Gonna buy a trailerable "trawler"

Well, I have been boatless for 4-5 months after I sold our Mainship Pilot 34 but the itch finally got to me and I have signed a contract to buy an outboard powered, downeast style boat, an Atlas Pompano 23. See the pic below.

I wanted a trailerable boat so I could pull it out of the water when we left Florida for the other half of the snow bird season which we spend in Connecticut. Also I wanted an outboard so it would be easy to pull out and easy to get to and maintain (tired of crawling around in cramped engine rooms).

I first looked at the C-Dory line and specifically the C-Dory 22 the most popular model and light enough to tow with our mid sized SUV. But I finally realized that the cabin of that boat was actually a liability for the kind of cruising I wanted to do: hang out in a pretty cove, lay back and sip my margarita or toss a line out for fish. A galley and dinette which takes up 1/3 of the boat length did nothing to add to that experience.

So after looking at a diesel version of the Atlas and finding that the engine box really destroyed the cockpit space, I bit the bullet and am buying an almost new dealer demo of Atlas's outboard powered Pompano 23.

There really is no cabin: just two helm seats and a cuddy v-berth forward. Aft of the seats it is wide open for lounging or fishing. Creature comforts are almost non existent: a porta potty and a hand pumped water basin is it. But that is ok. I will only spend a night or two at a time and a solar shower and a portable grill on the back deck works fine for minimalist cruising.

The boat is powered with a very light Yamaha 70 hp mounted on a bustle which extends the waterline length 2' over the inboard diesel version. I hope it will do 14-15 kts at reasonable rpms and I will find out for sure in a few weeks when I do a sea trial. More to come after the sea trial after which time I expect to own it.

So, this boat is nothing like Scratchnsaw's new trailerable wooden trawler, the only thing in common being the length. But it seems to fit well with my needs.

David

Congrats! She's a looker!

David, congratulations!

There is one of those with the inboard, painted fire engine red, on a boat lift in SC on the AICW. Everytime I go by her, I unashamedly ogle her. One of these days I'm going to run aground staring at her.

Ted

Really spiffy, David! Love the lines! Perfect for plowing through the Red Tide!

... it seems to fit well with my needs.

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And that is the key Cap'n David. You have the boat that suits your needs. Congratulations.

P.S. - She's a nice looking boat. Enjoy.

Nice Rig! Best of luck with her.

Did you look at the Angler version of the C-Dory 22? It shortens the cabin to make the cockpit bigger.

Very nice! And very much in the category of what I'm looking for. I'll add this model to my search, along with Parker 2320, C-Hawk 222 & Steiger 23.

ssobol said:

Did you look at the Angler version of the C-Dory 22? It shortens the cabin to make the cockpit bigger.

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I did and if I had found one on the east coast I would have seriously considered it. But alas, no. These are popular in the PNW though. A much older Angler 22 just showed up on C-Brats in Florida but too old although has a nice newer engine.

The angler version has a truncated cabin but still has a tiny dinette across from the pilot's helm and no forward facing passenger seat. This can be fixed with some work.

But I really like the simple pedestal seats of the Pompano covered with a small pilot house and wide open behind. This layout will also be good for day trips down the bay for lunch.

David

Cool lines on that boat. I like the outboard bracket, it looks like it's integral and not bolted on.

You can convert that boat to a decent snowbird boat and camper for up north and down south. Get a decent glass guy that works with composite materials and extend the top. Then have some curtains made for the hardtop similar to this Tolman. you can remove the curtains down south or keep them rolled up when in use. The enclosure would also keep the boat cleaner in the cockpit area when stored. You can even have screens for the curtain area too. The top will keep the sun off of you too. Maybe see if the manufacturer can do this too.

South of Heaven said:

Cool lines on that boat. I like the outboard bracket, it looks like it's integral and not bolted on.

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It is not integral, but close. On some of the pics you can see the seam. But unlike the problematic Mainship 390 bustle, this one is hollow, has an access port on top and also communicates with the aft bilge compartment to drain any leakage. So for all intents and purposes it is integral.

The Pompano 23 is just the inboard diesel Pompano 21 hull with the bustle grafted on and powered by an outboard of course. Makes for a sharp looking package.

Although it generally follows the design principles of a downeaster and I really like the sweeping sheer line, most downeast purists will pan it- well they will pan anything not built in Maine ;-). The keel isn't as deep as a true downeaster which makes for easy trailer launching and lower draft but doesn't give the offshore stability of the true downeasters.

But it should work fine for my cruising waters: Charlotte Harbor, Pine Island Sound, Lemon Bay, basically Punta Gorda to Sarasota to Ft Myers Beach.

David

Scratchnsaw said:

You can convert that boat to a decent snowbird boat and camper for up north and down south. Get a decent glass guy that works with composite materials and extend the top. Then have some curtains made for the hardtop similar to this Tolman. you can remove the curtains down south or keep them rolled up when in use. The enclosure would also keep the boat cleaner in the cockpit area when stored. You can even have screens for the curtain area too. The top will keep the sun off of you too. Maybe see if the manufacturer can do this too.

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I probably will trailer it beyond my home waters, but only in Florida as I now envision using it.

I prefer the canvas bimini, see another pic below of the boat as I am going to buy it, rather than a hard top: weight and fishing capability. The current bimini doesn't have sides except at the pilothouse and I will consider adding them after using it a bit.

David

djmarchand said:

I probably will trailer it beyond my home waters, but only in Florida as I now envision using it.

I prefer the canvas bimini, see another pic below of the boat as I am going to buy it, rather than a hard top: weight and fishing capability. The current bimini doesn't have sides except at the pilothouse and I will consider adding them after using it a bit.

David

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Very nice, I personally like the unobstructed sides when entering and exiting the cockpit area. And the prices of the bimini top setup scares me away from them. And over time the tops are not as dry inside. And fishing down the sides with rods can be a constant struggle. While I use a bimini on my skiff, and its nice with the protection from the sun and I deal with the supports.




And since I am not big on towing dinghies in open water, I like the available area on the hardtop for carrying a dinghy when running and traveling. Just a few random thoughts...

Well I went down to Fernandina Beach yesterday, saw the boat, did a sea trial and closed the deal!! It turned out to be everything I expected.

So let me describe the mission for this boat which leads to why I bought her. I will use it three ways:

1. Cocktail crise, go down the sound for lunch type day trips with me my, wife and maybe a couple of friends on board.

2. Overnight, hang out in a quiet cove and relax, maybe for a night or two at a time. Unless my wife gets over the porta potty thing, it will just be me.

3. Fishing in the inshore waters for snapper, ???

The small pilot house area (actually hard to call it a pilot house but canvas does enclose the helm if necessary), the small v-berth cuddy cabin and the big open cockpit fits well with those three missions. Actually after seriously looking for a C-Dory with its large cabin, I finally realized that that big cabin area taken up with a dinette and a galley was mostly a waste. I can cook burgers or steaks on a grill off the back of the boat and use a little portable LPG stove to fix coffee or whatever. I can deal with the porta potty and the lack of a stand up shower (I probably will use a plastic solar shower for more than one night) for overnight trips. So the layout really works well for the above mission.

The boat has a 70 hp 2015 Yamaha that gives the expected performance: 8 kts at 3,000, 12 kts at 4,000, 15 kts at 5,000 and 18 kts at 6,000 rpm.

I won't get to use it until we return to Florida later this year. But I will post some more observations early next year after I really use it for a while and change my avatar pic once I get a good pic of it in the water.

David

djmarchand said:

Well I went down to Fernandina Beach yesterday, saw the boat, did a sea trial and closed the deal!! It turned out to be everything I expected.

So let me describe the mission for this boat which leads to why I bought her. I will use it three ways:

1. Cocktail crise, go down the sound for lunch type day trips with me my, wife and maybe a couple of friends on board.

2. Overnight, hang out in a quiet cove and relax, maybe for a night or two at a time. Unless my wife gets over the porta potty thing, it will just be me.

3. Fishing in the inshore waters for snapper, ???

The small pilot house area (actually hard to call it a pilot house but canvas does enclose the helm if necessary), the small v-berth cuddy cabin and the big open cockpit fits well with those three missions. Actually after seriously looking for a C-Dory with its large cabin, I finally realized that that big cabin area taken up with a dinette and a galley was mostly a waste. I can cook burgers or steaks on a grill off the back of the boat and use a little portable LPG stove to fix coffee or whatever. I can deal with the porta potty and the lack of a stand up shower (I probably will use a plastic solar shower for more than one night) for overnight trips. So the layout really works well for the above mission.

The boat has a 70 hp 2015 Yamaha that gives the expected performance: 8 kts at 3,000, 12 kts at 4,000, 15 kts at 5,000 and 18 kts at 6,000 rpm.

I won't get to use it until we return to Florida later this year. But I will post some more observations early next year after I really use it for a while and change my avatar pic once I get a good pic of it in the water.

David

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Congratulations David!
Do you have some picture (you know, porn addict )

L

Lou:

Here is a pic I took yesterday of the boat sitting on its trailer. I won't have any nice in-the-water pics until early next year.

David

djmarchand said:

Lou:


Here is a pic I took yesterday of the boat sitting on its trailer. I won't have any nice in-the-water pics until early next year.


David

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Sorry did not see the pic in previous post Nice !

L

Is the hull semi-displacement? Would it plane with more HP on it?

The hull has a shallow draft, minimal deadrise with a full keel. So it is a planing hull with the stability of the full keel.


Yes more hp would push it faster. But the builder wants to keep the engine weight low. This particular Yamaha 70 weighs only 260 lbs. The current model Yamaha 90 is much heavier, maybe 100 lbs more and it is a 1.7-1.8 liter engine, thus the increased weight.

Looks like a great boat for what you have in mind. Congratulations!

Cool boat.

Hjorgan wrote;
“Is the hull semi-displacement? Would it plane with more HP on it?”


Don’t be fooled by the soft chine.
A soft chine has almost nothing to do w the question of SD or planing. It’s the straight run aft or lack of it that mostly identifies the planing hull.

Congratulations. That's a nice looking boat, well suited for your purposes. Enjoy.

dj - you mentioned long distance towing with a mid-size SUV. What's your tow vehicle? Had a chance to try out towing? Very nice boat.

Well, I won’t have a chance to tow it for a few months when we head down to Florida and pick it up. The dealer is storing it for us until then.

But it weighs about 3,500 lbs, trailer and all which is the same as our camping trailer which we have towed for thousands of miles with our 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. So with the better aerodynamics of the boat, I am sure it will tow fine.

David

djmarchand said:

Well, I won’t have a chance to tow it for a few months when we head down to Florida and pick it up. The dealer is storing it for us until then.

But it weighs about 3,500 lbs, trailer and all which is the same as our camping trailer which we have towed for thousands of miles with our 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. So with the better aerodynamics of the boat, I am sure it will tow fine.

David

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You can tow it up north and come here visiting the Rideau Canal and surrounding during summer, you will love it. And for your wife you have amenities at the lock so she can avoid the porta poty if it ever happen please let me know!

L

Yeah, I may be moving in your direction re: boat size, etc. My Gen 2 Honda truck has a 5k tow capacity - same as your Nissan. Surprised at how light your boat is. Thanks

sbu22 said:

Yeah, I may be moving in your direction re: boat size, etc. My Gen 2 Honda truck has a 5k tow capacity - same as your Nissan. Surprised at how light your boat is. Thanks

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Here is how the numbers add up:

Builders dry weight spec- 2,100 lbs
Trailer (heavy, suitable for 25'er) 800 lbs
Fuel 30 gallons at 6+ lbs/gal 200 lbs
Water 6 gallons 50 lbs
Bimini 50 lbs

Totals 3,200 lbs so give it another 300 for builder optimism, misc to reach 3,500 lbs full up weight.

And interestingly its performance with the 70 hp Yamaha is almost identical to my former Mainship Pilot 34 with a 370 hp Yanmar. But that boat weighs about 17,000 lbs loaded. Compare to about 3,000 lbs with one person aboard for the Pompano. So 17,000/3000 times 70 hp equals 396 hp, so it all seems to hang together as expected. Both boats have similar hull shape, although the Mainship has more deadrise.

David

Congratulations on the new boat!

While it's only a couple of hundred pounds, many of the trailerable boats that I looked at a couple of years ago did not include the outboard in the dry boat weight.

For piece of mind, when you have the boat all loaded up you might want to run it over a scale to see what the actual weight for the boat, trailer, and 'stuff'.

Jim