What factors were/are critical in selecting your trawler?

[markpierce]

What functional*factors were critical in selecting your trawler?* Not talking about affordability, appearance, or physical soundness/strength.* For instance, the principal factors used in my selection were (1) 360-degree visibility from steering station, (2) 360-degree decks, (3) keel-protected propeller, shaft, and rudder, (4) bow thruster, (5) "serious" staysail(s), (6) facilities (berths, head, shower, stove, sink, refrigerator)*for two, and four in a pinch, (7) significant fuel/water tankage, and (8) suitable for coastal/inland (not trans-oceanic) cruising.

 

[Forkliftt]

Mark- those are great qualities. As I recall the top of our list started with something like "two heads and a double sink". My wires list of course! For me, engine/ mechanical accessability was very important. To make boating affordable I knew that I would need to be able to reach, understand and repair most of the systems on board. On our haulouts I document and learn as much as I can about anything below the waterline- but the majority of the maintenace on our older trawler is of course mechanical stuff. I recently rechared our front AC unit after locating and repairing a freon leak. I had a great coach who loaned me the needed supplies. The next day, with his coaching, I tapped into our Tundra T80 fridge and low/ high sides and now this 2 1/2 year old dude is FINALLy cooling! It may have a leak but it appears to be a permanent fix.
I guess what I am saying is that for me, as Skipperdude says, if you can't fix it maybe it shouldn't be on the boat. I have been at the mercy of the repair yard in the past and that takes some DEEP pockets!

 

[jleonard]

For us it was single engine, walk around island queen bed, walk around decks, galley down (or seperate living room we didn't want to sit at a dinette all the time).
And suitable for inland/coastal cruising goal is to do the loop, etc.

 

[Doc]

All weather helm. Tired of heat, cold and rain. Single fuel efficient engine. Skeg protected running gear. Quiet engine and generator...under water exhausts on both. Two heads. Large refrigerator. Plenty of A/C. Sat TV. Cool look.

 

[Phil Fill]

My wife first saw and went on the boat!* For her it was the master bed room with the closet and drawer space, how quiet the boat was with no lapping of water, felt very stable, easy to get on/off, and few stairs as she had a hip problem at the time.* *I on the other hand was not a happy camper as it was an ugly slow trawler, but it was about 50% of our budget price and bigger than the other boats we were looking at.* So for me it was low price and size.* Size does matter!

 

[Steve]

Our must includes were: Flying bridge, standup shower stall, walk around decks, aft cabin with island bed, single engine, diesel generator.
Steve W.

-- Edited by Steve on Saturday 16th of October 2010 01:52:18 PM

 

[RT Firefly]

Hiya,
** I must re-enforce Mr. forklift's comment about engine/mechanical accessability.* Not fun or safe trying to change a filter or a belt in a seaway standing on your head.

 

[El Sea]

Great subject;

Our list of do not's:
A) Canvas
B) Teak deck
C) Enclosed upper helm
D) Twins
E) Galley up
F) Steel fuel tanks
G)

Our list of do's"
1) Lower Helm
2) Level walk around deck
3) Dual entrance (port/starboard) to lower Helm/Salon
4) Walk around Queen
5) Single screw
6) Shallow draft
7) Walk around engine (Holly Land) room
8)


The prefect boat, Drinks Six, Feeds Four and Sleeps Two.......


El Sea/L.C.

"Suckin Sludge & Havin a Gas"

 

[markpierce]

El Sea wrote:

... The prefect boat, Drinks Six, Feeds Four and Sleeps Two.......

George Buehler, designer of the Coot, used the same expression in describing the boat.

*

 

[C lectric]

Our list was;
single engine and one that was not a maverick, at least at the time
much greater range than previous boats
access around engine
more room for the two of us
HEAT in winter
prop protected by keel
visibility from below from excellent inside steering - we do have a seldom used bridge

 

[Nomad Willy]

Mine can be summed up quickly but it took quite a while to find her.

Seaworthyness


The ability to go for weeks at a time with very little expense.


More room and general comfort than our last boat (Albin 25) with a significant increase in comfort in lumpy seas.


A good balance between soundness (condition) and economy.

 

[JMYSS]

While we did not start with an exact list, it evolved as we shopped. While we looked at a few shiny higher priced trawlers, they really where not in the budget ,and since I am in the marine industry, we where able to get parts/materials/labor at wholesale...we started leaning towards finding a deal on something we could refit and make our own. I also wanted something that was affordable not only to run but to own/maintain. Too*many dock monsters in our area that look nice, but never leave the dock, I can only imagine that the cost of actually running/maintaining the boats was never explained to some of the owners when the boats where sold. Our list evolved into:

1. efficiency/range. I used to say I would never own a boat that did not have two engines, from my time in the USCG. After getting into the pleasure boat world, I realized that for a coastal cruiser or even near coastal, a properly maintained single diesel and a $150/year commercial towing membership, was the way to go over two engines, when we get basically the same speed as most twin engine trawlers. The one we picked has a single Perkins, around 3 gph @ 8kts. The rated fuel capacity on our 42' trawler is 1,350 gallons, with 1,200 usable. Do the math on that, even with the genset running the whole time, it can seriously go some places and take advantage of cheap fuel opportunities when they are found.

2. Hull material/accessibility. As we had decided to do a refit, we decided it was easier to modify and aluminum hull/superstructure then a fiberglass one. Plus there is not rot to worry about. As long as the hull checked out and no major corrosion ares, good to go. Plus the way this aluminum vessel was constructed, there are alot of open runways with good access to pull new cable, plumbing, etc. Its also easier IMO to touch up paint on a aluminum hull/superstructure, then repair scratches, dings, etc in a gelcoat or fiberglass hull.

3. Two helms. Did not want to be stuck in a single pilothouse the whole time in nice weather, wanted a bridge with a view, but also a lower enclosed helm for really bad weather.....ours has both.

4. Cost. Since we knew we would be doing a refit, looked for the best deal we could find with the above characteristics. Since we bought ours two months after the stock market crash in 2008, we took advantage of the buying opportunities and probably bought the boat for less then what it could have been scrapped for..

5. Full keel for protection cruising in coastal areas. Ive seen too many bent props and shafts to worry about it on my boat....

*

"Drinks Six, Feeds four, and sleeps two" was also a factor...

 

[ralphyost]

... The prefect boat, Drinks Six, Feeds Four and Sleeps Two.......

My wife and I learned a long time ago that we love being around friends but NOT to live with them on the boat, or even have weekend guests. When we bought our boat, 1982 Defever 41,* it does not have room for another couple. Yep, no V-berth. Instead it has a single pilot berth athwartships. So we have a boat that was substantially built as a live aboard boat for one couple with lots of extra storage forward insted of a V-berth.
You can see it here
http://tinyurl.com/24zqw6h


R.

 

[Woodsong]

Good thread! Our main goal was to downsize our "boating investment" and increased efficiency. Coming from a nearly new gas powered 38 sedan that drank fuel like a sailor home on leave and depreciated like 100 sailors spending money home on leave, we really wanted something more simple. I found over time that the entire boat mortgage thing just got old after a few years when combined with everything else so the main thing was to be into boating debt free. I just found myself on our previous sedan worrying about how much money the dumb thing was depreciating each month, cost of fuel, etc.* We wanted to go back to just being on the water and never having to ponder how much money was being wasted.* Not that we couldn't afford our previous boat b.c we definitely could- just seemed wasteful to have a boat*like that just to look all flashy!* Plus, a trawler is really just more our style.* We also wanted a diesel powered boat (don't know that i will ever have a gaser again!) with a classic interior and nice exterior lines. Fuel efficiency was a consideration as well. Layout had to have a lower helm with cabin doors for easy access and at least 2 staterooms/2 heads since we have 2 young children.
We set out looking to be in the 45-49' range with 3 staterooms but never found the right deal at the right price in the right condition. We kind of fell into the deal on our Monk since it was owned bt a guy we knew and it had been on our "home" dock for several years. We went inside, saw the interior teak, realized it had almost as much storage as many of the 45 footers we looked at, liked her lines, and her price sealed the deal. Granted, we're doing a ton of work to her but there is something about her that just called to us and while she is much smaller at 36' than anything we thought we'd buy after selling our 38, she is the perfect little trawler for us. I simply LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the fact that we burn 2.5 to 3 GPH with the generator running! It's like having a sailboat without having to fool with sails!

We also really wanted a boat that could do extended coastal cruising...maybe do a few weeks here and there, leave somewhere, go work for a couple of weeks, go back and cruise some more, etc. The fact is that a smaller boat is cheaper to dock and do that in so in our case, Less is More has proven to be true.

-- Edited by Woodsong on Sunday 17th of October 2010 02:53:47 PM

 

[ralphyost]

Here is the list I had compiled during the years we were trawler shopping. I was on message boards and reading lots of stuff at the time to get as educated as I could.
This list is not in any order of importance.
Trawler Features List:
Autopilot with rate gyro
Bow Thruster
No teak decks
Single screw, 120-135 hp diesel
4ft draft max
Full keel boat, full protection for rudder, prop
Flybridge, bimini top w/ enclosure
Refrig 12v/110v
Generator
3 batteries or more
Windlass (hydraulic preferred)
Air conditioning
Heat
Hot water heat exchanger
Detailed maintenance records
3 burner gas stove/oven
Things to add to the boat:
Have a spare fresh water pump on hand in case the primary fails on a trip.
Add a diesel fuel polishing system
-----------------------
We decided it didnt matter if it was galley up or down. The total value of the boat itself would determine it.
Critical items for me were single screw, keel protected prop and rudder, walk around decks, the dog had to be able to walk anywhere we could go on the boat hence our choice of trunk cabin trawler. We also wanted an AFT cabin boat, another critical item. We like to anchor and didnt want the loud noise of water on the bow right at our heads when trying to sleep.
I really wanted a Lehman 120 engine.
Boats have so many tradeoffs one has to realize that you might be willing to let go of a critical requirement if all the other things lined up and were more favorable as a group.

We have had this 1982 Defever 41 since the summer of 2007, so this is our 4th summer. Two years ago a friend gave me his old fresh water (domestic water) pump which he had replaced but found out that wasnt the problem he head. Then this Sept while at the MTOA rendezvous in Balt, the domestic water pump in our boat died. I switched out the dead one for the used one in 15 minutes. I think the old one simply had the pressure reg. switch fail so I am replacing it.
*

 

[xfedex]

covered aft deck so we can see how hard it is raining without getting wet

 

[Larry M]

xfedex wrote:

covered aft deck so we can see how hard it is raining without getting wet

Only if you're in the PNW.* Only kidding.* A few nights ago it got down to 69 F for the first time since April.* Life is good.

To us, if you walk on to a boat, and the bells go off,* go the next step.* It's has to fit.

Larry/Lena
Hobo KK42
La Paz, BCS

*

 

[Bendit]

Size matters. When you're 6'6'' and want full headroom, anything under 50ft is going to look a bit odd.

The only way we could afford a 50fter was a conversion or a do-up.* We decided*to convert*a commercial fishing vessel and went 30% over budget on the refit but I*believe that is a pretty good result.

"Commercial" to me means:
Solid*frp hull
big single engine
large diameter protected prop
hydraulics for operating the anchor windlass and now, bow-thruster.
Fuel efficient
plenty*of generating power
engine-driven*bilge pumps, fire-fighting etc.
Heavy-duty electrics, lights etc
Good sea-keeping and long range

The conversion added:
Galley up (aft, next to cockpit)
Lotsa refrigeration
Permanent berths for 4 or 5. (master is not walk-around, which*we wanted, but would have had to move a bulkhead)
Spacious head with separate enclosed shower
Dinette in wheelhouse
Large lounge area
Good fishing cockpit
Replaced old AC genset with DC
2 x 80W solar panels

This was 6 years ago.**With prices as they are now, we could probably buy something better for less!

 

[FF]

Incredable tough construction as we bought her for the loop,

and there is always the situation ,

Some days you tie up to a Tug, some days the Tug ties up to YOU!

Working over sized rub rail, 12 or 14 inch cleats and loads of open deck area.

Out 50 ft boat has 15 ft open aft , for the nice days at anchor.

From Sub T boats I require fire retardant resin and collision bulkhead.

There was no interior , but the volume was large enough to fit out for 2 folks for months on end.

Just had to build it.

Single engine with keel mandatory, Keel cooling and dry stack also required.

The Hyd steering was a plus as it was almost painless to add an autopilot and use the system to operate the new hyd windlass .

Although the deck house is offset , there was enough room to walk about either side .

None of the additions we installed will in any way harm future use as a Lobster boat.


Monel tanks with low point drains were a bonus , as was a 6-71 with only a few hundred hours since NEW!

 

[Navigator]

For my wife #1 was a bath, then

Seaworthiness
Twin engines
Dual side decks and
Flybridge

A passarelle was also important

 

[Dswizzler]

We are still looking, but on the list:

Pilothouse & flybridge ( we have alot of days great to be outside)
Galley up
Access to the flybridge from the pilot house
A bed we could walk around enough and not have to climb into or over each other
Nice guest room
Small efficent twin deisels
Good generator
Walk in engine room
Aft or mid Master cabin

Like I said we are still looking,

Dswizzler

 

[timjet]

For me the most important aspect of a boat was to answer the question: Is the wife really happy with this boat. Nothing else really matters.

My go fast relatively recent vintage Carver was not my first choice, however my decision to let my wife have the final say was a wise one, because she absolutely loves the boat and is still excited about going out on it.

All the negatives on this boat can be dealt with, but having a reluctant wife that really doesn't like the boat is in my opinion an issue impossible to deal with.

-- Edited by timjet on Thursday 21st of October 2010 10:03:13 AM

-- Edited by timjet on Thursday 21st of October 2010 10:04:25 AM

 

[Pineapple Girl]

We kind of fell into the whole power boat thing.* We sold our sailboat in fall of 2008 and went into a partnership with another couple on a larger sailboat with the intention of sailing it in the Pacific Cup (SF to Hawaii) in 2010.* It didn't take us long to decide we much preferred having our own boat and we decided as soon as we finished the Pac Cup we would get out of the partnership and get our own boat again.* We considered lots of different sailboats in 2009 but early this year*my husband fell in love with a Pacific Trawler 37 on our dock.* The owner acutally let us borrow it a few times.* It was a fun little boat but not really what I wanted.* Ulitmately the owner was not interested in selling*and we started really looking at "trawlers".* We started looking at CHBs and were leaning towards a galley up.* My husband really wanted twins as he was nervous about maneuvering a single (he is much better at it than he thinks he is but still).***

When it came down to it, we simply fell in love with this boat the second we walked on to it.*

Things we liked (in no particular order):
diesels (did NOT want gassers no matter what)
island double berth
outdated electronics (yes this was a plus, husband likes updating the electronics to his taste)
teak and holly sole
galley down (not what we thought we wanted but ended up preferring it)
Adequate V-berth for guests if needed
Huge hanging lockers
great access to back of electrical panel
diesel heater
gen set
ice maker (though it broke the first weekend! LOL)
No teak decks
Nice sized flybridge
well maintained, maintenance records provided by PO of 16 years

We hadn't been looking at sundecks and I am not real crazy about the big butt or the lack of storage from the deck but I LOVE the master stateroom and all the storage we have down there.* There is someone on here who cracks that you don't need all that room in your stateroom because who spends time down there anyway but I LOVE it and it was worth the trade-off for me.* I am very nearsighted and when I wake up I am sometimes not sure if I am on the boat or at home.* I sure never had that run through my head on the sailboat.

Also we looked at some larger boats and that felt TOO BIG.* I wanted something where I felt I had some perspective from the helm as to where my bow and stern were without feeling like I had sacrificed on size inside.* This boat fits that bill.*

We didn't really look at that many boats while shopping but we have been on enough boats in our lives that we knew we'd "know it when we saw it" and we did!

 

[Marin]

Going against the tide a bit, we actually didn't set out wanting a trawler-type boat. At the time we had-- and still have--- a trailer fishing boat that's fast, and we wanted to get a larger boat that was fast, too. And we would still love to have that--- neither one of us likes the glacial, plodding speed of a "trawler."

However before we began to really start thinking about specific types of larger boats a friend suggested that we charter a larger boat to see if we even liked doing this. We'd been flying floats over the PNW, BC raincoast, and SE Alaska region for years so were familiar with the area but knew nothing about running a larger boat in these waters.

So we called a good friend in the local marine engine and generator manufacturing industry and he recommended a charter company that was owned by a friend of his. This company was Grand Yachts Northwest and they chartered GBs exclusively. We chartered a GB36, liked the boat (other than the pathetic speed) and a couple of years later bought our own, albeit a much older one than the one we'd chartered.

Our primary criteria was to get a boat suited for these (coastal and inside) waters. We also wanted a high-quality boat and for a production boat, it's pretty hard to beat a GB, even when they're old as long as they've been well looked after. Unfortunately an older GB tends to dictate Ford Lehman engines which we did not want for reasons that have already been discussed ad nauseum but we figured there were worse choices so we didn't complain (much). So far they've been okay.

Since we knew so little about this type of boating when we started we didn't have much in the way of specific criteria. My wife wanted a propane stove/oven--- she hates cooking with electricity. We wanted good visibility from the main cabin, which the GB provides very nicely. I wanted decent engine access which a GB has even in the smaller sizes. It's not wonderful but I can get around the outside of both engines if I have to.

With regards to engines, the GB36 we'd chartered was a single with a bow thruster.* The narrowboats we run in England are singles, the floatplanes we fly are singles, so we didn't have*a preference for one or two engines when we decided to buy a boat of our own.* As it happened, the boat we got is a twin, and while I still have no problems with the idea of a single engine boat, we would probably not buy one were we ever to be in the market for a different boat.* It's not the maneuverability--- I believe you can accomplish anything with a single that you can with a twin even without a bow thruster--- but because my wife feels more confident with two engines under the floor than one.* We've needed the second engine four times since we've owned the boat and it is nice to be able to finish the run on our own rather than on the end of an expensive rope.

We both prefer a pilothouse design so the GB fails in that regard. But the visibility is very good from the lower helm station. Neither one of us cared about having a flying bridge--- the fact the GB has one makes for a nice place to sit if the weather is cooperative (it rarely is) but we never run the boat from up there. We both prefer a teak deck surface to non-skid fiberglass in terms of traction and walking on it so the GB was a plus in that regard even though a teak deck--- particularly an older one--- does require some maintenance.

The rain-forest of teak trim on the exterior of the GB doesn't bother us--- I rather like working on wood (when I have the time). I used to re-finish gun stocks (for pay) when I was in college so the exterior of our boat is sort of an extension of that, only I don't get paid for doing it.

So I guess the bottom line answer to the question that started this discussion is that we didn't want a trawler and we're not huge fans of GBs. But it gets us out on the water in a reliable fashion which is certainly better than not being out on the water at all, and other then the lack of speed and less-than-desireable aesthetics, the GB has done well for us and it fits what we want to spend on boating.

Now that we know what we know, I'd put the short list of what we'd want in a boat as follows:

1. Fast (15 knots at least, preferably more)
2.* Well built, strong hull.
3.* Two engines.
4.* Pilothouse design.
5.* Good visibility from main cabin (some boats have you sit so low you can't see out the windows)
6.* Europa design in terms of a covered and encloseable*aft deck.
7.* Propane galley.
8.* Two heads (and two showers if possible).
9* Generator.
10.* Two separate staterooms.


-- Edited by Marin on Thursday 21st of October 2010 12:15:48 PM

 

[Codger2]

Pineapple Girl wrote:"When it came down to it, we simply fell in love with this boat the second we walked on to it."
_______________________________________________________________
Great statement and one I think is the most important. If you don't love the boat, you will find all kinds of things that bug you. On the other hand, loving the boat* means that you compromised on those same things. (very little bugging is apparent.)

 

[koliver]

When looking, we came from sail, so had a lot of "boating" but no "trawlering" experience.
galley down wasn't an issue, as most sail is very much galley down. twin v single, didn't matter to us, as all sail is single, so we would take what we got.
we looked at a lot of boats, saw a lot of different configurations. Liked a lot of them. So what is really important, after all of that? Not much!
Twins are great, but I know I could have handled single, without a thruster.
Galley down is great, but I could have put up with the reduction in saloon space with galley up.
Teak decks are great, but I could have easily handled FG decks.
No headroom in the engine room is a PITA, and gets to be more so as I get older. I don't spend much time down there, though, as my Volvos are so maintenance free, I get feeling guilty that I don't have to spend money on them, so I can live with the lack of headroom.
Propane and Diesel stoves are both great. Especially the diesel stove. I wouldn't have anything else.
Flybridge with easy steps. rather than a vertical ladder, important. You want to be able to come and go from the FB, no matter what the weather.
Affordability, so none of those brandnames that have inflated prices unrelated to the condition of the boat.

 

[mfeene01]

Dswizzler - "We are still looking, but on the list:"

Not now....** Congratulations.

-- Edited by mfeene01 on Wednesday 3rd of November 2010 06:04:39 AM

 

[healhustler]

1. Diesel2. Walk around queen.
3. Storage
4. Economy, green as we could find. *Solar and wind too.
5. Ability to enjoy the water from various perspectives, IE. Pilothouse, Boat Deck, Veranda, Bow, and Salon.
6. as close to a non-depreciating asset as we could find under 200K
7. Space, comfort
8. Simple systems with good Engine access
9. Good looper and Bahamas boat
10. Higher Helm area, Fly-Bridge or raised Pilothouse


Good luck with your search.

 

[skipperdude]

Navigator wrote:


A passarelle was also important

So do you have on on your boat or at the dock?

SD

*

 

[Navigator]

The passerelle is on the boat (hydraulic with remote control)

Don



-- Edited by Navigator on Thursday 11th of November 2010 06:24:17 AM