Great Harbor Trawlers still in business?

I am curious to find out if Great Harbor Trawlers AKA Mirage Manufacturing is still in business?
The reason I am asking is because their site seems outdated and generally you don't find much info on the web about their boats.
The GH N37 is one good looking trawler with serious space and specs for its size.
Does anyone have any news about the builder and also any info on how it handles in rough weather considering they are shallow draft trawlers with no external stabilizers.

Cheers

I chartered an N37 in the Abacos a couple I years ago and can attest to the great space for a 37 footer. Two staterooms and a huge kitchen. Plus a big stand up engine room.

We were in protected waters so I can't say anything about rough weather handling, but with the flat bottom and wide beam it might be uncomfortable?

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cardude01 said:

I chartered an N37 in the Abacos a couple I years ago and can attest to the great space for a 37 footer. Two staterooms and a huge kitchen. Plus a big stand up engine room.

We were in protected waters so I can't say anything about rough weather handling, but with the flat bottom and wide beam it might be uncomfortable?

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It is a nice spacious boat for its size no doubt about it. I've read somewhere about a person who chartered the boat as well in the Abacos and posted a good overall review about his experience aboard the N37. However he was amazed, when he asked the skipper to venture further out to sea and he hesitated to do so.

I looked into these a 3-4years ago, but the extremely slow speed would be a real problem with maneuverability in most currents.
Capt Mike

I believe I saw you guys on the N37 close to Hope Town in the Abaco's a few years ago, At that time I was in a blue 35' Contender named Fishing Fool. I could see why the skipper might have been hesitant going offshore. It didn't seem like it could handle running through the channels if there was anytime of surge. I hope you guys are doing well.
Tailwinds,
Capt Mike

Nick,
Mirage is still in business and is building boats.
The boat is well built. I do not have the N37, but am very happy with a GH47.
Cheers,
Henry

Hummm,
Seems many there are uneducated, inexperienced opinions and conjectures reference the sea handling capability of Great Harbors. I can assure all, that in my extensive experiences, these are very good handling boats. I am a full time live a board cruiser on an N-37 with over 30,000 miles under the keel. I've traveled the entire length most of the western Rivers to include the Ohio River , and adjoining rivers and the middle and lower Mississippi. I've done the great loop twice both routes through Great Lakes and crossed the Gulf of Mexico corner 6 times and made offshore runs of up to 340 miles and cruised Maine. They are the best handling 37' boat I've ever been on. The hull design is by Lou Codega who is a very respected and highly credentialed professional Naval Architect. The hull is a "form stable"(his term not mine) design to create stable stiff hull that is self stabilized. I suggest those wanting the designer's perspective should query him. I'm just a very happy end user and cruiser. Slow they are, as these are displacement hull speed only trawlers with heavy construction (hoist weight on mine at last haul out was 46,000lbs.). Several owners make multiple day off shore runs. It is a fact that one travels all over the Pacific after being run from Jacksonville Fla thru the Panama Canal to Hawaii. Also one ran from Jacksonville to Bermuda and then to Newport RI. Both which are not on my agenda.

Joe
GH N37 "Carolyn Ann"

Good to hear you Henry.

Bob F/

Joe Pica said:

Hummm,
Seems many there are uneducated, inexperienced opinions and conjectures reference the sea handling capability of Great Harbors. I can assure all, that in my extensive experiences, these are very good handling boats. I am a full time live a board cruiser on an N-37 with over 30,000 miles under the keel. I've traveled the entire length most of the western Rivers to include the Ohio River , and adjoining rivers and the middle and lower Mississippi. I've done the great loop twice both routes through Great Lakes and crossed the Gulf of Mexico corner 6 times and made offshore runs of up to 340 miles and cruised Maine. They are the best handling 37' boat I've ever been on. The hull design is by Lou Codega who is a very respected and highly credentialed professional Naval Architect. The hull is a "form stable"(his term not mine) design to create stable stiff hull that is self stabilized. I suggest those wanting the designer's perspective should query him. I'm just a very happy end user and cruiser. Slow they are, as these are displacement hull speed only trawlers with heavy construction (hoist weight on mine at last haul out was 46,000lbs.). Several owners make multiple day off shore runs. It is a fact that one travels all over the Pacific after being run from Jacksonville Fla thru the Panama Canal to Hawaii. Also one ran from Jacksonville to Bermuda and then to Newport RI. Both which are not on my agenda.

Joe
GH N37 "Carolyn Ann"

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Good to hear that the boat can handle herself well at sea.
When the time comes I would order the boat to have Lugger's installed instead of the Yanmars. Can get cheaper spare parts (I hear Yanmar's are a little pricey) and probably better torque but will lose out in fuel economy.

We've had a GH N37 winter in our yard a few times. The poor guy spends as much time giving tours as working on his boat. Whatever you think of it, it IS a head-turner. It's so salty-looking it's almost cartoonish.

Anyway, he gets asked about how it handles in seas all the time, and he has nothing but praise for it. I have to admit I had the same concerns, just looking at the hull out of the water. But there's no denying the first-hand experience above, and that I've heard from this other owner.

CaptTom said:

Whatever you think of it, it IS a head-turner. It's so salty-looking it's almost cartoonish..

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Good description of the boat and I don't care how she handles at sea...I can't get by the "cartoon" effect.

We had met a coule traveling the country both river and blue water. It was the N37 and I have to admit my suprise when yes, I asked for a tour, it is a 50 foot boat in a 37 foot hull! Amazing use if space inside. They have been out for six years at that point a few weeks ago. We are in Chattanooga TN and they were at our marina for a while, they are now on their way to MN! I told my wife that it is not the prettiest boat from the outside BUT!!!! Holy cow, the interior where you live will get your attention to say the least. We are now looking at the larger one to buy for when we hang it up and cruise. Read their website about the Fl to Bermuda then to CT run, all open ocean.

The couple we met has a blog, very well written and lots of pictures. Check it out, boats name is Young America, great people, Fred and Linda.

When cruising down the ICW, I've been hailed a few times to ask if my boat was a GH. The GH 37 and the Manatee do look a bit alike, but outside of the spaciousness, there is little in common. The GH and N-37 series have a 15'10" beam. The GH 37 has a roomy engine compartment, but the N-37 has to be seen to be believed. Stand up and walk around both engines. The boat is almost twice the weight as my 25000 lb. Manatee, and only a foot longer. Solid glass hull, but the bottom is pretty flat, so big chop must be a bit challenging, and I've been told by a broker that in a cross wind, you'll be crabbing a bit. The twin 54 HP Yanmars are fine with me, and both props are skegged so she can sit on her own bottom. I can't say I like the materials used for the interior, but I'd take one in a heartbeat. Recently, one of our most faithful Krogen owners switched from a 39 Krogen to an N-47 GH. I can't wait to get his comparison report, but these are two very different boats and there's no way to have the same expectations of either.

I happened to be in Green Cove Springs, FL with the sales rep when each model was docked. I thought I'd like the GH series better, but I was stricken by the N series. It's a warehouse. Heck, I pulled up a hatch and took a stairway down from the pilothouse into the 15 X 5 bosons locker, and I couldn't even tell where I was in the boat. If I had my druthers, I'd go with an N-47, but I'd be tickled with an N-37. I'd also love to Charter one in the Abacos or on the St. Johns River, FL, where they offer seasonal rentals.

Joe Pica said:

. I am a full time live a board cruiser on an N-37 with over 30,000 miles under the keel.
GH N37 "Carolyn Ann"

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What's your tankage, what's your fuel burn (at what speed), and therefore what range do you plan for?

Great looking boats indeed!

Very interesting boats. Seems they are built in Gainesville.

A friend of mine is in the process of finalizing a deal on Semper Fi II, the second demo in the N37 series, and it sounds like an exceptional vessel for cruising the eastern seaboard. The fact that one made it over to Hawaii on its own bottom can't be a bad thing.

Conrad said:

it sounds like an exceptional vessel for cruising the eastern seaboard. The fact that one made it over to Hawaii on its own bottom can't be a bad thing.

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Concur!!

Anyone seen/heard of a GH up in the PNW or inside passage?

The tankage on our N-37 is 500 gals fuel, 300 gals of water, and over a 100 gal holding tank(I've measured it at 128 gals.) Our average fuel burn at 2000-2100 rpm (6.8kts/8mph) in static water is 2 gals per hour for both engine and some genset time. I am very very comfortable with 1200 miles between fueling and that leaves a substantial buffer. Theoretically 1500 mile should be no problem and leave 25% buffer. I don't trust gauges so have a dip stick to verify the tank level. We are a displacement hull so the hard chine is not a problem...our hull is very similar to a commercial tug which also has hard chines. Also, a big plus is the sea chest which I can clean from inside the boat.

Great Harbor Trawlers

healhustler said:

I can't wait to get his comparison report, but these are two very different boats and there's no way to have the same expectations of either.

I happened to be in Green Cove Springs, FL with the sales rep when each model was docked. I thought I'd like the GH series better, but I was stricken by the N series.

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I first saw these Great Harbor trawlers down in Green Cove Springs myself a couple of years ago. Two of them were out of the water and I took a bunch of photos, but I don't have them with me over in Thailand at the moment.

Anyone have some photos of the bottoms of these vessels?

I climbed aboard one of them, It was quite impressive.

Ah ha,...I just found my own photos I took that day in Fla...posted over here:
YachtForums.Com - View Single Post - New to Yachting; 13 Million to spend -

.....more pics on postings #80, 81,82,83,84 on that forum
New to Yachting; 13 Million to spend - - Page 6 - YachtForums.Com


Expensive boats if I remember correctly !!

Joe Pica said:

The tankage on our N-37 is 500 gals fuel, 300 gals of water, and over a 100 gal holding tank(I've measured it at 128 gals.) Our average fuel burn at 2000-2100 rpm (6.8kts/8mph) in static water is 2 gals per hour for both engine and some genset time. I am very very comfortable with 1200 miles between fueling and that leaves a substantial buffer. Theoretically 1500 mile should be no problem and leave 25% buffer. I don't trust gauges so have a dip stick to verify the tank level. We are a displacement hull so the hard chine is not a problem...our hull is very similar to a commercial tug which also has hard chines. Also, a big plus is the sea chest which I can clean from inside the boat.

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Thanks for the info!!

Joe Pica said:

Hummm, Seems many there are uneducated, inexperienced opinions and conjectures ...

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Better get used to that if you are going to hang around here.

Hey Folks, Great Harbour, (Mirage Manufacturing) is indeed still in business after 42 years of constant operation at the same phone number! With hundreds of thousands of miles on Great Harbour Trawlers they continue to be well loved by their owners. We are constantly amazed at the misinformation and poor conjecture applied to these boats but that's the internet, I suppose. If you want the real facts talk to an owner or possibly even consider giving the factory a call. Best regards to all and smooth seas. Ken Fickett

soggy said:

We had met a coule traveling the country both river and blue water. It was the N37 and I have to admit my suprise when yes, I asked for a tour, it is a 50 foot boat in a 37 foot hull! Amazing use if space inside. They have been out for six years at that point a few weeks ago. We are in Chattanooga TN and they were at our marina for a while, they are now on their way to MN! I told my wife that it is not the prettiest boat from the outside BUT!!!! Holy cow, the interior where you live will get your attention to say the least. We are now looking at the larger one to buy for when we hang it up and cruise. Read their website about the Fl to Bermuda then to CT run, all open ocean.

The couple we met has a blog, very well written and lots of pictures. Check it out, boats name is Young America, great people, Fred and Linda.

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Young America was at our marina last week end. They were gone before I could get a chance to look at it .Very cool boat I liked what I saw from the dock.

Rolling Motions?

Their website, and the endorsements on this subject thread would have you believing these vessels had a very good sea motion.

But I saw these quotes over on another forum:....
Anyone Familiar with Great Harbor Trawlers ? - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

[B said:

Waterwayguy] [/B]These boats were not designed for open ocean in anything other than calm conditions. The hull design and excess windage also make them sail all over the harbor in windy conditions while at anchor. With any kind of seas running they roll like a barrel even with stabilizers. The are great dockaminiums and comfortable liveaboards for marina stays. The deck layouts don't make them user friendly for coming and going from the dock.

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[B said:

Waterwayguy] [/B]I would add that anyone considering taking one of these boats across an ocean reconsider. I would suggest this is why the manufacturer recommend it be shipped. These boats roll like a 55 gallon drum and if not heavily stabilized should not be considered for offshore use. I am not sure any kind of stabilization would be suitable for offshore heavy weather.

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.....So my question to this gentleman was, have you ever been aboard one of these vessels and experienced this??

His reply, "We have a good friend with a GH and have been on board often."

Somewhat contradictory reports on this subject.

brian eiland said:

Somewhat contradictory reports on this subject.

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I guess I'd lean towards someone with 30k miles under the keel in one (Joe Pica) rather than someone who "knows a guy". My guess is Ken would be more than happy to provide you with other GH owners who could share their experience.

brian eiland said:

Their website, and the endorsements on this subject thread would have you believing these vessels had a very good sea motion.

But I saw these quotes over on another forum:....
Anyone Familiar with Great Harbor Trawlers ? - Cruisers & Sailing Forums





.....So my question to this gentleman was, have you ever been aboard one of these vessels and experienced this??

His reply, "We have a good friend with a GH and have been on board often."

Somewhat contradictory reports on this subject.

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I really don't think that everyone is on the same sheet of music when the word "seaworthy" is used anyway...

The manufacturers own BS hype states....

If the typical cruiser is coasting the shores of Florida and squalls threaten, his first instinct is not to head offshore for sea room like some old Bluenose skipper; he wants to get inside and get inside quickly. But if he's in a deep-draft boat a mile off the St. Augustine inlet, conditions might well dictate going offshore like those schooner captains of old. That's because St. Augustine is shallow, like many Atlantic Coast inlets.
And like many inlets in Baja, Mexico or reef pools of the Bahamas. Like many gunkholes in Maine, the Chesapeake Bay and the California Delta. Like the entire Intracoastal Waterway and much of the Great Circle Route. In other words, the vast majority of American cruising grounds - or great portions thereof - are in shallow water.
Consequently, the ability to seek refuge from weather is the single most important design consideration for a safe cruising boat, as defined by how the overwhelming majority of American trawler owners use their boats. When you are facing the "fight or flight" scenario as described above, the difference between 5 1/2 feet and 4 feet can make the difference between life and death.

Great Harbor Trawlers' Trawler Truths: Why shallow draft hulls are better for crusing than deep draft hulls.

Reading this along with the rest of the hype....pretty well tells me they are well made coastal cruisers that are capable of handling typical afternoon squalls but should head for shelter if the real dodo is coming because that was a major part of the design criteria.

Not sure they wallow...as I have no experience with them...but just about every slow powerboat under 50-60 feet in the world rolls like a bastid in 5 footers or more....even many with stabilizers. Just plain old physics (or whatever scientific explanation you prefer)

I don't even "know a guy" .....

Experience has it's place but there are many elements of the GH design that totally defy traditional marine architecture. Much of this you just can't get around. A very wide flat bottomed boat is going to be very stiff and uncomfortable in beam seas (or waves) that have a bad match of the boats roll period. Roll wise the GH is going to assume the shape of the water under it due to it's extremely high volume chines and beam. One needs no experience on the boat to know that.

All boats rise and fall as they progress against head seas. And when the fwd end is through rising it comes DOWN ... and slams hard. That's the way of flat bottomed boats. It's an unavoidable given. All of us have been aboard pounding flat bottomed boats and KNOW this. To experience it in this particular flat bottomed boat is not necessary. I should point out though that many to even most freighter type ships are basically flat on the bottom. They "get away w that because rarely does the bottom rise up out of the water. With the GH the huge flat area of the bottom fwd coming down on many many tons of sea water coming at the boat is going to result in a very sudden impact and deceleration. A very big "BANG". Of course this is mostly not a seaworthy item unless the boat comes apart and sinks either slow or fast. And of course there is the possibility of bodily injury to those on board. It's a given though w a big wide flat bottom.

Relative to seaworthiness something not as obvious is the side of the boat just above the chines. It's a flat and nearly vertical surface the whole length of the boat. Helps w directional stability to be sure but in big waves when one gets sideways on the face of a wave the safest escape is to slide sideways down the wave. With a round bilge or a V bottom and enough deadrise the boat can move sideways quickly enough to save the day as the vertical sides of the hull will be kept high enough to avoid a capsize. But the GH seems to be designed to capsize in this way. Those extremely hard chines would dig in like goats feet, stop the bottom of the boat from moving sideways and w the steep face of the wave the GH will assume the position on the wave w the windward chine lifting strongly up and in the direction of the fast moving wave .... well you get the picture. Over she goes. This is commonly known as chine tripping and the GH is one strong candidate for doing that. Especially the tall ones w lots of windage.

Boats and ships are shaped the way they are from centuries of designing, building and running boats at sea and on the water. It's very unlikely that one can design and build a boat totally unlike all the boats built within the bounds of centuries of experience and come up with something better ..... or even good depending on how far one strays.

That said .. extremely critical as it may be I do think that the GH is a wonderful boat in fairly protected waters. Many have done blue water passages but many have gone to Alaska in kayaks and some have even rowed boats across the Atlantic.

Great Harbor Trawlers & Florida Bay Coasters

Animal said:

I guess I'd lean towards someone with 30k miles under the keel in one (Joe Pica) rather than someone who "knows a guy". My guess is Ken would be more than happy to provide you with other GH owners who could share their experience.

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Well here is another owner of a GH47 first hand experience (from another forum)

timb7734 said:

The boat above is named East Passage and has made many trips from Maine to the Bahamas. My boat has been to the Bahamas six times and from Savannah to Punta Gorda.

Yea, if you won't to cross oceans, even I would get a different boat with more draft. Where do you want to cruise? Rolls a lot less than any round bilge Chinese Grand Banks knock off, and less than the 36 GB I had before.

Every boat is a compromise, just be aware of blowhard armchair naval architects.

p.s. I also own a Florida Bay Coaster and keep it in Northern Lake Huron.

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Thanks for posting that first hand account Timb.

When I first saw a pics of the Florida Bay Coasters, my immediate reaction was 'how top heavy' they appeared,...and how they must be prone to rolling excessively. Likewise when I saw the GH model of the Great Harbor Trawler designs I thought the same. And particularly since both are built on very shallow draft hulls.

I believe the Fla Bay Coasters do not make as much of an attempt to keep their superstructures very lt-weight, but rather utilize steel even in these superstructures?

Great Harbor on the other hand makes use of lighter weight materials to construct their superstructures.....NideCore
About Great Harbor Trawlers : Design Discussions : Space Age Core

While we have been discussing cores used in hulls, there is a new synthetic non-rotting polypropylene core that looks like honeycomb and is making huge inroads in boat construction. It is used everywhere but mostly above the waterline. This core has some great benefits and represents the best bang for the buck in the way of a core in areas that are not highly stressed such as decks, cabin sides, and roofs

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.....another NidaCore reference again. on their website

I thought that somewhere else on their website there was more reference to the advantages of keeping weight out of the structures of the vessel above the waterline, PARTICULARLY at greater heights, but I did not find it. However here is an interesting point of view on stability of these style vessels.
Form Stability vs. Ballast and Stabilizers

Most folks should realize that keeping weight out of the topsides, or building ever-higher topsides should all contribute to less rolling motion

brian eiland said:

....I thought that somewhere else on their website there was more reference to the advantages of keeping weight out of the structures of the vessel above the waterline, PARTICULARLY at greater heights, but I did not find it. However here is an interesting point of view on stability of these style vessels.
Form Stability vs. Ballast and Stabilizers

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Yes, I did find that other mention

website said:

The angle to which a boat rolls in response to an upsetting force is a function of the shape of the watertight boundary of the hull, deck and topsides, the weight, and the center of gravity. On our trawlers, we have maximized stability by many design characteristics. These include a wide beam, not just in the hull but in the deckhouse; hard chines, a low center of gravity resulting from the heavily laid up solid hull construction combined with a light weight, high strength cored construction for the topsides, liquids located low in hull through the use of narrow, integral tanks,

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brian eiland said:

Yes, I did find that other mention

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So what are you really looking for?

Stability in it's self doesn't mean a thing.

Barrels which are not very stable have survived a plunge over Niagra falls...in 50 years I have been going to sea in more seaworthy and stable vessels than barrels yet none could survive that.