Why Move from Sailboat to Trawler?

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John Truesalt
 

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1- under4ft draft

2- under 18ft air draft

3- can sit in cabin and see outside

4- drive from inside (dry/nice temp)

5- 8kts at reasonable fuel consumption

6- less work to operate other than we motored everywhere we went on vacation with the various sailboats we had.

--kevin
 
Slowboattochina said:
Ok ....way back in this thread I posted about how we could not leave sailing completely and went with a motorsailer. 55' LOA with bowsprit and dinghy on davits, full keel with bow thruster, ketch rig, washer dryer, electric winches, main and mizzin full battened and roll up in the booms, self tending jib, auto pilot, 3 heat/Ac units, 54' air draft, 5.5' draft, 1400 mile range on just engine and 5k gen, all new radar and electronics in 2023. All set to head down the ICW and enjoy retirement. All set to head down the ICW and enjoy retirement....Perfect right? Well not really.
The Admiral says "We need a bigger boat". We are now planning to live full time aboard in FL except for hurricane season. The motorsailer could be a little cramped. I am 6'5. We are now looking at a very large 67' custom trawler with a single engine and huge bow and stern thrusters. We have been boating for 50 years but that is a big boat. I am getting my captains license finally after all these years and have a friend with 100 ton masters license to go with us for the first 30 -50 hrs. Just when I have the motorsailer perfect...oh well.
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Don't want to be a bummer but we did same thing, went from our 40ft ketch to 45ft trawler and finally up to a 70' ship (lol). Handling, no issue. Maintenance for a ma and pa crew was overwhelming. Had 5 staterooms, 5 heads, crew quarters, all of which we didn't use. Wanted the size for good whaler dink, dive compressor, windsurfer storage etc. It had minimal bright work but still required attention every few months in Fl. Plus a 6' draft limited our ports of call even in the Keys. Just a thought, but bigger is not always better. We back to a 39fter that fits our needs. I admit those needs have changed, no longer going down the Caribbean chain. I am sure there are many who find the larger boats fine, but when we hit port and Forbes or Tiger Woods showed up with a crew of 10 young buff kids jumping out and cleaning the boat, we just laid semi comatose on salon floor after a 24 hr crossing :banghead:
 
Moving to a trawler

As a life sail cruiser reaching “that age” I posted a question regarding my concerns about "the engine" being the only propulsion source and was addressed earlier.

From then, I followed this thread with much interest.

the following bullets indicate in summary the more important areas answering my concerns, thought may help other potential “switch to trawler inquires” and appreciate the thoughtful responses from members and their taking the time.


1- under4ft draft

2- under 18ft air draft

3- can sit in cabin and see outside

4- drive from inside (dry/nice temp)

5- 8kts at reasonable fuel consumption

6- less work to operate other than we motored everywhere we went on vacation with the various sailboats we had.



I like to sail, but at my age I wanna go from point A to B, not several places in between.



You can go more places in shallow water.
You can go when the wind and weather might discourage sailing.
Comparing boats foot-for-foot of boat length, the power vessel yields more usable deck space and room below.

First, I enjoy sailing, but enjoy it more for fun than anything else. When it comes to cruising, I would only consider a trawler. Here are some reasons why:

Come and go as you please without concern for wind. Yes, sail boats have motors too, but if you are going to run a motor, why not have all the other benefits that come with a trawler.


- In practice, sail boats spend a significant portion (majority, from my observations) of their underway time under power. So you are all ready a power boat, but just don't want to admit it.


- Have your living space above the water line rather than bellow the waterline. Have windows and a view all the time. This is another reason many sailors switch to cats


- Enjoy a fly bridge, a foredeck that isn't obstructed by lines gear and a tender, and a cockpit that you can actually move around in.


People snarf about trawlers being floating condos. I say Yes, exactly. That is the goal. Take your mini home with you along with all the comforts.

=================================
I will add to these having an,easier platform at same level from cockpit/side decks to inside steering station and rest of the cabin with fewer steps.

After my right hip replacement, waiting for my left now, having to negotiate those 4 steps to go downstairs is a problem.

Also hanging on for dear life while on the steps and the boat moving.
Did I mention my balance is compromised?


And of course, areas to cruise will be adapted to new cruising grounds, done the offshore thing, ready for other experiences,life is good.
 
I have just moved from an awesome Nauticat 40 to a trawler/tug 30'. Yes I will miss the sailing but I am enjoying the little tug.


My experience in the PNW has been, when the weather is great there is no wind. So for many many years cruising the Puget Sound, San Juans, and up into Canada, I ended up motoring most of the time.


The main reason I have moved to a motorboat is for ease of handling. Getting older, the sailboat was getting too much and my first mate would be in trouble if anything was to happen to me while underway.
 
Cold Duck said:
... went from our 40ft ketch to 45ft trawler and finally up to a 70' ship (lol). Handling, no issue. Maintenance for a ma and pa crew was overwhelming. Had 5 staterooms, 5 heads, crew quarters, all of which we didn't use. Wanted the size for good whaler dink, dive compressor, windsurfer storage etc... Just a thought, but bigger is not always better.
Click to expand...

Good points. There is a limit to size where it becomes impractical for an individual's abilities, needs and budget.

I just declined the purchase of a Cheoy Lee 66 LRC at a killer price. Once in a lifetime opportunity. This was about the only used boat I've come across which I would consider instead of our upcoming new-build. But it wasn't the physical length that put me off (I've owned a 65 footer before), but the physical size and complexity of it.

We don't need 2 master staterooms, 2 crew cabins, crew galley and 4 heads. I really, really didn't like the full width deck house, even though it had the same interior volume as a condo. Other negatives included 2 mains (I'm a singles-guy) and 2 gensets. Plus they were old Cats - not my favorite.

Anyway, I understand where you're coming from. Personally I think the 50-55 foot range is a perfect balance of size, accommodations, seaworthiness, maintainability, affordability, etc., at least for a long range cruiser.
 
Mako said:
Good points. There is a limit to size where it becomes impractical for an individual's abilities, needs and budget.

I just declined the purchase of a Cheoy Lee 66 LRC at a killer price. Once in a lifetime opportunity. This was about the only used boat I've come across which I would consider instead of our upcoming new-build. But it wasn't the physical length that put me off (I've owned a 65 footer before), but the physical size and complexity of it.

We don't need 2 master staterooms, 2 crew cabins, crew galley and 4 heads. I really, really didn't like the full width deck house, even though it had the same interior volume as a condo. Other negatives included 2 mains (I'm a singles-guy) and 2 gensets. Plus they were old Cats - not my favorite.

Anyway, I understand where you're coming from. Personally I think the 50-55 foot range is a perfect balance of size, accommodations, seaworthiness, maintainability, affordability, etc., at least for a long range cruiser.
Click to expand...

I should qualify that when we cruised on the 40ft ketch for 2 yrs, we were in our 20s. Now in our 70s the desire to get up on the fore deck in a good blow is less than desirable. The MS350 was bought for some of the reasons mentioned, staircase with handrail to bridge instead of ladder, Transom door and swim step to get off, minimum stairs..... you get the idea! A boat is always a compromise where when young it was money, now it's convenience.
 
I couldn't imagine trying to cruise for real on anything smaller than our 60 fter
And could easily go bigger - not in accommodation or complexity but on WLL and associated beam.
 
Simi 60 said:
And could easily go bigger - not in accommodation or complexity but on WLL and associated beam.
Click to expand...


Interesting that you say that. I’m going through my SOR exercise of taking a 60-65ft boat and build/outfit it as simply as practical.
 
Mako said:
Interesting that you say that. I’m going through my SOR exercise of taking a 60-65ft boat and build/outfit it as simply as practical.
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Prior cat we were building was 55ft but 42 ft accommodation
Waterline is cheap but unfortunately our mission/needs changed and full time cruising in actual comfort means carrying weight.
Performance cat hulls were not the best load carrying platform so it was part of the reason we stopped.

Then our current vessel popped up.
Load carrying ability is a non issue.
Built by a boatbuilder as his last vessel after decades of seeing what was needed and what was not.
Giant cabin for owner, small one for guests, anyone else can sleep on the floor.
MASSIVE amounts of refrigeration and stores storage
Big roof space for big solar - roof overhangs and opening tinted glass windows for shading and ventilation.
Simple diesel engine and easily available parts in a walk around ER
Space, space and more space to service the relatively simple systems onboard.

As a boatbuilder myself it was like he was in my head
And, if she was built on her 65 ft sisters hull she'd be as near to perfect as I'd want.
 
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I went only as big as my wife needed to be comfortable and that is 42' with displacement hull.
If I were single I would Probably enjoy a 19-20' cedar low deck kayak for cruising.
 
Blissboat said:
Thank you, Willy, for answering on behalf of Mako, and please forgive me for being dense, but what does "statement of requirement" mean, in this context?
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My understanding is that its simply a list of what you need your boat for. If one was to have a naval architect design a custom boat, this would be the first step.
 
Trawler vs sailboat... I like cruising in my slippers with a cup of something warm or a glass of something cool depending on the weather. Honestly it's about comfort. My comfort.
When we were coming down the West coast we had ducked into Bodega Harbor to avoid some crazy weather. A couple days later a fellow boating couple showed up in a sailboat. They had hit the worst of the crazy weather.. Took several waves into the cockpit dealing with water up to their knees being cold and several days of dishes piling up and days of grabbing whatever was easy to eat.
I can't help compare our trip when it got bumpy we were still doing dishes, washing laundry and making meals... yeah, there are advantages of sailboats... but I love the comfort of a trawler.
 
For me, it's about space. I'm a big space loving guy. On my trawler with 13 big windows I've got big spaces out the window, and even more of that from the flybridge.

Love sailing with my gal on her big sailboat, but below is like solitary confinement for me.
 
I think the last couple of posts hit on my opinion. I like sailing, but I like traveling by powerboat.
 
My wife and I just purchased a Nordic Tug 32 after years of sailing. I live in Victoria, British Columbia.
Here there is very little wind in the summer which means motoring in an open cockpit on a sailboat. The only really good sailing is in the winter months when it is cold and wet.
The NT 32 gives us a lot of living room compared to a 32 ft sailboat. In addition, we don’t have to go below to utilize the boat. A salon at water level with 360 degree views and some decent outdoor space add a lot of comfort to the boat.
Do I miss sailing? Yes. Am I happy I bought the tug. Yes.
 
We owned 40’ freedom monohull for 12 years. We stayed on it and cruised for 3-4 weeks every year. It was our vacation together as a couple. As my spouse approached retirement,
We decided to move to boating. I love sailing and will still occasionally bum a ride with friends boats but this is going to change our life. Our choice to move depended on several factors. We are an older couple, me approaching 70 and spouse is 62. We are planning to be live abroad (waiting for a boat to be delivered) and living space was important consideration. And, also being able to stay warm (or cold) inside while on the way or on the anchor in all kinds of weather was the other factor. But, I sure will miss being on a sail boat.
 
Haven't moved to power from sail yet. I guess it really depends upon what you want to do and where you want to go, and how you want to do it. The main reason I would move from sail to power is go faster (I have a current thread about faster than hull speed boats).

I had a catamaran. For cruising if bridges with height clearance isn't an issue, I don't think you can beat this. The room is incredible. On a 40' cat there are 3 full staterooms. 2 heads with dry showers. In an owners version one hull is just for that, with a huge head, amazing amount of storage. Galley and salon are huge. Draft of 3.5'. I had 600 watts of solar in 2015, newer boats are doubling that. Out of the way, usually hanging over the davits. Easy to get in the dinghy as well. BTW, 40' cat is about 6-700k new.

Sails at 8-12 kts in good to great winds (say 20kts on the beam, I hit 11-12 all the time). Powers on a single engine at 5.5kts using 0.5gph. Both engines at 7 to 8 kts. To me, this is trawler speed. Many of the condomarans (as they are called) in charter, sail fairly poorly, so in essence they are under power more than not. Maybe sailing 33%, motorsailing 33%, and under power 33%.

Downside. Hard to find a slip in the summer. Can only get T or long docks. Lots of area. I would need a tool when I was in the stb hull that was in the port hull storage. Up 3 stairs, over 20' down 3 stairs and back. On my boat, was noisy under power. However, I have never been on a trawler under full power, so I can't compare. It was not as noisy as being on an express cruiser at 30kts though.

I singlehand, my wife keeps me company. After a medical incident, I decided it was too much work to run this boat myself. But if you wanted to do more than just weekend cruising, I think this is hard to beat, if you like sailing. And if the wind is right, you can sail too ;-)
 
Why chose a trawler over sail? When the 'juice' of sailing is no longer worth the squeeze....but desire to be on the water remains strong. Sailing is more of a challenge and an endurance test. At some point, I just wanted to be on the water more. Sailing, with all the prep and fickleness of weather, became an impediment, not a facilitator. But if the challenge and sport of sailing still runs in your veins, going to power won't cut it.

Peter
 
mvweebles said:
Why chose a trawler over sail? When the 'juice' of sailing is no longer worth the squeeze....but desire to be on the water remains strong. Sailing is more of a challenge and an endurance test. At some point, I just wanted to be on the water more. Sailing, with all the prep and fickleness of weather, became an impediment, not a facilitator. But if the challenge and sport of sailing still runs in your veins, going to power won't cut it.

Peter
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Well said!:thumb:
 
An easy question for me to answer! Reason I'm going from sail to trawler- my wife!

She refused to spend any time on the sailboat but told me "if you love boats and would do a trawler, let's go." We close and move aboard in the coming month......
 
mvweebles said:
Why chose a trawler over sail? When the 'juice' of sailing is no longer worth the squeeze....but desire to be on the water remains strong. Sailing is more of a challenge and an endurance test. At some point, I just wanted to be on the water more. Sailing, with all the prep and fickleness of weather, became an impediment, not a facilitator. But if the challenge and sport of sailing still runs in your veins, going to power won't cut it.

Peter
Click to expand...

Perfectly expressed how I feel.:)
 
I bought my first trawler recently on a whim and My dream sailboat months before, sailboat is still on the hard waiting on my repairs. Been using the trawler and on the enclosed bridge there is no sense of speed or movement, Positively boring.

But the ample accommodations and ease of use sure have grown on me.
 
Slo-Mocean said:
I bought my first trawler recently on a whim and My dream sailboat months before, sailboat is still on the hard waiting on my repairs. Been using the trawler and on the enclosed bridge there is no sense of speed or movement, Positively boring.

But the ample accommodations and ease of use sure have grown on me.
Click to expand...
Now you know why there are boats with Flybridges. :lol:
 
Don L said:
For those that that have or are on here thinking of going from a sailboat to a trawler/power boat.

What are your reasons and what do you hope/plan/want to gain over living and cruising on a sailboat?

I have a 41' comfortable living on sailboat. What would I gain on a trawler (and I have been shopping)? My wife and I are interested, but she can not really tell me why.

This is an honest question not a flamer question. If you want to just do flamer responses I can not stop you, but I do know what to do for going forward far as your input.
Click to expand...

Not sure how I didn't see this post until today, but my fiancé and I just did exactly this.

We lived on a 79 Irwin Citation 34 for almost two years. About fourteen months into it, we decided that we still wanted to be on a boat, but we wanted a trawler instead. We sold her in March of this year and bought our trawler in June.

The primary reason was that the admiral decided after a couple of longish trips that she wasn't really fond of sailing. I still loved it - there's no feeling quite like it. For me, it's better than flying. But she didn't like being heeled or beating upwind at all. And she also didn't like being in rough seas 40 miles offshore in the middle of the night on a new moon. I jokingly told her that "the YouTube wore off" that first night... In any case, she just didn't like it as much as I did. We both still wanted to be on the water, and because I cut my teeth on 40 to 65-foot boats in the Navy doing riverine/coastal stuff, making a move to power and sticking mostly to the ICW was definitely something I was willing to do to stay.

The secondary reason was room. A 34-foot sailboat is a very tight fit for two adults and two dogs. The 36-foot trawler we moved up to has easily five times the space - not just living space, but storage space, headroom, deck space...etc. If we want to have a couple of friends - or my kids - visit, they not only have room, they have their *own* room and their own head and shower.

Finally, and not nearly as important, but something I did think about - time to departure. On the sailboat, there were hours of preps and checks before getting underway, even if all we were doing was a day trip. On the trawler, we can work through the entire checklist in a little more than an hour. I honestly feel that if I wanted to, I could have the trawler underway in less than 30 minutes in a pinch. But I would never have felt comfortable doing that in our sailboat.
 
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