We're Trawler Owners!

Congratulations, the DeFever 42 is one of my all time favorite trawlers. "Rejoice" in your new find and go have adventures!!

David. Curious on your “boater Collie”. We have a working dog “boater Collie” and would like to know your experience on how it acclimated to life at sea. Thx. Mark

Congratulations

I have a 1977 Davis 42' kept in LaConner that I have had for the last 5 years. It has been a great boat in all types of weather, and have really enjoyed the boat. Have fun!

Jeff

Jeff S said:

I have a 1977 Davis 42' kept in LaConner that I have had for the last 5 years. It has been a great boat in all types of weather, and have really enjoyed the boat. Have fun!

Jeff

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We SOOO have to get together and compare notes. I'm playing a lot of catch up and it would be good to see another boat up close for comparison (and pick your brain.)

I'll PM you with my contact info!

Mark P said:

David. Curious on your “boater Collie”. We have a working dog “boater Collie” and would like to know your experience on how it acclimated to life at sea. Thx. Mark

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We have two border collies (although Mindi, in the photo, is allegedly Aussie or Aussie mix. Hard to say as she looks just like Old Shep.) Both love the boat, love the shore, but so far are very very mixed getting from the deck of the trawler down into the dinghy.

In my experience these dogs are up for whatever you are up to, and if you are out exploring they will dig it too. Rio is still young and gets a little nervous when he meets something he doesn't understand, but they love exploring, which is a big part of our boating.

Mindi never had been out on our 30 ft before it went off to someone else. Her first boating was in the 19 ft Bayliner Cuddy my son and I rebuilt. She was freaked out by the engine noise at first (its a loud boat, Josh and I haven't done any engine compartment soundproofing in it) but settled down. We got Rio earlier this year, and he's adapted remarkably well. It all culminated in a 4 day trip we took in it in late June - I built a teak ladder/step to climb up onto the fordeck of the cuddy so we could beach and go ashore. Both dogs loved it. Just like in the car they would settle down and rest when we were going fast, and up looking around when we slowed down.

We've only had them out on the trawler for a single 3 day trip. They had zero issues walking around the boat, and loved the freedom. The photo of Mindi napping on the aft cabin top was her second day ever on that boat.

We love the experience of taking the dogs to shore, and use it as an opportunity to exercise us and them, body and mind.

Getting to shore was anther matter. At first we were hand hoisting them by their life jacket handles up and down the transom. Wasn't working for anyone.

We stopped back in to Anacortes for a few hours after day one, and during a trip home for some other odds and ends my wife picked up a carpeted ramp I'd made while back. We rigged it to the back of the trawler as kind of a passerelle down to the seat of our RIB. Rio took to it immediately, and we found him running down into the dinghy and back up to the boat as we left the ramp laid into the dink (which was tied to the stern.) Mindi was a bit more skeptical but got it. The carpeting on the ramp is outdoor carpet from Home Depot, and not the best for dog grip on an incline.

One of my many (but probably the most important) projects over the winter will be to come up with a better quality passerelle that we can either permanently mount or quickly and easily mount for use and store underway. It would be ideal if I can come up with a solution that will let them get on and off the dock when needed as well. I'm thinking it will probably be 14-15 inches wide with some sort of durable non-skid that will work good for dog pads. Maybe Tuff Coat matched to whatever non-skid I do when I do some upper deck repairs.

David

Exctyengr said:

Congratulations, the DeFever 42 is one of my all time favorite trawlers. "Rejoice" in your new find and go have adventures!!

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Thanks! Prescott? You're a long way from the sea! I spent every summer there with my grandma until I was probably 18 or 19. Nothing like stopping by the Tastee Freeze after a day out at Slide Rock!

David

fractalphreak said:

We have two border collies (although Mindi, in the photo, is allegedly Aussie or Aussie mix. Hard to say as she looks just like Old Shep.) Both love the boat, love the shore...

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Immediate thought of an Aussie component is the kelpie(sounds Scottish),an Aussie working sheep dog,itself a cross, it`s said, with a touch of dingo(Aust native wild dog). But,no lack of border collies here,could just be one parent or relative had Aussie antecedents.There was a large sailboat at RSYS in Sydney with 2 which would race up around the decks barking at anything.

David and Y-von

You have beautiful boat; congrats! Use plenty sun screen while on "sun" deck. I'm sure you two will have plenty good times! Welcome to TF.

Did I see banana's aboard..... lol. Congrats, very nice boat.

Congratulations on your big leap, fair winds...

Congratulations; I too have just purchased a 42 trawler. A dream in the making for more than 25 yrs. I look forward to keeping up with your travels.

See you on the water.

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Congratulations !