Trawler Information...DeFever vs. Island Gypsy vs. Cheoy Lee

Hello all...new to the forum and starting to look at purchasing a trawler/cruiser. As background we plan to cruise the Gulf Coast and eventually cruise the Bahamas and on down to the Virgin Islands.

Two of us will always be on the boat but we plan to have family and friends visit for different parts of our cruising adventure so we'd like to have the ability to sleep six.

Budget will probably have us looking at boats built in the 1980's....in the 43-48 foot range.

Anyway, would love feedback from everyone on the quality and any know issues*regarding DeFevers, Island Gypsies, and Cheoy Lee trawlers? Thanks in advance for any information and insights.

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TEXTrawler wrote:Budget will probably have us looking at boats built in the 1980's....in the 43-48 foot range.

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*Can you put that into American dollars? ;-)

I have a Cheoy Lee 46' LRC, built in 1983.* If you get aboard one, you'll find that they are one of the roomiest 46' boats built.* Three cabins below, two with island queen's.* Forward V berth and stand up engine room.* Wheelhouse, salon, and covered cockpit on main deck with seating on foredeck.* Upper helm and boat deck as well.* Twin 120 Lehman power, so they're very easy on fuel.* Teak decks, window frames, etc, so there are the maintenance issues to deal with* All in all, a very nice, well built boat.

Thanks Mark. I have seen the layout of your CL 46 LRC model and it is certainly one of the best.

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Any idea if*Cheoy*Lee*used coring in the hull or superstructure or is it solid glass?

I se there are a number of CL 46's on Yachtworld in various states of repair. One appears to have all singles below, so I suppose there were a variety of configurations.

Boats built in the 1980's are now 20 to 30 years old and the maintenance is going to be the most important factor for three similar builders. Three similar builders, as all all three would have lots of teak, good chance of teak decks, black iron fuel tanks. At this age the quality of the care for the last ten years might be more important than the initial build quality.
I have always thought of Island Gypsy as a lower price knock off of Grand Banks. Defever is the name of the designer not the builder, different boats were built in different yards of different quality. Cheoy Lee is a company that started building boats in the 1870s and is still owned by the same family.

Thanks for your input Tucker. Obviously, you are right about the DeFevers. I believe most of his 1980's cruiser/trawler style boats in the 44-48 range were built in Taiwan by a couple of different yards--at least that's my understanding.

I think the Cheoy Lee and Island Gypsy/K&H of that period were mostly Hong Kong area yards. My sensing, from articles and online comments,*is that these more established*Hong Kong yards probably had better quality control than the Taiwan yards. That said some of the brands having boats built in Taiwan (namely Marine Trading, Albin, and DeFever) did have on-site engineers and QC staff at the Taiwan factories. Its also my understanding that by the time the 80's had rolled around consolidation and oversight meant the Taiwan yards were producing a much more consistent quality boat than they did in the 60's and 70's.

Given that*maintenance is the key factor, but assuming the same maintenance regimen over the years how would you rank the key*trawler brands from the 80's (GB, CHB, Cheoy Lee, Marine Trader, Albin, DeFever [Taiwan yard boats like the 44's, 48' and 49' RPH]?

TEXTrawler wrote:
Hello all...new to the forum and starting to look at purchasing a trawler/cruiser. As background we plan to cruise the Gulf Coast and eventually cruise the Bahamas and on down to the Virgin Islands.

Two of us will always be on the boat but we plan to have family and friends visit for different parts of our cruising adventure so we'd like to have the ability to sleep six.

Budget will probably have us looking at boats built in the 1980's....in the 43-48 foot range.

Anyway, would love feedback from everyone on the quality and any know issues*regarding DeFevers, Island Gypsies, and Cheoy Lee trawlers? Thanks in advance for any information and insights.*

TEXTrawler - I know there may not be too many in your neck of the woods... err waters*- but - I recomend you look into Tollycraft 44, 45 and 48' yachts.* Built in USA with super good Ed Monk design and exceptional build quality throughout.* Yachtworld has plenty of examples.* Good Luck! - Art

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Thanks for the tip...I know Tolly's have a great reputation.

But you are right...not many in this neck of the woods...

TEXTrawler wrote:
Thanks for the tip...I know Tolly's have a great reputation.

But you are right...not many in this neck of the woods...

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TEXTrawler - Try it... you might*like it!* Road trucking is not too costly, especially if transport on the boat's own bottom is not available,*yet the purchase price is right!*
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/cache/searchResults.jsp?cit=true&slim=quick&ybw=&sm=3&searchtype=advancedsearch&Ntk=boatsEN&Ntt=&is=&man=tollycraft&hmid=0&ftid=0&enid=0&fromLength=40&toLength=48&luom=126&fromYear=&toYear=&fromPrice=&toPrice=&currencyid=100&city=&spid=100&spid=107&spid=147&spid=108&spid=109&spid=117&spid=123&spid=132&spid=139&spid=141&spid=142&pbsint=&boatsAddedSelected=-1*
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It is hard to put rankings on these builders but I think we all know that Grand banks would be at the top. Marine Trader might be at the bottom for some models but others were much better. Marine Trader was simply an importer, but they did own some of their own molds. They would contract out the building to the low bidder. Some of the builders did a much better job and some cut corners.
In 16 years of boat sales I have yet to run accross two 25 year old boats that had the same maintenance, some will have rebuilt engines, or replaced generators, new applainces, paint jobs. Some have been improved and others just to get by, so the the last ten years of care is critical to determining value.

Thanks for the information. I will definitely contact you if it looks like I find something where trucking it makes sense.

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Tim

I know this thread is a couple of years old and out of date, but one thing to consider. The Cheoy Lee 46 LRC has fiberglass tanks, not iron. No worries about replacing them.

Disclaimer- I bought a CL 46 LRC that sat on the hard for over 20 years. I launched it, spent a bit of time and money on it, and cruised it from Albany NY to Brunswich GA. Even neglected, they're a good, solid boat.

Add the 36' Monk to your list. I think they are as well made as the Grand Banks, but a bit cheaper. See if the stern tube has been replaced. Buy the smallest boat you can live with. Few of those folks who tell you they are coming to see you in the Bahamas will actually show up. You'll be paying to slip, maintain, insure a lot of extra boat if you buy bigger.