Trawler brands with semi-bluewater seaworthiness...

[ddickson]

Any luck finding anything yet?

 

[Hippocampus]

There’s so much more to a blue water boat than principal dimensions, tankage and efficiency. Have owned multiple EU A boats and have done blue water. The major increase in cost from the same sized boat aimed at coastal use is in the details. Then you add on all the additional expenses to make it safe and functional in that environment.

 

[Pieter Cillié]

There is a nice 70 foot trawler for sale in the berth next to mine. Cabins, evething according to your specifications. And it is already in Brazil and Brazilian flagged. With some firm negotiation it might be in your price range. It is certainly seaworthy. Sailing up and down this particular piece of the South Atlantic it has to be. There is a thread on here about it under my name.

 

[JGORT]

Hello all,

We are a family of 5 and looking to pick up a trawler in the next year. I have some sailing experience in the Caribbean, around Vancouver Island, and lived aboard a tall ship that went down to the Galapagos islands and then on to Norway. But I don't want to bring my family onto a sailboat.

So we are looking for a trawler!! We like some space, so a 50-65ft vessel is what we have been looking for. I am quite concerned about the seaworthiness of trawlers. I can see that the Nordhavn is a serious boat that could probably go straight across the Atlantic but I don't have the money for one of those today, a couple of pennies short...

We don't want to cross the Atlantic, we want to go down the East Coast into the Caribbean and then possibly down to Brazil and back up again. So it is not exactly blue water cruising but there will be some longer passes that we could attempt. We will spend most of our time diving and snorkelling in the Caribbean islands.

I have been looking at Hatteras, Defever, Grand Banks, Ocean Alexanders, and Kadey-Krogens...It seems like the OA and the KKs are maybe best suited for longer passages but they don't always have much living space or nicely laid out living areas. My kids like to move around so some deck space would be nice and a bit of a swim deck is a 100% must. I was also hoping to be able to get a tender and a jet ski onboard while doing passages (maybe it's a bit of a dream to have both). We need at least 3 cabins as well since we have three kids.

How well suited are these brands for anything other than coastal calmish water cruising? We would probably get something with stabilizers but I don't want to put my family into any super sketchy situations on a boat that's not suited for the Caribbean.

Please, I am not looking for lessons on if I am capable of doing it, if my kids are capable of doing it or if we have any idea what it's like living on a boat...I am just looking for a good conversation on the seaworthiness of these trawler brands and if you have suggestions on other models I should be looking at.

Thank you for reading my post and for all the amazing content on this forum.

I worked on a Ocean Alexander for 20 years and traveled from Miami to St. Barths, and from Miami to Boston Great vessel. The vessel was 102 ft. but still a trawler.

 

[La Sirena]

You should put Selene on your list. Many 53's have 3 staterooms, 57 has 3 - great layout. Long range, stabilized, and ocean capable.

 

[Mako]

We were seriously considering a Selene 53 a few years ago, even though it was a twin (not my preference). However the "machinery space" is what did it in for me. It's not an "engine room".

However everyone has their own needs and wants. His budget of $200k certainly limits the boats he can consider. One member above mentioned his Defever 49, which would be an excellent candidate and there are numerous ones for sale below $200k, although a bit older in age of course.

 

[La Sirena]

Yes, every Selene is different. 53s with twins, particularly if they have a commissary, have a very tight engine room. I have a Selene 57, no commissary, with a single Cummins QSM11, a single 16Kw genny, and a Yanmar 54hp get home engine. I have lots of room in the engine room to service everything. It's not stand up headspace, but a good compromise to get less windage above the water line.

The singles are more efficient, but have a deeper draft. Both have fully protected running gear, which I consider very important.

 

[Mako]

@La Sirena your model sounds fantastic.

What is a commissary?

 

[La Sirena]

Many Selenes have a full beam, small room between the engine room and lazarette. It's great for storage (food and supplies), usually has a freezer, and is accessed through a hatch in the aft salon sole.

My 57 does not have a commissary (it was an optional layout). Instead my engine room and lazarette are slightly bigger. My large freezer is built into the port side of the lazarette.

 

[BowtomyStern]

We were seriously considering a Selene 53 a few years ago, even though it was a twin (not my preference). However the "machinery space" is what did it in for me. It's not an "engine room".

However everyone has their own needs and wants. His budget of $200k certainly limits the boats he can consider. One member above mentioned his Defever 49, which would be an excellent candidate and there are numerous ones for sale below $200k, although a bit older in age of course.