Members who have an old lifeboat turned into a trawler

I would like to know if there are members who have an old lifeboat that has been turned into a trawler.

Mine is 25 ft long and 7 ft 2 in wide in the middle and is dated 1945. The boat "Ridelo " on which she was, ended its days in 1971. It happened in Sorel, Quebec, Canada at Marine Industries LTD, an ex-boat manufacturer of the Canadian Navy along the St. Lawrence River. I have been looking for 12 years an original mechanical gas pump that still works and that has the specs for a 1969 Volvo Penta AQ130C... Finally, I found on marineengine.com, a retired marine mechanic (thanks Eduardo!) who repaired them and who wrote to change them by a Carter marine electric gas pump that has the specs for this engine.

Thank you for reading me and for the pleasure of reading you!

Captain Fred (my nickname)

There was a guy with a 30’ steel lifeboat/trawler.
Had a huge Ford Lehman 120hp engine and big prop. Probably never got over a idle. I may have a link to him.
Later ...
Edit .. I checked. No link. I thought it may be Honeybadger but his boat is wood.

There was one in Thorne Bay near Ketchikan in Alaska but it got destroyed. Good boats but probably slam a lot in the rough. Ten hp would probably drive them expectably unless they are loaded w excess weight. I’ve seen some w ballast also. And they make a super econo liveaboard. Some think.

Moved from "Welcome Mat" to "General Discussion".

huge Ford Lehman 120hp engine

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I think that's an oxymoron

With the vast number of used production boats , that are ready to go, under 25 or 30 ft , why would anyone bother?

It will create a slow cruiser (all double enders are slow) and take a year or so from cruising.

If boat conversion is The hobby , it could be fun.

I had for a couple of years a 26' Navy Whaleboat conversion which there are quite a few of around. My first boat was a 12' steel lifeboat off of a tugboat my dad bought down from Alaska in '66. I used to row that thing all over the place around Lake Union in Seattle. Loved to go out in it when the wind was blowing SE on the lake about 35. All kinds of fun!

jleonard said:

I think that's an oxymoron

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Huge indeed.
I was refering to an engine for an old lifeboat hull that only needed 10 or 15hp. That’s equivalant to your boat (Jay) w an 800hp engine. Yes huge.

Everything’s revalant.

Greetings, Bonjour,
Mr. LVE. I've only seen 2 (that I know of for sure) lifeboats that have been converted for pleasure use.
One was from the ocean liner SS United States...





It was docked at our old home port in Camden, North Carolina. It was steel and in pretty bad shape. Don't know anything about it or it's fate.


The other was along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River possibly around La Malbaie or Baie-Saint-Paul. The only thing I remember about it is, it had what the owner called a "tractor engine" for power. Other than being in nice shape, I remember little else.

Back in the '70's there was a limited run of 17' and 21' Davidson Chuggers, which were built on a lifeboat hull. Built in the Vancouver BC area, some are still around, but are rare; this one happens to be for sale.

https://nanaimo.craigslist.ca/boa/d/21-foot-davidson-chugger/6734939129.html

Greetings,
Mr. C. Now THAT'S an interesting boat! If it was only closer and I was 30 years younger...

When I was a commercial fisherman, I knew of 2 former riveted steel life boats. Probably built in WWII. Both sank when a riveted panel came loose. As I remember, one had no survivors.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-marine/motorboats/auction-1829554435.htm

How cools this for 20K NZ

I don't know if you know how many hp in a Volvo Penta AQ130C, it's a gas motor 4 cylinders (not a diesel one) who have 130 hp. Quite fast for a pocket trawler...! You don't know how I'm hurry to finalise my boat next spring to be ready for summer!

I forget to tell you that my boat too is a riveted steel lifeboat. First, I didn't like her after I was forced to buy it. It was full of hidden holes to be able to sell it by the ex-owner... My history have a very sad beginning but now, after 13 years of full repairing I have a very beautiful pocket trawler with a good gas motor economical Volvo Penta of 130hp. Excuse my long history but it was good for me to tell it to people who love trawlers, like me now! Capt Fred

Lepke said:

When I was a commercial fisherman, I knew of 2 former riveted steel life boats. Probably built in WWII. Both sank when a riveted panel came loose. As I remember, one had no survivors.

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Did the warranty go south?
I was tempted to buy several in years past.

RT Firefly: United States is currently moored in Philadelphia in part of what once was the old Philadelphia Navy Yard. She is in tough shape. There is an organization trying to preserve her but IMHO she's pretty far gone.

Andrea Doria's Captain's launch

Boat project #12,765. Be careful with your dreams. I found the attached ad about 20 years ago. It just struck me as something very glamorous (yes, both the boat and the lady passenger, but this post is about the boat). Over the years I kept my eye out for a similar lifeboat to "build out" like the one in the ad. Low and behold, in 2010, I found it! In the sticks of Branford, FL just off the Suwannee River. The guy had very little documentation, but was told that it was the Captain's launch from the Andrea Doria! I bought her for aluminum scrap value sight unseen.
Here are pics in my warehouse. I have sourced a 24hp. Yanmar diesel, and a mahogany tiller. Just need the time to complete or find someone who does.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings, Bonjour,
Mr. LVE. I've only seen 2 (that I know of for sure) lifeboats that have been converted for pleasure use.
One was from the ocean liner SS United States...

It was docked at our old home port in Camden, North Carolina. It was steel and in pretty bad shape. Don't know anything about it or it's fate.


The other was along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River possibly around La Malbaie or Baie-Saint-Paul. The only thing I remember about it is, it had what the owner called a "tractor engine" for power. Other than being in nice shape, I remember little else.

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The lifeboats of the ss United States were made of aluminum, see below :

The aluminum from the boats no doubt brought in a great deal of cash for their scrap value but another integral part of the UNITED STATES had been lost.

FF said:

(all double enders are slow)

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Any science to back that up?

Long time lurker, but never a poster. Main reason is my boat is both UK and river based and not really a trawler. But I enjoy reading the forum and have learnt a lot.

Anyway to the point as my boat is a ship's lifeboat conversion. Hull is supposedly over 100 yrs old (I have no way of verifying this). Supposedly riveted but extensively modified at various points in her life. There is only a single place on the hull were the rivets are visible.

- The canoe stern was chopped and welded up with a square transom.
- She was significantly overplated under the waterline.
- A hardwood (teak and mahogany) wheelhouse was added with a ply deck.
- At some point she had the single engine removed and two 1960s Perkins 4.270 added instead. So she has quite a lot of horsepower for a 30ft/7 ton boat.
- A long keel was added, which to be honest looks like a railway line.
- Two mahogany bilge keels were added.
When I bought her about 7 years ago she was suffering quite a few years of neglect. But I’ve slowly updated all her internal systems and repaired a lot of rot in the deck. Engines are still rock solid though. Hull is thin, but fresh water means she has very little corrosion.

She’s a lot of work, but a lovely little boat.

Cheers
Chris


https://flic.kr/s/aHsms1xNu5

"Any science to back that up?"

Hull speed for double enders , even if very light, can be found in most any boat design book.

Try Skeens elements.

During WW1 with massive power the Euros were able to get high (sort of ) speeds from long thin patrol boats , using 3 or 4 engines.

Marco Polo a Herrishoff design simply used length and a big engine to attempt a 10K cruising speed.

oscar said:

Any science to back that up?

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If you are referring to the ss United States lifeboats, please see article below :

apart from that, the upper superstructure of the ss United States was made of aluminum too. Same goes for the lifeboats of the ss Rotterdam of 1959, aluminum was the preferred material for lifeboats before GRP and after wood.....ss Rotterdam's boats were made bij Verhoef in Aalsmeer in Holland. By the way - the ss Rotterdam is still looking for 4 original lifeboats (9.50 meters o.a) to fill the last 4 empty davit pairs...........

Source for ss United States :
https://maritimematters.com/2013/02...turkish-years-1992-1996-what-might-have-been/

Kind regards,

Philip Hilgersom
GB 32 Alicia Anne
ex Hotel Officer Holland America Line

The brochure for my Vashon states that the hull is "an adaption of a motor rescue boat designed to meet NOAA and ABS specifications." I've had folks ask me if my boat was a customized life boat.

oscar said:

Any science to back that up?

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One dosn’t need much science to answer that question.

Water tends to follow a curved surface. Water has considerable weight. When the water running under the boat reaches the stern of a FD hull it is sucked up by the tendency of water to follow a curved surface. The waters mass (weight) is turned upwards. “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction” You pull the water up and you pull the stern down. The boat then is at an attitude (very bow high) that will allow no further increase in speed. Even with significant increases in power. Eventially the boat looses directional stability to the extent that it goes out of control.

Nomad Willy said:

Did the warranty go south?
I was tempted to buy several in years past.

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What warranty? Lifeboats were sold from ship scrappers as is. Troopships that were mothballed after WWII were scrapped starting in the late 1960s. The ships at that time were a ball of rust, completely uncared for since their crews left. They were not preserved to the degree of warships and that was not enough. Many were scrapped at the mouth of Hylebos Waterway in Tacoma at the site of the WWII shipyard. There were dozens of lifeboats sitting around uncovered waiting for buyers. I think they went for a few hundred. The lifeboats were only built for one short trip, to get away from a sinking ship and float for a few days. Some had oars and a few had a prop powered by the survivors working a handle at each seat. The seats were mostly rotted wood at that time.
Picture is land between Hylebos (top) and Blair waterways. The USN owned the land until about 1990. After WWII there were about 20 escort carriers stored there.

There are quite a few 25-35ft open fiberglass lifeboats turned into cabin cruisers and liveaboards around the internets. I've wanted to find one of those large enclosed lifeboats to turn into a liveaboard.


A Practical Shortcut

Just went by a pile of old lifeboats in Houma LA.

Australia buys new f/g ones, much like those on cruise ships used as tenders. Border Force/Navy give them to potential irregular entrants onboard people smuggler boats, with with a compass course and just enough fuel to land in Indonesia, that`s after they "deal with" the smugglers boat.

Lepke wrote;
Originally Posted by Nomad Willy View Post
“Did the warranty go south?
I was tempted to buy several in years past.”

Just a joke Lepke .. sorry

There is a French guy who bought a "peniche" long time ago and cruised to India with it (who knew that these kind of boat intended for river transportation would be able to withstand such sea!) and created floating hospital with it. When his project was done, as a man of action he searched for another one. He started to buy old lifeboat to build "school bus boat" to bring children from their remote location to the school where before they needed many hours by walk.
Looms like these lifeboat are the "jack of all boats"!

L