Our search for our next boat - Trawler Yacht style semi displacement

[Greg2]

Do a back search on my name. I did a pretty comprehensive pros and cons post a few years ago. I had one for a few years. In a nutshell, solid seaboat but very old fashioned in terms of hull form, engine access and use of space inside.

I read some of your comments when researching our purchase options and it was very helpful ?

Having taken onboard your thoughts and our own experience (five previous boats of varying makes and design) we opted for a Hardy 36.

Hull form? Yes, round bilged and rolls a bit and we had a very unpleasant passage through the Hurst / Needles channel at just the wrong time with wind and tide today - hideous doesn’t cover it and I was working like dog on the wheel. Good seaboat? Absolutely and today’s experience reinforced that (as well as the need for better passage planning and tapping into local knowledge).

Engine access? Yep, at 6’5” it is a pain but can I do what I need to? Yes, I can but it is hard after the huge space in our last boat, an S34. That said, we have had two Broom’s and the installation is pretty much on a par for an aft cockpit boat. The space at the front of the engines is the saving grace but the location of the dipsticks is, frankly, ridiculous.

Space inside? Actually, I disagree and think to it is pretty good and works well. Could do with a little more headroom but not a biggie as most boats don’t cater for my excessive height!

Positives - a proper boat that is easy to handle and work. No question, the best we have had and for working the decks and we like the various outdoor spaces to sit - not sports cruiser cockpit comfortable but okay for us. Downstairs helm position - just proper is all I an say. Side door access to the decks transforms the saloon, which is our new cockpit!

We are, of course, in the honeymoon period but so far we are very pleased.

 

[TheCoach]

Yes sorry Linssen is correct

Ah right, had a look at Linnsen but out of my budget I think

Cheers,

TC

 

[TheCoach]

@stuartwineberg thanks for that - I have tried forum and google search but am failing to find the relevant thread, can you remember what the title was?

Cheers,

TC

 

[TheCoach]

Later Nimbus Cruisers (335, 365, 305 405/405Flybridge) have the helm door and are good for single-handed, but may be beyond your budget. Have you considered the Beneteau Swift Trawlers.

Both Nimbus and Beneteau have the cabins forward, so may not suit you

Thanks for the ideas @NoviceRod but yes later Nimbus abd the ST's are above our budget unfortunately

Cheers,

TC

 

[Sticky Fingers]

...
We "think" our basic requirements in our next boat are:
- walk around decks
- side access from the helm to deckside (to aid single crewing)
- somewhere between 30' - 40'
- ability to cruise at ~ 13kn or more
- Mrs TC really likes at cabins
- Seadog Charlie really likes high bulwarks/rails to stop him jumping OB

Budget is up to £100k
...

TC you're in the position we all get to, that your requirements don't square with your budget...!

So the million dollar question (or £100k in your case) is, "what do you sacrifice...?" ... For example, loads of displacement boats especially Dutch steel that meet all of those except the cruising speed; or plenty of boats around that will do all of that, but not at your budget.

You might find the Brooms give you the closest to what you want, and you have to sacrifice the interior helm as suggested by @Greg2 and @Deleted User.

What a dilemma.

 

[stuartwineberg]

@stuartwineberg thanks for that - I have tried forum and google search but am failing to find the relevant thread, can you remember what the title was?

Cheers,

TC

Here’s what I wrote
Owned one for several years. Some good points, some not so good. Powerful sea boat, safe, very well built. Lovely aft cabin. Brilliant hydronic wet heating system. Good flip forward navigator seat, loads of chart storage, good chart table. Wonderful wide side decks and safe walk round. Great side door access from both sides. However quite a round bilge with not much of a chine so very wet on the fly bridge. Very much semi displacement and tends to sit down at the stern. 265s good engines. Golden arrow are the Solent agents so good service level but not cheap. Port engine impeller hard up against the hull and needs a long armed gorilla to change so make sure it has been. Often has Fischer panda raw water cooled genset which is a poor unit. It uses the main cooling manifold as an anode so eventually can rot through and flood the unit. Make sure you open the casing and take a good look at it. Realistic cruising speed only about 12knots unless you are happy to use a lot of fuel.

 

[ashtead]

An older Trader looks quite tardis like if rather unstable ?

 

[Greg2]

@Greg2 stop it - you are all making this far too tempting - don't forget to shout if you come past Dover

Very much weather dependent but next week is a possibility.
.

 

[TheCoach]

TC you're in the position we all get to, that your requirements don't square with your budget...!

So the million dollar question (or £100k in your case) is, "what do you sacrifice...?" ... For example, loads of displacement boats especially Dutch steel that meet all of those except the cruising speed; or plenty of boats around that will do all of that, but not at your budget.

You might find the Brooms give you the closest to what you want, and you have to sacrifice the interior helm as suggested by @Greg2 and @Deleted User.

What a dilemma.

Lol, tell me about it - so time to step back and do a bit of a summary.

So if we could extend the budget then Hardy 36, Broom 38, Targa 28/31 would definitely be in play along with some of the more infrequently available trawlers such as Mainship, Sabreline 36, etc.

In the middle ground (spanning £80 k - £120k) is the Corvette which has a lot going for it so is defo still on the list

At the £80k as @Scala says we are compromising on something so I have been going back to where we started this last year and looking at some of the Finnish boats like an Aquador 28C. This gives us walk around and side access, great seakeeping but compromises on aft cabin and space generally compared to a 32ft+

Whilst looking at boats in that price range I did come across a couple of flybridge models that ticked a few boxes so, a bit left field and nowhere near a trawler cruiser but bear with me here......

So I started looking at a Sealine F33 but quite a lot of comments around that they may struggle in more challenging conditions and as one of our cruising options might be West Coast Scotland that didn't appeal. But what that style of boat did have was a large enclosable aft deck that opened out onto a roomy salon (dare I say a bit like a Broom?). We would loose the side doors but the deck access was better than a sports cruiser and had high rails all around. Bedroom was forward but was a good size and it had a decent galley and the flybridge gives it external and internal helm for if we ever get nice weather.

That lead me to look at the F36/7 which is out of our price range again but the older Sealine Statesman 360 (1997/8) does fit into our price range. Also the other very similar boat is an early (2001) Jeanneau Prestige 36.

Both have nice interiors, decent cabins and a nice aft deck where we can keep the dog contained without worrying about him going overboard - the Jeanneau also has a decent offset (I think) side deck.

So whad'ya think of the Sealine and Jeanneau - bit of a change from a trawler yacht but not too many compromises and a better price range?

Cheers,

TC

 

[stuartwineberg]

All Sealines as far as I know are on outdrives which can be problematic on older boats and require more maintenance than shafts

 

[TheCoach]

Yep some are but the F36/360 Statesman is actually on shafts on the back of KAMD 42's

Cheers,

TC

 

[Sticky Fingers]

TC if you're looking at Sealines I recommend you also join the independent Sealine forum:
https://www.sealineforum.co.uk/

A lot of very experienced owners on there. And sometimes very nice boats for sale. You just missed an F36 on shafts and asking 92.5k:
https://www.sealineforum.co.uk/t16282-1999-f36-for-sale-with-kamd44edc

 

[TheCoach]

Thanks @Scala having trouble getting on that site at the moment as it is throwing security errors in the browser, will try later.

Did you like the lateral thinking logic? I'll end up with a Bavaria at this rate

Cheers,

TC

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Thanks @Scala having trouble getting on that site at the moment as it is throwing security errors in the browser, will try later.
...

Yes it's got some weirdness with its security cert. You need the https bit and the www bit.

Thanks @Scala
...
Did you like the lateral thinking logic? I'll end up with a Bavaria at this rate...

Far be it from me to recommend what I have myself, having castigated others for doing that very thing

 

[Greg2]

Our last boat was a Sealine so I am not a critic of the marque (quite the contrary actually) but given your rationale for the boat you are looking for I am not sure that they will fit the bill. You can expect narrow side decks and curvy fore decks that aren’t always the easiest to work. Don’t get me wrong, lots to recommend them and every boat is a compromise but to my mind you need to have eyes wide open to understand the compromises you will inevitably make and to be happy with it.
.

 

[ashtead]

One question to ask is how scalable any vessel might be when you discover it’s too large or too small do sea lines shift quite easily ?

 

[Sticky Fingers]

One question to ask is how saleable any vessel might be when you discover it’s too large or too small do sea lines shift quite easily ?

Yes, no problem. Very strong used market for good boats.

 

[TheCoach]

@Greg2 yep, that is a key question for us, the compromise for the dog is a large aft deck that can be enclosed but we need to try one to see if we feel comfortable from a rope handling/mooring pov. The Jeanneau does have an advantage their with its asymmetric deck which is wider and deeper.

@ashtead fair good point and one we are considering, definitely an advantage of the more mainstream, boats in either selection criteria.

Cheers

TC

 

[Sticky Fingers]

TC, this is a lot of boat for the money:
Aquastar Oceanranger 33 Aft Cabin 7540384 – Burton Waters Boat Sales

Ticks a lot of your boxes. Spend some of your budget on a refurb and fit a holding tank for the en suite. Use this for a couple of years then trade in for a bigger boat.

 

[Ferris]

TC, this is a lot of boat for the money:
Aquastar Oceanranger 33 Aft Cabin 7540384 – Burton Waters Boat Sales

Ticks a lot of your boxes. Spend some of your budget on a refurb and fit a holding tank for the en suite. Use this for a couple of years then trade in for a bigger boat.

That looks like a DIY job, Aquastars could be purchased for home completion, with varying levels of success.

How about this 1997 Broom 345 OS Power New and Used Boats for Sale -

No side door or internal helm, and a planing hullform, but it has superior accomodation (to me) to a Hardy, a higher cruising speed, will use less fuel and would still be very seaworthy. Was reengined with nice Yanmars at some stage too.

For me, at similar or less money, the brooms have nicer interiors. The Hardy has more accessible decks, an internal helm and side door. Personally I would go for a Broom for the better accomodation.