Is this a dumb question?

[rsn48]

Hopping to be able to take a couple of road trips, visiting marinas in the spring. Maybe even without a mask...

Not going to happen. 1) Too many not taking the pandemic seriously so even with the vaccine, so many won't be protected. 2) The vaccine is 95 % effective, so for every 1 million vaccinated, 50,000 individuals will have vaccines that don't take. 3) I can't comment on the States, but our Prime Minister in Canada is giving September as the date for everyone who wants the vaccine to be inoculated. 4) With the current vaccines, you need two inoculations, so that lag time will drag into the summer and probably early fall.

I personally believe the Washington BC border will not be open this coming summer of 2021.

The other point of having people post state or province, give it up, I've ranted about it over the past two years with no effect here at TF.

 

[OldDan1943]

dont open the Canadian border? Sadly many small business in the US and Canada will not survive.
Think of all the hunting business/camps in Canada that will go belly up

 

[FlyWright]

He's from Maine so we all know he'll spend a lion's share of his boating time at idle speed dodging lobster pots.

 

[CaptTom]

He's from Maine so we all know he'll spend a lion's share of his boating time at idle speed dodging lobster pots.

Nah, the Kennebec is deep and swift, not many pots in the channel.

Besides, lobster buoys are great training aids. Spend enough time in Maine and keeping a proper lookout becomes second nature.

 

[FlyWright]

Nah, the Kennebec is deep and swift, not many pots in the channel.

Besides, lobster buoys are great training aids. Spend enough time in Maine and keeping a proper lookout becomes second nature.

Just teasing you Nor'Easters.

 

[Mike H]

Don't have the boat yet.. figuring 28 to 32 ft to start. Randolph is in Maine and landlocked .. this seems to be one topic that no one has written a book about.

Dolph

Hello neighbor. If you want to send me a private message, I can give you some info regarding marinas here in the Rockport area, haul outs, etc.

While relatively new to the trawler world, we have had a sailboat since for the past 30 years or so. Part of that was in a marina two hours away (when we lived in Alaska) and part ten minutes from the house (when we moved to Maine). Ten minutes is so nice...

 

[Iggy]

Visit many, look at the boats around there, if you can talk to boat owners, and get your own opinion.

L

Yes! Also join a yacht club, not a marina. Yacht clubs draw out the real boaters that travel and some are tug, seatow and ferry captains. There just a wealth of experience!

 

[Bryant]

trawler home

So, I am doing as much research as I can in boat handling, diesel maintenance, different boat models .. but I really don't see anything in print regarding how does one find a home for a "trawler". Launching, hauling out, storage on the hard, marina, moorings ... My 14 ft outboard is on a trailer .. I can launch at a public launch, and when done for the day, retrieve and park in the driveway. How does one learn about the ins & outs of these details?

Are you boating on inland/mostly protected waters or in rough water? How long do you want each outing to be? Comfort, Space, Storage, Level of finish? What is your budget? How important are each of these considerations?
Without much more knowledge of your situation I can offer the following suggestions:

Ranger Tug 25 or 27 would fit the bill because you can store them/launch them on a trailer. A C Dory 25 or Venture 26 (same boat, same company. The 26 is just a little nicer inside). One of the many Rosborough designs in the 25' range. If you want to buy a very expensive tow vehicle and trailer, you can actually put a Camano Troll 31 on a trailer for storage and it's a very nice, comfortable, affordable trawler.

The simple answer to your question, though, is just google "Marinas/boatyards" in your area. Call them and ask the dock master every question you can think of.

 

[Alaskaflyer]

The Rangers 29 and 31 are also reasonably trailerable with a large enough pickup truck but with their 10’ beam require a permit to transport. If you are simply trailering them to a nearby storage lot, no big deal. A lot of difference in interior space between the 27 and the 29. Taking them back and forth to home in another town? Then a more complicated deal, depending on Maine’s wide load regulations.

 

[JP Hughes]

Dolph;

Hi, I live right next to Belfast, ME so maybe I can help a little.

From Randolph you have several options available to you for mooring or dockage. Bath is probably to closest with Boothbay Harbor and Belfast probably about the same distance.

Peter wrote

"There are some really nice trailerable trawler style boats. A couple that were on my radar:

Acadia 25
Rosborough 26
Albin 28 tournament express
Cape dory (not sure the size)

There are a handful of builders out there that have nice styles."


Although I would agree with Peter that all of these are very good boats, I would not classify any of them as a true "trawler" as the Acadia (great little boat), Rosborough/Albin and Cape Dory "28" (all fabulous boats) follow more of the "Downeast" style of boat whereas a Grand Banks 28 would be more in the trawler category.

I know that there is a lot of talk about what makes a trawler, but technically a trawler usually is built in the "West Coast" style of boat with very deep hulls as opposed to the "Downeast" style of boat which usually has a full displacement or semi-displacement hull, relatively flat bottom midship - aft.

I own a Webbers Cove 34 "Downeast" style which cruises comfortably at 10 knots and tops out around 13-14 knots. A "trawler" usually cruises in the 6-8 knot range with top speed around 9-11 knots.

Think about it this way:

Downeast lobster boats are designed primarily to be day boats where lobstermen go out and pull 100 -250 traps per day on average and bring them to shore/market as soon as possible, then repeat. Most were shallow drafts to get in close to rocky areas (where lobsters live).

True Trawlers were designed based on West Coast "trolling" fishing vessels that were designed to go to sea for days/weeks with large holds to store their catch until they would return to shore/market and unload thousands of pounds of fish. Most were deep hulls to accommodate space for crew and holds to handle the huge catches they wished to score.

Now onto your basic question. If you find your ideal "trawler" (with a deep hull design), I think you will find that during the season in Maine you will want to have her on "the hook" or at dock rather than in a "haul out" situation.

In the Bath area you can find some dockage and/or moorings on the Kennebec rRiver just south of Bath Iron Works. On the other side of the peninsula, over on Mills Cove you can find some good protected moorings.

In Boothbay Harbor there's limited dockage and tends to be pricey but there are a fair amount of moorings. East Boothbay might be a little more affordable.

In the Belfast area there is again both dockage and moorings available. In Belfast there a very good yard called "Front Street" that does a lot of high-end work, they have a GREAT reputation but their prices reflect that reputation. A little further east is a little hidden jewel called Stockton Springs with Stockton Harbor which sits at the very top of Penobscot Bay. Stockton Harbor is a very safe "hurricane hole". No dockage but lots of moorings. Stockton Springs Marine is a small, family owned marine yard that does haul outs/in, routine maintenance and general repairs and the son, Justin, is a master artist when it comes to fiberglass repair or construction.

I keep my boat in Stockton Harbor and use Stockton Springs Marine for service and winter storage.

Hope this info helps,

John

 

[Dolph]

So, in response to some comments .. my signature says "Randolph, ME" .. So questions about where I am, or assuming I am in FL confuse me .. But on the positive side, I found a used copy of the Atlantic Cruising Club Guide to New England and Canadian Maritime Marinas .. so enjoying surfing through the book while the snow falls outside. Hope all are having a great New Year .. and again .. Thanks again for all the responses and recommendations!!