New Seahorse 52 owner

I just bought a Seahorse 52 2003 model and it's on it's way home... Curious if there are other seahorse 52 owners out on this site who would what to share some knowledge of their trawler? Owned 9 other boats, but my first trawler...

Welcome to the forum! Congratulations on the new to you boat.

Ted

Yes. Welcome and nice boat!

Welcome! The 52 is a great boat built by a very reputable builder, Bill Kimley. There is a Yahoo group that is dedicated to the 52's, but this forum will be eminently helpful as it's a true trawler. Congrats!
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/seahorse52

Where are you bringing it from?

We purchased it in FT Myers FL, and it's on it's way to Maryland. Right now, the capt has it in St Augustine and they've been waiting all AM for a mechanic to look at the shaft log and port side primer. The port isn't priming well so they thought they could have it looked at this am, but as of an hour ago, they are still waiting for the guy... Prior to today, they've averaged about 90miles a day and left Saturday. I'm planning on meeting up with the boat sometime next week.

Boatkied said:

We purchased it in FT Myers FL, and it's on it's way to Maryland. Right now, the capt has it in St Augustine and they've been waiting all AM for a mechanic to look at the shaft log and port side primer. The port isn't priming well so they thought they could have it looked at this am, but as of an hour ago, they are still waiting for the guy... Prior to today, they've averaged about 90miles a day and left Saturday. I'm planning on meeting up with the boat sometime next week.

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Sounds great but I could never have misses it's first trip under my ownership.

BandB said:

Sounds great but I could never have misses it's first trip under my ownership.

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Some of us are unfortunately limited by time, money, or prior commitments.

I wished I could go on the whole trip, but I couldn't break free from my job to go along... We spent three days on her getting it ready to go, and then let the capt take her out. The capt works for the brokerage, so he knows the boat better than anyone else I could have hired to run it... Hopefully I'll meet up with her soon and for sure when she gets to Norfolk I'll go the rest of the way home

dhays said:

Some of us are unfortunately limited by time, money, or prior commitments.

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Yes, but given those situations, I would try to bring it home in segments based on the time I could find. I've known a few to do that. Take a week and move it 300 miles. A long weekend for another 150. Then another week sometime. The only added cost is transportation to and from the boat at each location you leave it.

Nothing wrong with letting a captain transport it. I just have difficulty in my boat traveling places I don't get to go with it.

BandB... I agree and that was our first thought was to go in chunks, but I have a great empty slip at my house and some updating on the boat that I want to do, so the sooner I get her home, the better. I'm not happy with the performance of the port engine (high blow-by at WOT) so we're running her slow and steady and I get all my guys making this boat tip-top... Lol

Boatkied said:

I wished I could go on the whole trip, but I couldn't break free from my job to go along... We spent three days on her getting it ready to go, and then let the capt take her out. The capt works for the brokerage, so he knows the boat better than anyone else I could have hired to run it... Hopefully I'll meet up with her soon and for sure when she gets to Norfolk I'll go the rest of the way home

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Things like jobs are such a nuisance sometimes.

Looks like a great boat and what a wonderful situation to have a slip right by your house!

Don't own a Seahorse 52, but wish I did.
My last boat was a Mariner 50 Motorsailor hull #1.
Good chance both hulls were made from the same mold.
At the very least they had the same shape and designed by Blaine Seeley.

Dubnuh said:

Welcome! The 52 is a great boat built by a very reputable builder, Bill Kimley. ...

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Recently spoke with KKMI boatyard staff (Richmond CA) when taking my Coot (sixth made and only the second to have a sailing rig) for annual maintenance. Well, if you've paid close attention, you'd know that a couple months ago Bill shipped a liveaboard version of the Coot to the Bay Area made for sale. The staff member said Bill asked for all the improvements I made on my Coot. These included raised chain locker, SS strips protecting against jib-block and sheet wear on gunwale and pilothouse roof edge, and hatches under the forward berth to improve interior hull access.



Bill wants his customers to be happy with their boats.

Wish you would have posted that you were looking at her.

Did you do surveys?

We agreed a price and surveyed her last Oct. Post survey we could not get to where we needed to be to rectify the issues. Broker said the owner was going to fix everything and keep marketing her. We did share the survey with the broker/owner. So they were fully aware of what they had to fix.
So if problems keep cropping up let me know if you want my survey. Don't know if it will help you, but at least you can consider what you may have to work on if they didn't do it.

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s3/broker-stories-good-bad-24094.html

Menzies, you looked at the Seahorse #12 in Ft Myers? We went hard on price offers before and after the surveys... Overall the boat surveyed well, with a few typical issues here and there, but nothing really scary to me. I also had Cummins on the boat twice and we didn't like the blow-by on the port, but it could be very simple from the boat sitting for so long, or, it could be rings... We negotiated to be covered for the risk on the high end... Cummins said if we don't push the boat hard it would be fine. She doesn't smoke, so could be just simple, but we're covered. So, the sooner I get her home, the sooner I can have my guys really do their work.

Yes, same boat.

Menzie, I'd love to catch up with you at some point in the near future and compare notes on the Seahorse. Also is your GAlaskin the boat that had the brand new QSMs!

markpierce said:

Bill asked for all the improvements I made on my Coot. These included raised chain locker, Bill wants his customers to be happy with their boats.

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Mark

Does your chain abrade against the steel hull in the anchor locker? If so what steps have you taken to mitigate wearing paint and coatings away?

I thought this thread was about a 52hp Johnson OB.

Boatkied said:

Menzie, I'd love to catch up with you at some point in the near future and compare notes on the Seahorse. Also is your GAlaskin the boat that had the brand new QSMs!

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No, twin Lugger 174s.

sunchaser said:

Mark

Does your chain abrade against the steel hull in the anchor locker? If so what steps have you taken to mitigate wearing paint and coatings away?

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Not that I've noticed.

I have a 2011 54' Seahorse. Same boat with a 2ft extended swim platform. Single JD screw

Pearwind, where do you keep your Seahorse? We live on the Chesapeake between Annapolis and Baltimore, which is where ours will port

Boatkied said:

Pearwind, where do you keep your Seahorse? We live on the Chesapeake between Annapolis and Baltimore, which is where ours will port

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She's in Seattle having dodads installed.... stabilizers, electronics, watermaker, airconditioners, washer dryer. We'll leave her there for summer ship her back here, that being the Texas Gulf Coast, in the fall so in the winter we can go coconut hunting. My main crib is in Terrell, Texas I plan to live on the boat half a year and stay on land half a year. I just retired so kind of playing this as I go. Was on the bucket list so I pulled the trigger after reading and researching off and on about 4 to 5 years.

pearlwindham said:

kind of playing this as I go. Was on the bucket list so I pulled the trigger after reading and researching off and on about 4 to 5 years.

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I like the kind of playing as you go. The reality is you don't know until you're there, how much time on the boat vs. land works for you. When we started we had no idea what mixture we'd like. We found between 6 and 8 weeks away, we were ready to be home. Then 3 to 4 weeks at home and we're ready to cruise some more. We let our feelings dictate, not a predetermined plan. Now, I guess our brains and bodies have adjusted and as we approach six weeks we start thinking about plans at home. Then as we approach 3 weeks at home, we start getting excited about our next cruise.

Did you ever have fuel priming pump issues with your boat? The fuel system is so complex and we have twin Cummins 370s in this one. I think we're stopping in Savanna to have the priming pumps serviced We have an air leak someplace on the port side either in the racor or priming pump

How is everything going with the Seahorse?

Boatkied said:

Did you ever have fuel priming pump issues with your boat? The fuel system is so complex and we have twin Cummins 370s in this one. I think we're stopping in Savanna to have the priming pumps serviced We have an air leak someplace on the port side either in the racor or priming pump

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If not operated recently, I prime my single engine using an electrical pump that came with a fuel-polishing system (no longer used) and the thumb-pump on the engine. It's all immediately within reach on the starboard side of my engine compartment.