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TRANSITION TO A CATAMARAN TRAWLER
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Our transition to a trawler probably began when we started to joke about how we used our sailboat. "Actually this is a trawler with a really high radio antenna" we'd tell people asking about our nomadic lifestyle living aboard. It was true. While exploring the Great Lakes and from Maine to the Bahamas the motor was on 95% of the time. Thoughts about switching to a trawler would surface only to be washed away by a rare day of great sailing. Slowly even that changed. We motor sailed on good sailing days just so we could anchor earlier. Enjoying a quiet anchorage swinging on the hook had replaced the joy of sailing.
Our cruising interests had slowly changed. Dreams of exploring distant islands of the Caribbean and sailing in the trade winds disappeared. Now we prefer poking along the ICW, exploring up rivers and finding new anchorages in out-of-the-way places. We're itchy to again travel the Erie Canal, Trent Severn Waterway, Great Lakes, and rivers from Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico.
Increased comfort slowly crept into our thoughts. We weren't uncomfortable, but realized we could be more comfortable especially with guests aboard. Tranquility, our 36' S2 center cockpit sailboat was extremely comfortable for two, but tight with guests aboard.
The decision to move to a trawler came slowly. A year earlier, we had planned on attending the October Trawler Fest in Solomons Island, MD. Instead we stayed longer in Maine enjoying good sailing days. September a year later found us in Milwaukee, WI finalizing plans to have the mast taken down a few days later in Waukegon, IL as we continued on around the Great Loop route. We looked at each other and said almost at the same time "It's time to change to a trawler." We laughed at the coincidence but agreed we needed to change. Over a glass of wine, to celebrate our decision we started a list of what we wanted on our trawler.
Our first few list entries were the most interesting and challenging. The very first item listed was a washer/dryer. Using laundromats, even the ones located in marinas was not fun. It was the one aspect of living aboard we did not enjoy and wanted to change. Next came 360-degree visibility from the steering station. We both loved the view from our center cockpit and did not want to give that up. At the same time, we did not want a flying bridge. Walk-around side decks for easy docking and locking came next. We didn't want to have to pass through the main salon while handling lines. We both wanted an island berth for ease of making and for convenience when getting up at night. A guest cabin was next in priority. We debated about two heads and decided against because of maintenance and wasted space. Instead we figured a single head with good physical separation from both cabins would be a better set up for giving everyone privacy while using the facilities. Main salon or cockpit seating for six for dinner went on the list. At anchorages we had a tendency to invite two couples and seating on Tranquility was tight for six. The list went on with more routine items such as single engine, bow thruster, stabilizers, good dinghy handling system, decent shower stall, etc.
Over the past few years we've spent many hours aboard different trawlers. Leisurely tours of Grand Banks, Krogen, Albin, Marine Trader, DeFever, Island Gypsy and others, with serious discussions about each trawler's merits and drawbacks provided outstanding background for our future search. Yet for all of our visits and discussions we had yet to find our next boat to dream about. We knew we liked pilothouse trawlers, but didn't have a favorite.
Before purchasing Tranquility we knew what we wanted. Years earlier S2 center cockpit sailboats captured our imagination and dreams. When we decided to live aboard, we looked at many boats comparing each against the S2 we had dreamed about. Finally we selected Tranquility from S2's for sale at that time. For eight years we enjoyed our choice and lived comfortably aboard for three years.
We had seen Nordic Tugs while cruising but had not been aboard. The new 37' Nordic Tug caught our eye as an ideal live aboard trawler. We made an appointment to visit Midwest Nordic Tugs in Manitowac, WI. We liked what we saw and did sea trials. It was a bumpy day on Lake Michigan and the 37' Nordic Tug rode the swells in fine fashion. We liked the performance and we liked the boat. We went aboard the 42' model and liked it even better. However, it didn't fit one item we hadn't thought to add to our list and that was budget. We left happy and comfortable knowing we had found the trawler we would probably purchase. We knew we needed to sample other trawlers and make sure we had indeed found the right one.
A month later found us at Trawler Fest in Solomons Island, MD. A perfect fall day made for enjoyable trawler inspection. We revisited many trawlers we knew from visits aboard friends' trawlers. New for us were Eagle, Ocean Alexander, Pacific, and Mainship trawlers. These we'd only previously seen in ads and magazine articles. All were very nice, but nothing grabbed us. A second reality was becoming clear; we'd probably needed to go to 42' to have the increased level of comfort we wanted.
One trawler on display looked out of place. It was low compared to the trawler next to it. The top of its radar antenna matched the bottom of windscreen on the flying bridge of the next trawler. This trawler had a 10' advantage for going under bridges. The dinghy hung across the stern from davits sailboat style. As we looked closer, we realized we were looking at a catamaran. Stepping aboard we learned we were looking at an Endeavour TrawlerCat 36. People say you don't select the boat, the boat selects you. This one selected us. As we looked around, the Nordic Tug we had been so positive about faded away.
From the dock, the TrawlerCat seemed small; it wasn't. A comfortable cockpit provided our desired 360-degree view from the steering station. Both the salon and cockpit are comfortable for six for dinner. Below were 3 cabins providing generous space for overnight guests. We overheard a couple commenting to each other "not for us, too sailboatish." For that same reason, we felt this was the boat for us. Its sailboat feel combined with the comfortable space appealed to us. Where the TrawlerCat looked small from the outside, from the inside we felt we had the space equivalent of 42'. Later we confirmed our impression by scaling floor plans obtained from the Internet and overlaying them to compare living areas. The pictures show how we compared our present S2 with our planned TrawlerCat.
Click on image to enlarge
Not everything met our specifications. Gone was the island berth. We thought about that a long time but felt all the plus features we found outweighed that drawback. I spent quite a bit of time looking at the engine set up. We average over 1,000 engine hours a year and easy maintenance, especially oil changes are significant to us. It wasn't on the list, since I'd been expecting a large engine room such as you find on most trawlers in the 36-42' range. Here both engines are in compartments under the berths. Rolling back the mattress and lifting an access panel allows for routine work. For major work the mattress and access panels lift out exposing the entire engine. Optional oil change pumps make for easy oil changes and eased my concerns. We were sure we had found new trawler, but were reluctant to commit. We needed to let some time pass and look again.
Two weeks later we were at the Powerboat Show in Annapolis. We'd again toured trawlers to see if something would again select us and replace the Trawlercat. Two new catamaran trawlers were on display. The Maryland 37 and Venturer 38 were impressive but not quite what we wanted. Most importantly to us, we spent a number of hours at the show talking with people, learning about the expanding interest in catamarans and their popularity in Europe, New Zealand and Australia. We left comfortable with our potential decision.
Two months later in Florida we went for sea trials on the Endeavour TrawlerCat 36. It was a great day for sea trials, windy and choppy. We were impressed with the stability, liked the ride, loved the shallow 34" draft, were impressed with the skeg-protected propellers and felt the engine sound levels were equivalent or lower than our present boat. We finally handed Endeavour a check to begin our formal transition to a trawler--a catamaran trawler.
June 2000 Update
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| Odyssey on Erie Canal | Steering Station | Library |
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| Galley Looking Aft | Office/Guest Cabin | Salon |
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| Head/Shower/Work Room | Head looking Aft | Engine Access |
We took delivery of Odyssey in March 2000 and have taken her from St. Petersburg, FL on Tampa Bay to Fairport, NY on the Erie Canal. Coming north we've sampled quiet waters of the ICW and canals, a rough passage down Delaware Bay and offshore swells as we rounded New Jersey. When we weren't moving, we enjoyed anchoring out and found a few places to try that took advantage of our shallow 34" draft. Ride, handling and stability has more than met our expectations. Our low profile is especially pleasing as we pass under a number of bridges we'd expected to have to open. Cruising speed is an unanticipated surprise. We'd thought we'd move from a 6-knot sailboat to an 8-knot trawler capable of 10 knots if pushed. Instead we cruise easily at 12 knots and can run at 15-18 knots if we want to spend more on fuel. Our daily cruising distance has doubled. The washer/dryer is a hit. Now we do laundry underway. Now we even have a library, the bookshelves in the forward cabin give a very library feel to the cabin and main salon. When we don't have guests aboard, we convert the port stateroom to an office by adding a shelf for our laptop at the foot of the berth. For our live aboard cruising lifestyle we have picked the right boat.
Once before we'd purchased a new boat and swore we'd never do it again. Working with the dealer to get factory mistakes or oversights corrected was a huge aggravation. Many items we had to fix ourselves or pay to have them corrected. If we could have found a used, debugged trawlercat around, we might have considered purchasing used. We had huge reservations about what would happen once we'd taken delivery and began debugging. Our worries were unfounded. Endeavour was superb in handling all the little and big items that came up during sea trials without any hassle. Their support added to our enjoyment of making the move to a trawlercat.
June 2002 Addition
What and Why provides a description of what we ordered o have added now that we are starting our third year living aboard Odyssey.
Don and Ruth Kalen
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