What the...? "Trawler/Sailboat"?

[kthoennes]

Came down to the marina today and I was chatting with the one of the guys in the store - he mentioned somebody just shipped in a "trawler/sailboat" from Alabama. Sure buddy, I thought to myself, there is no such thing (although there are trawlers with steadying sails of course), but okay, if that's what you want to call it. So I went out to the yard and sure enough. What the heck is that thing?

No brand or maker marks of any kind. Big fat very deep hull, almost tug-boaty. Hard to see in the photo, but two masts, not just one - ketch or yawl? Although I didn't climb on board so maybe two masts of different length, different height options maybe with only one mast step, not sure. Georgia registration. Anybody want to venture what the boat might be?

Photo to follow in a second...

 

[kthoennes]

 

[Moonstruck]

Came down to the marina today and I was chatting with the one of the guys in the store - he mentioned somebody just shipped in a "trawler/sailboat" from Alabama. Sure buddy, I thought to myself, there is no such thing (although there are trawlers with steadying sails of course), but okay, if that's what you want to call it. So I went out to the yard and sure enough. What the heck is that thing?

No brand or maker marks of any kind. Big fat very deep hull, almost tug-boaty. Hard to see in the photo, but twuo masts, not just one - ketch or yawl? Although I didn't climb on board so maybe two masts of different length, different height options maybe with only one mast step, not sure. Georgia registration. Anybody want to venture what the boat might be?

Photo to follow in a second...

Fisher

 

[hmason]

Island Trader?

 

[JohnP]

Fisher

Fisher is correct--Cool boat IMHO.

JohnP

 

[Pack Mule]

Fisher for sure . Either a 30 ft 34 or 37

 

[boatpoker]

Fisher 37 - massively thick hulls, unfortunately extremely resin rich chopper and most are about as tough as a wet mattress.

 

[kthoennes]

Huh, thanks. What do you know, I never saw a Fisher before. It's so tubby I wonder how it handles. I assume they're just parking it there for the winter, no sense launching it with two weeks left in the season here. Can't wait until they launch and raise the sails on that thing in the spring, that'll be a sight to see.

 

[markpierce]

A Fisher. It's a motorsailer.

 

[FF]

Motor sailors come in a bunch of versions.

From the ancient 50/50 to the modern fully powered vessel (both power and sail ) a 90/90.

The upside is the sail style hull is strong enough for blue water ocean voyaging

the down side is one lives IN the vessel, not on the vessel ,motorboat style

so the roomaran folks need a good size 50 - 60 + ft to feel comfortable.

Hard to beat for a circumnavigation , but not a great dock queen party barge.

 

[Shoalwaters]

Fisher 37 - massively thick hulls, unfortunately extremely resin rich chopper and most are about as tough as a wet mattress.

That's a really damning statement Boatpoker. What evidence do you have to back up condemning a whole line of highly respected long distance cruising sailboats.

 

[AusCan]

Fisher 37 - massively thick hulls, unfortunately extremely resin rich chopper and most are about as tough as a wet mattress.

I don't have first hand experience with a Fisher, but I've heard nothing but good about the hulls, other than they are heavy.
This is a writeup from Classic Boat magazine:

"The heavy-duty hand-laid-up hull is built in accordance with Northshore’s Nordseal system, which provides a resin-rich outer laminate designed to prevent any risk of wicking – the usual forerunner of osmosis.

The deck is bonded to the hull in accessible areas and bolted throughout the whole hull-to-deck joint. The bulkheads are laminated to the deck, resulting in a strong, integrated unit."

 

[dhmeissner]

http://fisherboatcompany.com/Fisher Boat test - Classic Boat Magazine.pdf

 

[kthoennes]

Thanks so much for that pdf file, this has been a real education for me. I'm really surprised at that review as to its handling and speed and close-hauled sailing. I would normally think with those proportions it would be like sailing a 55-gallon drum through the water. Those two portholes on each side are so small and thick they remind me of the ports in a deep sea submersible, or a gallowglass set in the deck of a whaling ship or schooner. After googling motorsailer for the first time, I had no idea so many of them were out there. I guess I need to get out to other marinas more often.

 

[boatpoker]

That's a really damning statement Boatpoker. What evidence do you have to back up condemning a whole line of highly respected long distance cruising sailboats.

I have only surveyed five of these boats, all had massive hydrolysis and were in the process of having the bottoms re-glassed. AS all the old , wet hydrolysed resin and glass were being stripped off it was clear that resin content was excessive and that the laminate was largely chopped glass. The whole mess was so soft and wet that I could not tell if it was chopped mat or chopper gun.

That is only the beginning ... the electrical systems and tankage are nightmares. Too bad, they are great looking boats. Take a look at the Fisher catamarans, they look exactly like the monohull from the side and came with twin shafts driven from a single hydraulic drive. I like the design but the build quality is pathetic.