Trawlers......Seeking Input

[Sunroof]

Trawlers!?

The economy sucks, 401K is halfway down the toilet and the house is loosing value, but what the hell, we still will fulfill our dream of living aboard and taking on the "Great Loop" before the walkers, canes and wheelchairs take over! Ya just have to keep on truckin!! Boats now are just as great a bargain as a flat screen TV.

Although I am a passionate and avid sailor, and have been most of my life, its true that when sailors transition to "power", the Trawler is the norm. They provide great liveaboard space and amenities, but chug along at 7-10 knots, steady, sound and strong. We have been researching the 36 foot Albin and Monk, single diesel, bow thruster models, both of which were made in Taiwan (until 1992that is). Pages can be written about the merits of single engine vessels with a stern or bow thruster as opposed to a twin diesel model, but we'll stick with the single screw for intracoastal and coastline work for now. Most are equipped with the Ford Lehman, Cummins or Perkins diesels (120-135 hp) that give good fuel efficiency and longevity. The bow and/or stern thrusters add tremendous value in docking and in tight areas.

The big question?...................has anyone had any experience with Trawlers and care to share that experience relative to the merits of the vessel(s).

AND.............has anyone navigated the Great Loop?

Thanks

Bob

_/)

[dhoward]

A buddy and I used to rent a 38ft Chien Hwa trawler for a week every year down in the keys. We used it to dive, fish, and cocktail. Worked well for everything but aft deck was a little high to make an ideal dive platform. Seems like a 130HP perkins turbom and a 3KW Westerbeke gen.

Very comfortable aft cabin, good visibility from the lower station. Very stable on the intercoastal.

[Sunroof]

Thanks Dan.
I looked at the Chien Hwa as well and she is a good ship. Blows me away that thousands of Trawlers were made in dozens of Taiwan yards in the late 70's to late 80's in the hay day of Trawler building. Many surveyors claim they are crap because Quality Control lacked and these yard workers could'nt properly lay up a fiberglass hull. Delamination, blistering, water leakage seem to be the greatest issues. We will probably look at 50+ before we make our choice.

Bob

[dhoward]

Good thinking. Find a surveyor you like and stick with him. Have also piloted a 32 mainship around the keys. Nice, but narrower beam, not as much fun in deep water, less room. Nice boat though.

[VINMAN]

Choey Lee.
Grand Banks

[Sunroof]

Thanks Vinny. The Grand Banks which was made in Hong Kong and Singapore was the standard design by which everyone else copied. They started in wood and then glass. Unfortunately, the used Grand Banks are a small fortune this day compared to its close brothers. Love the Cheoy Lee line of sailboats, but have not seen many of the powerboat line.

Bob

[Bruce Brown]

Alaskan or Pilgrim