Another Newbie

Hello All,

I am a newbie in search of the right Trawler - scouring the used boat world looking for a liveaboard that will work for us...

We live in the Houston Texas area and just sold our beloved Morgan 60 Schooner. We are moving into the Trawler world with no real firsthand knowledge of powerboating - we have sailed for over 40 years.

The Mission:
1> Live aboard in the Houston area for 2 years while weddings and grandchild is born.
2> Then we will spend split time between Houston and the Keys/Bahamas/East Coast/Cuba(?) based on the seasons.
3> We are selling houses in Houston and Pagosa Springs, CO - so this will be our only home

We tend to be drawn towards boats like the Cheoy Lee 55 and the Hatteras LRC's. We are not made of money so fuel consumption is important - but livability probably is more important...

Single screw or twin is fine with me. Enclosed sundeck and flybridge is important in the Houston area (bugs).

My old boat - Kewl Breeze - was a 1982 - so working on old boats is nothing new for me. Handling a big boat is nothing new to me - my schooner was 70 feet over all - she was a beauty!!!

We are excited about this new move. It is scary for me since I have left the comfort of the sailboat world - I know sailboats but Trawlers are a big unknown to me - so any help you guys can provide is truly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for all the input!!

Dennis
aka - Kewlbreeze

Welcome Dennis,
Many of us here have made the move from the sailboat to trawler. Given your sailboat you will be more at ease with the move than many of us were. You probably had most all of the systems that we have. So that will not be a change and if anything working on them will be easier.
Some questions that might help all of us give you some suggestions:
Do you plan on working from the boat or are you retired?
Do you plan on any relatively long crossings? IE Keys to Houston or are you planning to run the coast except for the big bend?
A rough idea of the price range would help in terms of getting things somewhat close to what you want to work within.

RogerH
the plan is to be retired living on the boat full time - I will do some work but mostly travel. My budget is below $300,000 but if the right boat is there - then I can go higher. We are also buying an class A motorhome so there is a tradeoff.

Key West to Houston is roughly 800 miles (done it many times in sailboats) but going around the bend is much longer. That is why I am looking more towards bluewater boats. I am sure there will be times we will do the whole bend - but we will be going from Key West to Houston at least twice a year. So most of those times we will want to go direct.

Yes Kewl Breeze had all the systems that are on a trawler....they were all a PITA to work on. Main reason I sold her is due to that - everything on the boat was just hard to work on. So engine rooms where I can get to the bits and pieces is important...I really like the ones with stand up engine room - wow what a great idea!!!! LOL

I have looked at many boats different styles; Hatteras, Cheoy Lee, Bayliner, Other Taiwan boats, Jeffersons, Ocean Alexander and am open minded.

I am an engineer (who did major project sales work for most of my life - but the engineer in me is still there). So I am slow at picking a boat. I do all the homework and look hard before I buy. This has caused some problems with brokers. I had one guy who made it clear I had to buy NOW and BUY FROM HIM. In the end he told me all Texans are full of Sh_t (along with French Canadians - heck I was ok until he insulted the French Canadians). Anyway, that guy is off the list. That "honest" broker just wanted me to "trust" him and go with what he was selling (granted it was a good boat kept in freshwater) - sorry I do not play that game - too long in the professional sales for that kind of stick. I will do my homework and buy when I am ready. If the boat is gone - there are plenty of others....

Sorry to get off on to a tangent. But that guy was as arrogant as they come!! Made a real impression on me for sure! Made me very nervous about brokers in the powerboat world.

In the end, my wife must be happy living on the boat - she is a true bluewater sailor and boat life is something she enjoys (I married well) - but she likes her comfort. Hence we have been in the over 46 foot range. Having enclosed (eisenglass) flybridge and sundeck really appeals to her. That is why some of the Hatteras MY's are still on the list - they are very live-able. However, fuel burn is a concern - hence the LRC's....but if I have to - a MY will work. Hatteras LRC's are a bit hard to find.

However, I am open to all advice and look forward to seeing the alternatives you guys will present.

Hope this helps....

I really do appreciate your help - this world is very different from the sailboat world.

Dennis

Welcome aboard, and hope that you will keep us updated as the search progresses. As has already been said, lots of sailboat-to-trawler people on here (although I don't think that too many of us had as big a sailboat as you had or have!!)

John

Never meant to buy a 60 foot Morgan - but we just fell in love with her.... falling out of love took many years. She is in Honduras now - sold to a guy living there from the US - I miss her somewhat, but look forward to a new chapter.

Thanks
dennis

Dennis,
You will like working on the trawler/MY much better but it can be a pain sometimes.
Some things to consider....
You probably will want stabilizers of some type.
We have the Jefferson 52 Marquessa, and were seriously considering a Hatteras 53 MY. We ended up with the Jefferson because we both liked the layout of the Jefferson better. Both have split standup engine rooms. With the large square back they can get exciting in a significant following sea.
I believe that the LRCs are better in seas as you have probably determined. I do not have any experience on the Defevers but I think the 49 would be something that you might want to check out.
Keep us informed of your search and I am sure others will come in with their inputs.
Happy searching...........