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Old 04-18-2014, 10:48 AM   #1
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Hey Maties,
How fun to be thinking of joining the trawler forum. I'm a sailor trying to give up my wings. I've always admired the trawlers on the water when underway. Now I'm contemplating moving from sail to motor. I thought I'd ask for your input before cutting my wings off. Were any of you former sailors? If so, how was the transition? If anyone would like to share their experiences I'd be grateful. Much appreciated. Just so you know, I haven't given up the dream yet, just thinking about it...
As the old Chinese proverb goes;
One moment of patience
May ward off great disaster
One moment of impatience
may ruin a whole life.
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Old 04-18-2014, 01:09 PM   #2
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You could do what I did, and go half way with a motorsailer. A nice pilothouse giving you comfortable all-weather cruising and use of sail power whenever you get the urge, or to stabilize the ride when needed. Some look at motorsailers as a compromise of either; I think its the best of both worlds.
I may still be in the honeymoon phase after one year of ownership, but I'd use my boat more often than almost anyone else in the marina. It doesn't matter if it's calm or blowing, rain or shine; it's always enjoyable.
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Old 04-18-2014, 01:16 PM   #3
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No big deal moving from auxiliary-equipped sailboats to a trawler. It was mostly a matter of learning all the new-to-me gadgets such as gps, electronic chart, radar, hot-water heater, bow thruster, and so on. If you get a twin-engined boat, you'll probably need a little practice to make best use of the twins.

I surely appreciate operating my boat from the pilothouse rather than an open cockpit.
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Old 04-18-2014, 03:04 PM   #4
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The wife and I spent 9 years traveling around the San Juan Islands in our 31' Erickson Cutter. For the most part, we really enjoyed it, but there was a lot of time spent motoring instead of sailing. Our last trip was 127 miles and in that we never set the sails. At the next to the last stop on that journey, we saw This trawler for sale. Well it was cold that day, and the owner had the heat turned on. He showed us the Queen size walk around bed in the Master then the shower with endless hot water. Then I sat in the salon and looked out the large windows at the world around me. Nice. I ask the owner how far she could go on a fill up. "Seattle to Alaska with the heat on"

Looking back, there are things I miss about sailing but now we go boating year round in comfort.

"Sailboat-Powerboat, Motor home-Rest home," Enjoy it while you can.
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Old 04-23-2014, 06:50 PM   #5
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Welcome from another newb. See my post to tego about being a former sailor.

As long as I am on a boat, I am happy!

Welcome aboard again!
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Old 04-23-2014, 07:08 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by Quicksilver View Post

"Sailboat-Powerboat, Motor home-Rest home," Enjoy it while you can.
Love it.
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Old 04-23-2014, 07:57 PM   #7
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Welcome, we moved from a Jeanneau 40 to a 45 trawler and then 52 MY. I do occasionally miss sailing but when it is blistering hot and little to no wind and we are cruising along in AC and comfort it helps me to remember the tough times on the sailboat. I still am a member of our local yacht club and if I get the urge to sail I just go down there and hook up with one of my old competiitors as crew for them. Another point is that cruising time is more predictable. Not perfect because you can get weathered in but less often.
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Old 04-23-2014, 08:02 PM   #8
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no problem making the change. You can still sail with a sailing dinghy or keep a small one design sail boat. I do both I day sail and during summer cruise on a power boat. note the boat on roof it has a full sail rig and centerboard.
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Old 04-23-2014, 10:44 PM   #9
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Made the move 14 years ago, which I think is a natural transition, sails to trawlers. Nothing beats the feel of sailing, slicing thru the water with no engine sounds, trimming the sails and feeling them draw you thru the water, BUT the before mentioned creature comforts of a trawler make the move very appealing and there comes a time when our physical abilities require a less rigorous activity. No more hunkering behind a dodger trying to stay warm in fleece and foul weather gear. Try it I think you will like it.
Bill
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Old 04-24-2014, 01:49 PM   #10
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I know I've posted this before but I think the OP needs to see it.
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Old 04-24-2014, 08:44 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Beatrice Coyne View Post
Hey Maties,
How fun to be thinking of joining the trawler forum. I'm a sailor trying to give up my wings. I've always admired the trawlers on the water when underway. Now I'm contemplating moving from sail to motor. I thought I'd ask for your input before cutting my wings off. Were any of you former sailors? If so, how was the transition? If anyone would like to share their experiences I'd be grateful. Much appreciated. Just so you know, I haven't given up the dream yet, just thinking about it...
As the old Chinese proverb goes;
One moment of patience
May ward off great disaster
One moment of impatience
may ruin a whole life.
I’ve owned five sailboats and two powerboats. My first boat was a 14ft Boston Whaler with a 40 hp Evinrude. I loved screaming across the water like a banshee in that thing. Something about guys and the "need for speed".

Then I went out for a sail with a friend on his Cape Dory 25 (which I bought from him several years later) in Boston Harbor and was completely hooked. It didn’t hurt that all the magnificent “tall” ships were in the harbor for the Bicentennial.

When I got home, I immediately sold the Whaler and bought an O’Day Daysailor and taught myself how to sail. Three sailboats and many years later, I found myself sailing on San Francisco Bay on a Catalina 27. I kept the boat in Emeryville and drove down almost every weekend from Sacramento. I sailed there for over 15 years and loved every minute of it. San Francisco is definitely one of the most beautiful and most challenging boating waters in the country. We even did a couple of races up the "Delta".
A good friend of mine had a Freedom 36 (freestanding carbon fiber mast - no stays or shrouds) that we sailed up to Bodega Bay and down to Monterey. We even made the run out to the Farallons a couple of times.

After the big Loma Prieta earthshake of ’89, with all the collapsed freeways repair work, it became too much of a hassle to drive down to the Bay to take the boat out. So I sold the Cat 27 and bought a Capri 22 which I cruised and raced on the inland lakes. I also trailered it up to the San Juan Islands with my son and cruised those great waters for three weeks including a trip across Haro Strait to Victoria. It was up there that I saw all these cool trawlers cruising around and decided that when I retired that would probably be the way I wanted to go.

I also chartered sailboats in BVI several times. Absolute Nirvana.


So when it was time to retire, I had a hard time coming to grips that I was going to give up sailing. But seeing as I was going to live on the boat,for me it just made a lot more sense to go with a cruiser (trawler). I had actually contemplated keeping the sailboat and storing it until I was ready to use it again. My son pointed out that seeing as I was moving cross country, that plan wouldn’t really be practical.

So I gave my son the sailboat, bought a cruiser (trawler), and moved to South Carolina. I’m really glad now that I did it that way. Besides not having to deal with all the logistics and expenses of owning two boats, I did find a silver lining. There are quite a few sailboats in my marina, and as you know when the weather’s nice, on any given weekend, you can almost always find someone with a sailboat that needs a crew to go out for the day. If you get to know these folks, and you demonstrate some reasonable sailing skills, you will probably be asked to go out on a regular basis (buying lunch helps too).

I went out on a Hunter 34 yesterday. Nice breeze, calm ocean, good friends, a great day to be on the water. I certainly got my sailing “fix” for a while.

So, if sailing is in your blood like it is in mine, you can have the best of both worlds. Just do the old “dock walk”.

And don’t forget to return the courtesy and invite them out on your boat.


KJ
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Old 04-24-2014, 09:33 PM   #12
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Great advice KJ. I don't quite have your experience, but that's how I see it. I still have my SJ23, but it's on the hard and I will probably sell it this year. I'm lucky because here I have the Center for Wooden Boats and can just check out a Blanchard Jr. if I want to get my sailing fix.
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