# 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:** 3
**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 5, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/41 "2013-08-05T15:09:01Z")
A few questions from a non-boat-person, if you please? Isn’t a “trawler” a type of fishing boat? I have this image in my mind of sailors winching in nets full of shining silvery fish. Are these boats you’re showing us built new upon the same plans without the fishing equipment? How much fuel/supplies/etc can you take on board. and how long is the resulting voyage? Do you desalinate your own water as you go? Is it possible to automatically steer the boat, as pilots can some planes? Is it legal to carry weapons to fend off pirates? Do you need to hire crew? Can people work their way across the Pacific doing this? I presume you need passports, etc, when visiting other lands. If you live on board for extended times, and have kids, how do they get schooling? Can you do paying work while traveling? Are there lifeboat or escape drills? (Are there lifeboats?) I was looking at that stateroom pic and imagining having to escape in the middle of the night… ---
**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 5, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/42 "2013-08-05T15:26:27Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > A few questions from a non-boat-person, if you please? > > Isn’t a “trawler” a type of fishing boat? I have this image in my mind of sailors winching in nets full of shining silvery fish. Are these boats you’re showing us built new upon the same plans without the fishing equipment? They are pleasure boats built in the style of fishing trawlers. > [@](#): > > How much fuel/supplies/etc can you take on board. and how long is the resulting voyage? Do you desalinate your own water as you go? Usually, there are fresh water tanks on board for drinking and occational showers. I’ll let the OP answer your provisioning questions, as they differ greatly based on the leg of the voyage. > [@](#): > > Is it possible to automatically steer the boat, as pilots can some planes? Yes. It’s called Auto-helm. > [@](#): > > Is it legal to carry weapons to fend off pirates? It’s legal in international waters (Legal is the wrong term. Laws gret weird in international waters), and many people do carry guns. I’m sure there are all kinds of different laws for when you are in port abroad. > [@](#): > > Do you need to hire crew? Not for the size boats we’re talking about in this thread. > [@](#): > > Can people work their way across the Pacific doing this? I presume you need passports, etc, when visiting other lands. Yes, and yes. > [@](#): > > If you live on board for extended times, and have kids, how do they get schooling? Can you do paying work while traveling? I know people who have pulled their kids out of school for extended voyages. The children are homeschooled. > [@](#): > > Are there lifeboat or escape drills? (Are there lifeboats?) I was looking at that stateroom pic and imagining having to escape in the middle of the night… Yes to both. There are life boats (life rafts) and survival suits. ---
**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, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/43 "2013-08-05T18:03:21Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > A few questions from a non-boat-person, if you please? Certainly. I’ll try not to repeat **Labrador Deceiver** ’s responses, but elaborate wherever possible. > [@Sunspace](#): > > Isn’t a “trawler” a type of fishing boat? These are primarily yachts. You can certainly fish from them, and they can be designed to facilitate fishing, but fishing is not their primary purpose. They’re designed for blue water voyages, first and foremost. > [@Sunspace](#): > > I have this image in my mind of sailors winching in nets full of shining silvery fish. Are these boats you’re showing us built new upon the same plans without the fishing equipment? Not exactly. They have a basic shape that is reminiscent of old fishing trawlers, but that’s the facade only. The architecture and foundation of trawler yachts and fishing trawlers is quite different, although both are designed to be very rugged. > [@Sunspace](#): > > How much fuel/supplies/etc can you take on board. and how long is the resulting voyage? Do you desalinate your own water as you go? Depends entirely on the brand, model, size, purpose, and amenities of the trawler. Trawlers designed for long distance voyages can carry enough fuel to get you from Nova Scotia to Gibraltar and beyond without having to refuel. As far as supplies are concerned, whether you’re talking about provisions or redundant equipment like spare parts, etc… there’s usually plenty of room for everything. Food storage is usually very plentiful with some models having two or even three freezers and up to three refrigerators. Most have more non perishable storage than the average home because you need to have enough food for transoceanic voyages of upwards of 30 days. Most of the newer trawlers have ‘water makers’ on board that allow you to draw and desalinate water on an ongoing basis. > [@Sunspace](#): > > Is it possible to automatically steer the boat, as pilots can some planes? Yes, many trawlers have autopilot systems with redundancy. > [@Sunspace](#): > > Is it legal to carry weapons to fend off pirates? What **Labrador Deceiver** said. But really the idea is to stay clear of areas frequented by pirates. For example, off the East coast of Africa near Somali waters. > [@Sunspace](#): > > Do you need to hire crew? Can people work their way across the Pacific doing this? I presume you need passports, etc, when visiting other lands. You don’t necessarily need to, and there are many trawler owners who are owner/operators, but depending on your level of expertise, experience, and the size of trawler, it is probably a good idea to have at least one professional crew member aboard. I’ve been boating for as long as I can remember, going back to when I was a kid, and I’ve owned my own cruiser for the last 7 years, and if I buy a 62 foot trawler, even I will probably have crew on board the first few times I take it out. Trawlers are behemoths, with complex systems, and a lot can go wrong. > [@Sunspace](#): > > If you live on board for extended times, and have kids, how do they get schooling? Some homeschool their kids, but many slip their boats at a single marina during the school year so their kids can attend school. > [@Sunspace](#): > > Can you do paying work while traveling? Depends on the type of work you do. If all you need is a phone line, a computer, and access to the internet, then yes. > [@Sunspace](#): > > Are there lifeboat or escape drills? Yes, any smart captain creates a muster plan and does muster drills. I do it, and my boat is just a 36 foot cruiser. I wouldn’t think of taking my boat out before ensuring everyone is clear on emergency procedures. > [@Sunspace](#): > > (Are there lifeboats?) Yes, there are life rafts as standard equipment on most trawlers. Some have a dinghy (or 2) and a life raft. > [@Sunspace](#): > > I was looking at that stateroom pic and imagining having to escape in the middle of the night… Many people, even a surprising number of boaters, believe that the overhead hatches are just to let light in when they’re really meant as a means of escape during emergencies. ---
**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 5, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/44 "2013-08-05T18:55:56Z")
Cool! Thanks for your answers! I’ve spent the last half hour looking over websites related to the [Trent-Severn Waterway](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trent%E2%80%93Severn_Waterway) to get an idea whether your vessel would fit… because once you sail around North America and up the St Lawrence, you’ll have to come for a visit! 🙂 ---
**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 5, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/45 "2013-08-05T19:13:48Z")
More questions… In Canada, operators of pleasurecraft need to get a [license](http://www.boaterexam.com/canada/). I presume there are other licenses for commercial use. Did you have to progress through stages of licensing to command larger and more complicated vessels, as aircraft pilots need to? Are you required to keep watch (listen?) for distress calls? Do you have to scrape the barnacles off the hull, and, if so, do you assign this duty as punishment? 🙂 Are there special cooking skills required on a boat? Can you carry livestock, such as chickens? Do the boats recycle water? Do they treat sewage, or just store it like an RV? Are you allowed to dump it? Edit: now I remember the other question I wanted to ask. Why are the front-facing windows in some of the pilothouses tilted outward, so that their top edges are further forward? Thanks! ---
**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, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/46 "2013-08-05T19:30:03Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Cool! Thanks for your answers! > > I’ve spent the last half hour looking over websites related to the [Trent-Severn Waterway](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trent%E2%80%93Severn_Waterway) to get an idea whether your vessel would fit… because once you sail around North America and up the St Lawrence, you’ll have to come for a visit! 🙂 I know the Trent-Severn Waterway! It’s part of [America’s Great Loop](http://www.greatloopcruising.com/Resources/) boaters use to circumnavigate Eastern North America. ---
**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, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/47 "2013-08-05T19:54:39Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > More questions… > > In Canada, operators of pleasurecraft need to get a [license](http://www.boaterexam.com/canada/). I presume there are other licenses for commercial use. Did you have to progress through stages of licensing to command larger and more complicated vessels, as aircraft pilots need to? As I stated upthread, I have my safety certification and my captain’s license. It is a requirement to have safety certification in order to operate a water vessel in the US. The problem is this is rarely enforced. The captain’s license has certain limits depending on experience that determines the type of vessel you are legally allowed to helm. For example, my license allows me to helm a vessel of up to 25 tons > [@Sunspace](#): > > Are you required to keep watch (listen?) for distress calls? You’re not _required_ to stand watch, but anyone with any sense will. 🙂 > [@Sunspace](#): > > Do you have to scrape the barnacles off the hull, and, if so, do you assign this duty as punishment? 🙂 I guess you can send someone down in scuba gear to defoul the hull, but usually you just have the marina haul your boat out. I pay someone to clean my hull, and bottom paint if necessary. > [@Sunspace](#): > > Are there special cooking skills required on a boat? Can you carry livestock, such as chickens? No, there are no special cooking skills required when cooking on today’s pleasure craft; it’s just like cooking at home. I’ve never seen anyone with livestock on their boat, although I don’t see a reason why you couldn’t. > [@Sunspace](#): > > Do the boats recycle water? Do they treat sewage, or just store it like an RV? Are you allowed to dump it? In the US, within a certain number of miles of the coast, you must store your waste, which gets evacuated at pump-out stations that nearly every full-service marina has these days. Marinas usually charge for the pump out. > [@Sunspace](#): > > Edit: now I remember the other question I wanted to ask. Why are the front-facing windows in some of the pilothouses tilted outward, so that their top edges are further forward? > > Thanks! They supposedly offer a number of advantages: 1 - shade from the sun, 2 - water spray is pushed away from the glass faster, 3 - Glare reduction. ---
**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 5, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/48 "2013-08-05T20:02:52Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > As I stated upthread, I have my safety certification and my captain’s license. It is a requirement to have safety certification in order to operate a water vessel in the US… Do you need any other license first as a prerequisite for the captain’s license? > [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > You’re not _required_ to stand watch, but anyone with any sense will. 🙂 Makes sense. > [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > In the US, within a certain number of miles of the coast, you must store your waste, which gets evacuated at pump-out stations that nearly every full-service marina has these days. Marinas usually charge for the pump out. I believe you can get composting toilets for marine use. Presumably this would reduce the bill for pump-out. Are such harbour services expensive? > [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > [Outward-tilted windows] supposedly offer a number of advantages: 1 - shade from the sun, 2 - water spray is pushed away from the glass faster, 3 - Glare reduction. I was wondering whether they were for a better view when overlooking some sort of work area. Are you allowed to sail through the Panama Canal? If so, do you have to be part of a group of pleasure boats? (I can’t see them operating an entire lock of the Panama Canal for just one not-huge 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:** [August 5, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/49 "2013-08-05T20:52:11Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Do you need any other license first as a prerequisite for the captain’s license? Other than CPR certification and proof of a physical exam, I don’t think there’s any other requirement. > [@Sunspace](#): > > I believe you can get composting toilets for marine use. Presumably this would reduce the bill for pump-out. Are such harbour services expensive? At my Marina, it is $25 per pump out, and $45 for non members. > [@Sunspace](#): > > I was wondering whether they were for a better view when overlooking some sort of work area. I don’t think so, but I don’t know for sure. > [@Sunspace](#): > > Are you allowed to sail through the Panama Canal? If so, do you have to be part of a group of pleasure boats? (I can’t see them operating an entire lock of the Panama Canal for just one not-huge boat…) Yes, recreational yachts are allowed to go through the Panama Canal. You don’t have to be part of a group, but when you enter the lock they make you tie up to another boat as the water fills. You usually have to wait for access into a lock, but I think it’s on a schedule and not based on a certain number of boats. ---
**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 5, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/50 "2013-08-05T21:20:59Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Other than CPR certification and proof of a physical exam, I don’t think there’s any other requirement. > > At my Marina, it is $25 per pump out, and $45 for non members. Not bad… > [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Yes, recreational yachts are allowed to go through the Panama Canal. You don’t have to be part of a group, but when you enter the lock they make you tie up to another boat as the water fills. You usually have to wait for access into a lock, but I think it’s on a schedule and not based on a certain number of boats. Have you ever sailed through the Panama Canal? I remember reading about someone swimming through the Panama Canal, but I thought that was a one-off publicity stunt. I don’t know why this never occurred to me before, but of _course_ the Panama Canal has a [website](http://www.pancanal.com/eng/). ---
**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, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/51 "2013-08-05T22:56:18Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Have you ever sailed through the Panama Canal? No, but I look forward to it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![smee\_goan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@smee\_goan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smee_goan)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2013, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/52 "2013-08-05T23:36:23Z")
I know a guy that can “get rid of” your old boat, 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/53 "2013-08-06T00:43:17Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > If all you need is a phone line, a computer, and access to the internet, then yes. How do you get Internet service while ocean traveling? What kind of speeds & costs are we talking about? ---
**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 6, 2013, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/54 "2013-08-06T00:46:02Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > How do you get Internet service while ocean traveling? What kind of speeds & costs are we talking about? I imagine it goes by satellite, and is slow, has a long lag time, and horrendously-expensive. ---
**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 6, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/55 "2013-08-06T01:22:02Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > How do you get Internet service while ocean traveling? What kind of speeds & costs are we talking about? As Sunspace said, the internet is via satellite, and it is slow, about the same speed as dial-up, but sometimes faster, and yeah, a little on the expensive side. 🙂 ---
**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 6, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/56 "2013-08-06T01:23:56Z")
> [@smee\_goan](#): > > I know a guy that can “get rid of” your old boat, 😛 Yeah, I “know a guy” too, but I plan to stay out of jail long enough to enjoy my new boat. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/57 "2013-08-06T02:41:47Z")
Two things 1. More fuel better. If given a choice take bigger tanks. Very few filling stations in the middle of the ocean. 2. Need crew? 🙂 ---
**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 6, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/58 "2013-08-06T02:53:32Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > 1. More fuel better. If given a choice take bigger tanks. Very few filling stations in the middle of the ocean. In a very general sense, yes. The more fuel you can carry, the farther you can go. However, the more fuel you carry, the heavier your boat. The heavier your boat, the slower you go, so carrying way too much fuel, just because you have the capacity, can affect travel time, especially if you’re on a schedule. ---
**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 6, 2013, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/59 "2013-08-06T03:13:04Z")
How fast do you typically go? ---
**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 6, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848/60 "2013-08-06T03:28:00Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > How fast do you typically go? In my cruiser, the most economical speed is 28 knots. In a typical trawler, the most economical speed is between 7 and 9 knots, depending on various factors. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contemplating-a-trawler-to-cross-the-atlantic-and-pacific/664848.md?page=4)