Modify a Lobster boat hull to recreational trawler

I'm seriously considering purchasing a 45' Dixon Marine (made in Nova Scotia) hull kit and bringing it to Florida to have design/finished as a trawler. The Dixon hull is a huge downeast style boat originally designed by Osmond Beal, built for winter commercial fishing off the Canadian Maritimes - a truly solid hull to build a live-aboard trawler from the keel up. Does anyone know of builders or finishers in central or south Florida capable of such a build? The hull kit includes a molded top and optional engine already installed. Other than that, she would be a bare canvas! Not interested in paying the added cost of having a prestigious name do the build but want quality design and workmanship.

You might talk to the folks at Huckins Yachts, in Jacksonville:

CUSTOM YACHT BUILDERS AND BOAT SERVICE | Huckins Yachts

They are an old custom design-build yard, but they have a full-service operation and tackle a variety of projects. Certainly not cheap, but the quality seems to come through, and that's worth something, IMO.

I'd think that if you were just looking at the economics have it finished in CA . Or maybe Maine.

Why not have it finished at Dixons'? exchange rate favorable,they know the hull and have workforce in place. Wicked Tuna show "Hot Tuna" is an osmond Beal (48') hull and top. Beautiful, able hulls.

Curious as to what engine you will put in that beast. To cruise reasonably fast, like 15 kts, you will need 350- 400 hp output at cruise if built to normal recreational finish, ie heavy. So maybe 600 hp at top.

That will take a big Cummins, Scania, Cat, etc.

David

I'd be insterested in reading about the costs/workmanship that would go into such a thing but I'm thinking it would scare the average boater into trying to do alot of work themselves(or just buy something else).

If you aren't average then it sounds like a solid plan for a boat that will last multiple lifetimes if you're a big picture kind of guy.

Sailor of Fortune said:

Why not have it finished at Dixons'? exchange rate favorable,they know the hull and have workforce in place. Wicked Tuna show "Hot Tuna" is an osmond Beal (48') hull and top. Beautiful, able hulls.

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+1.

That why it's a kit. Labor intensive.

What's the "modification" Jim?

If you have it finished in Nova Scotia or Maine, you can bring it South on it's own bottom. That should save you several thousand dollars of shipping and you'll get a great trip as well.

My semi-custom boat was mostly built in Maine. I shipped it to Miami to put the finishing touches on it. Big mistake. I wish I had completed it in Maine and had the experience of running the ditch South.

I wanted to get a look at this hull but I couldn't get on the Dixon website. Have you got a link or picture?

HopCar - their website is Dixon's Marine Group 2000 Inc | Lower Woods Harbour, NS

I'm thinking of using their 45' hull matched up to their clamming top mold.

David - you are pretty darn close to what the folks at Dixon suggested - single engine in the 400-500hp range will cruise high teens although I will step her back to 10-12 knots for fuel savings. I just want the speed element for those times you wish you had it!

I'm not opposed to Dixon's finishing the boat, I'm just not convinced from their website photos that they go much beyond a nice looking work boat. Finishing off the interior to a warm teak interior similar to a typical trawler yacht may not be their forte. My thinking to bring the kit boat to Florida is simple....Maine labor rates are higher than Florida labor rates.

Nomad Willy said:

What's the "modification" Jim?

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Eric - I think I can use their clamming top mold version which has the extended salon interior and design a two stateroom, one head configuration forward with a port-side day head at the aft of the salon, access from both cockpit and salon. Haven't decided on a 2nd station up top yet. These hulls are wide at 16'8" for a 45'er so space should be easy to work with.

You might discuss the project with Bennett Brothers in Wilmington NC.

40' Guimond retro fit

Jim Cooper said:

I'm seriously considering purchasing a 45' Dixon Marine (made in Nova Scotia) hull kit and bringing it to Florida to have design/finished as a trawler. The Dixon hull is a huge downeast style boat originally designed by Osmond Beal, built for winter commercial fishing off the Canadian Maritimes - a truly solid hull to build a live-aboard trawler from the keel up. Does anyone know of builders or finishers in central or south Florida capable of such a build? The hull kit includes a molded top and optional engine already installed. Other than that, she would be a bare canvas! Not interested in paying the added cost of having a prestigious name do the build but want quality design and workmanship.

Click to expand...

We started with a working charter boat, strip to the hull, repowered 3126/470hp Cat cruise 12kt, top out 18kt fully loaded 400 imp. gal. Extended wheel house design.picture album of complete build avaiable

Update?

Any update?

Have you looked into H&H Marine in Maine ?

From their website:

For 35 years, H&H Marine has built boats on the Osmond Beal design. Highly configurable, with hulls up to 50 feet long and 19-feet, 2-inches wide, generations of boat owners choose H&H for stability and comfort, fuel efficiency, safety and reliability.

https://www.hhmarineinc.com/

HopCar said:

If you have it finished in Nova Scotia or Maine, you can bring it South on it's own bottom. That should save you several thousand dollars of shipping and you'll get a great trip as well.

My semi-custom boat was mostly built in Maine. I shipped it to Miami to put the finishing touches on it. Big mistake. I wish I had completed it in Maine and had the experience of running the ditch South.

I wanted to get a look at this hull but I couldn't get on the Dixon website. Have you got a link or picture?

Click to expand...

I bought a DE Donelle 35 down in Key West this year and brought it up to NJ - 11 days of travel with no breakdowns - 15 knot boat. Worth the experience - but make no mistake it would have been much cheaper to put it on a flat bed and ship it. We hit marinas all the way up including ICW stops. I learned much more running the boat than shipping but cost if it is a factor is cheaper to ship - Food, Marinas, Fuel, Weather, Breakdowns all need to be considered when running the boat.