First Post

Hello,

Although this is our first post, my wife and I have been following and enjoying the Trawler Forum for the last couple of years. Trawlers are new to us, as we only have limited boating experience <18' from years past.

Our Goals:
- Purchase a live aboard trawler within the next 12 months (preferably on the East coast)
- Live aboard for 6-8 months out of the year

We are currently looking at trawlers that range from 32 - 42 feet. From our research, the style of boats that we are looking at are: Sabreline Fast Trawler, Monk 36, Grand Banks 36 - 42 and the Albin Express Trawler. We'd like to keep the purchase price at $130k or less.

And now for the burning question: Insurance?
From what we've researched and heard, boat insurance is extremely difficult to get without experience in this size range.
Has our search for this new adventure come to a crashing halt before it even started? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome the heck here! I was an Unlimited Tonnage Master upon Oceans when I got into a GB42 and did not experience the insurance industry looking at my qualification, but I guess I can see their point about newbies buying and sailing off. There have been a few threads here over the years on this topic, one not long ago. A little creativity in generating your search string will give you looks of relavent thought in addition to what you are going to get in this thread. Your first action should be to get involved with some training classes which are available through America's Boating Club and the USCG Auxiliary among others. Your school completion certificates and experience with a professoinal skipper on your own boat after purchase have been discussed in the threads I write of. Best of luck; it's a tough market right now in the range of boats you want.

Welcome aboard. Good advise above. Maybe contact an insurance broker and ask them what you can do to prepare for insurance.

Welcome.
Determine your cruising area?
Length of time away from the dock?
1 or 2 staterooms.
No exterior teak to maintain.
Diesel main engine and generator, of course.
I think you are at least $100K low in your price unless you are looking for a project boat, just my opinion.

There are a lot of people who start with boats in this size and larger. Not saying insurance will be easy, but possible. Budget for a captain to sign- off on your qualifications. Suggestion to start now finding an insurance agent is likely good.

Boat market remains difficult for buyers. But not sure I agree with Old Dan that a Monk 36 is priced outside your $130k budget, at least by a quick search on yachtworld. The Monk 36 and GB 36 style of boat is a wonderful sized boat that can easily provide a lifetime of enjoyment.

Good luck and thanks for coming out of the TF shadows.

Peter

PS - keep an eye out for rusted fuel tanks on trawlers. Can definitely be a budget buster

$130k is enough to get a good trawler, but will be older. And if in good shape and/or been refurbished could be a great boat.


However, going from 18ft to 35 ft is perhaps a gamble. How do you know what you want with zero experience? There could be an argument to get a smaller boat, that's popular with live aboard qualities and try it for a season or two, and visit others and shop a bit to see what really works for you. And you'll have a lot less invested should you decide it's not for you. And you'll have more experience for your insurance.

Welcome to the forum! We too were lurkers before we joined up. If you and your wife are at all mechanically inclined, or able to do "sprucing up" on a boat, you should be able to find a suitable boat in your price range. Just a word of caution, hire a professional boat surveyor to look over the boat, both hull, and mechanical.

Might have to get two people, one for overall boat, one for engine and mechanicals. Cost of survey, including haul out for the size boat you are talking about will probably be in the $2k to $3k range. Definitely worth it, and probably required for the insurance as well. Another note: At least for me, I won't go with a surveyor recommended by a broker, either selling, or buying broker, they have a vested interest in the boat sale going though, not necessarily looking after your interests!

Ask here on the forum for recommendations for a surveyor in the area where you are purchasing the boat.
Next: Consider CHB's, Marine Traders, and Willards as well. Keep us advised of your progress, and once again, Welcome to the forum!

Welcome aboard and good luck in your hunt. As to insurance we didn't have any issue. However they did want to see my boater education card. Most States require this certification now. If you don't have it go to BoatUS and take their online course.

As to your boat search if you're planning to live aboard you might focus on the 36-42' range. However, keep in mind that purchase cost is just the beginning and the cost of ownership increases non-linearly with length. You should be able to find a good selection of boats in your price and size range Make you pay close attention to condition, a boat where a PO has done lots of maintenance and upgrades is likely a better deal than a cheaper boat that hasn't has as much care.

IF you are going to jump into a live aboard, it is my opinion, to start with a boat in the mid 30ft range. Of course, a mid 40ft range would be better. IF you start with a boat too small, you and or your partner may consider it 'extensive camping' which you may find 'discouraging'. A separate shower goes a long way on the 'comfort' scale. I have no idea why but is does, when it comes to the spouse or partner.

Not sure if one can find a mid-30ft boat with 2 stateroom and a separate enclosed shower.
Exterior teak? I did my time with the rail cap on my Nordhavn. The thought of having a GB does not excite me because of the exterior teak.
Any of the mid 30ft boats will have storage problem. When I lived alone, I HAD the entire closet. Now, I have 1/2 closet. I had to resort to put a hose clamp on the dowel to remind my GF where the 'half' we located. LOL
I HAD 4 drawers in the stateroom. Now I have one. LOL
I gained space when I put a hyd assist for the under berth area. Space for spare parts from the drawers.

Greetings,
Welcome aboard. Also agree that training should be considered first and foremost. US Power Squadron offers courses that I would highly recommend. I did the CPSS (Canadian Power and Sail Squadron) courses and I suspect the USPS course(s) are similar. You learn a lot AND also start on your networking with other like minded individuals in your area. https://www.usps.org/


What hasn't been suggested yet is rental of a "Trawler". It may help you focus on the type and style of vessel you will eventually own. Yep, it's added expen$e but it's also fun, as well.


Start walking the docks and talking to people. Chances are you will be invited for a "tour" of their boats. EVERYBODY wants to talk about their boats.


Last suggestion: DO NOT let emotions get in the way of your decisions!!!!

American Tug makes a 362 with 2 staterooms and one head. I have never toured one so I cannot comment on the lay out other than the 2nd stateroom seems to be down in a hole. SHRUG
Now the down side of any AT, used are difficult to find and new ones are 2 years away, I think.
Dont know the price either. I guess that depends upon options. Alas it has a Volvo so stock up on parts.

Your post sounds like me and my wife's just a year later. We started looking after making the decision to buy a trawler boat last winter. A few comments from my experience...there were a couple Saberline 36's for sale but I think they all have twin engines and the DD v-8's were a deal breaker for us...we decided that a single engine was the way we wanted to go for ease of maintenance and access even though I really like the layout of the Sabreline boats. We looked at a couple GB 36's and the teak decks and leakage issues kind of killed that for us, plus we wanted a walkaround queen berth and cabin doors on both sides of the salon, separate shower, double sink, big refrigerator and a few others that led us to the Monk 36. The GB 42 was never really an option because they all have twins and would require a 50' slip. We never got to see an Albin so can't comment on them and looked at a Marine Trader that had serious rot issues as well as a Mariner that was in bad shape. We looked at a few Mainship 390's but all had structural issues typical of production type boats and really cheap cabinetry/hardware. We decided that if we were to buy a Mainship the 400 model would be the way to go, but out of our budget. Not to say that the new to me Monk is without issues but it is mostly cosmetic and as a retired carpenter I will enjoy making the teak look great. There is a Monk 36 named Sanctuary that the owners live on and they have put a great deal of info on the internet about their boat, I learned a lot from reading about their boat. Pacific Sailors also has a great deal of info about their Monk 36, hull #1. We got lucky that we found a well cared for trawler that was affordable for us and surveyed well. Find a good surveyor on your own and don't be afraid to say no. Best of luck to you in you search...when you find the right boat you will know it.

First, our thanks to everyone. We received more responses than expected and we appreciate each one. We are looking into taking some classes this spring, both on and off the water. Any suggestions on chartering a boat with a captain for some hands on training? If this is something you did, any information you can provide would be great. Updates to follow - thanks!