[Burndog]

Hello,
We have some family members considering a 38' Trawler built in the early 80s.

I know a few of you guys have Trawlers and would like to ask for some advice. Is there anyway to charter a like sized boat to test prior to buying one? We're being offered a sea trial as the final contingency of sale.

Are there rentals of boats of this size in the Dana Point/Newport area?

Lastly , are they worth it? Dual diesels with over 1000 hours on them. Are these boats that will take more of your life in repair and maintenance than in cruising and enjoying?

Thanks for any advise given

 

[oden1viking]

Trawlers tend to be less expensive to run than a like sized sport fisher, you just have to resign yourself to a more leisurely pace. Diesels with 1000 hours on them are barely broken in especially non-turboed versions. The maintenance on a diesel should be less expensive than a gasser if properly done and service intervals followed over time.

You might want to put this on the technical board or a link to it for more responses.

 

[oceanjake]

steve, what kind of trawler is it? do you have a link to an online advertisement? grand banks of that year were great. chb's were their cheaper counterparts, but still pretty good boats.

trawlers by their nature tend to rock and roll a bit more at anchor but also are built to do so. they are intended as long range, slow moving, fuel efficient boats. as such they are typically very seaworthy and have a good portion of their weight situated well below the waterline.

i personally have a bayliner 4588 that i fish the piss out of. the boat isn't intended to be run like a trawler but that's precisely what i do. i cruise most of the time between 8 and 10 knots, set the autopilot, and enjoy a nice meal on the way from place to place. if you can find a stabilized boat you're really in for a treat because the boat won't rock from side to side much and that makes things very comfortable. a lot of trawlers are stabilized.

if you're in a hurry to get somewhere, the trawler isnt' for you...but typically you can chug along and expect fuel economy of about 2mpg or so. if you need to get somewhere in a hurry, a sportfisher is for you...but in the size range you're talking, expect to shell out for a MINIMUM of 35 gallons per hour

 

[Burndog]

It's a Fu Hwa

Here's the advert as it's a local Dana Point boat:

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1380345/0

 

[vaaler]

I have an early 80s trawler with 1000 hours on the engines. Maintenance cost and time have been reasonable. My cost has been close to the 10%/5% rule - expect to spend 10% of the cost of the boat each year on taxes, fees, and maintenance if you have somebody else do the work, and 5% if you do the work yourself.

Have the boat surveyed. You might be very sorry if you don't. Most early 80s trawlers had or will have at least 2 major maintenance expenses - replacement of rusted out fuel tanks for ~$25k and replacement of leaky teak decks for ~$25k or more. The last guy put in new tanks. I will probably get to do the decks. The only major maintenance I have needed to do in 4 years is to replace/rebuild all of the heat exchangers for about $3k in parts.

A bonus of having all that wood trim - If you want the brightwork to look nice you can expect to pay $10k to revarnish the outside and $20k to revarnish the inside.

Big_E

 

[Wideopen]

Maybe now we can finally get a trawler board! ;-) Seems there are more and more of us turtles creeping onto AC these day's.....think fuel prices have something to do with it? She looks like a nice boat there, and IMHO, market priced. I think the Cummins 150's will suit it just fine, and like Frank said, on a trawler, 1000 hours is just broken in.....Now as for that 12 knot top speed, I'd like to see that! That's ok, Brokers tend to inflate this. I have the MTU 175's and get 6-7 GPH at 9 knot cruise, turboed. As for rolling on the hook, we have a keel, plus I put out flooper stoppers on the mooring, and baffles it pretty well. Looks like yours has a steadying sail, so that may help when underway as well, I've heard they actually help you make about an additional 1/2 to 1 knot of speed! Go on www.passagemaker.com and peak around there, it's all trawler owners and great info and advice. Question, do you have a slip set up yet? If not, you better have that secured, before you buy, and be very careful the broker does'nt promise you something he can't deliver on for a slip! Ditto on the survey!

 

[Burndog]

Thanks for the replies... I was at Passagemaker earlier today and sure enough, saw the pic of a Trawler with her sails up. We were wondering what the reference to "Mast" was all about in the advertisment.

There is some talk of somehow getting the slip transferable via some techno dealer talk. I guess this is one point we should really make sure flys as I doubt we can trailer that boat and park it in the front yard like mine...

 

[Wils]

Ask the broker about any similar boats that you can charter.

A full survey will include a sea trial by the surveyor. The boat will be hauled to inspect the bottom for previous repairs & blistering. This is a 2-day process that will pay for itself even if you dont buy the boat. The insurance company is going to require a survey less than 2 years old as the boat is 20 years old. Some marina require one also of any boat that is 20 years old. If the owner balks in any way, shape or form to a full survey....walk away from it.

This hull looks identical to mine - 38' Taiwanese hull. The interior layout matches, also.

Are the tanks one on each side? The fuel tank issue can not be fully diagnosed unless the panelling in front of the tanks is removed. A visual inspection via the factory access holes won't let you see the exterior bottoms of either tank.

Twin Cummins? They should last an easy 5000 hours.

 

[Wils]

RE: Slip availability

Many dealers have an x-amount of slips that they have at their disposal. Get one in writing before you sign on the dotted line.

Where are they planning on calling "home"? Check out the local yacht clubs. They have an x-amount of slips available to them also.

I hear that paying off a dockmaster can't hurt, either.

Otherwise, getting a slip as a "general population" boat owner is a loooooooooong wait anywhere from MDR south.

Channel Islands and Ventura have shorter waiting lists with a couple of the marinas operating on a "first-come; first-served" basis.

 

[Wideopen]

RE: Slip availability

>>I hear that paying off a dockmaster can't hurt, either.
>
Now where would you have heard something like that? :7

 

[Wils]

RE: better question

>>>I hear that paying off a dockmaster can't hurt, either.
>>
>Now where would you have heard something like that? :7

Where HAVEN'T I heard that? LMAO!!!!

(Luckily, I didn't have to go in that direction )

 

[reddog]

Trawling

Here is a great list for all things Trawler. You sign up and get it via email. Send in/respond to questions via email also. A wealth of knowledge and experiance. Subscribe @

http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawlers-and-trawlering


Looks like a nice boat and as Bill said a fair price. Taiwan built some great boats and some not so great boats. Hwa's generally have a good reputation. One major expense on that age/type is the cabin around the windows. After 20 years the windows may have been leaking which does a number on the plywood cabin sides. The damage can be pretty well hidden by fresh paint and $$$ to fix right. Surveyors often miss the extent of the problem so check it out carefully. A slip is very important. IMO while you could spend as much as you lik on boats Big_E's costs are high. If the boat needs new fuel tanks I would be willing to install them for considerable less than $25K

I agree - where is the AC trawler board????????

 

[Wideopen]

RE: Trawling

I will echo Kerry's comments on the window's, One of our big $$$ projects this winter was all new windows! We had to stop the cancer!

Edit: However, I will not agree with Kerry on joining that website e-mail program.....holy crap, I did it 2 hours ago, and have recieved 25 e-mails since then! I unsubcribed just now! Unless you are retired and have all the time you want on the hook and this is your chat room entertainment, not for me!

 

[TAURUS]

owning a trawler is more of a 'lifestyle'...they require more free time than a trailer boat...if you're the kind of person that wants to spend the entire weekend on the water rather than just the day, then a trawler is for you.

 

[chucknorris]

>It's a Fu Hwa
>Here's the advert as it's a local Dana Point boat:
>http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1380345/0

Parts of that boat look like a CHB, some from the Marine Trader and many others. It was amazing how many different â??brandsâ?? were coming out of Taiwan back then. For many years one or two yards were cranking out the hulls, deck and house and the smaller yards were finishing them under their own brand name. Thatâ??s why many different brands look the same or have identical features. Some of the details of the boat in Dana Pt. are exactly like my MT-44. American Tanks out of San Diego is fairly reasonable when it comes to tank replacement, or so Iâ??ve he. You will find lots of room inside these boats, as other areas were compromised such as some engine rooms with twins. Upgrades are a common practice. As I was completing my new autopilot installation, I decided to re-engineer and replace most of the mechanical steering system. It will be rock solid when I am done. Some of the supports were steel and in exposed areas, (damp) those pieces were falling apart. There was not enough bearing support and sections of the rotary steering shafts were bent (they used hollow pipe!). Now its solid bar stainless in the aft section, additional bearings for lateral support and loading, and stainless support frames. Pictures and story of this to come soon when all my wounds and bruises heal. Sorry for the digression.
Norris

 

[chucknorris]

I was so excited about the "new" trawler board that I post the same post twice..........................

 

[vaaler]

RE: Trawling

Two old tanks out and two new tanks in should be quite a bit less than $25k if he is lucky enough to only need that. My boat required the all too common removal of the original 2 tanks with a sawsall and then 4 new tanks, new tank supports, 2 additional fillers/vents, and all new plumbing to the engines.

Big_E

 

[Burndog]

RE: Trawling

Well, now my family members are thinking an '05 Chaparral 290 Signature Cruiser may be more to their liking than the Trawler. Concerns about the musty smell and it possibly being related to rotting decks swayed them to a newer boat.

Thanks for all the help and advice. And good luck getting the Trawler Board up and running as it looks to already have a good following