Selecting The Right Boat Matching The Trawler To The Dream By Bill Parlatore As the trawler community has evolved and expanded over the past decade, the choices in boats have exploded beyond traditional boundaries. As a result, many prospective buyers struggle with the buying decision, finding it difficult to select the right boat. We’ve spent countless hours at boat shows and events helping sort out this process for the pleasure boat consumer, as so many want some direction and assistance in matching their boat to their dream. To make matters worse, the word “trawler” has long since been abandoned as the proper name for today’s cruising powerboats. The distinction of a real trawler as it relates to today’s boat choices is difficult at best and only seems to propagate the confusion. So let’s begin by looking at the four basic hull shapes that embody the vessels in today’s trawler community Hull Shapes Planing hulls are relatively new to our cruising fleet, yet they offer benefits that make them ideal choices for some people. These hulls ride on top of the water beyond hull speed, offering high speed and performance that is relatively efficient. The planing hull is a great choice for those with limited time for cruising. In fact, many dealers find new buyers are able to make extended cruises in short order, getting to the cruising grounds quickly and then slowing down to smell the roses. These people would otherwise not have the time to cruise at all, so this makes lots of sense. The downside of this hull shape is that fuel consumption is considerable, and the boats offer limited range. The planing hull is also not very comfortable or easily handled in rough weather; the boat must be slowed down and often becomes squirrelly as a result. And the somewhat limited storage and tank capacities tend to keep things simple. The next hull shape to consider is the semi–displacement hull form . The semi–displacement hull shape has flat sections aft and a bow that lifts for higher speed, allowing operation over a wide range of performance. This hull is efficient at displacement speeds, yet it offers a higher speed potential if desired. The semi–displacement hull is a good compromise of hull features, offering good storage and sufficient tankage for extended cruising and a proven record as a liveaboard cruiser. The disadvantages of the semi–displacement hull are that it is not as stable in rough seas as a true displacement boat, and handling can also be difficult in following seas (the generally flat stern is a big target for waves coming from astern). And any boat of this type is not very fuel efficient when it is run beyond displacement speeds. The vast majority of trawlers and cruising motorboats out there are semi–displacement boats, and their popularity is well justified. The full displacement hull shape travels through the water and is by fa...

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