The path we took to our new trawler was new to us but apparently is 

    Randal Johnson

The path we took to our new trawler was new to us but apparently is well traveled. Books, books and more books and then I stumbled upon the revised edition of PUP. In that book there is mention of George Buehler and so I found his web site and from there I found a reference to Seahorse Marines web site. That was in December of 2003 and as they say, the rest is history. I started an email relationship with Bill Kimley at SHM and in January 2004 the design and some initial construction photos of the 462 appeared on his web site and I was in love. In May 2004 I finagled a ride with David Katz on his Buehler designed Seahorse built 44 Diesel Duck Seaducktress from San Francisco Bay to Poulsbo Washington. He was headed for the Trawlerfest there. That was an educational two weeks for me and my introduction to passage making. I continued corresponding with Bill and arranged for a flight to China for Ruth and I to coincide with the launch of 462-01. But I knew, I even sent Bill a picture of me holding my deposit check that I was bringing him. Partly because the price on the internet had gone up and of course I wanted the cheaper of the two and got it. Ruth didnt know about the deposit check I was carrying because I wanted her to sell herself. It would probably be a lot less fun if this whole adventure was my idea. In the end Bill couldnt even accept the check, all payments are done by bank transfer, but the deal was made with a handshake and he put our name on the next available boat which turned out to be hull number five. The keel was laid in January 05, launched in October 06. We moved on board at the commissioning dock on February 14, 2007. Because of delays mostly caused by me, we didnt leave the yard until the first of June. We spent one month in Hong Kong further outfitting the boat and now were in Subic Bay the Philippines. Yes, George Buehler is a little conservative with his designs such as; why do you need two heads 20 feet apart and; gen-set? All you need is a little Honda generator on your back deck. However he is also realistic about his clients wants and desires. Walk into the warehouse at SHM and youll see trash compactors, large refrigerators, ice makers, washer/dryers, microwave/convection ovens, water makers and Northern Lights gen-sets, and many more modern conveniences. Whoever said that boats are a trade off should have won the Pulitzer Prize for literature. I think it was Noah. Can you imagine the ventilation problems he had? Did I get the boat I wanted? No! I wanted one like Bill Gates has except with female Filipino deck hands. Yeah, thats it. Ruth? I do feel I have a solid passagemaker under me and with 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel and less than 2 GPH usage at 7 knots I can venture into the wild blue yonder. Do I feel cramped? Not at all, especially for two people and temporary crew, the boat can actually sleep nine. Most people who come on board for a look are astonished at the interior room. If Im not mistaken there will be a Diesel Duck 462 at the Solomons and Mystic Trawlerfest and possibly at Seattle as well. By the way our trip from Hong Kong to Subic took 91 hours, 20 minutes dock to dock and we burned 171.2 gallons of fuel. That is with head winds and seas and I dont know what the current was doing but we were running at 1500 RPM most of the time which gives us 6 > knots but we only averaged a little over 6 knots on this trip. We will spend around two months here at Subic adding some more equipment and putting Tung Oil on my teak decks, yeah I know, don't tell me. Then its on to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and across the Indian Ocean early next year. I would like to add that of all the books I've read and of all the boats shows and seminars I've attended, none have compared with the knowledge I've gleamed from this list and you guys. I know its hard to tell much from pictures but if anyone wants any of the boat, email me off list and Ill send them to you. Randal462@msn.com Randal Johnson