What is a trawler?

[SteveK]

What length is a boat a yacht? If a trawler gets long enough does it loose its ever urning Trawler status and become a yacht?

Length/size does not matter.
No trawler is a yacht. No yacht is a trawler.
Each is a definition in the mind of the owner.

 

[FF]

Most anything that floats is a Yacht , if it was built for recreation not industry, including a sailing dink.

 

[Okydowky]

I have just found so many people are so concerned of entitlement of there boats. Like what is a trawler, for some it’s seems prestige to call there boat a trawler. I don’t get it, slow? Fast? Square? It’s a boat...And then you throw in what’s a yacht, really the terminology is anything over 33’. 33 is not quite a yacht in my mind, lol.

Any trawler I have been on smelt like dead fish on deck and stinky ole fisher men down below sleeping on 8 plywood bunks. Lucky to be able to sit on a toilet with out your arse being splashed with salt water.

 

[markpierce]

Like I asked before, probably elsewhere since this question erupts new threads, what did the originator of the site have in mind when meaning "trawler."

Perhaps just an engine-powered recreational vessel with living accomodations.

 

[Landlegs]

Well... a sportfisherman is not a trawler. Neither is a motorsailer, nor is anything that planes.

I'd say a trawler is a recreational motor vessel with a displacement hull and living accommodations for extended stays. It would typically not be "over-powered", where that would mean that it could adequately maintain hull speed in the face of wind and sea state. The proverbial 80hp wouldn't be something you'd want to rely on for passage-making, however fine it might be most of the time on the Loop.

 

[Nomad Willy]

I have just found so many people are so concerned of entitlement of there boats. Like what is a trawler, for some it’s seems prestige to call there boat a trawler. I don’t get it, slow? Fast? Square? It’s a boat...And then you throw in what’s a yacht, really the terminology is anything over 33’. 33 is not quite a yacht in my mind, lol.

Any trawler I have been on smelt like dead fish on deck and stinky ole fisher men down below sleeping on 8 plywood bunks. Lucky to be able to sit on a toilet with out your arse being splashed with salt water.

It has to do w masculinity and weight.
The weight of a trawler is the most important and active element of trawlerness, both recreational trawlers and fishing trawlers. People like the image of their things to amplify the image of themselves that they most want to project. Rec trawlers have a more masculine image than most pleasure boats due significantly to their physical weight. Kinda like a PU truck (bigger the better) and black in color gets even more milage.

Trawlers evolved from cruisers. And that’s what they really are. But if you analyze their qualities, mass or weight is the essence that sticks out the furthest. And to the greatest extent. Slow does too but for a time (15yrs?) they actually called Heavy Cruisers. The old wood 40’ bridgedeck cruisers were typical as a break off point. Most Heavy Cruisers went up in weight from the “Monk” boats designed by Ed Monk and son.

The trawler rec boat radiates more than a little masculinity. They also project an image of a skipper that’s had fast boats and that’s been around some and does fit another image that’s also sought after .. saltyness. The old skipper in wool shirt and smoking a pipe.

So when newbies right off the bat ask if their boat is within the definition of a trawler he’s looking to be seen as a salty skipper associated most often w man-like images. Very few of us will reject such attention.
But this essence of the TF man w a trawler isn’t universal at all. Many and perhaps most of us are just interested in things “boat”. But many want their boat to sound big, look big and even tip the scales big. I’ve even heard “bigger is better” here on TF.

 

[SteveK]

Umm, Eric? That description is well, how shall I put it, a willy good description.

 

[Nomad Willy]

OK good

Deviating from the self may be uncomfortable.

 

[psneeld]

Some of us don't even need a boat to be a man, so I call my boat a trawler because a huge segment of the boating industry does too.


I would like to be respected by other respected boaters than try and be a fish swimming against the tide.

 

[markpierce]

I just wanted/acquired a boat with a diesel engine, keel/skeg-protected rudder and propeller, strong (doesn't wiggle) railings, 360-degree deck, and accommodations for overnight cruises. Believe most would define it as a recreational trawler.

Those specifications do not define a recreational trawler, but they resulted in one.

 

[warren]

Trawler yacht

I think the question should be what is a ‘trawler yacht ‘? We know a ‘trawler’ is a fishing boat.

 

[NCheaven]

Are there others who find the topic of "What is a trawler?" sort of addictive, allowing enough variance of reasonable opinion that invites definitions, sage insights, pithy comments that would make a Brit MP (Member of Parliament) envious, expressions of ardent individuality, and occasionally an attempt at consensus building? The Topic provides a great winter break for the boat obsessed to share our perspectives on what a trawler is and isn't, perhaps revealing a bit about whom we are as individuals and a community.

I salute the definitions - quick response in the #2 post on this thread. It's always important to have some foundation. For me it's axiomatic, and I neither trawl and only quite ineffectively "Troll", skunked at my attempts to catch a fish trolling a top water Rapala, a bucktail, or a Clark spoon. So, perhaps the phrase that the industry frequently uses "Trawler Yacht" may apply to the boats we love, unless you, like me, prefer not to use the term "yacht", as I have neither the wardrobe on board to commune with Thurston Howell III, or a boat that might someday make the pages of the infomercial now published as "Yachting", many years ago a pretty good read. But, the term Trawler Yacht does get across the point that most of our boats don't qualify for the term "Trawler", any more than I qualify as "fisherman" by dragging stuff behind my boat completely un-appealing to fish, so far. (Faith, hope and love of trying remain.)

I am striving today to try to develop consensus about what is a trawler, probably no more successfully than CPAC will be this weekend in finding consensus among a certain political party's various factions. But, I'll try.

I suspect we can get most of us to agree that what most owners of recreational "trawlers" believe is that our boats in various degrees have "Trawler Like Attributes". Perhaps we can agree that not all boats have all the trawler like attributes, but that it would be appropriate to recognize boats that have some/several/many/numerous trawler like attributes as "Trawlers". Respecting each owner's individuality and self-determinant formation of opinions is key here. After all, many of us think we have the most appropriate names for our boats, some the most humorous, the most nautical, the most clever, the most historic, etc. I know that I do. Sadly, maybe some of us might be so crude as to look disparagingly at a boat name or two while dock walking in distant ports - surely not on our own home port docks. With such breadth of opinion on boat names, we must allow some room for breadth of opinion on what might be essential/important/contributory/unimportant or even frivolous attempts in identifying trawler like attributes.

This is where divergence of opinion is inescapable. In my career we used the term "tackling dummy" for an idea submitted for consideration by the rest of the team to take shots at, depersonalizing while valuing the initial opinion and responses, even the highly unwarranted, vicious slander fired at my sterling opinions, Bless Their Hearts. ("BTH" - a Southernism worth learning and applying when you want to reply kindly and politely with slightly veiled fierce invective.)

My "tackling dummy" would include some heft, measurable in displacement/LOA, ideally a keel preferably with a skeg/rudder combination protecting the propeller, a wheel house/cabin steering station, a proportion of freeboard at the bow that says, "We're undeterred" by wind/waves of some amount that grows in severity as our stories are retold, and a helm station that makes us feel as much the mariner as riding a horse makes us feel like John Wayne. ("There's something about riding on a prancing horse makes a man feel like something when he really ain't worth a thing" - Will Rogers). Endurance is another requisite attribute that might translate our stories of our voyages into fables of legendary proportions. Also, we must include a walk around deck wide enough for an anemic ballerina to transit without falling overboard while the boat is stilled on glassy water, such deck giving a utilitarian appearance that speaks authenticity to dock-walkers. A flybridge is a plus. A diesel is essential for reliable power and safety. As for power and speed - the public and the boating press are insatiable on that subject while fuel is cheap and the earth hasn't yet turned into a poached egg, so let's pretend to be inclusive and allow any combination of power and speed that doesn't merit painting "Miss Budweiser" on the hull, holding what we really think to ourselves and close friends. Even Trawler mags have advertisers to deal with, BTH.

Well, those are a few of my "trawler attributes" that contribute to my feeling smug about MY boat having the merits that earn the classification of "Trawler" (implying "Trawler Yacht" less the Yacht thing), despite the laughter from the fish below as they critique my fishing proficiency.

Generously, I welcome others to add their comments and suggestions to mine or perhaps even to express opinions different than mine, BTH.

 

[psneeld]

In my experience, traditional trawlers usually has a mast with working rigging which is much of the reason the comparison to work oats was made.

What many here try to explain just makes no sense to me based on what many mags, ads, classifieds, etc...etc...have traditionally labeled trawlers for over 45 years I have been following their history.

 

[Art]

What Is a Trawler

 

[Nomad Willy]

What .. Art?

Don’t have anything to add?

 

[Nomad Willy]

Here’s a short description that is hard to argue with.
Very accurate and brief.


“Imo, a recreational trawler generally travels in displacement mode and has a salty rugged appearance”
From Ted as O C Diver.

 

[Nomad Willy]

And N Chelaven takes us to the “trawler attributes” world.

Yes I agree ... but not on all the attributes.
Everything is a sum of it’s parts. Some parts necessary and some can be done w/o at times or when backed up w others. There are some boats that just look like a trawler but have no other trawler attributes .. like perhaps a Ranger. An Albin 25 is light, w long range and travels at slow speeds. But few would call them a trawler (I would) but they are a light boat and don’t look like a trawler. An Ed Monk 40’ cruiser w a diesel engine to me is a full-blood trawler but definitely looks 100% like a cruiser .. most would call them a cruiser. A Camano Troll is mostly cruiser but looks 99% like a trawler. But they are planing hulls that go 20 knots. A Grand Banks 32,36 and 42 are trawlers. I challenge anybody to find a trawler attribute missing from these grand GB boats.

Personally I wouldn’t call a FB a trawler attribute. I’d call it a yacht attribute.
And weight is a hardest trawler attribute to dismiss. But if otherwise ladened w trawler attributes many boats like the little Albin should be included.
I’ve always called the trawler attributes trawler elements or variables. Attributes is a better word.

Mark has a good scope on trawlers but I dismiss his notion that walk around decks is an attribute of trawlers. Just my opinion.

And I dismiss NC haven’s idea that speed is basically irrelevant to the question. Weight is IMO an attribute 99% required of the type. It’s the attribute that separates trawlers from other boats. And the best quick way to measure it is observing speeds .. or the lack of speed.

But since there are so many attributes and combinations there-of few will agree on one definition. But the question of who are we and what do we have seems important.