving forums ( hi Ted). Finally had the opportunity to get on a couple of boats here in the great white north. Confirmed what we Do Not want.Which is part of the process. Pbsurf, small world, we have been in the Park Rapids are for 28 years. We live on the Little Sand river. The more we look at boats the more I am drawn to a pilot house type. I especially like the Grand Banks. Pbsurf, your wood boat sounds very cool. However after a career as a painting contractor, SOME wood to take care of would be great, not a WHOLE :eek:boat. steve
 
Welcome aboard.
 
Welcome to the Forum!
Good start on the boat search. Having a "Do not want" list is very important. On my list (and people definitely differ on these points) was (do not want): wood hull, screwed down teak decks, exterior teak or wood work, side bed (where one person must crawl over the other), flybridge (or other windage adding features), and twin engines. We were successful in achieving our "do not wants".

Good advice from Bacchus regarding the Boat Search 101.
 
Welcome to the Forum!
Good start on the boat search. Having a "Do not want" list is very important. On my list (and people definitely differ on these points) was (do not want): wood hull, screwed down teak decks, exterior teak or wood work, side bed (where one person must crawl over the other), flybridge (or other windage adding features), and twin engines. We were successful in achieving our "do not wants".

Good advice from Bacchus regarding the Boat Search 101.

Firehoser, I really like the Nordic tugs. Several items on your "list" are also on mine. I am not opposed to some exterior teak, or a minimal flybridge. I have concluded i want a single screw with a bow thruster.
 
When trawler hunting a few years ago, we looked at many makes, models, and features in detail. Having been a sailboater for years, we were planning on continuing our adventures in the same (and even expanded) areas in much the same way, minus the sailing part. Each person(s) will have varying needs, wants, likes, desires, etc. so it really is fairly personal, but sometimes by listening to the rationale of why others have done what they did, or stories about what they tried that "didn't work" so well, the new boater (maybe only new to that type of boating or even make) can avoid real issues that they did not even consider. I like the advice often given on this forum; "try to buy your last boat, first". Having to sell a "mistake" can be troubling and expensive.

One of my goals was to reduce what I call the "extra" work on a boat. Things like varnishing exterior wood, dealing with screwed down teak decks and the huge potential for leaks, etc. I wanted a single engine with bow thruster to save the expense and work of maintaining 2 engines. Plus, on most boats the size we looked at (around 40 feet) the engine rooms on twin engine boats (very cramped) would make working on the engines very difficult at best. I do most of my own maintenance, but I am relatively tall and not very flexible, and I am not skilled enough to accomplish much by "feel" alone.
Flybridges are a personal issue as well. I have never owned one, so I also don't miss it. I have many boating friends who have a flybridge, and they advised us they don't use theirs. At my age, I now do my best to avoid sun exposure, so underway I am much happier inside the pilothouse, and at anchor, I enjoy the covered cockpit. Flybridges also require additional equipment (cost and complexity) in radios, MFD's, steering, etc. and add windage to a boat (especially when surrounded with a full enclosure like many I see here in the rainy area of PNW).
So for us, as much as I like the look and respect the quality of Grand Banks, all the exterior wood, and especially the screwed down teak decks caused us to look elsewhere. There is enough work and maintenance needed on a mid size power boat, so I wanted to reduce adding any more like the forementioned workwork.We too, developed a "want" as far as pilothouse models are concerned. I like having a separate area with seating for at least 2 to be looking forward easily to help with watch. We have a large amount of flotsum (partially submerged logs and such) so a sharp lookout is in order.
Anyway, there is some of the background on what we were thinking and why we ended up (after much searching - probably drove our broker crazy) a Nordic Tug. Realize, all boats will have some compromises, and different people will have different ideas, likes, opinions, and importantly will use their boats in different ways. Matching the boat to YOUR needs, wants, desires, and "do not wants" and factoring in exactly how you plan to use YOUR boat will narrow the search and help you find the boat that will best fit your situation.

Good luck,
 
Welcome aboard! You are in for a lot of fun (looking for, buying and then cruising your boat)!
 
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