Endeavor TrawlerCat 40
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After the Miami show, I got a chance to
spend a couple of days on the new
Endeavour TrawlerCat 40. Endeavour
builder Bob Vincent invited me along on what has
become a traditional cruise after the Miami show:
heading south to the Florida Keys. New cats are
brought to the show across Florida’s Lake
Okeechobee from the Endeavour yard in
Clearwater, on Florida’s west coast. Vincent decided
a few years ago to make the return trip home after
the show into a mini cruising adventure by way of
the Keys. Each year, a small group of Endeavour
cats joins him and his wife, Alice, on this relaxing
post-show sojourn. Their son, Rob, returns to
Clearwater after the show to give tours of the yard,
arrange sea trials, and keep the business humming
while the Vincents enjoy a little R&R.
The newest Endeavour is the company’s first
pilothouse cat, and it’s hard not to like the boat after
you’ve been aboard. Walking up to the boat gives an unusual impression, perhaps, as the boxy profile of
the cat is a bit unconventional. The consummate
engineer, Bob Vincent builds a boat that fits real
people, and this power cat is a stellar example of
form following function. Style-conscious catamaran
designers may spend a lot of time focused on getting
the right look, but Vincent is focused primarily on
building a good boat. The Endeavour 40 is best
viewed for its superb utility. This new 40-footer is all
about cruising comfort, solid engineering, and
liveaboard ease of use.
With seven people on the new cat for a short sea
trial the morning we headed out, the TrawlerCat 40
ran comfortably along at 16 knots, its displacement
hulls handling the extra people with little change in
trim or space. In fact, we all got to move about
rather nicely. A 16-foot-by-40-foot rectangular
platform allows that kind of space.
One thing I noticed right off was the tall triplelifeline
stanchions that ring the perimeter of the boat. I could move about while holding firmly onto
them, even when we were moving forward at 16
knots. At speed, there is a decided lack of fuss and
minimal wake.
The Endeavour has wide side decks and ergonomical
molded steps up to the boat deck and flybridge
area. The bridge offers outstanding underway
visibility with a terrific view of the world, plus
seating for crew to relax and enjoy skimming along
at speed in the shallow, clear waters of Biscayne Bay.
Depths average 7 to 9 feet throughout the bay, and
running the flat waters this day gave us marvelous
observations of the sandy bottom. Bob commented
that he never sees fish on these trips, and that did
seem odd after he mentioned it. But I never tired of
gazing over the side as we sped south, watching an
underwater landscape unfold mile after mile.
The most popular power cat Endeavour builds is
the 44, a three-stateroom boat that has proven itself
as a full-time home for couples who enjoy this
lifestyle on extended cruising.
LEAVING THE SHOW
We moved from Biscayne Bay to Florida Bay after
transiting Jewfish Creek and passing popular
Gilbert’s Marina. (I stayed at its motel during a
motorcycle trip to the Keys a decade ago on the trip
that spawned PMM.) I moved around the boat
during the transit and found that most of the
windows open (and have screens) for great
ventilation. I also noted that the visibility from the
pilothouse was quite good in most directions, and
overall, it was quite comfortable with the pilothouse
doors open or closed.
The water remained clear and shallow, but Bob
assured me he protects running gear by placing the
components in tunnels molded into the hulls. As a
result, running aground is a non-issue with regard to damaging running gear. We saw hundreds
of lobster pots on our travels south, but
for the same reason, there was little
chance of becoming snagged on one.
The boat’s diesel exhausts are expelled
out the side of the stern of each hull, and
even with all the windows and the cockpit
door wide open, there is no station-wagon
effect of obnoxious fumes swirling around
from the transom.
We dropped anchor at Islamorada just
before 5 p.m., after a 70-mile run down
from Miami. The cat sat in just a couple of
feet of water off the sponge- and grasscovered
sand. But even if we touched
bottom in a low tide, we’d sit level and
comfortable. Cats and shallow water go
together like peanut butter and jelly,
especially when there’s no running gear
exposed.
Endeavour Catamaran Corporation has
built 100 power cats since 1995, but
production has really ramped up in the
last 5 years. Interestingly, half of the
buyers are purchasing their first boat. Ease
of handling, enormous room for a given
length, and the general value of the
Endeavour product all make for a
successful boating experience.
Such spacious interior room does come
at a price, and the aesthetics of the boats,
especially the new pilothouse model, are
an acquired taste, according to one of the
fellows on the morning’s sea trial. He was
looking to trade up from his smaller
Endeavour to this new pilothouse cat. His
choice of space and utility and comfort
makes the tall profile quite acceptable, and his reasoning made sense to me. I also learned that
his is a common theme, as many Endeavour owners
are on their second, third, or fourth Endeavours,
some moving through the sail models before
switching to the power cats.
IN EACH HULL
Bob Vincent told me that he has already been
asked to build a bigger model—perhaps a 50-foot
version with an aft master stateroom and a larger
pilothouse—if the 40-foot pilothouse model proves
successful. Alice Vincent shared that her favorite
features of the boat are the foredeck,
the integration of the galley into the
saloon, and the visual connection
that can be made between a person
in the galley and one at the helm in
the pilothouse. “It’s very comfortable,” she summed
up.
Another goal of the new boat is to have people
come aboard and feel they are in a nice, comfortable
boat, and perhaps not even notice that it is a
catamaran, as Bob sees that as largely irrelevant
when it comes to providing great interior livability.
Indeed, the transitions from one area to another do
not feel particularly catamaran-ish; in fact, I could
more easily compare this boat interior to that of a
large Nordic Tugs, which comes to mind. Vincent
achieved his goal admirably.
When I retired for the night after a group dinner
aboard Cruisin’ Cat, an E44 cruising in our group, I
found my guest accommodations quite comfortable.
The en-suite guest head in the port bow is, without
a doubt, the best-designed, most comfortable head
compartment I have ever spent time in…on any size
boat. It is large, the shower has full headroom, and
it’s logically laid out with real storage and counter
space. Bob Vincent commented to me early in the trip that he builds only what he knows will work for
him—and I found ample evidence to support that
statement. If you ever have the opportunity to go
aboard this cat, be sure to check out the guest head.
You will not be disappointed.
Over the next couple of days, I had the opportunity
to go aboard four other Endeavour power
cats, and I was delighted to see how diverse the
boats were. The individuality of each boat went far
beyond colors in cushions and window treatments:
Unique and clever desk units, sensible placement of
washer/dryer units, maximal liveaboard-friendly
closets, and other ingenious elements make each
boat that much better as a liveaboard for its owners’
requirements. Vincent is obviously open to making
such modifications for each boat, and the results are
much more interesting than I usually get to see in
typical production boats. The larger Endeavour 44,
especially, allows tremendous customization of living
spaces and details of design.
UNDER WAY
I got a chance to speak to all of the owners in our
fleet, and all of them praise the boats for their utility,
real-world comfort, and overall suitability as cruising
boats and extended homes. For suitability as a fulltime
liveaboard, the highest marks went to the
Endeavour 44. I can see why so many couples buy a
second or third Endeavour as they move up in size.
We explored the area around Islamorada by dinghy, winding through thick copses of mangroves.
This is a very different Florida from the South Beach
scene during the show: lots of pelicans, shallow
water, and bright, intense sun!
After fluid checks and normal inspection tasks, we
took on some fuel for our run down to Duck Key off
Hawk Channel. Unlike some catamarans that have
diesel engines under mattresses, the E40 has
dedicated engine room spaces in each hull for the
Yanmar 240hp diesels, so access doesn’t involve
lifting bedding.
As we entered the ocean side of the Keys into
Hawk Channel, I was treated to a quick demonstration
of how well the E40 took the stiff beam seas
coming in from the Gulf Stream. Motoryachts
around us had to slow way down in the rolling seas coming at us from the east, but the Endeavour
maintained 15 knots without distress. In fact, the
full-displacement Endeavour cat was unfazed by
such conditions. With a full load of fuel and water,
Bob told me the new pilothouse cat weighs in at
27,000 pounds, certainly no lightweight. And as I
noted after touring the other Endeavours, owners
tend to move aboard with lots of personal “stuff.”
In the miles we ran down Hawk Channel, we
passed every other vessel—power and sail—with none
of the bothersome motion we’d have experienced in
a monohull. We did have to close the windward
windows, as occasional spray hit the topsides.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After passing a dolphin marine center and some
lovely homes along the manmade canal, which is
protected from the sea’s relentless wave action, we
arrived at the marina inside Duck Key. I got off the
Endeavour and took another good look at the tall,
boxy profile, feeling a tinge of regret for having to
leave so soon. The boat had grown on me, and the
comfort of the interior and exterior living spaces was
just too good to give up. Boxy, it turns out, works
for me.
If you want a good boat that performs solidly,
with the room and livability of a cruising catamaran,
I really do suggest taking a long, hard look at the
Endeavour. The boat’s base price is under $420,000,
and lots of options can transform it into your own
unique cruising cat. It’s a well-made product with
great company support and a loyal following of
owners who are the company’s best salespeople.
If at previous shows you’ve strolled past the
TrawlerCat 40, go aboard at the next one and see
what the boat has to offer. As the saying goes, beauty
is in the eye of the beholder. Given the enthusiastic
comments I heard from many Endeavour owners
who have enjoyed countless miles of comfortable
and successful cruising on their boats, the Endeavour
fleet is one sweet picture, indeed.
Reprinted with permission. Copyright 2005 © Dominion Enterprises (888.487.2953) www.passagemaker.com
You are reading the text-only copy of this article. To access the article as it appeared in PassageMaker Magazine, please log in to purchase and download the PDF version of this article.