Monk trawlers

Monk trawlers for topic discussion

I heard that Monk trawlers are known for deck issues on teak decks, I have never experienced any such deffect, anyone else know different? Thx

Ed Monk Sr. was a well know marine engineer of his time 50, 60, 70 and 80 and draw up the design of many brands of boat. Ed Monk Marine Engineer office is in Bremerton WA and his son Ed Monk still open and operating. So when you say Ed Monk trawler are you referring to a specific brand name or in general.

The Roughwater boats are Ed Monk Sr. design. Our RW 58 is 1 of 7 trawler build and 1 of 4 left. Teak decks was the deck material for most boats in the 60, 70 and 80, so it’s not just Monk trawler. Our RW 58 has 36 year old teak decks that are still in good shape. The teak decks leak because the owner did not maintain and take care of the teak decks. Just like things they require maintenance and TLC.

Teak deck give plenty of signs/notice 1) bungs/plugs push up/out indicating the screw is not holding, 2) the teak boards are not even/flush, and 3) there is spacing between the caulking and the teak board which can be easily seen as the moisture is the last to dry. so it not really the fault of the teak deck but the owner.

vluaces said:

I heard that Monk trawlers are known for deck issues on teak decks, I have never experienced any such deffect, anyone else know different? Thx

Click to expand...

Few 36 Monks had teak decks. Any boat with wood core decks can go bad if you dont stay on top of any penetration seal. Teak decks give you hundreds of extra penetrations to let water in to start the rot.

I suspect it depends on the builder, not the designer. Our Monk/McQueen has not had any unexpected deck issues, needed calking and maintenance every year for popped bungs. But given she is over 50 years old, I would not say anything major has happened.

However, I have know a bunch of CHBs with deck issues. And I know folks will at times associate Monk with CHB offerings. Perhaps that is the source?

We are closing in on a 1998 Monk 36 aft cabin Trawler. She seems plenty well made; fiberglass decks and very nice interior. Would love to connect with other folks who own these.

Walley K, we did the loop on a 1986 Monk 36 and lived aboard for 2 1/2 years. We did not have the power that the newer Monk 36 have, it was a 135 Perkins. The hull is the same so a very sea worthy design. The only thing we had to do living aboard thru winter on the Tennessee river was to add some aft stateroom insulation in the hanging lockers to fight condensation, the newer one's may have addressed that problem.

There is an active Monk Owners Group here:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Monk36OwnersAssociation/info
There is an initial one-time fee to join.

I think I have one of the Roughwater 58's here-to-fore unknown. it is in Pittsburg CA. 600 engine hours

Greetings,
Welcome aboard.

I should also say my Roughwater 58 is pretty "Rough." It still has a young engine that was blessed by a recent marine surveyor, and most other mechanicals are fine. However, the undeserving owners of the past two decades didn't do any deck work, and it has added up to the point where the future of the boat is unknown. Sound hull and engine, but... full deck replacement and superstructure rennovation? It is a hard decision because it is a beautiful boat with a killer hull and awesome 671. But it was owned by people best I could tell through the 90's and 10's who did not deserve to own a large boat by virtue of neglect. So... her future is unknown...

Sorry to hear about the condition of the decks & house. Good luck should you choose to restore the boat.

Roughwater Boats, Trawlers, Ed Monk, Monk Design,Boats, Cruisers, Puget Sound, Diesel Trawlers, Trawlers, Roughwater

.<snip>
Hal Paris interview…Below are the actual words Hal Paris gave me on the Roughwater 58.

I saw the big hull mold lying in a field alongside the Chen Hwa boat yard. I got the plans and sent them to Ed Monk Sr. and asked if he could redesign the hull into a pleasure boat? Monk trimmed her down in the stern and made a nice looking boat. Monk did not design the hull, only the superstructure. Less than 10 of these were built. The original fishing boat was designed to be carried aboard a mother ship and then put in the water for fishing.
.</snip>

High Wire said:

There is an active Monk Owners Group here:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Monk36OwnersAssociation/info
There is an initial one-time fee to join.

Click to expand...

Their name and preamble seems to state that group focus on only on the Monk36 production boats. . . .

So there actually is a Monk brand as in High Wire's avatar. Many other boats are called Monk too. Most being boats built by any number of boat builders but designed by a man named Monk. It seemed any boat built and designed by Monk was called a ...Monk boat. Giving no credit whatsoever to the builder. Untill I came to TF a Monk boat was a wood bridgedeck cruiser that is common in the PNW. All soft chine boats w a fairly narrow entry fwd. Very popular as a heavy cruiser that was frequently chosen for cruising to Alaska. The first trawlers as far as I know. These boats were long before the GB "dependable Diesel Cruisers".
Did the Monk's sell their name to a builder for brand name purposes?

Are you two, possibly the prior owners of the Soapy Smith, RW 41', out of Skagway, Alaska? The Hunzes?
If so, I would love to talk to you about her, and give you some things still aboard with your names on them...hats, Soapy Smith sign, etc!

Mickey Barker
The current owner of Soapy Smith,
Sitka, Alaska
(520)370-6075