Any feedback from Whaleback owners?

[hayesdvm]

I have been looking at trawlers to purchase, and would prefer to stay in the 44-50 foot range, yet have some decent living space. I love Kadey Krogens, and have looked at the 44s and 48s, and had originally dismissed the 48 Whaleback.

The Whaleback didn't have an open flybridge helm station, and it doesn't have walk around lower decks on either side. I was concerned this could make docking more of a concern, as getting onto the dock can only really be easily achieved from the back of the boat.

Yet, looking at pictures of the interior, it has a lot of livable space with that full beam saloon, and the cabin space is pretty good, too.

Can anyone give me first hand advice? It seems that only about 20 were produced, and at least 4 are on the market right now. That almost seems like a sign, too.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Mikala]

They are quite roomy inside. We found the pilot house to be a nice substitute for an open fly bridge if you open it up. However, it is our belief that any boat you purchase should encourage you to want to take a picture of her when you are motoring away in your dinghy. The whaleback failed that test miserably.

 

[OldDan1943]

What's not to like about the Krogen 48Whaleback?
https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1999/krogen-48-whaleback-3196218/
other than the price. Shows it maintains it value.
Per no fly bridge? I never wanted one. The heat and A/C are "inside". SMILE

 

[hayesdvm]

Mikala,

Yeah, I guess that is one of the reasons I never looked at the Whaleback seriously....something about the lines of the boat just didn't appeal to me like the others. Although after looking at it for a bit, and comparing it to other boats with an elevated PH, it certainly looks good, but different.

Mark

 

[SRF]

Any feedback from Whaleback owners

A Whaleback looks only like a Whaleback........not to be confused with anything else, and if there is not a particular beauty in that I suppose I would say one has not starred quite long enough.

 

[JeremiahM]

The topic of the looks of a Whaleback usually ends up with people saying "to each his own." The Whaleback is one of my favorite boats. The space on the inside is that of a MUCH larger boat. We looked at several of them before finding our 48AE.

I think they actually made 30 of them. 1 was destroyed before it was commissioned (fell off the ship from Taiwan) and another I think was destroyed by fire. So 28 remain in service. There are usually at least 2 on the market at any given time.

The couples we know that have Whalebacks have no trouble docking them.

Jeremiah

 

[CptnPete]

Lots of beauty on the inside of that boat listed. But I had to laugh at the earlier comment as my Uncle Ray who got me into sailing over 30 years ago had a particular taste when it came to some boat designs. When he saw one he didn't like he always said he couldn't own that boat because he would have to look at it as he rowed away. And for some he really didn't like he would say the box it came in was prettier. I think he might like the Krogen though.

It must have an efficient hull because we have the same engine and gear on our 40 footer at half the displacement but we can't get 8 knots at 1800 RPM. We need to get up around 2200 for that speed.

 

[meridian]

Join the Krogen cruisers group. $30 a year and access to all the Krogen owners

 

[Maldwin]

A friend of mine just went under contract on a 48 Whaleback in Stuart. I spent some time on the boat today, and really liked it. The pilot house is very open and airy, even for a committed fly bridge nut like me! The fwd master, which is not my favorite place for an OSR has very high ceilings, and feels very open and large. Compared to my N43, I don’t like the engine access, the parquet floors, and general woodwork on the the Whaleback as much, but the space is amazing. I am anxious to see how she performs on sea trial.
As to the looks, I recognize it is not for everyone, but it does have a certain style, what the French call a “Jolie Laide”.
Best,
Maldwin

 

[markpierce]

What? No side decks?

 

[JDCAVE]

I finally got on one last September. It’s a very roomy boat and you can have a dance in the Pilothouse. I hadn’t paid attention to the lack of side decks, a definite disadvantage. Also, there’s a lot of windage on that boat. Docking in certain conditions could be challenging.

 

[boatguybill]

All boats have their pluses and minuses. The Whaleback is a unique, well built and well travelled boat. If you haven’t been aboard, get on one. You need to see the whole package. I sold Krogens until just recently and can tell you there’s nothing like them. As for the number currently on the market, decide for yourself the significance of that when you consider the average age of a Krogen owner and that all Krogens go through cycles of none available, a few available. Heck, there haven’t been really any 42s on the market on the West Coast in the last two years. Does that make it a better or worse boat? I think it makes it rare.

 

[Julsburd]

Krogens

We are also shopping for our trawler and have looked at the Whaleback, North Sea 49, and the Krogen Express 49. Even though the Whaleback had amazing interior space we did not care for the lack of side walkways and I did not like the number of stairs you would have to travel up to the pilot house every time you went from aft to steerage while docking or maneuvering. I really like the Express but hubby likes the simplicity and ease of maintenance of the single engine North Sea. So many decisions to weigh but it is a series of compromises. We like the idea of protected running gear on the North Sea but I like the speed of the Express, not to mention I really like the way they look! As you guys have stated in previous posts... I would like rowing away from that boat! Anyway, enjoy stalking all of the information on this site, first time poster!