Ever considered a trawler?

Four Suns

Four Suns

Not a pot stirrer
TECHNICAL Contributor
Oct 4, 2006
10,533
Williamsburg, VA
Boat Info
2003 480 DB
Engines
QSM-11 Diesels
So... Has anyone here ever really considered a displacement hull type boat instead of a planning hull boat? Something like:

http://www.nordhavn.com/glance/57_glance.php4

With the cost of fuel going through the roof, I wonder if trawlers will become more popular... Nordhavn is a nice boat... could live on that thing. Would have to get used to the 9 knot speed though. I've never even been on one but it would seem the running would be less stressful that running at 24 knots... Thoughts?
 
My parents have a fast trawler which can cruise at 18 knots, but they (at 77 & 81) usually run at 10-12 and sometimes slower. I have done a number of passages with them over the years and the speed (or lack thereof) drives me nuts. But you are right about it being less stressful. At 10 knots, in open water, you have lots of time to think about things.

I spent the first 35 years of my life on sailboats and I still love to sail. But the thing that attracted me to powerboats was the ability to get where you want to go in an efficient manner. For me, somewhere around 25 knots is perfect.

Now, the Norhavns are interesting in that they are purpose built boats. They are designed to cross oceans. They are not anything like the coastal trawler my parents have nor are they a slower replacement for our Sea Rays. They are a whole different breed.

Personally, if I were going to do a long ocean passage, I would opt for a well-found, capable sailboat over any power-only boat. Living with the drone of the engines for 2-3 weeks non-stop would drive me nuts.
 
Funny you should bring that up. I have definitely thought about it because when I am in the islands, I pretty much go around 8 knots to conserve fuel, relax, and look at the scenery (and oh, yes, fish - I caught my first fish yesterday), but with that said, I would not like to be hampered with such slow speeds. I would reather be able to choose a weather window of a few hours versus a few days.

I toured a 62' Nordhavn when we were at Staniel Cay and it was gorgeous. The fit an finish was spectacular, and the storage.....but if "trawler" will be in my vocabulary, it would probably have to be at least a "fast trawler".

briman
 
I agree the Nordhavns (and some other displacement style boats) are a whole different breed... I'm just curious about it. If one was to cruise the out islands of the Bahamas and such, it seems that type of boat would be ideal.

You refer to the fast trawlers as "coastal trawlers"... So the compromise of getting some planning ability (and two bigger twin engines) would compromise the efficiency and sea handling of a true displacement hull? How much so? Do they have stabilizers on those? I guess you mean boats like Grand Banks and such.

I also noticed that there are gyro-based heavy stabilizers coming out instead of the below the water line wings...
 
After meeting these folks http://www.saltyturtle.com/ on the Tennessee River in a lock, my wife and I have decided this is how we would like to retire. Take a look at their site. They have detailed their trips and have a fair amount of info about trawlers.:grin:
 
Gary I think products like the Seakeeper gyro stabilizer will change boating. It will be great for larger, ocean going vessels, but will also be great in a 35' sport-fisherman that sits at the canyons in 15' swells. They just have to figure out how to get the weight down from its current 1000 lbs and how to make them in sufficient quantity to supply the market need.
 
The gyro would be great in a 480 DB as well... I think that would be a better add on than pod drives but... what do I know.
 
The elegance of the Nordhavns and other true blue water trawlers is that they are optimized for one particular mode of travel. They are set up so that their (usually) single engine runs at its its optimum speed while propelling the boat at its rated cruise speed.

This is much different than our boats that cruise on plane at 80-90% of rated PRM. Sure we can slow down to displacement speed. We might even make it to Bermuda on a tank of fuel, but in doing so we are running our engines under less than ideal conditions. Diesel engines want to run continuously only at 80-90% of rated RPM.

Some people deal with this by periodically running the engines up to speed during a long, slow run. This works, but burns lots of the fuel you are conserving by running slow.

One of the most innovative ideas I have seen is in one of the Marlows where they installed a third, smaller engine. This engine was designed to run at its rated rpm while moving the boat at about 6-7 knots. This option leaves the mains to run only at planing speed. I have not seen this work on person, I've only read about it.
 
I looked at Seakeeper as a retro-fit for the 58. The size/weight (1000#), the cost ($50k), and limited availability are all stumbling blocks. Way more useful than pods for me!
 
The seakeeper system is awesome. I just ordered a 58" Tradition (a new line we carry) and thought about putting the Seakeeper gyro in our boat only to find out our boat would require 3 at $60K a pop! I think they will be very popular, especially since they even work at anchor.

I am jumping right onboard the trawler bandwagon with this new line traditiontrawlers.com. They have launched recently to claim some of the demand that has outweighed supply. There is a 2 year wait on both Selene and Nordhavn for a boat that takes 7 months to build. The Tradition Yachts will have a displacement and seakeeping right up there with Nordhavn, but an interior more in line with an Outer Reef (nordhavn's are kinda tight inside). They have a 4000NM range just like a typical Nordhavn, all hydraulic systems (bow thruster, stern thruster, windlass, davit, stabilizers), a Keypower get home setup standard, etc. Built like a tank with an ultra high end interior. Tradition has a who's who of people on staff, all collaborated from many other successful builders like Northern Marine, Queenship, and Lazzara. Anyway, we are very excited to be jumping back into the trawler market. We hired a founding staff member from Outer Reef to head up this project. Gary, if you think any more about making this jump let me know. I have a 54 to show you now, we have 58 coming in August, one in December and a 49 for April of '09 so far.
 
Here's an interesting story

My parents went from a 50' Post to a 65' custom steel hull trawler. Talk about a change of pace, from topping out at 40 knots in the Post to topping out at 11 knots in the trawler! It is a Bruce Roberts design that my dad had customized. The steel was cut in Holland and shipped to Nova Scotia where it was assembled and finished to a "run state". My dad then ran it down to the Chesapeake where he is finishing the interior totally by himself. He is a true craftsman and if I knew how to post pics it would blow your mind after seeing the interest that Gerikson's thread received. He designed and installed all of the systems, plumbing, electrical, hydrualic etc... The boat is powered by a single 240 HP John Deere and uses a hydrostatic trans through a "pod" drive. She carries 3,000 gallons of fuel and will be trans-atlantic capable when finished. This is my dad's retirement project that has been in the works for about 4 years and he still has another 4-5 to go but he actually looks forward to going to this job every day! When everybody asks him how he can cope with the speed change he just says "I'm retired, I've got plenty of time to get where I'm going".
 
We have been trying to decide between the Grand Banks Europa and the 420DB for several years. When the slip came open this month, we hadn't decided. Granted the Europa is in a different class than the oceanic trawlers, but still very different from the Sea Ray. We were excited by the space, fuel consumption, quiet peaceful cruise, onboard dinghy and timeless elegance.
galleryMain01.jpg


On the downside was some wood to maintain, the inability to grab a quick lunch somewhere, the likelihood of a double-brokered deal to get a used one and get rid of our 320.

In the end, finding a used 420 in inventory, plus the swim platform lift, equalized benefits and brought the 420 ahead.

Beautiful boats, however, something for the future when hopefully every second isn't occupied or scheduled.
 
The Nordhavn boats are beautiful. The northeast office is at my marina, and I usually have to drive past 2 or 3 every time I go in our out of my slip. Gets me thinking about one every time I drive past them, but the speed (or lack of) would kill me!
 
Doesn't seem like take a big depreciation hit like planning boats either... wonder why that is.
 
We strongly considered a Nordic Tug but decided to stay with an express cruiser for now because as others have said we need to get where we're going, have a good time, and get back usually within the scope of a long weekend. Also, the tug we really want is not finacially feasable right now (Well, maybe with an interest only loan - LOL) But, We do like the roominess, durability, and economy of a "fast trawler" - How many more years till I can retire?
 
I think an ideal setup is a 60-65 foot Nordhavn for the long cruises and about a 30 - 35 foot Hinkley for those weekend/day hops...

I need to go win the lottery.
 
Why take chances on the lottery? It's much easier to oppress the masses to gain wealth. (and much more savory than waiting for your rich uncle to kick the bucket).
 
I sure like the Nordhavns. Simply a beautiful boat and something I'd like to have and live on when retired.
 
You guys should read this guy's family's site
Coonan Family

They have a 43 Nordhavn and are constantly traveling it looks like.
They have been to the Desolation sound area that we are heading to on our Rendezvous this summer and seems he has the knack, like Gary to journal his travels.
Webpage%20BC%20-%2006.jpg
 
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