Hello from Detroit area.

Hello everyone,

My name is Bill and I live in Grosse Pointe ,Mi. It is my hope that I can someday afford to retire and have the health and ability to cruise the great loop. I currently own a 35 Bertram that I am trying to sell or trade to purchase my first trawler. I say first because I don't imagine I will hit the nail on the head with my first trawler and will likely enjoy it so much that my wife will force me to move up a notch or two. I am a lifelong boater starting at age 4 or 5 with a nine foot Grumman john boat and a 3 horse Evinrude duck twin. My trawler will be used primarily on Lakes Michigan and Huron. This seems to be the one thing that I truly am excited about and it is important to hold onto a dream or two if you possibly can. I hope to see this through, both here on the Trawler Forum and on the water.
Bill

Bill, welcome to TF from a former Michigander (Saginaw). Our boat came from your area (MacRay Harbor) and we love it. Good luck with your search for the perfect boat.

Welcome aboard from Au Gres. We have a 41’ President that is sorta a trawler. We love cruising it. We have done part of the loop, from the Potomac to Au Gres so far.

Hi Bill -
Welcome to trawler world. I'm pretty new myself having purchased a 40' Pilgrim in Muskegon in late 2017. I've spent the past 1.5 years working on prepping the boat for a trip back to New England (where I live). I had hoped to complete that trip by this fall, but having to travel to MI to work on the boat is slow going, so my aim now is just to make it to Detroit this fall, winter over there, and start for home in the spring.

Assuming I do make the Detroit area later this summer or fall, perhaps we can meet up and I'll give you a tour of 'Serena' to whet your appetite a bit.
Regards -
Joe C.

Hi Bill...welcome.

You have a great area. We did years of boating on Lk St Clair, the Detroit River, and W. End of Lk Erie.

Where do you keep the Bertram? We were at Jefferson Beach for a while. I remember the Original Pancake House, and Gephettos on Little Mack (?). Long time ago.

Good luck in your pursuit.

Joe,
That would be great. I would love to see you boat and the work you have performed on her. If you should need help moving the boat let me know. I have made the trip myself and am familiar with the waters from Muskegon around to Lorain Ohio. Thank you for your offer to see the boat.
Bill

Jeff,

My boat is located at the Grosse Pointe Shores municipal marina which is attached to the GPYC. Sadly, the Original Pancake House is no longer open for dinner. The lines for breakfast and lunch are frequently out the door! Bill

I have tried to start a new chat room for Great Lakes boaters.
I just bought a 32' Ocean Star Pilothouse Trawler. I will have to be working on it for the next year or so. From what I can see I will be home port in Harrison off Lk St Clare. I would love to hear about places to go around the Lakes. It would also be nice to have a resource community.
Let me know what you all think.
Brian

moparharn said:

Hello everyone,

My name is Bill and I live in Grosse Pointe ,Mi. It is my hope that I can someday afford to retire and have the health and ability to cruise the great loop. I currently own a 35 Bertram that I am trying to sell or trade to purchase my first trawler. I say first because I don't imagine I will hit the nail on the head with my first trawler and will likely enjoy it so much that my wife will force me to move up a notch or two. I am a lifelong boater starting at age 4 or 5 with a nine foot Grumman john boat and a 3 horse Evinrude duck twin. My trawler will be used primarily on Lakes Michigan and Huron. This seems to be the one thing that I truly am excited about and it is important to hold onto a dream or two if you possibly can. I hope to see this through, both here on the Trawler Forum and on the water.
Bill

Click to expand...

As you start looking, my first questions to you would be:

1. What do you like best and least about your Bertram?
2. What is it you're looking for in your next boat that the Bertram doesn't provide?
3. What is it you'll miss most about the Bertram if you get a new boat?

Are you sure it's a trawler that will best fit your needs and desires and how do you even define trawler in your mind? Are there specific boats that seem to interest you most? I ask all that as for boating on Lake Michigan and Huron, most people do not do so in trawlers. The day boaters have runabouts and the cruisers are heavily toward Express Cruisers such as Sea Ray.

Also, since you aren't to retirement yet, I'd guess your usage will be limited and mostly weekends and short vacations. In those situations people often find having a bit more speed to be very advantageous.

Good questions

As for the Bertram:
Like most- Quality, new motors, ride, and classic looks.
Least- lack of space for my body, narrow side decks, 21-30 GPH
Looking for Diesel- fuel efficiency, wide side decks, spacious engine room, room for three couples, loop capable, , live aboard capability for 3 months.
I will miss my Bertram's ride quality and incredible good looks. My Bertram is considered to be Bertram's most successful model and has few equals for fishing ability. I don't fish it.
Am I sure I want a trawler? Nope. I know one way to find out though. I could live with a diesel powered cruiser that is good MPG capable at hull speed and able to go faster if needed. Truth is I want to slow down- in every way possible. Music, whiskey, swimming, my wife, my dog, and my kids when they can make it. Good food. Nothing on the schedule and health good enough to enjoy it. I am asking a lot, but it is what I want.
I have looked at everything from Grand Banks to Hatteras, home made to Taiwan Trawlers. Every one involved too much of a compromise or was over priced in my opinion. I am still working on it. Looks like the Bertram is sold. So I guess that is good. Bill

BandB said:

As you start looking, my first questions to you would be:

1. What do you like best and least about your Bertram?
2. What is it you're looking for in your next boat that the Bertram doesn't provide?
3. What is it you'll miss most about the Bertram if you get a new boat?

Are you sure it's a trawler that will best fit your needs and desires and how do you even define trawler in your mind? Are there specific boats that seem to interest you most? I ask all that as for boating on Lake Michigan and Huron, most people do not do so in trawlers. The day boaters have runabouts and the cruisers are heavily toward Express Cruisers such as Sea Ray.

Also, since you aren't to retirement yet, I'd guess your usage will be limited and mostly weekends and short vacations. In those situations people often find having a bit more speed to be very advantageous.

Click to expand...

Brian,
I don't know what a chat room is, but I would be happy to try it. Feel free to contact me with any questions you might have. I am a lifelong eastside boater.
Bill

Ocean Star said:

I have tried to start a new chat room for Great Lakes boaters.
I just bought a 32' Ocean Star Pilothouse Trawler. I will have to be working on it for the next year or so. From what I can see I will be home port in Harrison off Lk St Clare. I would love to hear about places to go around the Lakes. It would also be nice to have a resource community.
Let me know what you all think.
Brian

Click to expand...

moparharn said:

Brian,
I don't know what a chat room is, but I would be happy to try it. Feel free to contact me with any questions you might have. I am a lifelong eastside boater.
Bill

Click to expand...

I guess chat room is an antiquated term. Forum, may be the correct term here. I am new to this type of boating. There are places to go and things I want to see. At this point I just don't know what.I am going to look at a marina in Harrison just off Lk St Clare. Is it a good marina? I don't know but someone does. I hear there is an inlet on the north side of LK Superior that goes into Canada. I don't know where that is.
If you break down in my neck of the woods I might be able to help you.
It would be nice to have a Great Lake community of those with similar interests. Maybe there is one already.

If you have the time, an intermediate boat might be best. It depends on money. In many years on the water, most people I meet that liveaboard and cruise, say they bought a boat too small. An intermediate boat gives you time to adjust your boat handling and also gives you a bigger market for resale.
But before you buy a big boat, look into your dock situation. If you're going to home port in an area with mostly small boats, a large spot may be difficult to come by. If you're going to continuously cruise and dock at fuel or transit dock, then it doesn't matter.
If you can, get some rides on bigger boats. Look at their their storage, long term comfort and heating/cooling setups. Maybe join a yacht club.

I am in the camp of deciding what boat you want and then go for it. Then spend time learning how to run it properly. Getting a boat big enough for 3 couples to be comfortable on is going to be a big boat. Our 41 is good for the two of us and ok for 2 couples for about 4 to 5 days. If I were looking for a boat for 3 couples I am guessing that it is going to be in the mid 50s or bigger. Have you looked at a Defever 53 POC? It has 3 cabins and heads but they were built in the late 80s so they are getting older now.

Thank you gentlemen for your thoughts.
When I say three couples I am really meaning room for my two daughters and their spouses someday. Room for family is different than room for friends. I think. Also the kids are not going to have much time so their stays will likely be shorter ones. My sense is that docking/handling anything much over 52 get could be tougher. On the other hand, I have seen people completely screw up docking a 26 for Sea Ray. Twins with a thruster should allow me to pin the boat long enough for her to secure a line or two. If I have doubts then channel 9 should get me some assistance. I cannot stress how much importance I place ion the engine room. It does not tell the whole story, but it sure does tell most of what I am concerned about. Stringers, wiring, maneuver room, tankage, and level of upkeep. I consider it the heart of the boat and if it is not right I don't care what else I see. As long I can find the perfect boat for free I am good to go! Might be a long search.

Bill, you are asking all the right questions. Any boat is a compromise however.

I think it is important to identify how you would be using the boat most of the time. As you mentioned, getting the whole family on the boat would occur for short time periods, most of the time it would be just you and your wife. We bought a boat that had a second cabin with an eye towards having family with us. It has worked out well. We have had up to 5 adults on the boat at a time for a week. We also have had 4 generations on the boat at a time for a long weekend. However, most of the time it is just my wife and I.

One of the exercises that I found helpful was to identify the areas of the boat that will get the most use. For us, it is the salon, galley, aft cockpit, our stateroom, and pilothouse. These are the areas that we wanted to devote the most space and money since they are the spaces we use the most.

The second cabin doesn’t get used a lot and it is a small, functional, comfortable, bunk room. We don’t have a second head because that seemed like a lot of space and money to devote to something that wouldn’t be used a lot. We had two heads on our last boat and found it extraneous for the most part. We don’t have walk around decks because we appreciate the extra space that gives in the salon more than the convenience they would provide.

My ER is NOT a standing ER. I have to crawl a bit to change engine anodes for example. However, compared to the number of hours I spend on the boat, the amount of hours I spend changing the anodes is tiny. So for me it wasn’t worth the added cost to get a boat with a more luxurious ER.

I would be looking for a boat that would be GREAT for you and wife to do the cruising that you want to do and acceptable for the time that you have your family.