Hello;My name is Mike and I'm new here. I registered in May 11, but just getting around to posting. Some people may remember me from the trawler list. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since those days.
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My wife, Colleen,*and I (mostly I, but she is supportive) are interested in getting a transportable trawler type boat, thus the name portager,*that we could use in Southern California most of the year and ship overland to alternate cruising grounds for vacations. Primarily the PNW, possible Mexico (if it is ever safe in my wifes mind) and ultimately maybe to the ICW in Texas or the mid-west for*sections of the Great Loop (in the USA).*My wife*is a school teacher and I get 5 weeks of vacation per year so we'd like to do some 4 to 5 week long cruises each year.
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We've looked at a lot of trailearable boats and they all seem a little too cramped for extended cruising. In addition,*I was an avid SCUBA diver before raising a family got in the way, and I'd like to do some more diving once I get a boat. My favorite dive site in SoCal waters is Begg rock which is ~50 nmi off shore. I'd love a boat that could go that far out (on a good day) and has a diver friendly cockpit with transom door if possible. *I'm interested in getting a boat that could be transported with an oversized load permit, but to keep the transit cost down, I'd like to be able to transport without a pilot car. Requiring a pilot car almost doubles the cost per mile. I've thoroughly researched the requirements for oversized transports in each state and for divided multi-lane highways, where the majority of the transit miles would occur, the pilot car threshold is when you exceed 12' beam (except Maine which is 11' 11"),*exceeding the legal height (>=13' 6" of all states, but >14' in most Western states) and exceeding about 65' in length.
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In attempting to find used boats that meets these criteria, the beam and height are the most restrictive. To be under 13' 6" on a trailer, pretty much eliminates a flybridge and*a trawler with 12' or less beam is pretty hard to find also. I would be interested in*hearing about any boats that forum members think*might meet these criteria. Here is my current short list:
1.** Halvorsen Gourmet Cruiser 32, 34 and 38 (or reverse the order if I win the lottery) (+beautiful well built boat, +age, -space)
2.** Nordic Tug 34 (+Island Queen berth, -little tall, might have to remove the stack and railings for transit)
3.**Back Cove 34'*(+extra berths, -soft aft enclosure, -small Island berth, -cost (not available used yet))
4.** Ranger Tug 31'*(+designed for trailering, +retractable flybridge, -internal room, -cost)
4.*Sundowner Tug 32' (+transportable, -Vee berth, cockpit size)
5.*Midnight Lace 44 (+beautiful fuel efficient boat, +bright work, -not a diver friendly cockpit,*-bright work, -age)
6.** Roughwater 37 (+price, -V berth,*-age)
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So why do I want to transport my boat? I've done some charters out of Anacortes and*my last two week charter cost $7,000 for a 34 foot*trawler. I've priced out shipping a boat from Southern California to Washington at $2,500 each way including insurance, fuel, ...*Even adding*a couple thousand*for*lift-outs and misc,*the cost is less than*a*2 week charter and I'd get to use my own boat.*
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I've looked into the benefits of acquiring a*truck and trailer and keeping the boat out of the water and doing the shipping myself.*However, here in So Cal the cost of dry storage near a launch ramp is close to the cost of a slip, so it will take 10 to 15 years to break even. Driving the truck would eat into my limited cruising time and it is more convenient to have the boat in the water so I'll leave the shipping to the professionals.*
-- Edited by portager on Sunday 22nd of January 2012 02:24:31 PM
-- Edited by portager on Wednesday 1st of February 2012 08:26:24 AM
I'm new here, too. Seeing that you're interested in a trailerable trawler, I'd recommend looking into Ranger Tugs. They have a brand new trailerable 31 which they'll debut at the Seattle Boat Show (on display indoors at CenturyLink Events Center). But they also have the 29 and 27.
I'm actually going to do a review of the Ranger 31 for Lats & Atts magazine after the Miami show next month. Hopefully I'll get them to do a video review up here in the PNW as well...
Hey Mike - I bought my Sundowner Tug 30 for a lot of the same reasons. 12' beam and no flybridge to deal with. It is easily transported with only and an 'overwidth' permit here. I have a lot of offshore experience and would have no qualms taking Scout 50 miles out in a decent weather window. We have a great duckboard but the cockpit space is limited and may be a little cramped for a lot of dive gear.
Good luck on you search.
Chip
portager wrote:*Here is my current short list:1.** Halvorsen Gourmet Cruiser 32, 34 and 38 (or reverse the order if I win the lottery) (+beautiful well built boat, +age, -space)
2.** Nordic Tug 34 (+Island Queen berth, -little tall, might have to remove the stack and railings for transit)
3.** Midnight Lace 44 (+beautiful fuel efficient boat, +bright work, -not a diver friendly cockpit,*-bright work, -age)
4.** Roughwater 37 (+price, -V berth,*-age)
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I have a 32' Halvorsen Gourmet cruiser and have never thought of it as a "trailerable boat." I suppose it could be but then most all recreational boats could be trailered.
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The cockpit and swim platform would suffice for diving but I am not sure of what the height on a trailer would be. other than that, it's a great boat!
-- Edited by SeaHorse II on Saturday 21st of January 2012 08:34:34 AM
-- Edited by SeaHorse II on Saturday 21st of January 2012 09:20:10 AM
I should definitely add the Ranger Tug 31' to my short list. However, I'm thinking it would probably be #3 on MY list because of the available space inside and cost. Of course this could change once I've seen each one first hand.
The Sundowner Tug 30 is also a nice option to add to the list. I'd prefer an Island queen berth and a little larger cockpit, but they aren't too old and the price is pretty reasonable. I'd put it #4 on MY short list.
SeaHorse II - I love your baot! I agree the*primary question on the Halvorsen's is height on the trailer. I sent an inquiry to Halvorsen to see if they can provide that information. It would also be nice to see one up close and personal.
FF - The Regal 23' sounds like it works for you, but I think it would be too small for my wife and I to do extended cruising. In the PNW it isn't as easy to break up the passages with trailering due to the lack of roads. Although, I guess it the boat was legal height and width you could ferry it to Vancouver Island and drive it up the Island and make shorter trips. There is a lot to be said for getting a boat that you can afford rather than waiting until you can afford what you really want.
-- Edited by portager on Sunday 22nd of January 2012 02:26:39 PM
Walt was kind enough to invite my wife and I to come down to San Diego to see Seahorse II and to go to the boat show. We liked the arrangement and build quality of the Halvorsen 32 a lot. I raised seat with a view forward for the copilot would be nice to have, but I not sure where you could put it.
Then Walt took us over to the boat show and showed us more boats.
We looked at a Mainship 30, but we thought it was a little too small. Colleen doesn't like the galley down and neither of us like the V-berth. The Mainship 34 has a 12'3" beam so it is a too wide to ship without a pilot car.
We also looked at the Back Cove 30' was too small and we didn't like the V-berth or the soft enclosure on the back of the saloon.
We liked the Back Cove 34' better because it has an Island berth, but I don't think it is a Island Queen, maybe an Island double? It does however have a dry bath with a separate shower. I'll add it to my short list after the Nordic Tug 34 due to cost. The cost is competitive with a new Halvorsen, but the Back Cove 34 has not been on the market long enough for any used market to develop, and a used Halvorsen 32 is cheaper than the new Back Cove 34 right now.
The Back Cove 37' is very nice, with a real back door, a large Island Queen berth and a half million dollar price tag! It also had a 13' beam. When I told the salesman that I wanted to stay below 12' so it would be transportable without a pilot car, he told me that you could tow up to 14' without a pilot car in Western states including CA, OR and WA. I politely thanked him for the information, but I checked it when I got home. Turns out he is correct for OR and WA but not for CA. Here is a link to the CA DOT pilot car maps. http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/permits/pcmaps.htm If you open the legend link you'll see that 11' to 12' wide loads do not need a pilot car on yellow and green routes. From Orange County you can take the 405 FWY North until it meets the 5 FWY and then you're on a yellow route all the way to Oregon. However, the 5 FWY through down town LA is red, so it pays to drive around.
Another interesting comparison is the Halvorsen 38 and the Back Cove 37. They are comparable in speed and cost, but the Halvorsen 38 has a 12' beam so it is lower cost to transport than the Back Cove 37. If I win the lottery I'll be interested in the Halvorsen 38.
There is a lot to be said for getting a boat that you can afford rather than waiting until you can afford what you really want
With new trailerable "trawlers" running in the $250,000 range the sales tax at 6% would be almost $15K.
Considering there is good resale on $ 6000-$7000 IO boats the round trip cost of going NOW , to places where the cruising is right for the cheap gasser would come out close to FREE! Except the cost of lost interest , not a problem today.
Free and NOW , makes sense , and perhaps you can learn to enjoy smaller space utility better.
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