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.
I run a small MedEd company.
Depends. PM me a link to your CV.
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?
Also - what’s the smallest boat one could safely cross the Atlantic in?
Many people only use them as motor yachts <shrug> 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.
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.
I’m not sure, butthis guy did it in his 26 foot sailboat.
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. 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.
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.
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.
That’s what I like so much about today’s trawlers, especially the Nordhavns, Outer Reefs, and Berings. They’re so fuel-efficient that going 3500 nm between refills, depending on the size of the tanks, is a piece of cake.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.