Helmsman
Guru
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2020
- Messages
- 1,086
- Location
- Chattanooga
- Vessel Name
- Mishy Jean
- Vessel Make
- Helmsman Trawler 38E
I was notified last week that construction had begun on our Helmsman 38E.
The decision to go with Helmsman was one which occurred after a lot of study, a viewing of a Beneteau Swift Trawler 35, a visit to Seattle, and then La Conner to look at American Tugs, another well made boat. We also had multiple discussions with other owners of the three boats. (I thought it was funny that I ended up selecting a boat that has the same name as my handle here).
My boating history dates back to high school growing up on the lakes in NE Tennessee, and when our kids were in high school we owned pontoon boats and a Bryant run about (which we still use on the Tennessee).
After retirement on the Tennessee River, we bought our first larger boat, a Carver 33 SS which was actually 38'9" and later renamed the 35 SS, and then the 37 SS. We owned that boat for four years and sold it last year. We found that the boat was a great lake/river boat for us. We enjoyed it tremendously. Many great trips on that boat, and learned the systems and the right way to manage a larger boat.
But I tired of dealing with two engines, trannys, shafts, and props and since it was a 2006 (and a boat!), the inevitable fixes that would pop up from time to time. I guess it is partially my nature, but I would always do the repair on both engines. Pretty tight down below for an older big guy. I was also a little concerned about having gas engines.
The current state of the local marine service and repair outfits was also a continuing source of irritation for me. I repeatedly would have "the best marina", "the best mechanic", or the "best electrician" on the river provide a repair, and then have to go back and re-do the work myself. Four different repair events costing thousands of dollars at three different locations all involved significant rework after months of waiting on my "slot" at their location. One marina had six different issues to be addressed. One repair (replacement of a horn - hard to reach and advised by Carver not to put weight on the area around the windshield) was completed correctly, albeit the shoe prints on the area around the windshield showed that my caution about the windshield was ignored. The other five fixes had to be reworked. (One was a potentially dangerous electrical issue that was "fixed" in a way that made it more dangerous. I figured it out after a couple of months of study on boat electrical systems.)
Another consideration for us was that we would like to take the boat south to the gulf, and perhaps further. We liked the idea of a trawler, with its typically greater range, a diesel engine, and an inside helm, without giving up the fly bridge. We knew that a single engine and a greater range might cost us some speed, but after thinking through it, we decided that wasn't as big an issue as we thought it might be.
Our first visit was to look at a 6 month old Swift Trawler 35. At the time, we liked the idea of the speeds it would reach, and thought the layout looked good in pictures. Our visit was a little bit of a disappointment. The salon was much too narrow for us. One of the door handles fell off in my hand, and the floors were pieced and creaked when we walked through. I immediately had visions of the work needed to keep the boat in good shape. In discussions with a couple of owners, (very happy with their boats), they both mentioned that they had each had gel coat repairs in a couple of spots. Per one discussion, Beneteau evidently has a couple of people traveling the country fixing those. Beautiful boat, but just not for us and our use case.
Then we noticed the discussion group for Helmsman on this forum. The comments in regards to Scott Helker and the quality of the boats really struck a chord with us. We looked at the 38E and I was hooked immediately. (TVA has enacted a regulation that since 1999, dock owners are limited to a thousand square feet for their docks. That limits the footprint and knocked out anything over the 38E size for us.) My wife was a little more reserved, and wanted to visit one.
While we scheduled a trip out to Seattle to talk with Scott and Gary, I had some good conversations with a couple of owners. What struck me with the owners was their positive comments in regards to the quality and handling of the boat. With my history of the marine repair history at the home port, I really wanted a "simple" good quality boat. Once we were able to visit Seattle, talk with Scott, Gary, and Van, and two owners graciously allowed us to visit a 38E and a 43, my wife's reservations disappeared and we made the decision to purchase. The visit to American Tug in La Connor was also great! They build very nice, high quality boats. We like the lines of the Helmsman more though, and we really like the personal touch that Scott brings to the table. The ability to put custom touches on the boat was also very important to us. I will discuss the options we went with in the next post I make, if folks would like to hear them.
The decision to go with Helmsman was one which occurred after a lot of study, a viewing of a Beneteau Swift Trawler 35, a visit to Seattle, and then La Conner to look at American Tugs, another well made boat. We also had multiple discussions with other owners of the three boats. (I thought it was funny that I ended up selecting a boat that has the same name as my handle here).
My boating history dates back to high school growing up on the lakes in NE Tennessee, and when our kids were in high school we owned pontoon boats and a Bryant run about (which we still use on the Tennessee).
After retirement on the Tennessee River, we bought our first larger boat, a Carver 33 SS which was actually 38'9" and later renamed the 35 SS, and then the 37 SS. We owned that boat for four years and sold it last year. We found that the boat was a great lake/river boat for us. We enjoyed it tremendously. Many great trips on that boat, and learned the systems and the right way to manage a larger boat.
But I tired of dealing with two engines, trannys, shafts, and props and since it was a 2006 (and a boat!), the inevitable fixes that would pop up from time to time. I guess it is partially my nature, but I would always do the repair on both engines. Pretty tight down below for an older big guy. I was also a little concerned about having gas engines.
The current state of the local marine service and repair outfits was also a continuing source of irritation for me. I repeatedly would have "the best marina", "the best mechanic", or the "best electrician" on the river provide a repair, and then have to go back and re-do the work myself. Four different repair events costing thousands of dollars at three different locations all involved significant rework after months of waiting on my "slot" at their location. One marina had six different issues to be addressed. One repair (replacement of a horn - hard to reach and advised by Carver not to put weight on the area around the windshield) was completed correctly, albeit the shoe prints on the area around the windshield showed that my caution about the windshield was ignored. The other five fixes had to be reworked. (One was a potentially dangerous electrical issue that was "fixed" in a way that made it more dangerous. I figured it out after a couple of months of study on boat electrical systems.)
Another consideration for us was that we would like to take the boat south to the gulf, and perhaps further. We liked the idea of a trawler, with its typically greater range, a diesel engine, and an inside helm, without giving up the fly bridge. We knew that a single engine and a greater range might cost us some speed, but after thinking through it, we decided that wasn't as big an issue as we thought it might be.
Our first visit was to look at a 6 month old Swift Trawler 35. At the time, we liked the idea of the speeds it would reach, and thought the layout looked good in pictures. Our visit was a little bit of a disappointment. The salon was much too narrow for us. One of the door handles fell off in my hand, and the floors were pieced and creaked when we walked through. I immediately had visions of the work needed to keep the boat in good shape. In discussions with a couple of owners, (very happy with their boats), they both mentioned that they had each had gel coat repairs in a couple of spots. Per one discussion, Beneteau evidently has a couple of people traveling the country fixing those. Beautiful boat, but just not for us and our use case.
Then we noticed the discussion group for Helmsman on this forum. The comments in regards to Scott Helker and the quality of the boats really struck a chord with us. We looked at the 38E and I was hooked immediately. (TVA has enacted a regulation that since 1999, dock owners are limited to a thousand square feet for their docks. That limits the footprint and knocked out anything over the 38E size for us.) My wife was a little more reserved, and wanted to visit one.
While we scheduled a trip out to Seattle to talk with Scott and Gary, I had some good conversations with a couple of owners. What struck me with the owners was their positive comments in regards to the quality and handling of the boat. With my history of the marine repair history at the home port, I really wanted a "simple" good quality boat. Once we were able to visit Seattle, talk with Scott, Gary, and Van, and two owners graciously allowed us to visit a 38E and a 43, my wife's reservations disappeared and we made the decision to purchase. The visit to American Tug in La Connor was also great! They build very nice, high quality boats. We like the lines of the Helmsman more though, and we really like the personal touch that Scott brings to the table. The ability to put custom touches on the boat was also very important to us. I will discuss the options we went with in the next post I make, if folks would like to hear them.
We found on our previous boat we didn't use the cook top that much preferring to grill outside and will probably do the same with this boat with a small magnum grill. 
