Single engine, raised pilothouse trawler wanted

[Geoff D]

Looking for a 36-40 ft raised pilothouse, single engine trawler ( preferably 220 hp or less ) anywhere in North America. Prefer a boat without a flybridge ( Pacific 37 for example) or one with minimal flybridge, such as the Transpac Eagle 40.


Diesel heat is a plus, as well as ample overhead deck space for a large dinghy.



We are open to suggestions regarding possible boats and will consider anything suitable. We are slow cruisers, so large hp engines are not a plus.



Our intentions is to cruise both coasts, so we hope to find a boat that will accommodate a relocation by truck without considerable effort or cost.


Our budget leans toward a mid 1990's model or earlier.

 

[MERIDIAN 2]

Trawler

Go to Yachtworld and plug in PILGRIM. 1984 , 40 ft 100hp single diesel and generator by Westerbeke. I owned this boat and it ticks all of your boxes.

 

[AnsleyS]

Check out Kadey-Krogen 42's

 

[CharlieO.]

I think raised pilot house AND truckable will be a tough find, in that size. I'm looking forward to see what you come up with. I do like the Sundowner tugs in the 30-32 foot range.

 

[Geoff D]

Meridian 2, we gave the Pilgrim a very serious look, it was the top of our list because it did have everything we wanted. It is a nicely laid out vessel, stoutly built, roomy and comfortable for two. The owners group was very accessible and thanks to two owners who were very generous with their time, we learned a great deal about the boats. As a loop boat, it would be perfect. But we want to wander a little further off the ICW and places where the route is a bit more exposed to weather so it came down to one issue I simply could not quantify, so I had to go with my gut feeling- did the boat have sufficient sea-keeping ability to keep us out of trouble if we miscalculated the the route or the weather? In the final analysis the low freeboard of the side and aft decks, the deck height engine air intakes and the rear salon doors persuaded me to look for a boat with a little insurance should we wander into unfavorable sea conditions. It was a tough call.

The KK42 would be our dream boat, but it certainly won’t be transportable by truck. At this point we are trying to heed the advice that goes somewhat like this “ buy only as much boat as you need”.

We are finding the definition of “ truckable” somewhat malleable, depending on what one wants to consider as maximum budget- it does look like overall height above the roadway is the critical number, and heights greater than 13-6 seem to add greatly to the cost.

Has anyone shipped a Pacific 37 or 40 ( no flybridge versions ) or a Transpac Eagle 40 recently who might share their experience?

 

[steelydon]

Geoff, I purchased an Eagle 40 in 2015 and had it trucked from CT to NC. The cost was reasonable at that time, $5,540.00. The company was Express Boat Transport which is no longer in businessI had to remove the flybridge and mast. This was done by myself and my broker in less than 3 hours. The height as I remember was 14' +/- and did require police, lead and following escorts to get out of CT. Sorta like a presidential motorcade. If it could make it through the North East I think cross country would be OK.

I am going to put my 2000 Eagle on the market in April after a trip to the yard. If you would like to PM me I would be happy to discuss it with you.

Steelydon

 

[Shrew]

I would think that any of the tugs (American Tug, Nordic Tug) would fit that description.

If you're really looking for both coasts, consider relocation by ship, then vessel size isn't limited to OTR limitations. Selling one vessel and buying another is also an option, unless you plan on going back and forth multiple times. My assumption is one of the coasts will be done once, and you'll end up settling on the other.

 

[Geoff D]

Shrew,

Yes, we plan to make the trip cross country only once. A larger vessel and shipping by sea transport are both more expensive choices and will not fit into our budget.
The Nordic and the American Tugs are both suitable boat types, but only the Nordic 32 is within range of our budget, and it is too cramped for our purposes. It seems that all of the current production tugs are eager to install large hp power plants, in an effort to provide more speed, not where we are headed with our next boat.
Buying and selling a boat have inevitable costs. After purchase-upgrading, electronics, canvas, upholstery, dinghy, ground tackle, etc, much aimed at making extended cruising safer and more comfortable, but little of it adds to the value of the boat at resale. Rather than selling the boat to simply purchase another on the opposite coast and go through the same outfitting process all over again, trucking the boat seemed like an agreeable alternative. If the boat can be made sufficiently compact for truck travel, the cost of trucking is comparable to the broker’s commission to sell the boat. From the stories I have read, the move is not without risks, but if planned well seems to result in success.
We may not succeed in finding a boat that we can afford and that can meet the requirements for reasonable trucking costs, but it seems worth a try.

 

[PNK]

There is a Gozzard 40 for sale on Yachtworld which seems like it would meet most of your requirements. Built in Canada, and have a very good reputation, but they mostly make sailboats, so only a few of the trawler models exist.