Is a trawler for me

[High Wire]

Charter a trawler for 4-7 days. Then you will have a much better idea of what you want.

 

[Hamrow]

Will, i think you're on the right track and if you want more comfort, yes it might be worth comparing the 34 to the 39-ft LOA. at those lengths you can start getting into the decisions of whether you want 1 or 2 staterooms, 1 or 2 heads, showers, etc. I see some mainships were gas, so if you're looking for efficiency, you should probably look towards a well-cared for diesel.
Not to kick off the old "single vs. twin" debate but since you asked about efficiency, i'd submit that a single is likely to burn a bit less fuel... there are long discussion threads in this forum on this topic.
If a single, you'll appreciate at least a bow thruster. The wife and i had the same thoughts about visibility out windows, which ultimately steered us away from sailboat-like buried saloons and we ended up extremely happy in a semi-displacement trawler. now we have great window views both in the pilot house as well as the saloon (we didn't want a FB but thats a personal choice). We love all the space in our mono-hull and don't have floppers or stabs, but we have hard chines and a nearly 16-ft beam, so rolling hasn't been a factor for us.
It seems like you could really benefit from getting aboard several different trawler makes before you make your decision. Best of luck to you!

 

[O C Diver]

Are trawlers more stable at hook than monohull sailboats?

The term trawler covers a wide range of boats. Some with the traditional round bottom and soft chines can be quite rolly. Those with hard chines (semi displacement or semi planing) can be much more stable at anchor without anti roll devices. A lower center of gravity (no fly bridge ) also can make a huge difference.

Ted

 

[DHeckrotte]

Will, we are among the many sailors who have moved to the dark side. We bought our 'Terminal Trawler' almost two years ago. We tired of the clambering but did not tire of the beauty of being on the water.

I had planned that the learning curve involved with a more complex and different sort of vessel would be slow enough to not be painful; turned out not true given the age and condition of the boat that we liked and bought.

Trawlers are attractive to sailors, I think, because they're commodious, safe for old salts/farts to move around on, often 'traditional' in appearance, and just a little faster than a sailboat. I think the real difference between trawlers and other power boats, besides speed, is the helm door which enables the person at the helm to see and to get on deck more quickly, and without clambering.

Our TT does seem to roll more at the dock than the adjacent powerboats, even with chines.

 

[FF]

"can be much more stable at anchor without anti roll devices"

At anchor , in smooth water every boat is grand.

The hassle with chines is they cal lift the side of the boat far more rapidly and let it down faster in a beam sea.

Its the change in velocity (rapidity of the change) that causes discomfort.

 

[WillMcclard]

We like the idea of foregoing the flybridge for more stability on hook but the boats I find without FB increase the cockpit area at the expense of interior space. The mainship 34 pilot puts the galley down in a hole like a sailboat and I'm not sure it is still a trawler.
I see the flybridge as creating lots of windage, and instability in smaller trawlers, but they have the galley and salon in a windowed area and the main cabin more than just a v berth, all in 34 to 39 ft.
Boats are such compromises. We like the floating condo, but want it to be safe and stable.
Larger ground tackle, flopper stoppers, only doing short hops on nice days, and never be far from help, will have to make it work.
Perhaps there is our perfect boat out there that we just haven't found yet.
If a small trawler is too rolly at hook for us can flopper stoppers be used without a boom?
Has anyone had experience with using them?
Perhaps anchorages in the Bahamas and east coast are much better than Mexico and we are fretting about nothing.

 

[IronZebra]

Perhaps look at a motorsailor that has a good range on the engine only. Then you can fair weather sail if you feel like it. Naticat are ketches with smaller sails to handle when you do. Also solid fiberglass so no worries on soft decks.

1985 Nauticat 33 Ketch Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

1971 Gulfstar 36 Sedan Pilothouse Motorsailor Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

1986 Nauticat 36 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

1979 Nauticat Motorsailor Ketch Rig Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

 

[Bob Cofer]

In most cases the FB does not add to the living area but does make for a nice lounging space. If you find a boat that suits you removing the FB is not an impossible task. We did that on our 32’ Grand Banks.

 

[psneeld]

My Albin 40 which has a 34 foot watetline and fine entry. It rolls very easily.

If in an anchorage that is rolly, i will boom and hoist my dingy out to one side just a few inches above the water. One it makes it harder to steal, two it cuts down the rolling noticeably.

The boom isnt long or able to go out past 45 degrees or so, but a flopper stopper would be as effective and maybe more so than the dingy. So if I ever start using anchorages that would benefit from full time flopper stoppers, it would be easy enough to fashion and fit a few brackets and arms amidships using stays up to the mast.

 

[WillMcclard]

My wife has found a blog from some cruisers who spent 20 years on a 34 trawler in the areas we are interested in. They mostly anchored and wrote a book about anchorages on the icu and Bahamas. They did not have enough problems with rolling to address the issue.
Thanks psneeld. I also found some info about rigging stabilizers on boomless boats. I think i can let this issue go now.
Thanks for the boat references and picture of a flyless flybridge boat. What I really learned was how lazy I am. Boats with sails and rigging tend to worry me. Bright work flat out scares me. That must be why I'm attracted to the mainships so much. When I see pictures of them I see no wood exposed to the weather.

 

[Seevee]

We like the idea of foregoing the flybridge for more stability on hook but the boats I find without FB increase the cockpit area at the expense of interior space. The mainship 34 pilot puts the galley down in a hole like a sailboat and I'm not sure it is still a trawler.
I see the flybridge as creating lots of windage, and instability in smaller trawlers, but they have the galley and salon in a windowed area and the main cabin more than just a v berth, all in 34 to 39 ft.
Boats are such compromises. We like the floating condo, but want it to be safe and stable.
Larger ground tackle, flopper stoppers, only doing short hops on nice days, and never be far from help, will have to make it work.
Perhaps there is our perfect boat out there that we just haven't found yet.
If a small trawler is too rolly at hook for us can flopper stoppers be used without a boom?
Has anyone had experience with using them?
Perhaps anchorages in the Bahamas and east coast are much better than Mexico and we are fretting about nothing.

Will,

There's a lot of choices in the Mainship line.

The 34 Trawler does have the sunken galley, wider flybridge, and was made until 2008 and competes price wise with the 40, which, personally I feel is a better boat for a lot of reasons... It's about 39 feet long, very close to all of the boats mentioned here.

Mainship made a MT and a few other 34s that are totally different. I'm only addressing the trawlers.

The 35/39 Mainships are very similar, both 39ft long 14ft beam. Galley not sunk, across from the lower helm, but does block the view a bit. Curved stairs. Replaced by the 40 which was very similar but 2 ft longer and a ton of small improvements, galley behind the helm, overhand off the flybridge that covers the walkway, etc.

All of the above have stairs, nice for us old farts and our grandmas. And all have nice flybridges, with aft overhang.

Mainship was sold as the "Chevy" of trawlers, very basic, reasonably well built but not a lot of fancy stuff. More utilitarian.

I've attached a comparison of the 350/390 and the 400 for info.

And one can get a later Mainship for the price of a much older "high end" boat like the Kady or the Grand Banks. However, those boats are very nice, too.

I looked at all of the above before deciding on the Mainship 400, which I'm very happy with, and the Admiral loves it and can handle it, which is a big thing for me. The only thing I might have done different is to get twins instead of the single, but not that huge to be disappointed.