New to the forum and trawlering

New to the forum. I am buying a 32ft Marine Trader. On the smaller end but we want to give trawlers a shot. If we like it, maybe in a few years we can step up to a 36 or 40 footer. Who knows. Just looking to have a good time and learn to relax a little more. Something to be said for slowing down!! Willing to listening to any input and advice. Especially interested in other owners of 32 footers. Thanks

Larryskydives said:

! Willing to listine to any input and advice. Especially interested in other owners of 32 footers. Thanks

Click to expand...

We sure love ours!

Nice boat. Any advice you might have for me venturing out in a 32? Here on the Gulf Coast, looking mainly to running along the coast and out to the islands in the MS Sound.

Welcome Larry. There are several guys here on the forum from your area. You should get alot of advice. In the meantime peruse the archives by using the seach feature near the top of the screen. You can find info on most anything trawlering. Enjoy your boat.

Greetings,
Welcome aboard.

Welcome aboard!

Larryskydives said:

. Any advice you might have for me venturing out in a 32? Here on the Gulf Coast, looking mainly to running along the coast and out to the islands in the MS Sound.

Click to expand...

I know absolutely nothing about cruising in the Gulf. I can tell you that I've read accounts of people cruising their GB 32s all over the world and all its seas. They are stout little trawlers but like any boat, one must be cognizant of the weather you are taking the boat in. I've cruised my boat very little off shore in the Southern Cal area. My guess would be that I've covered approximately 200 miles in 5 trips, the longest of which was 140 miles round trip. (Newport Beach and back.)
we have several people who have cruised open water much more than I have and one who comes to mind is dwhatty, in Maine. Hopefully he'll chime in here with some of his harrowing experiences.

Good to have you aboard. That is a nice boat.

John

We know what size boat you are looking at...but know little or nothing of how you plan to use the boat.

How many days a year are you going to use it, how many days will be your typical cruise, how much time will you spend aboard at the dock, how far do you wish to venture n your annual cruises....etc..etc...

Without some of that info, it's hard to say whether a 32 is the right boat or whether you may or may not enjoy it because of its pros or cons.

Also mportant is do you/sig other like your comforts or are you all smiles with a more camping like atmosphere???

Huge differences in just a few feet of boat....but in the end it's all in the mind...so tell us what your boating/cruising deams are and we'll try and relate how your new boat can or can't fullfill those dreams.

Larryskydives said:

New to the forum. I am buying a 32ft Marine Trader. On the smaller end but we want to give trawlers a shot. If we like it, maybe in a few years we can step up to a 36 or 40 footer. Who knows. Just looking to have a good time and learn to relax a little more. Something to be said for slowing down!! Willing to listening to any input and advice. Especially interested in other owners of 32 footers. Thanks

Click to expand...

" If we like it, ........."
How many people in the "we" ? I have a Camano 31 which is really a Camano 28. Smaller than what you're looking at. It's often described as "perfect for a cruising couple". While just about any boat owner wishes his/her boat was bigger than it is (except when it comes time to pay for fuel or a slip), our boat works out well for me and my wife. We can have friends for snacks or dinner but I wouldn't want to go out for more than a day trip with more than the two of us. We have cruised for up to a month at a time on our boat.

So if there's just two of you, I imagine the boat you're looking at will suit you just fine. If you plan to cruise with children or friends, you might want to look at something larger.

Since this is your first trawler, you may not know exactly how you will use it in the future. As long as you understand that you can't go fast, you will be fine. The same boats suit a variety of cruising styles.

rwidman said:

As long as you understand that you can't go fast, you will be fine.

Click to expand...

Personally, I have always felt that not going fast is one of the attractions of a trawler. You miss too much when you go fast.

John

Welcome from another Marine Trader owner!

Good to hear from all that have responded. Thanks for the welcome. As far as how we plan to use the boat. We are fortunate to have our own docks at our home, so that will eliminate any dock fees. Where we are located is approx. 3 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Our goal is to use the boat to visit the islands in the Mississippi Sound (Horn Island, Ship Island and Cat Island). We might even venture down to the Chandalier Islands and go East towards Pensacola and Intercoastal. We are looking at 2 to 3 day trips for the time being. The work I do is seasonal, so during the summer and fall will be limited to two and three day jaunts. But realisticly, probably 1 or 2 day trips. Then in my off season we might would try a run to Carrabelle or down to Cedar Key. Will try to show a pic of the boat when it was hauled out for the survey.