Best Inside Passage Trawler??

[DanRay]

Does anyone out there know of a good trawler for doing the IP,and maybe to Alaska.

I've looked around a lot and there's tons of choices...

Thanks to all

[WestVanHan]

The best trawler is no trawler at all.

If you're in conditions where the heavy scantlings of a trawler are needed,your family is going to be sick and never going to go out again.
And the tides/currents may very well push you onto shore-I've seen it happen.

Or,paying attention for a storm to blow up...with a coastal cruiser you can zip up to 20 knots and head over to the nearest cove and hide out.
I've been around Van. Island several times,no trawler and no problems.

Speed,space,and economy beats heavy and slow in this place-just watch the weather and stay off the outside from November to March.
Which you will likely be doing anyways.

If you are doing Alaska/Aleutians...there are several Alaskans here who may post..just be sure you are actually going there before spending 4 times what you'd pay for a coastal boat.

[Easy Rider]

I live in Thorne Bay about 50 mi NW of Ketchikan.
Pay special attention to:
1 General condition of vessel. Hull and systems.
2 Passagemakers are slow so frequently you'll be anchoring in less than ideal anchorages. Best anchoring system is a hydraulic reel anchor winch w an anchor twice as big as normal w extra heavy chain close to the anchor then heavy chain for 120' and heavy nylon line for another 200'. The anchoring system will be the most important part of your boat while your'e in Alaska.
3 Have two depth sounders. I prefer one w fish finder readout and one high end digital.
4 You may not need radar but unless your'e poor you should have it. One should have a reflector.
5 Lots of boots, rain gear, wool clothing.
6 Self inflating PFDs (hand or auto). Wear them almost constantly.
7 Have lots of experience w the boat before leaving for Alaska.
8 Be able to quickly secure all loose gear and otherwise make ready for heavy seas.
9 Old GBs and Nordics are fine. I don't use them but stabilizers would be nice. I prefer twin screws but kelp is very common as well as logs and sticks.
30 to 35' boats are best. Most harbors are very crowded in the summer so smaller is good there and many anchorages are small so a smaller boat is better there also. Obviously when it gets really rough the bigger boat is king so compromise is best. Boats smaller than 30' can get caught out over their heads in the nasty more easily but folks paddle kayaks and row rowboats all over SE so don't be but off by the smallness of your boat. Some of the best cruising people I know have Bayliners and Sea Dorys.
Even if your'e an old salt take the Power Squadron basic course.
Preparedness is the bottom line.

Easy Rider

[welder/fitter]

As long as you're not heading for the Hecate Strait or plan on hanging out around The Queen Charlottes, I agree with the above. Better to have something that can make a lot of distance in a day.
Mike

[Easy Rider]

Mike,
That's handy but not even close to a requirement. I have a 6 knot boat and find that on occasion I can't go where I would like to go in a day or that I may spend several hours at less than 5 knots bucking the tide but making this a problem is letting the McDonald's/WallMart life style control your lifestyle. The theory that a fast boat can keep you safe from the nasty is hogwash. It's not true down south and up here it's less (much less) true. If you can afford one and can afford to feed it That's fine. Buy me a 31' Bertram, take care of the fuel for me and I'll go for it. But in the real world a slow boat is best.

Easy Rider

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

But in the real world a slow boat is best.
Easy Rider

May I complete that statement Easy?

Better a fast displacement boat, than a too fast planing or semidisplacement. The latter are slower when the going gets tough, or completely non capable.

[WestVanHan]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

Mike,
That's handy but not even close to a requirement. .....
The theory that a fast boat can keep you safe from the nasty is hogwash.

It's not true down south ...

Easy Rider

Really...so you know my area better than I do?
I say hogwash.

I can't even remember how many times I've passed trawlers,and been tied up in a cove for an hour or four enjoying an apertif while dinner is on the BBQ... while they're getting beat up and fighting the tide.

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

If you can afford one and can afford to feed it ......

Since when are trawlers cheaper than coastal boats???
And every coastal boat I've had gets similar mileage at low speeds.

One month minimum every summer,plus about 2-3 weekends a month from April to October..for almost all of my 35 years has been spent up my coast.

Isn't it odd, a couple friends who own trawlers are coming with me today-because their boats are too slow for weekend use.
Because I can actually get somewhere in 2 hours,thats where I'm going in 20 minutes...have fun posting and arguing while we're out fishing.

[Easy Rider]

OK apex except that there are great distances here to go and fast displacement is usually a fuel burner except for very light displacement and that can get into the non capable category. However, in the 50s people cruised to SE Alaska in 18 or 20' outboards and used 10 to 35hp engines (usually twins).

Easy

[Tad]

Originally Posted by DanRay

Does anyone out there know of a good trawler for doing the IP,and maybe to Alaska.

I've looked around a lot and there's tons of choices...

No recommendation can be made without the following info.......

Initial purchase budget.....(and how long you want that investment for?)
Operating budget.......
Your experience........
The number (and ages) of folks in your party.........
Your personal cruising style.........(ie wilderness anchor every night or must be in luxury marina?)

[Easy Rider]

Sorry TAD,

We don't have luxury marinas.

Got plenty of wilderness though.

[Boston]

Interesting
I think I'll just keep reading along
B

[mydauphin]

Me too...

[Easy Rider]

Another thing you may want on the BIPT (Best Inside Passage Trawler) or any substitute is a good fuel system that will minimize your vulnerability to contaminated fuel. Bad fuel at the pump is not rampart but is much more common here than down south.
Rafting in port is quite common so one must be prepared to accept this procedure or anchor out all or most of the time. Most rafting problems are attitude related and usually occur when pleasure boats are rafted w fish boats.
I heard a good one the other day ..a fish boat tied up to the float, went ashore for a time and came back to find his boat rafted to several others, one of which was tied to the float and his boat was on the outside of the raft. The was a practical explanation that I can't recall. Also you will find rafting more common and more accepted in BC. Actually I seem to recall that there is a law requiring boaters to raft if and when necessary in BC. on public floats.

Easy

[Boston]

that should be a thread to itself as the issues involved in rafting are many and complex
specially the damage potential

[welder/fitter]

Originally Posted by WestVanHan

Really...so you know my area better than I do?
I say hogwash.

Yeah, certainly from Port Hardy - south. Are there challenging areas? sure. Are there areas where the wind can "tear you a new one"? Not so much as north, but yeah. But there are also a lot of islands to hide behind & a lot of alternative routes for avoiding some of the narrows. I'm probably biased by my preference for sailboats, though. On a powerboat, I just want to get to where we're headed & breath in as few fumes as possible along the way. If I want to slow down & enjoy the trip, I'd rather sail.

But, it's DanRay's thread & I have just noticed that he did specify trawler, so apologies for not sticking to trawlers.

Mike