Seeking help finding the right trawler please

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Barnabas Colllins

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Joined
Sep 11, 2022
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Hello!

Lifelong sailor here getting ready to sell my sailboat in the PNW and make that natural progression from sailboat to trawler (moving to Floridas west coast). I’ve always liked trawlers especially Nordhavn and Selene but they are way out of my budget. Looking for something in the 250k range.

I was hoping some of the trawler experts here could send me in the right direction. I’ll start off with some of the particulars that I’m after.
1. Shallow draft (<5ft fully laden)
2. Minimum 1000nm range
3. An actual engine room (I’m over 6ft and not flexible. At all)
4. Preferably not Volvo powered $$
5. Room on deck for a decent hard sided dinghy (11.5-13ft) if possible. I like to fish and have a habit of poking holes in my Highfield.
6. An island queen sized berth
7. 37-45ft maximum length

A second cabin and galley up would also be nice but not a deal breaker. It’s just my wife and I but would like occasional guests.

We’ll be living aboard on the west coast of Florida and making trips up the ICW as well as cruising the keys, the Bahamas, Caribbean etc..

I know there has to be a good boat out there for us somewhere. I’m especially a fan of the Great Harbour N37 and hoping there something similar out there that also has the ability to go far afield on occasion.

TIA
 
Welcome to the forum!

Might suggest you specify a search area. Depending on the boat, many of those won't be truckable. You might want to put parameters on how far away you're willing to consider looking.

Ted
 
Several ideas below- the first one (Defever 44) probably is closest to tagging all your bases - it has a very proper engine room with door-access, great liveaboard, and can carry a good sized dink. Plus it is stabilized (which you might consider adding to your list, especially if you plan to go further afield to Caribbean or Mexico). It is owned by a very knowledgeable TF member (note - I have no personal connection or knowledge of the boat or owner except via reputation here in TF). NOTE that he has an 11-foot center console fiberglass skiff with 20hp OB hanging off the stern. Looks like he recently lowered price to $199k. In my opinion, these DF44's are a really sleeper of the category. They sort of look like a standard Taiwan Trawler, but they are so much more - full displacement, well built, great range. They do need stabilization which, as mentioned above, this one has. And no, I am not a commissioned sales person, just a fan of DF44s, and this one appears to be a good pick - many are old and a bit tired.

https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s9/defever-44-sale-1983-a-62718.html

Other possibilities to scratch your itch:

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1989-albin-43-trawler-8424889/

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2009-north-pacific-39-pilothouse-8456021/

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2001-american-tug-34-8299124/

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2022-seahorse-diesel-duck-382-522275/

I would be remiss if I didn't mention a Willard 40, though none are for sale right now. When they are, usually in the $150k-$175K range, and they are usually from the 1980s so condition can be a challenge. No island queen either. But a respected brand popular with recovering sailors. 5-min walk-through video from 2013.


Good luck -

Peter
 
Last edited:
Welcome aboard and agree completely with the no Volvo condition.
 
O C Diver said:
Welcome to the forum!

Might suggest you specify a search area. Depending on the boat, many of those won't be truckable. You might want to put parameters on how far away you're willing to consider looking.

Ted
Click to expand...

Excellent idea. Thank you. I can do anywhere on the East coast or gulf. A fresh water Great Lakes boat would be unlikely but awesome.
 
mvweebles said:
Several ideas below- the first one (Defever 44) probably is closest to tagging all your bases - it has a very proper engine room with door-access, great liveaboard, and can carry a good sized dink. Plus it is stabilized (which you might consider adding to your list, especially if you plan to go further afield to Caribbean or Mexico). It is owned by a very knowledgeable TF member (note - I have no personal connection or knowledge of the boat or owner except via reputation here in TF). NOTE that he has an 11-foot center console fiberglass skiff with 20hp OB hanging off the stern. Looks like he recently lowered price to $199k. In my opinion, these DF44's are a really sleeper of the category. They sort of look like a standard Taiwan Trawler, but they are so much more - full displacement, well built, great range. They do need stabilization which, as mentioned above, this one has. And no, I am not a commissioned sales person, just a fan of DF44s, and this one appears to be a good pick - many are old and a bit tired.

https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s9/defever-44-sale-1983-a-62718.html

Other possibilities to scratch your itch:

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1989-albin-43-trawler-8424889/

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2009-north-pacific-39-pilothouse-8456021/

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2001-american-tug-34-8299124/

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2022-seahorse-diesel-duck-382-522275/

I would be remiss if I didn't mention a Willard 40, though none are for sale right now. When they are, usually in the $150k-$175K range, and they are usually from the 1980s so condition can be a challenge. No island queen either. But a respected brand popular with recovering sailors. 5-min walk-through video from 2013.


Good luck -

Peter
Click to expand...

Thank you Peter.

Some great boats. I think the North Pacific is aesthetically more my speed and the Seahorse is incredible as anything with a sail always catches my eye. My beef with some of the larger trawlers like the Krogens is the fact that they have larger motors and will use more fuel than say an N37 or a single engine 37 to 40ft American Tug (or similar style boat). Of course, there’s some added safety and maneuverability of a twin engine design. I just like the smaller versions of those.

I really like the style and lower profile of the Transpacific Eagle 40 but it lacks a proper engine room and a covered cockpit. Still a neat boat.

I’ll add that a twin engine setup appeals to the sailor in me. I always took comfort in the fact that my sailboats always had the option to sail if the motor died (as long as there was wind).
 
mvweebles said:
Several ideas below- the first one (Defever 44) probably is closest to tagging all your bases - it has a very proper engine room with door-access, great liveaboard, and can carry a good sized dink. Plus it is stabilized (which you might consider adding to your list, especially if you plan to go further afield to Caribbean or Mexico). It is owned by a very knowledgeable TF member (note - I have no personal connection or knowledge of the boat or owner except via reputation here in TF). NOTE that he has an 11-foot center console fiberglass skiff with 20hp OB hanging off the stern. Looks like he recently lowered price to $199k. In my opinion, these DF44's are a really sleeper of the category. They sort of look like a standard Taiwan Trawler, but they are so much more - full displacement, well built, great range. They do need stabilization which, as mentioned above, this one has. And no, I am not a commissioned sales person, just a fan of DF44s, and this one appears to be a good pick - many are old and a bit tired.

https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s9/defever-44-sale-1983-a-62718.html

Other possibilities to scratch your itch:

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1989-albin-43-trawler-8424889/

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2009-north-pacific-39-pilothouse-8456021/

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2001-american-tug-34-8299124/

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/2022-seahorse-diesel-duck-382-522275/

I would be remiss if I didn't mention a Willard 40, though none are for sale right now. When they are, usually in the $150k-$175K range, and they are usually from the 1980s so condition can be a challenge. No island queen either. But a respected brand popular with recovering sailors. 5-min walk-through video from 2013.


Good luck -

Peter
Click to expand...
Peter, you are talking about my boat, Catalina Jack. A DeFever 44 fits the OPs requirements perfectly. Thanks for the plug. Yes, I recently lowered the price to $199,000. Someone is going to get a really nice boat for the money including a terrific dinghy which can be launched and retrieved in 5 - 8 minutes. There is not one thing that needs doing before driving her away. We really hate to sell her after eight years of ownership, a completed Great Loop, and more than five years living aboard full-time but we are ready to move on to a different form of leisure activities but, damn, boating gets in your blood.
 
Barnabas Colllins said:
Thank you Peter.



Some great boats. I think the North Pacific is aesthetically more my speed and the Seahorse is incredible as anything with a sail always catches my eye. My beef with some of the larger trawlers like the Krogens is the fact that they have larger motors and will use more fuel than say an N37 or a single engine 37 to 40ft American Tug (or similar style boat). Of course, there’s some added safety and maneuverability of a twin engine design. I just like the smaller versions of those.



I really like the style and lower profile of the Transpacific Eagle 40 but it lacks a proper engine room and a covered cockpit. Still a neat boat.




I’ll add that a twin engine setup appeals to the sailor in me. I always took comfort in the fact that my sailboats always had the option to sail if the motor died (as long as there was wind).
Click to expand...
Take a look at bumfuzzle.com blog. Past circumnavigstors, now cruising thr Caribbean in a GB42. They did a few YouTube videos early on but last I saw, only blogs these days.

Thr Pacific, N37s and such look really classic. But be aware, many have fairly large engines and while efficient at displacement speeds, are designed for faster speeds. There are no free lunches. The Defever 44 for example is a pure displacement boat and burns in the neighborhood of 4gph at 8-kts. Capable of over 175 nm days. The N37 will burn a bit less - 3 gph, but at 7.5 kts.

Final bit of advice: look up TF member Hippocampus. He started a similar journey a couple years ago and was very generous with his trials and tribulations. He purchased a N42 about 6 months ago wotb plans to coastal cruise, Bahamas. He had planned on more offshore running and originally looked at Nordhavns.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Peter.
 
Thanks for the input.

I’ve been considering the possibility of an Endeavour TrawlerCat.

600g fuel but the large Yanmars make me suspect it may not be very efficient even at lower trawler speeds (6-8kts). A broker has tried to tell me .75 gph burn on these boats but I’m having a hard time believing that. I certainly like the livability and shallow draft. Especially like the pilothouse/flybridge version.

 
I’ve recently had to switch up (or down, I should say) my selection of trawlers. Our budget has been reduced to about 150k. Still seeking the same features.
* Dry head (shower stall)
* Good engine access
* Island Queen
* Good range (1-1.5k NM)
 
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