Looking for trailerable boat to serve as kayaking mothership.

Newbie to the forum.

My wife and I are considering a boat to use as a platform for kayak explorations in protected waters.

We live in central AZ so Lake Powell is in our backyard and Baja is another nearby playground.

We like the idea of being able to trailer the boat to different locations vs having a slip on one lake. We have a Ford Super-Duty as a tow vehicle.

Most of the time, it would be just the two of us but might host a couple friends occasionally so 4 berths would be nice.

Fishing is not a priority for us.

I have never owned a powerboat before and come from a sailing background. We are okay buying a used boat that needs work but don't want something in need of a full refit.

So my question (finally):

What 23-26 foot pocket-trawlers/tugs would you folks point me towards?
Build quality, condition and aesthetics would top our wish-list.

Are there other "styles" of boat we should be considering?

Budget: $50k

Thanks in advance for any feedback you folks can share,

Nate

Welcome aboard from an ex Tucsonian. We used to tow boats all over Arizona and California. Nice thing about Arizona was the Annual Watercraft Permit that would allow you to tow up to 10’ beam with very few restrictions, check if it is still available. The couple of extra feet in beam really gives so much more room in the boat. For that type of cruising you could use pretty much any powerboat, not necessarily a trawler. Albin made a 25’ trawler that would likely fit in your budget. Not a fast boat but it had a lot of room for the size.

Those little "pocket tugs" are expensive, you may not have enough money allocated.

However, from experience I have learned that a boat on a trailer never gets the amount of usage a boat at a marina does.

Of great importance these days of low water in both lake Powell and Lake Mead is the long wait times at launch ramps, sometimes as long as three of four hours. There are only a few launch ramps still open.

pete

You will need a boat with a long open cockpit to store a pair of kayaks. Also it probably needs to be outboard powered otherwise it gets too heavy and an outboard powered boat is much easier to launch than an inboard.

I used the trailerable trawler that you see in my avatar to the left with a fishing kayak. It was just short enough to fit behind the left hand seat without being above the aft seat. That boat is an Atlas Pompano 23 and I think $50k will just about make it for a new one.

Since you will probably have two kayaks and they will probably be longer than my short fishing kayak, you have to let them ride up on the aft seat. Atlas Boat Works (in Cape Coral, Fl) also makes the Acadia 25 with outboard power that might work even better. But you won't find a new one for $50K.

Give Atlas' sales person Henry Harrell a call at 706 540 0990. He handles new and used Atlas boats. Tell him I said hello.

There are other similar outboard powered downeast style boats that would fit your bill as well. The Eastern Sisu is another outboard powered downeaster.

David

We spent many a week on Lake Powell in our C-Dory 22. With some increase in your budget, a C-Dory 25 would be a nice choice. Both good for the Inside Passage too.

I too was going to mention the C-Dory. Nice, strong boats. DavidM's Pompano 23 is a good contender - Acadia Boatworks also makes a 25-foot version

https://acadia25.com/acadia-25-diesel/

Finally, my favorite (and largest) is the Rosborough 246. Was available with inboard, outboard, or I/O as shown in this trailerd version. A few years ago they were $50k boats, but now seem to be $75k on up (this is an exception). My preference would be an outboard version.

https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1999-rosborough-rf--246-sedan-cruiser-8614780/

Good luck - keep us posted! Lake Powell would be an absolute blast.

Peter

Something like the C dory that allows you to rack the kayaks to the top of the cabin so they are out of your way.

Real trawlers are slow trawlers. All else are just boats irregardless how they look.

The best small trawler IMO has always been the Albin 25. Up to 40hp and 8.5 knots cruising speed marks this trawler. In certain seas they do have have a “snap roll” tho.

But if you want a SeaDory get one. Good boats well built. But they are not trawlers. No need to be either. It’s just a name. I had a heavy 30’ boat .. a trawler, with the accompanying weight and speed limitations. Top speed w 37hp was 7 knots. Cruise speed for me was 7.35 knots to 8.5 knots.

Hello Outdoornate. Not sure if you are still looking, but in a couple of months our Hankinson designed Coastal Cruiser will be for sale. It is a trailerable pocket trawler on an EZloader trailer, 27' long with an 8'6" beam. It's powered with a Volvo Penta I/O drive and room for a kicker.