----- Original Message -----
From: SpinnakeRE@aol.com
To: trawler-world-list@samurai.com
Sent: Friday, October 15, 1999 10:38 PM
Subject: TWL: Marine Traders

Trader.

This is a BIG problem. Mucho $$$$ or time on your part. Get a Quality
Survey!!!!! If you can buy the boat right, and can do the work yourself,
Its not difficult, just labor intensive.) you can be in a nice boat with
alot less invested that you can sell it for.

.  This

from

different Trawlers are generally regarded.  I

Bayliners,

Depends. If you are serious about the MT you will need to have a survey by a
surveyor that is familiar with Far East trawlers. Do Not Short cut This
Step!!!!!!!
Historicly MTs are inconsitant in quality. One will be high quality and the
next S/N will be junk. You must have a quality survey!!!!

Yes. If not too heavy. ie: Blow-up boat.

I tow mine. It is a hard 12' w/ a 15 Hp outboard. Weighs 750lbs. I also have
Weaver Snap Davits on the swim platform to tip it up against the transom.

speed?
Max cruise will be 7.5 @ 2.0 GPH or 6.5 @ 1.0 - 1.5 GPH

The boat is made for coastal crusing. As they go slow you will not have the
banging of a planning boat but in a beam sea they will roll. You will want
to get out of the waves a long time before the boat will have to.

through

Been there, Done that. If the decks are leaking that is what rots the tanks.
On my boat, we had to pull the engine to get the tanks out and cut a hole in
the side of the saloon to get them on the dock. For the tanks alone expect
$6 a gallon. for the R&R shop around. I was quoted from $1,700 with a bottom
job to $8,000 just for the tank R&R.  Do not try to patch the tanks unless
you plan to sell the boat in the next couple of months to some one that
dosn't get a quality survey.

Morley
M/V Tortuga  ( 35' Ta Chiao )
Cape Coral,  Florida

We own a 44 Marine Trader. We love the boat because of the layout, the
roominess and the style. It was purchased as a Delta boat, not an ocean
boat, and it is a simply GREAT delta boat. That means upper flybridge
totally canvassed in for sitting around. Primarily weekend use, short
trips in relatively protected waters. We recently completed a trip down
to near San Diego from SF with it, and it performed great, with the
exception of a blown transmission. Although we enjoyed the trip, and the
boat performed well, this would not be the boat of choice for ocean
work. Before we left, we had some yard work done, and we had the boat
surveyed. It surveyed very well, with no problems other than minor ones
noted.

We have put a LOT of money and time into this boat, and right now it's a
great boat. MT's usually leak, mostly around the windows, and the teak
decks. We have replaced both. Many (not ours) have tank problems. The
Ford Lehman is about as bullet proof an engine as you can get. The Borg
Warner Velvet Drive Transmissions are long out of production and you
cannot get certain parts anymore, for example, the reduction gear. It
they go out, it means rebuilding the engine room to raise or lower the
engine to accomodate a new transmission and a new prop.

They are generally good solid hulls whose finish quality varies greatly.
They are teak and mahogany construction, mostly. You will find a lot of
places where stainless steel nails (!) are used to put things together
instead of screws. This is not a problem unless you have to take it
apart. The nails have serrated sides, like roofing nails, and they hold
like there was no tomorrow in mahogany. They have fiberglass over
plywood upper cabins. This is a source of rot if there are any places
where water can get through the fiberglass outer coating. They
frequently have hull voids, but this can be found by a surveyor prior to
buying a boat, and many times can be easily fixed if not too large.

If you are good at doing work yourself on the boat, they can be a good
buy. If not, they probably are not, but then, probably any budget priced
(say $50,000 or so) 15 year old boat would have many of the same
problems. The older the boat, the more money you're going to put into
it.

Russ

SpinnakeRE@aol.com wrote:

--
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|    Russ and Donna Sherwin                                            |
|      "Four Seasons"                                                  |
|    1981 Marine Trader DC44                                          |
|    Sunnyvale, Ca 94087                                              |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|

I can't answer any of your questions about Marine Traders, but beware of teak decks, especially
ones in bad condition as you describe.  They are going to be nothing but trouble.  I have teak
decks on my Mason 43 sailboat.  The cost to replace these is roughly $30K.  Many people feel $1K
per foot is a good estimate!  If the decks are leaking, probably the deck core is also wet and
will have to be replaced.  If you really want the boat think about ripping the decks off and
putting on fiberglass decks, should be much less expensive.  Better yet go find another boat to
buy!
Shell
Sailing yacht SEA SHELL, maybe a trawler someday.

SpinnakeRE@aol.com wrote: