# Contemplating a trawler to cross the Atlantic and Pacific **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 29, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848 "2013-07-29T21:19:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/21 "2013-07-31T00:43:41Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Some years back, I attended the wedding of a couple who’d sailed all the way from Oz to the U.K. in a yacht they’d built themselves. Well, he built it, mainly. BYKWIM. IDKWYM. DHRBIH? 🙂 Seriously, I would love to see it. Do you have photos? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/22 "2013-07-31T09:07:19Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > IDKWYM. DHRBIH? 🙂 > > Seriously, I would love to see it. Do you have photos? Yes, he did build it himself. He is, after all, a professional shipwright. Alas, no photos. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/23 "2013-07-31T14:47:54Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > What the hell do you do for a living I run a small MedEd company. > [@zoid](#): > > and can you get me a job? 😃 Depends. PM me a link to your CV. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/24 "2013-07-31T15:29:56Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > With the right equipment, knowledge, and confidence, there are few sea routes one can’t safely sail anymore. Of course there are waterways that would be insane to even attempt, eg, Northwest of the Seychelles, etc… That’s what I was wondering about. I sort of had an image of the maritime equivalent of those fools who die climbing Mt. Everest. Not so? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/25 "2013-07-31T15:33:12Z")
Also - what’s the smallest boat one could safely cross the Atlantic in? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/26 "2013-07-31T15:53:31Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Yeah, the 56MS is very nice, and the perfect size, IMO, but I am not interested in having to manage sails. Many people only use them as motor yachts \ Baffling to see them with the masts only used to deploy stabilizers for when they are moored. I talked to an owner who removed the sails and didn’t understand that you could do a long blue water trip without motors and burning through a very expensive tankful of fuel, or running out of fuel or some other mechanical damage in the middle of the ocean. Of course this was after the coasties had rescued them from a broken propeller. Though I personally would kill for a similar sized Elco flat top from the 1920s-30s, even though it doesn’t have a mast and sails. It might be tricky to make the Canada-Greenland leg of a transatlantic crossing, I don’t think it would have the range without taking a few barrels of fuel on as cargo. Of course you might be able to top the flattop with solar cells, add a battery bank and an auxilliary electric drive to the thing. Elco is noted for their electric marine motors, and they do have one rated for a 53 foot boat. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/27 "2013-07-31T15:54:24Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > That’s what I was wondering about. I sort of had an image of the maritime equivalent of those fools who die climbing Mt. Everest. Not so? Well, there are people who die at sea for being foolish and ill-prepared, but surprisingly few considering the ridiculously few restrictions on anyone who decides they want to go to sea. For example, I have my maritime safety certification and my captain’s license, but because enforcement is so lax on many inland waterways, anyone without safety certification can take to the water in a PWC and be pretty confident they won’t ever be stopped or boarded, and in many cases there’s no requirement for a captain’s license unless you’re helming a commercial vessel, or serving as an instructor. What that means is there are a lot of people on the water who have no business being there, especially this time of year. Thank goodness there are many serious boaters, those who tend to travel 50 miles or more from their home ports, who do take the appropriate precautions and typically have the appropriate training and knowledge to not only manage their vessels properly, but to be ready for emergencies as well. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/28 "2013-07-31T16:36:41Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Also - what’s the smallest boat one could safely cross the Atlantic in? I’m not sure, but[this guy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r3mno5oo7s) did it in his 26 foot sailboat. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/29 "2013-07-31T17:20:19Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Also - what’s the smallest boat one could safely cross the Atlantic in? If you want to view a very nice series of videos of a couple who sailed their 27 ft Vega Albin sailboat from San Fransisco to Hawaii, [click here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LH5agCa3VU). It’ll take a couple of hours to view the entire series, but their exploits are very interesting. Of course, I would never make a trek like that in a sailboat, especially in a small sailboat, but they show that it is possible. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/30 "2013-07-31T19:52:26Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Many people only use them as motor yachts \ Baffling to see them with the masts only used to deploy stabilizers for when they are moored. Yeah, that makes little sense to me as well, especially as the sails, rigging, and their components take up extra space both topside and in the cabin. > [@aruvqan](#): > > I talked to an owner who removed the sails and didn’t understand that you could do a long blue water trip without motors and burning through a very expensive tankful of fuel, or running out of fuel or some other mechanical damage in the middle of the ocean. Of course this was after the coasties had rescued them from a broken propeller. On the one hand, with a boat like the 56MS you have an opportunity to save gas, and thereby money, by using the sails during periods where there is adequate wind. On the other hand, in addition to having to tack left and right, making progress significantly slower than when under power, there are places it is simply impractical to go via sail, and in some places, impossible. > [@aruvqan](#): > > Though I personally would kill for a similar sized Elco flat top from the 1920s-30s, even though it doesn’t have a mast and sails. It might be tricky to make the Canada-Greenland leg of a transatlantic crossing, I don’t think it would have the range without taking a few barrels of fuel on as cargo. Of course you might be able to top the flattop with solar cells, add a battery bank and an auxilliary electric drive to the thing. Elco is noted for their electric marine motors, and they do have one rated for a 53 foot boat. That’s what I like so much about today’s trawlers, especially the [Nordhavns](http://nordhavn.com), [Outer Reefs](http://www.outerreefyachts.com/), and [Berings](http://www.beringyachts.com/). They’re so fuel-efficient that going 3500 nm between refills, depending on the size of the tanks, is a piece of cake. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/31 "2013-07-31T20:17:20Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I’m not sure, but[this guy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r3mno5oo7s) did it in his 26 foot sailboat. The Bristol Channel Cutter is famous for it’s blue water capabilities. 28’ is mundane, as far as size goes. It isn’t particularly small. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/32 "2013-07-31T20:19:37Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > On the other hand, in addition to having to tack left and right, making progress significantly slower than when under power, there are places it is simply impractical to go via sail, and in some places, impossible. There aren’t very many places you can’t go in a sailboat with a small motor. Certainly none that would be open to a similar-sized trawler. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/33 "2013-07-31T21:17:42Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > There aren’t very many places you can’t go in a sailboat with a small motor. Certainly none that would be open to a similar-sized trawler. With a motor, yes. I’m talking about under sail alone. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/34 "2013-07-31T21:31:30Z")
You’d be surprised. Regardless, it doesn’t make sense to restrict a boat with a small motor from using it in a hypothetical situation. They’re primarily built for sailing, but that’s doesn’t disqualify them from using their other available tools when the need arises. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/35 "2013-08-03T05:07:21Z")
Update. I communicated with a Nordhavn representative yesterday who is going to try to get me a private showing of an N64! Fingers crossed. 🙂 The Baltimore Trawlerfest in September will probably have an N46, which is a discontinued model, and an N47, which is a bit smaller than I am interested in. Nordhavn is going to have a new N60 in Florida for public showing within the next few weeks, so I may fly down to take a look as that size is right in my sweet spot. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/36 "2013-08-03T14:45:48Z")
Keep us posted. I’d like to hear how the build process goes, if you decide to go that route. Have fun looking, regardless of which one you pick. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/37 "2013-08-03T17:50:50Z")
I’ve heard good things about Nordic tugs. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/38 "2013-08-03T18:55:33Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > I’ve heard good things about Nordic tugs. They’re okay, but not my cup of tea. Most Nordic Tug trawlers are small; their largest model is a 54 footer. Their systems also don’t seem to be primarily purposed, nor mechanically kitted, for long distance, blue water cruising. Having large fuel tanks doesn’t automatically mean a vessel can, or should, make transoceanic voyages. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/39 "2013-08-04T02:23:08Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > A part of me thinks that could be so cool…foot loose, ground loose, and fancy free…nothing but endless ocean, blue skies and adventure ahead! > > The other part of me remembers the film A Perfect Storm. I had pretty much the same reaction, but I also remembered just how horrendously seasick I get. My father was in the Navy and he never got seasick. I think I inherited his seasickness as well as my own… But sailing around the world sounds so cool. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/40 "2013-08-05T14:50:46Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Keep us posted. I’d like to hear how the build process goes, if you decide to go that route. > > Have fun looking, regardless of which one you pick. Yep, I plan to use this thread as an ongoing log of my progress. I also plan to post photos and insights from my trip to Baltimore’s Trawler Fest next month. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848.md?page=3)