Trawler Lifestyle | PassageMaker Magazine & Events

On a fine fall day last year, I foundmyself aboard theMJM40z with Bob Johnstone, founder of the company that gives name to the boat, and Mary Johnstone, Bob's wife and the source of the MJM acronym ("Mary Johnstone's Motorboat"). Also on board was Ken Comerford of North Point Yacht Sales in Annapolis, our local MJM and J/Boats dealer.

Bob was at the helm, navigating us out the mouth of the Choptank, having left Oxford, Maryland, where they had overnighted, and bound for Annapolis in advance of the U.S. Powerboat Show.

After years of cruising the Intracoastal Waterway on twin-engine boats ranging from a fast, 42-foot semi-displacement trawler to a 49-foot fulldisplacement trawler, Ray and Donna Kurlak were ready to commission the cruiser of their dreams.

Because Ray stands 6 feet 7 inches tall, he was looking for a builder that could accommodate his height in the interior of a semi-custom design. And while the Kurlaks enjoy cruising together, with their Lab mix Sofie by their side, they didn't have a driving need for a layout that was cut up into multiple staterooms. That being said, they do have grandkids and great-grandkids who come aboard from time to time, so the goal was a simple-to-maintain, seaworthy vessel with a comfortable raised pilothouse.