Pete Meisinger
Guru
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2012
- Messages
- 3,145
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Best Alternative
- Vessel Make
- 36 Albin Aft Cabin
I stand corrected.
pete
pete
Trawler versus Tug
- Thread starter crappierod
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Fletcher500
Guru
Personal choices, everyone gets to choose what works for them. Since I retired 3 years ago, I love life at 7 Knots for the type of boating we are doing. Every day on the water is a gift, what’s the rush. If someone could magically make our boat go 10 knots faster, I would say no thank you.
firehoser75
Guru
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2018
- Messages
- 1,719
- Location
- Canada
- Vessel Name
- former owner of "Pilitak"
- Vessel Make
- Nordic Tug 37
Crappierod,
No one can tell you what boat is "best"!
It is a personal choice, based on planned usage, wants, desires, don't want, etc. etc.
However, with that being said, single engine "Tugs" are best
For us, based on how we planned to use the boat, we wanted a pilothouse, a water level (covered) back cockpit with swim grid, single engine, and preferably 2 cabin (mainly for storage), etc. We did not want a flybridge, twin engine, screwed down teak decks, exterior wood trim, etc. etc.
For us, the Nordic Tug 37 (also called 39 or 40 depending on model year), turned out to be a great choice. We cruised almost all the time between 7 and 8 knots (burning 2 gal per hour), but were capable of 14 knots. With careful planning and seamanship, we found the hull to be very capable and a mostly comfortable ride (beam seas being the exception but can alter course to somewhat compensate).
For us, taking into account local conditions, our own skills (and lack thereof), a single engine with bow thruster worked well. In the PNW (as previously defined), there is often an abundance of "floatsum" and debris and having a "protected prop" worked well for us and gave us some comfort regarding the almost unavoidable impacts from debris. Plus twins in the 40 foot range usually means a very cramped engine room making access for maintenance difficult (to sometimes near impossible for an older, less mobile person). Maintenance is also 2 times the work and expense. Just my experience and opinion, and I realize there are also potential "benefits" to twin engines as well, so it becomes, what tradeoffs does each boater want to make?? I have never heard of a "wing" or "get home" engine in a 40 foot boat, but I guess it's possible (but far from common). The best defense against issues with a single engine, is to ensure that a well thought out maintenance program is followed, and little issues are "repaired" as noticed. Many single engine boats travel from the Seattle area to Alaska annually with no (very few) real issues, but going so far off the "beaten track" does require a well maintained boat!!
Good luck with your boat search!
No one can tell you what boat is "best"!
It is a personal choice, based on planned usage, wants, desires, don't want, etc. etc. However, with that being said, single engine "Tugs" are best
For us, based on how we planned to use the boat, we wanted a pilothouse, a water level (covered) back cockpit with swim grid, single engine, and preferably 2 cabin (mainly for storage), etc. We did not want a flybridge, twin engine, screwed down teak decks, exterior wood trim, etc. etc.
For us, the Nordic Tug 37 (also called 39 or 40 depending on model year), turned out to be a great choice. We cruised almost all the time between 7 and 8 knots (burning 2 gal per hour), but were capable of 14 knots. With careful planning and seamanship, we found the hull to be very capable and a mostly comfortable ride (beam seas being the exception but can alter course to somewhat compensate).
For us, taking into account local conditions, our own skills (and lack thereof), a single engine with bow thruster worked well. In the PNW (as previously defined), there is often an abundance of "floatsum" and debris and having a "protected prop" worked well for us and gave us some comfort regarding the almost unavoidable impacts from debris. Plus twins in the 40 foot range usually means a very cramped engine room making access for maintenance difficult (to sometimes near impossible for an older, less mobile person). Maintenance is also 2 times the work and expense. Just my experience and opinion, and I realize there are also potential "benefits" to twin engines as well, so it becomes, what tradeoffs does each boater want to make?? I have never heard of a "wing" or "get home" engine in a 40 foot boat, but I guess it's possible (but far from common). The best defense against issues with a single engine, is to ensure that a well thought out maintenance program is followed, and little issues are "repaired" as noticed. Many single engine boats travel from the Seattle area to Alaska annually with no (very few) real issues, but going so far off the "beaten track" does require a well maintained boat!!
Good luck with your boat search!
We aren't talking about real tugs or real trawlers here. In both cases, these are recreational yachts, styled to look like something that they really are not. In recreational yachts, there is nothing unique in hull form, propulsion, or any other objective spec to either style. SD, D, single, twin, flybridge or no, all can and do appear in either style.
A sailboat (modern one anyway) is easier to dock than a trawler type yacht with a single and no thruster. But many or most trawler type yachts have one or more thrusters, which overcomes pretty much all the maneuvering advantage of twins. Twins decrease reliability (an engine is twice as likely to fail), but also decrease the consequences of an engine failure (if you still have one running).
North Baltic sea
Guru
I have boated with several types of boats, sail, planing boats, displacement boats, and recently a single screw "tug" inspired SD Hull Nordic tug 37.
It is very seaworthy and well designed and logically easy to use in the harbor, achor or at sea, even when the wave gets big and annoying.
The best thing is the fuel economy and the speed is also slow at 5-6,5 knots +6nm/gal , last seasons gal diesel pay here +12$
NBs
It is very seaworthy and well designed and logically easy to use in the harbor, achor or at sea, even when the wave gets big and annoying.
The best thing is the fuel economy and the speed is also slow at 5-6,5 knots +6nm/gal , last seasons gal diesel pay here +12$
NBs
Finnegus
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2020
- Messages
- 71
- Vessel Name
- Morning Star
- Vessel Make
- Roughwater 37 SPF
I call my boat a 37' Roughwater, a trawler but it is probably more accuratly a Sportfisher. It is funny that my boat could be purchased with a single Perkins or Lehmans 120-160 HP diesel or single or twin 250 HP Detroit Diesels.
With the single the boat has a cruise of 6-10 knots. As configured I can cruise for pennies at 8 knots or easyly cruise at 16 knots. The boat planes at 13.5 knots. At some point you have to argue that rather than form, unless you look below the water line, how you use the boat may define it more than the associated marketing terms! If you look at old ads for the roughwater, the single engine boats in the SPF series were called "trawlers" and the twin engine boats were called "Sportfishers"
With the single the boat has a cruise of 6-10 knots. As configured I can cruise for pennies at 8 knots or easyly cruise at 16 knots. The boat planes at 13.5 knots. At some point you have to argue that rather than form, unless you look below the water line, how you use the boat may define it more than the associated marketing terms! If you look at old ads for the roughwater, the single engine boats in the SPF series were called "trawlers" and the twin engine boats were called "Sportfishers"
mvweebles
Guru
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2019
- Messages
- 7,684
- Location
- United States
- Vessel Name
- Weebles
- Vessel Make
- 1970 Willard 36 Trawler
The R37 came off the drawing board of Ed Monk, one of the Holy Trinity of erstwhile Trawler Naval Architects (Wm Garden and Art Defever being the other two). A good friend sold his R37 and regretted it, then bought another. Both singles.
Anyone who sees the very traditional interior would not hesitate to call these trawlers under current vernacular use of the term.
Damn fine boat.
Peter
Mac2
Guru
Monkey wrench: Don’t forget George Bueller’s “trollers “. The Coot would fit the bill (excuse the pun) nicely.
backinblue
Guru
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2019
- Messages
- 3,938
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Blue Moon
- Vessel Make
- Mainship Pilot 355
...and this is called a submarine.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/C....3442131!4d-118.3214121!10e5!16s/g/113j7fprt#
https://www.google.com/maps/place/C....3442131!4d-118.3214121!10e5!16s/g/113j7fprt#
I went through some of the same contemplation until I actively shopped for a tug. Yes, they look cool, but the ones that can be trailered are intentionally narrow so they aren’t considered “wide loads”
I found them small and cramped. Then I discovered a beamy 29’ Prairie and was amazed at how much more space it had. Add a flying bridge and you get much more outdoor space. Few tugs have those.
Should you be interested, we’re now needing a larger boat and have it for sale. It’s also about 1/5 the cost of a used 29’ tug.
Here’s a link to the ad should you want more info.
https://www.curtisstokes.net/trawlers-for-sale-prairie-boat-works-29-diego-mateo-2796539.html
I found them small and cramped. Then I discovered a beamy 29’ Prairie and was amazed at how much more space it had. Add a flying bridge and you get much more outdoor space. Few tugs have those.
Should you be interested, we’re now needing a larger boat and have it for sale. It’s also about 1/5 the cost of a used 29’ tug.
Here’s a link to the ad should you want more info.
https://www.curtisstokes.net/trawlers-for-sale-prairie-boat-works-29-diego-mateo-2796539.html
