TRAWLERTALK
Trailerable Trawlers By Captains Chris and Alyse Caldwell
ou may have noticed when we started writing “TrawlerTalk” articles that we focused on the heavier, full-displacement and semi-planing hull forms. These are the closest pleasure boat designs to the real deal, that of a commercial trawler. On the other hand, remember, too, that trawlers represent a lifestyle, not necessarily just a hull design—and some of us just want to have fun on the waterways, not cross an ocean. This is how the trailerable trawler can fit your needs. Trailerable trawlers are sometimes called pocket or mini-trawlers because of their size, yet they still meet the description of the trawler lifestyle: gunkholing, long-distance voyaging, living off the grid, on the hook swinging with the tide, enjoying your own peace and quiet; cruising but on a boat a little smaller than the average trawler. The trailerable trawler allows you to move the boat from one cruising area to the next at highway speeds, even if you don’t have a trailer hitch. But how? Imagine that you want to cruise the Canadian Georgian Bay in the summer and the Bahamas in the winter…and you live in Kansas. Unfortunately, many of us still have that J-OB thing and think we cannot cruise these areas because of time restrictions. Enter stage right, the trailerable trawler. Now we’re talking. Here is a smaller trawler that still has all the lifestyle comforts you could want: air-conditioning, heating, ensuite head and shower (with HOT water, too), a real helm indoors to protect you from the rain and sun, generator power for all the above lifestyles, and optional diesel power! You can find these pocket trawlers in some brands such as Rosborough Boats, Ranger Tugs, Eastern Boats, C-Dory and a few others. Each of these can be put on a trailer and pulled legally on a highway if you have the right tow vehicle. If not, no worries. Hire a professional boat delivery truck company and you won’t have to buy or store your own trailer. Just use theirs. And when your trailerable trawler is not in use, simply store it at the boatyard dry storage, in a high-and-dry or even a boat hotel. Just think: No diver to clean the hull, no anti-fouling paint required, and you don’t have to adjust the dock lines during storm season. These ideas offer options to boaters who prefer something smaller and more portable than the traditional large, heavy, slooooooow trawler in the 40-foot-plus range. Let’s talk about a typical trailerable trawler scenario. Say you live in Topeka, KS, and want to winter in the Bahamas. You own a trailerable trawler and need to get the boat to Palm Beach for the 54-mile hop across the Gulf
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News & Views for Southern Sailors
This port side profile of a Ranger Tug shows a pilot house, flybridge steering station, with a mast sporting a RADAR, Satellite TV, anemometer and, of course, the anchor light—all retractable for trailering.
Gulfport Municipal Marina Your Gateway to the Gulf & Boca Ciega Bay Aquatic Preserve
Well Protected Basin Transient Dock Transient Daily: $1.50/ft Transient Weekly: $5.25/ft
(727) 893-1071 www.ci.gulfport.fl.us 4630 29th Ave. S. Harbormaster: Denis Frain, CMM
250 Wet Slips 100 Dry Slips Marina Web Cam Floating Transient Dock Launching Ramp Monthly & Daily Rentals Marine Supplies Free Internet Access Free Public Pump-out Floating Fuel Dock Gas & Diesel Fishing Tackle Charter Boat Center Ice, Beer, Snacks Live & Frozen Bait Prop Recondition Monitoring VHF CH 16 FM
SOUTHWINDS
June 2013
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