Trawler Travel with Young Family

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Browny

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2019
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32
Location
United States
Hi All,

I'll start by stating that I'm not new to boating, been on smaller, 25-30', powered boats my entire life, but very new to the idea of a trawler. Since my wife and got married, I have also pushed to jump on a boat and sail south to see what happens. Well, two well established careers, a growing business, spent several years building our dream house (and my garage), kids, life etc. etc.,.... we never made the jump.

I'm 33 my wife is 31, with a 5 and a 3 year old. My search for boats was seemingly easy, as a family of 4 wasn't that hard to find room for in most modest, for now, sized boats to get our feet wet. I learned a week ago that we will be adding another member to our crew, which I'm still in shock over LOL. Wrapping my head around that is one thing, but I now find myself looking at boats that really don't accommodate a family of 5, for spending any amount of time on together.

SO, I started to read through this forum, registered this morning and I'm now asking for any advice anyone can throw my way.

We live in the Buffalo, NY area right between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. My short term plan is to find a boat that is obviously well built and safe, we can be comfortable on, learn to sail well as a family, cruise around the great lakes (most Erie/Ontario to thousand Islands) and then perhaps upgrade if we decide to venture farther. I would like something that all of the kids aren't sleeping on top of each other and has a decent amount of space for the longer trips. I'd rather not get something enormous to start out with as it will be for weekends, summer vacations, and again learning/exploring.

Is there a specific boat/model/?? I should focus my search at? Something in the 35-40'(ish) range that has a layout for everyone to sleep comfortably? It appears that sail boats are better suited/laid out for more sleeping space. Am I wrong?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

- The Browns
 
Welcome! I don't have enough experience with a variety of boats to know what might fit your needs, but I'm envious of your plan and the age at which you're pursuing it. Best of luck and keep us informed of your progress.

Greg.
 
Welcome aboard. It is almost impossible to give advice as to a specific boat for someone else since what I like and or need will be different from your needs and desires. What I would suggest is to look at Yachtworld even though they recently screwed up their search function. Powerboat Guide is a good resource, it has drawings and specs for hundreds of boats. Then when it warms up walk the docks and talk to people about their boats. Most people are very willing to talk about their boat. Good luck.
 
Thanks for the welcome.

We're rather familiar with the docks as we're at them somewhat often in the summer, with our current boat. The issue we I run into is that almost zero true Trawlers in our area, at least that we've seen. Cabin cruisers?, pick your poison, they're stacked in the marinas. I'd rather having something that allows us to go a distance.

I do understand its a tough question to just throw out there! I'll check out the Powerboat Guide, and see what we can find.

Thanks!
 
Wifey B: My first question isn't about the boat but about you. How much time do you and your wife have to cruise? Time is going to be your most difficult to come by asset I suspect. As the kids get older, time gets more scarce as other demands build up. For that reason, most boaters in your demographics do not select trawlers but select a semi-displacement or even planing boat that can cover more water in the same time. Also as kids age, skiing and boards become part of boating that interests them.

This all means many options but the most popular is Sea Ray Sundancer. Now, that may not be the best choice. Perhaps a Grand Banks or similar. Or Princess or Sunseeker if going larger. Then we get into question of budget and how new or how old. Most like you would be looking for perhaps a 10 to 12 year old boat. Well, bad news there. Not many boats sold in that time period so good used ones are short. Best of luck, but start by thinking of the time and nature of any boating you will be doing. :D
 
Browny, welcome to TF. Let me throw a monkey wrench into your plans right off the bat. I've always felt when new people (new to the size you're looking at) start off, they look at boats and fall in love with one. They buy it, then discover a year or two later that it doesn't really suit their needs all that well. They wish it had a bigger....whatever. So they sell it, probably taking a financial hit on the transaction and then buy their second boat which is better suited to their needs.


My advice is to buy your second boat FIRST. Don't fall in love with a boat. Walk the docks a lot, talk to people who own boats and ask them what they don't like about their boat or what they would do differently the next time.


Than, after you've started to zero in on a make and model, think about your kids in a few short years as they become teenagers and they're all legs and they always want to invite a friend along.


Don't buy a boat just because you like it now with the thought of selling it in a couple of years and upsizing. Upsize now and save that financial hit. What you save by not buying/trading that first boat will likely pay for the upsize in boats.


WifeyB mentioned the Sea Ray Sundancer series. I've owned two of them and they're great boats. Your kids (in a few short years) will want to go tubing or water skiing. A trawler won't do that. So open your eyes to new ideas. A trawler that only goes 5-8 knots may not be the best boat for your growing family.


And that brings me to my last point--congrats on child #3.
 
I agree in buying your second boat first. You will save a lot of money. The TrawlerFests used to be a good place to walk through trawlers but I think lately they may not be as good as they used to be. Yachtworld recently removed the advanced search function in the US. But if you set your location to UK the advanced search is still there but you have to select US dollars and feet vs meters you can specify what you want to search on. Spend some time and look at lots of different boats and you will start to get a feel for what you like.
 
Ryan
Welcome aboard TF.
We are a little east of you over on the Finger Lakes.
A good place to start is the Boat Search 101 thread in Gen Discussion area.
My advice to those making a big step in boating is always the same...
Write down how you intend to use the boat
List your Must Have, Wants, and Dont Wants
Have your spouse / mate do the same independently
Then compare notes... compromise (if in doubt just do it her way)
Then and only then start seriously looking at boats.
Walk as many marina docks as possible be sure to ask owners how they use their boat as well as what they like / dislike about it for their use.
Only you can decide if your family will enjoy a cruising vacation vs a stay around home marina with lots of time to swim, fish, ski etc vs " cruising" especially cruising at 7-8 knots.
A great way to test likes would be to rent / charter a boat up on the Rideau Canal and experience it first hand w/o a major investment to find out. Le Boat has a decent variety of cruisers (not trawlers but close enough for trials) in their fleet. The other option is a house noat rental either on the Rideau or St Lawrence. It would be a great experience even if you & mate decide it's not for you. You may, however, fall in love with it and want to make the change.
Many trawler owners satisfy their & kids desire to go fast, fish, ski etc w/ a well equipped dingy and other water toys... kayak, SUPs, etc.
 
Thanks for all the words of wisdom. I can’t agree more not to buy the first thing we fall in love with. We won’t be a full time cruising family anytime soon, if ever. I more or less want something that will fit us all and allow us to travel and take vacations (across Lake Ontario), as well as weekend play days in the river and Lake Erie.

I completely agree that the kids may have the urge to ski and go fast. We have a go fast boat now, and will probably keep it for that exact purpose.

We have looked at a cabin cruiser, like the Sundancers, but I fail to see how well they’ll compare to try and tour the Great Lakes. To be honest, I haven’t looked that much into them. A trawler or sail boat (I know apples to oranges) has always been the dream. The problem has been finding a boat that we feel is adequate size with out spending a few 100k.
 
You should buy my parents boat if they ever decide to part with it. Mainship 34 II. It's on Seneca Lake.

Would be a great boat at a good price point for a young family.

Manicoolers aren't scary in fresh water.

Either way, Mainship 34s are a lot of boat for the money.
 
I think that just about any aft cabin boat in the 35 + foot range will serve you well. It doesn't have to be a trawler but that would be a great choice.

Aft cabin so you and the spouse can have a room, the two older kids can each have a berth in the bow "V" berth and the baby can sleep just about anywhere but probably on the fold down dinette.

Go for it,

pete
 
Keep in mind that young kids can and often do find room where there is some. Some second stateroom boats will have bunks and that will take care of two of the kids. As they grow and are more responsible maybe the salon with a convertible or sleeper sofa. Another thought would be to spread out on the flybridge too, this will give the older kids a sense of independence. A solid boat for the family could be had for just over 100k, like a Bayliner 3988 or the like. All boats are a compromise, everyone remaining flexible in the family and they'll all get something from it.
More importantly is to keep them involved everyone will want to go more because of it.
Only you and your family can make the decision as to what is the right boat. However, knowing how many will be in tow I'd say a 2 stateroom/2 head layout would be very comfortable. You could go slightly larger and hit the jackpot with a 3 stateroom 2 head layout. But that will require 50' something more than likely. :eek:
 
Out of curiosity, because I’ve never looked at cruisers, what would be the benefit or drawbacks of going with a aft cabin “motor cruiser” over a trawler? Sure, I could get from place to place quicker, but at what cost? From everything I’ve researched the trawlers major appeal is their efficiency under way. A larger cruiser, though faster, would likely get gallons to the mile vs. the trawler.

Just part of my thinking.

I like the idea of an after cabin vessel as it would allow us to squeeze in for a week or two vacation.
 
Often times the use of the word trawler is used to describe a boating lifestyle. Trawler has been used to also describe a number of hull designs. Efficiency comes at a speed based off water line length. Yes some can be more efficient than others but run your boat at hull speed and it will be very efficient.
 
Browny said:
Out of curiosity, because I’ve never looked at cruisers, what would be the benefit or drawbacks of going with a aft cabin “motor cruiser” over a trawler? Sure, I could get from place to place quicker, but at what cost? From everything I’ve researched the trawlers major appeal is their efficiency under way. A larger cruiser, though faster, would likely get gallons to the mile vs. the trawler.

Just part of my thinking.

I like the idea of an after cabin vessel as it would allow us to squeeze in for a week or two vacation.
Click to expand...

Wifey B: Fuel is not going to be your major cost with the limited amount of boating you'll be doing. Docks, Insurance, Maintenance, and Depreciation will be more. Just remember a trawler or sailboat is sllllllllllllllllllloooooooooowwwww. :hide:

Now a good percentage of people here are retired or semi retired and they have more time than you will and value money more than time. You have to decide what you value, but I'd think time is very limited for you. :)
 
Don't expect you will first buy your ideal boat. Probably will take one, two, or three, more boats to get it "right"
 
Check out the BoatFam videos on youtube. They did it.

 
Group9 said:
Check out the BoatFam videos on youtube. They did it.



Click to expand...



Thanks, I watched with lots of excitement.... then hand to face ?*♂️when I saw they sold their boat due to the third child. Lol pretty much my dilemma, for lack of a better word, at the moment.

All good things, just have to keep looking at the options!
 
Browny said:
Thanks, I watched with lots of excitement.... then hand to face ?*♂️when I saw they sold their boat due to the third child. Lol pretty much my dilemma, for lack of a better word, at the moment.

All good things, just have to keep looking at the options!
Click to expand...

Wifey B: Our personal decision was no cruising with a child under 3 years old. Younger, we'd take our niece out with us for a short ride, in her mom's or my arms or essentially so. However, once the magic age (to us) of three hit we built an early love of boating in her. We started with the cutest PFD's in the world and before going near the boat, they were worn. On a day we're going to boat now, both the five year olds of our extended family will come to breakfast at our house wearing them. PFD = We get to go boating.

Now, one other thing though is that I can't captain a boat and watch a child at the same time. I don't think two adults is enough for three kids. Perhaps a dedicated baby sitter for the younger one when she's three. I'm not a parent and can't tell you how to parent, but these are just my thoughts and experience with young girls who I love very much. Others will have very different views.

The point is you do have to think it through and decide what is right for you and your family. These aspects plus the time factor are very important to consider. :)
 
Couldn’t agree more on the safety. We’ve always been extremely cautious with our kids on our current boats. No one gets on with out a life jacket, or even near the water for the matter. My son and daughter have been on boats from about 9 months old, with the best PFD we could find. They love their Salus jackets and don’t mind wearing them at all. That’s of course for day trips, nothing really extended.

While the newest is young it would likely be short day trips or maybe a stay in the marina overnight, if we find one that soon.
 
Regarding Sea Rays, they are great boats for a young family getting started in boating. That is what we did with a Sea Ray 36 SunDancer. All 4 of us would spend every weekend, year round on the boat. Much of our time was anchoring out, in and out of the water all day. Put some wetsuits on, and Winter water as well. With kids, you can work out the sleeping arrangements if you are flexible. Gas engines, so I ran it like a Trawler most of the time in regards to speed. We, or I should probably say me not my better half, got one foot itis and moved up. Should have kept her longer in retrospect. Great boat, and never gave me any problems.
 
Browny said:
Thanks, I watched with lots of excitement.... then hand to face ?*♂️when I saw they sold their boat due to the third child. Lol pretty much my dilemma, for lack of a better word, at the moment.

All good things, just have to keep looking at the options!
Click to expand...

When I think back to the arrival of our third child and his impact on our boating, it was significant.
We had a 30' sailboat, small inside compared to current designs, and we kept it in Sidney BC, while living in Port Moody, a 3 hr journey or more.
With 3 kids, getting the ferry every time we wanted to go boating was getting old. Our moorage was 1 mile (walking the most direct route) from the ferry foot ramp to our slip. W quickly decided the extra cost of moorage in Vancouver would be worth while, and moved to Thunderbird Marina in West Van. It was another 5 years before a bigger boat became necessary, and we moved up to a 37, sail. More elbow room again became a priority as the kids became teens, so another 6 years later we moved up to our 44 trawler. Then the kids got summer jobs, interests in the opposite sex, etc and stopped coming along. We have kept the trawler, as it remains the right size for our family. Now, when the kids come along, they do so in their own boats.
 
Marine Trader 34 Double Cabin has the berths you need for 3 kids and a wife and a price that will not impact their choice of colleges.
 
koliver said:
When I think back to the arrival of our third child and his impact on our boating, it was significant.

We had a 30' sailboat, small inside compared to current designs, and we kept it in Sidney BC, while living in Port Moody, a 3 hr journey or more.

With 3 kids, getting the ferry every time we wanted to go boating was getting old. Our moorage was 1 mile (walking the most direct route) from the ferry foot ramp to our slip. W quickly decided the extra cost of moorage in Vancouver would be worth while, and moved to Thunderbird Marina in West Van. It was another 5 years before a bigger boat became necessary, and we moved up to a 37, sail. More elbow room again became a priority as the kids became teens, so another 6 years later we moved up to our 44 trawler. Then the kids got summer jobs, interests in the opposite sex, etc and stopped coming along. We have kept the trawler, as it remains the right size for our family. Now, when the kids come along, they do so in their own boats.
Click to expand...



Which model trawler fit your family of 5? We’re also looking at trawler but seems most in the 45’ range have the v berth in the bow with an aft cabin. We could easily have one of them crash on the salon couch if needed, but I’ve seen a few with a third bunk.

Was there a major benefit of the trawler vs the sail?

Thanks!
 
Just throwing it out there.....a Bayliner 4788 with the three cabin layout might work well for a growing family. Not a trawler, and bigger than the wish list....but worth a look for sure.
 
An Alaska 45 often has 3 cabins. But does it have enough living space for a family of 5 or so? It`s not just about sleeping cabins.
 
Bigger than you have asked about but good deals can be had on older Hatteras 58 extended deck house Motor Yachts. Our 3 kids were in the 6 and under age bracket and grew up with it. Pretty easy to single hand and I did not even have a bow thruster. Very capable for almost all missions short of an Atlantic or pacific crossing. Stabilizers are ideal if you plan to do much offshore cruising. 4 great 2 person staterooms so as kids get older each can bring a friend. Can carry a good sized RIB or Waverunner for water sports.
I did not see it if you mentioned budget but they are in the $250k-350k range. Very frugal on fuel if you run 7-8 kts but can hit double digits if you need the speed. Fairly economical to maintain (if that can be said about a boat!). Good luck in your search.
 
If taking young kids to sea,consider the safety advantage of walk around decks and high solid bulwarks. Of course they offer a "let`s climb this" as a kind of child`s "allurement", but still better than a rail or wire barrier.
 
Never realized 3 and 5 year olds needed their own cabin.

You can stack them cordwood at that age, and they fit almost anywhere.

Space while awake, is much more important than space while asleep.
 
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