Current trawler shortlist - Cruising Dream (TEST)

The trawlers are really appealing to us in terms of livability, The key to a trawler though is to make sure sure the GPH (Gas Per Hour) is as low as possible, So this translate into a trawler with a single engine, and a NOT humongous boat! We all would love the space of a 40 foot boat, but moving it might break the bank for the kind of travel we are anticipating.

MT34DC

Marine Trader 34 Double Cabin

At first, there are a lot a choices for trawlers:

Monk
Nimble
Pacemaker
Nordic Tug
American Tug
Grand banks

But, what happens is that all they great trawlers, even used are outside of our budget. However, there are alternatives. The following trawlers were made in Taiwan and were very popular and can be found fairly cheaply. The do have a downside, which is often needing TLC. Specifically, they had Teak Decks that require maintenance. While teak decks look fantastic and salty, the issue is that on an older boat, they can be found often rotting, which can also damage the sub decks. So, it’s a case of buyer beware, and if you are willing to either get those deficiencies fixed professionally (costly) or pour elbow grease to the boat, you can probably get a very livable boat for a good price. I am willing to do a mix of both. Hiring qualified pros to help me and teach me what needs to be done. I do prefer to learn everything anyways, to be master of my own domain so-to-speak.. Ideally, we will look for a boat needing some TLC, as long as its conquerable, as long as the interior is decent, exterior cosmetic is not a show stopper. There is a fine line to be careful of, so I will be leaning on the advice of surveyors that I know.

So, with this premise in mind, it seems that the following boats provide a lot for the space and comfort, for the price and low gph wanted.

It seems that the Albin 36 Double Cabin would be ideal for us, but they are difficult to find for us, and quite far as well.

One other thing to pay attention to is that because they were made in Taiwan, these boats are subjects to about a 10% duty if brought in form the US (they do not qualify for FREE-TRADE).

Finding one of these boats in Canada at a fair market value would be ideal. However, Canadians always seem to overpricing their boats, so there’s a good chance that even with the duty, the Canadian dollar exchange, and the fuel cost to bring it here (and time!), a US boat could still be had cheaper.

Stay tuned!