What makes a trawler yacht a trawler yacht?

Part of what makes this discussion interesting to me is the difference between American English and British English. Having spent a great deal of time among British English speaking Europeans I got use to the almost universal use of "yacht" as a substitute for the American term "pleasure boat".

Thus when Americans discuss what "yacht" means we are affected by the British usage. A similar word distinction is the British usage of "holiday" as a substitute (equivalent) of the American term "vacation".

My take is that the American word "yacht" is used by those who do not own a 36ft+ boat as a reference to the more expensive pleasure boats including my 42ft Krogen. Whereas those who own 36ft + pleasure boats use the term yacht in referring to 60+ ft pleasure boats in the million dollar category.

Languages are interesting.

Bay Pelican said:

Part of what makes this discussion interesting to me is the difference between American English and British English. Having spent a great deal of time among British English speaking Europeans I got use to the almost universal use of "yacht" as a substitute for the American term "pleasure boat".

Thus when Americans discuss what "yacht" means we are affected by the British usage. A similar word distinction is the British usage of "holiday" as a substitute (equivalent) of the American term "vacation".

My take is that the American word "yacht" is used by those who do not own a 36ft+ boat as a reference to the more expensive pleasure boats including my 42ft Krogen. Whereas those who own 36ft + pleasure boats use the term yacht in referring to 60+ ft pleasure boats in the million dollar category.

Languages are interesting.

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Egos are interesting too... at times they go way over the top; regarding choice of nomenclature used to "prop-up" portrayal of inconsequential value for any given owned item's view in the eyes of others. :lol:

Art said:

Egos are interesting too... at times they go way over the top; regarding choice of nomenclature used to "prop-up" portrayal of inconsequential value for any given owned item's view in the eyes of others. :lol:

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If that means what I think it does then I agree with you. I think we as citizens and residents of until relatively recently colonised lands are still finding our way whereas the Brits have had the benefit of a long and wide fetch to fill their sails full of wind. I hope I'm not banned from the ybw forum

A yacht consists of having an air conditioner and rarely leaves the dock unless its on.
A trawler?
trawl·er
[ˈtrôlər]



NOUN



trawlers (plural noun)

1. a fishing boat used for trawling.
   
   

Now that picture above is interesting in itself. Not all boats engaged in fishing are 'trawlers'. A trawler drags a net through the water to collect fish. As such it needs constant slow speed but fairly high power and has to be out long enough to fill a fish hold so it needs accommodations and sea keeping capabilities.

The hull in the pic above was developed for setting and retrieving pots (so lobsterman or crabber) so needs a higher speed and maneuverability than a trawler. Its purpose is to get out to the grounds quickly set or retrieve pots and then get back in with the catch. It is inherently a coastal and day boat.

So not all working fishing boats are 'trawlers'.

Another fishing word I see misused frequently is 'trolling' which, again has nothing to do with 'trawling'. Trolling is dragging a bait fish through the water at a slow speed in the hope of attracting larger fish to attack the bait and become hooked. It is hook and line fishing versus net dragging.

McGillicuddy said:

Now that picture above is interesting in itself. Not all boats engaged in fishing are 'trawlers'. A trawler drags a net through the water to collect fish. As such it needs constant slow speed but fairly high power and has to be out long enough to fill a fish hold so it needs accommodations and sea keeping capabilities.

The hull in the pic above was developed for setting and retrieving pots (so lobsterman or crabber) so needs a higher speed and maneuverability than a trawler. Its purpose is to get out to the grounds quickly set or retrieve pots and then get back in with the catch. It is inherently a coastal and day boat.

So not all working fishing boats are 'trawlers'.

Another fishing word I see misused frequently is 'trolling' which, again has nothing to do with 'trawling'. Trolling is dragging a bait fish through the water at a slow speed in the hope of attracting larger fish to attack the bait and become hooked. It is hook and line fishing versus net dragging.

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This is real trawler


NBs

This question is often asked so, in the sprit of putting it to rest, I consulted an expert in the form of my 7 year old granddaughter.
" A Yacht has a twirly thing on top, If there is no twirly thing it is a boat"
I hope that this puts the age old question to rest.

I should have been clearer. That was taken now in the off season from shrimping in particular. Yes the above boat does double duty, depending on the time of year. This is the normal set up during shrimping season. and shows some of the larger trawlers ready to work. Then they can convert to the pot puller for sea bass and even some convert to long liners. And most of these are wood.

This one is set up for nets on a spool.

Actually the immage of a trawler skipper (not captain) is quite different than a yachtsman. Go back into the archives and see that most all members here are very standoffish about being labeled a yachtsman or their boat a yacht. All pleasure boats are of course but typical and most trawlermen or skippers (like on TF) think of themselves as somewhere inbetween a tugboat/fishboat skipper and a dude w a crew or a yachtsman that skippers his boat and never gets his hands dirty. And has very expensive yachting shoes. A tug or fishboat man is of course very dirty often and many of them have special shoes too, but more like boots and usually well worn.

That’s why so many guys here and elsewhere long to be included in the trawler catergory. I remember one prominent member (still here) that spent weeks or perhaps even months trying to convince the rest of us that his boat was a trawler. Wasn’t even close but he obviously wanted very much to be considered a trawlerman w a trawler. A yachtsman only has a tad bit of masculinity in it’s image whereas a tug captain or a fishboat skipper is overflowing w masculinity. Like riding loud Harleys and driving big black pickups. It’s all related.

And that’s why guys w OB boats want to be seen as trawler men and as having a trawler. Having the trawler is 90% of the way to being seen as a trrawlerman. I think SeaDory was the one that started it. Calling their flat bottomed OB powered little boats “trailerable trawlers”. Others of course saw that the road to sales was to flatter their would be customers to draw them into the sales records in the office. Now after a decade or so of pseudo advertising someone is offering on the market a very light and narrow 35’ cruiser as a trawler. Like hey all the other guys are doing it. And they are and they are.

The first pleasureboat trawlers were (in the 50’s) largely gas powered heavy cruisers. I offer the 40’ or so Monk sr designed boats w a flathead gas engine or two as prime examples. They were all slow. Too much weight, a hull not really suited to plane and too little power. They were called heavy cruisers and indeed they were.

Then somewhere in the 60’s (about) someone let slip the word trawler probably because these heavy cruisers were in some small way a bit like the northsea fishing trawlers. Perhaps he was talking bout a heavy cruiser that had a high and aft wheelhouse and likely w fwd slanting windows. And then all the toy trawlers came rushing forth in the 70’s. But then you’d have been laughed of the dock calling an OB a trawler then. But now I am not laughing. I’m looking down my nose.

Northern Spy said:

"Yacht" is what your wife's divorce lawyer calls your boat in court.

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There you go! The BEST explanation yet!!!

The Other Gary said:

This question is often asked so, in the sprit of putting it to rest, I consulted an expert in the form of my 7 year old granddaughter.
" A Yacht has a twirly thing on top, If there is no twirly thing it is a boat"
I hope that this puts the age old question to rest.

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Gary,
HaHa I think she has a point.
Most often when I see a boat w a twirly thing (assumably a radar ant) it’s twirling. It may be advertising the obvious that he’s got a big boat .. yacht maybe. Only on rare occasions do I see one not twirling. On my own boat turning up the radar is rather rare, when I need it, may need it or for practice.

And of course the big boat makes a much bigger statement than the little antenna. But perhaps the skipper is making a statement to himself. Kinda like when I was a teenager we’d smoke cigarettes and some used to say it was to impress others. Then someone pointed out that we’d often smoke alone. And another said it was to impress ourselves. It was obviously true.

Maybe because yachtsman to some come from hollywood portrayals as in Gilligans Island or Caddyshack....

Real watermen dont give a darn.....their water abilities speak for themselves.

O C Diver said:

I've always thought of a yacht as a power boat with a paid captain and crew, something to be seen on and a marker of your place in society. By contrast, the trawler is crewed by the owner and family with the purpose of escaping from society.

Ted

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+100

Now who will post this definition of wisdom on YBW?

Northern Spy said:

"Yacht" is what your wife's divorce lawyer calls your boat in court.

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I started to laugh then realized that I just went through that.

Boy I am glad I did not title my thread 23' outboard Trawler.

But then you’d have been laughed of the dock calling an OB a trawler then. But now I am not laughing. I’m looking down my nose.

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Oh boy that stung since I am in the outboard division here. But being under a nose I guess is a tad bit better than being under a thumb.

And that’s why guys w OB boats want to be seen as trawler men and as having a trawler.

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As long as I am on the water even in a rubber ducky, I am fine with being called a SOB

My first experience [SIZE=+0]was [/SIZE]the true old fashioned working-pleasure craft Trawler. She is a Malahide trawler, Ursa Major built for some serious duty, drew 8’ 6”, single Cat with 6” teak decks, IIRC. I hope she is still in the northwest portion of the states and in decent condition.




I then moved along to the Trawler Yacht, the Cheoy Lee 66'. There was one with an enclosed pilot house that was a real cadillac cruising hull.



Of course we now have a lot more availability in the mid range sizes with improved quality from the numerous inferior and stamped out oriental hulls of the 80s in particular. Of course they were priced right by comparison to the limited amounts available in the states. .

One has sails, one pulls nets
A Motor Yacht has a spa on the foredeck and a seemingly endless supply of gin.

I don't know what ours is.
She used to pull nets but now has a spa on the foredeck and a seemingly endless supply of gin.

Where is Marin when we need him? And Scratchnsaw, Ursa Major is still active in the PNW. I believe someone from U M is a member here.

Scratch weote;
“Oh boy that stung since I am in the outboard division here. But being under a nose I guess is a tad bit better than being under a thumb.”

It shouldn’t sting at all. I love OB boats and I’d rather have one now. And there’s lots and lots of members here that have non-trawler boats. We all have in-put to the forum on boating. We have lots of threads and topics. Right now there’s one on heated floors in heads. Haven’t clicked on it cause I’m not interested. It may be a yachting question. My outlook on boating is more like some call camp boating. Heated floors is ridiculous to me. So there’s no reason at all for anyone to feel less a member for having a non-trawler boat. So please don’t feel stung. And don’t put heated floors in your OB. Don’t need.

And about the nose thing .. bad wording .. sorry. But calling something other than what it is is pretentious. And I don’t support it.

Kthoennes - you forgot to include the peaked hat adorned with crossed fouled anchors over a lifering and scrambled eggs larded onto the bill - how else would one know you are a real yachtsman, master and commander of a 40 footer.

I had a colleague involved in divorce financial proceedings. His wife engaged brokers who inspected his boat and assigned it a "generous" valuation. He immediately gave them a listing to sell it, expressing hope for a great windfall result.
As to variations, country to country, in expression, a yacht here is normally what USA calls a "sailboat". Eg,the Sydney-Hobart race is contested by "yachts". However, and this is where it gets murky,a large power boat(to use a neutral term) may be called a "motor yacht". Especially when advertised for sale, or when reporting scandalous or even just notable events onboard. Even reporting ownership or acquisition may call for "motor yacht". On balance I`d say "motor yacht" suggests "grandiosity" here.

When I was on "A" float in the harbor, I had a yacht. Now that I am on "C" float I dropped back to having boat. It all depends on who your neighbors are.

Tom

Tom - reminds me of my father's advice to own the cheapest house in the best neighborhood you can afford.

Nomad Willy said:

Scratch weote;
“Oh boy that stung since I am in the outboard division here. But being under a nose I guess is a tad bit better than being under a thumb.”

It shouldn’t sting at all. I love OB boats and I’d rather have one now. And there’s lots and lots of members here that have non-trawler boats. We all have in-put to the forum on boating. We have lots of threads and topics. Right now there’s one on heated floors in heads. Haven’t clicked on it cause I’m not interested. It may be a yachting question. My outlook on boating is more like some call camp boating. Heated floors is ridiculous to me. So there’s no reason at all for anyone to feel less a member for having a non-trawler boat. So please don’t feel stung. And don’t put heated floors in your OB. Don’t need.

And about the nose thing .. bad wording .. sorry. But calling something other than what it is is pretentious. And I don’t support it.

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I'm cool. I have a long standing joke with many of my opinionated buddies about boats and related "What I should do or what color I should paint it, or what engine I should use".

Well I tell them that when they fund my project, or help fund them, then their opinions matter. They also remind me of the same thing when turn about is the order of the day. We have a great relationship this way.

As Bruce and Pete noted above, in these parts a yacht is a sailboat. And in particular a sailboat over 40', most likely with an owner who turns his nose up at powerboats and won't wave or acknowledge them at all. These guys are often miffed that their wives like and aspire to the comforts power boat owners take for granted.

And trawler is a working commercial fishing boat. The pleasure variety, as in north American usage, basically don't exist.

I own a boat. A power boat, cruiser. If in conversation, a photo on my phone can clarify further. Response is usually Wow! Pictures really are great.

SBU22,

I bought that house almost 30 years ago and its still the cheapest house in the neighborhood.

Tom

Of necessity and for simplicity, floating devices were utilized by humans for transportation purposes long before the wheel was devised.
Via human ingenuity, intelligent boat designs became the natural outcropping.
Of necessity and for pleasure, floating devices that carry all manner of items will continue to be one of the most often used and intricately designed transportation devices.
Of pleasure, “power boating” and “sail boating” will always remain as one of the best recreational devices ever available, bar none!
By design, Tollycraft will always be a renowned name in boats.

Art said:

Boats – Forever!​

Of necessity and for simplicity, floating devices were utilized by humans for transportation purposes long before the wheel was devised.
Via human ingenuity, intelligent boat designs became the natural outcropping.
Of necessity and for pleasure, floating devices that carry all manner of items will continue to be one of the most often used and intricately designed transportation devices.
Of pleasure, “power boating” and “sail boating” will always remain as one of the best recreational devices ever available, bar none!
By design, Tollycraft will always be a renowned name in boats.

THE END! ​

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Gulfstar..props turn 1 way ..deep keel..high props..real trawler luger gen..twin perkins...real trawler..rolls nice in heavy weathet

Its A Yacht if the captain wears a Greek Fisherman hat.