Good morning! Have just returned from a fall trip around the San Juan's before putting the boat in its winter slip in Port Townsend WA. In catching up I have enjoyed skimming all the discussion on equipment and the "Perfect Trawler", if there is such a thing. So here are my two cents after spending most of my life around the sea with a childhood on schooners, then a couple of glass sailboats, and these last twenty years on trawlers since I got to broad to climb masts. the trawlers I have owned, have been a glass 49' Grand Banks for 5 years, a glass 53' Skookum now owned by John Camm for 11 years now called "Seahorse", and finally a 48' steel Diesel Duck that we had built at Townsend Bay Marine, Port Townsend WA. and launched Jan. of 2007. I do not pretend to be an expert on anything but have cruised over 75,000 miles these past twenty years mostly on the Skookum which has taken us from NE to Greenland, the Caribbean, through the canal, Alaska to Kodiak, and then back around the Horn to NE where John convinced me it would be in better hands with him. First my personal requirements based on my size (5'10" 280 lbs.), age (70), and minimal mechanical/electrical expertise beyond the basics: 1. Must be sea kindly and at least two staterooms with the third couple in the main cabin if needed since we like to invite friends to passage with us. 2. "Walk-in" engine room. I want all systems to be accessible especially when the manure hits the fan at night on a long passage and in a rough seaway. I don't want to rip up the main cabin hatch, crawl into a space where I am banging up against hot manifolds etc. Even those engine rooms that offer 4 to 5 feet of headroom are a bear in a rolling seaway when you may be trying to work on systems. 3. Stabilized. More on that later. 1. Hull - tough to beat Ed Monks design for the Skookum 53'. Full displacement and 7' draft. Although 6' would be nicer at times. I think glass makes sense from a cost to build in a production boat and certainly easier to maintain over the years. Why then did I go steel with the Duck? Two reasons, the first was ice since we do prefer northern latitudes in our cruising and also hope at some point to go over the top before I give up the sea. the second is of course the old "container" issues. Never struck one but you never know. I was able to build this boat with 1/2" stem and boxed keel sections, 5/16" bow section and 1/4" for the rest of the hull with two water tight compartments and I agree that the windows especially in the w/s be strong. I also would always have a "Clearview in one of the w/s sections for heavy weather. 2. Power - On the Skookum I had a single 4-71 Detroit but re-powered with a 135HP 6cyl Lugger, which served us well and was very economical (3 gph @ 7.5), before doing the Horn trip. So on the Duck I specified the same engine but de-tuned to 105 hp. this burns about 2.75 gph. @ same speed (Measured by a fuel flow meter). Keel cooled with wet exhaust. 3. Pony motor or Get Home power - I believe strongly in them due to personal experience. On the Skookum I only had one emergency and that was in the Canal where the Morse controls had not been double nutted and the linkage became dis-attached. Since we were entering a lock I powered up the Pony (27hp Yanmar) which had a separate shaft and saved a tow bill! I also used it for trolling. On the Duck I have a 40 hp lugger 4 cyl with a clutched cogged belt to the main shaft. since I have NO genset I also use it for charging my AGM battery banks through a 220 alternator stepped down to 180. I also use the same type of alternator on the main. 4. Prop - On the Skookum I swung a 34" wheel which was fine but was talked into using a Hundestadt controllable pitch prop on the Duck. Expensive and if you are economizing I probably would not spend the money on one except that being able to vary the pitch for trolling as well as to back either P or S by again changing the pitch is a great luxury. 5. Stabilization - Lots of opinions out there on this one. First Floppers. Used them all the time on the Skookum and they worked well. Problems encountered; late at night hooking onto fishing gear, bringing aboard in a seaway when entering harbors, manually lifting the fish back aboard and all the rigging taking up space. I know many have mechanized the deployment gear but they still have some of the same issues. Next Active, yes, they take HP away from the main cutting fuel economy and requiring a good PTO not to mention possible maintenance issues after a few years and another hole through the hull. I must admit however having them on the Duck, even though I have not needed to deploy much yet, I am now sold (spoiled!). 6. Tankage: We carry 1300 gals of fuel which is good cor 3300 to 4000 miles depending on how we regulate the speed. 300 gals of H2O with a water maker. 150 gals of black water stored in the extended hull/swim platform, 75 gals of gray water since some places are regulating that now also. 7. Electrical; have provided with three combinations which should be adequate anywhere in the world, use inverters, over sized alternators as discussed earlier. a 24/12/110 system. 8. Electronics - redundancy! at helm two 19" screens, Sat compass, Trane 33, weather works, Furuno Black Box with Maxsea and Nobletek on separate computers, sonar 48" open array with the large Furuno and then 24" closed array for the smaller back up. AIS receiving only, as well as B&G instrumentation on depth. wind etc. 9. Bilge systems are Rule in three water tight compartments as well as two others in engine and keel section backed up by hydraulic emergency engine bilge pump 10. Ground tackle. Two windless, both hydraulic. The main on deck holds 50' of 1/2' chain, 550' of 1/2" galvanized wire with a 90lb Rocna anchor ( The best anchor I have ever used in all conditions!). the back up has 50' of 3/8ths high tensel with the largest Fortress available mounted on the deck house along with the life raft. I also have a fwd. and aft warping winch, also hydraulic. 11. Galley, gas range with four tanks mounted in watertight compartments on deck, grill mounted aft with separate 10lb tank in its own locker next to deck box. 12. Other: a 28' mast with jigger, crows nest and of course all electronic mounts etc. metal rungs on mast which are spaced a little closer than normal due to my needing a shorter step as I get older. All systems are accessible from the ladder or crows nest. Dinghy davits are raised by elec winch to stern rail about 9' off water. much easier to launch if needed than on top of pilot house. I carry a spare Yanmar 9hp outboard motor and extra fuel stored in plastic can stored under aft deck bench.Deck rails are 1 1/8" welded rails waist high. Aft cockpit can sit 7 to 8 comfortably and is enclosed with canvas/plastic windows with screen inserts. Windows roll up if needed. Table is mounted so that it slides up center pole to ceiling when not needed. One luxury item is the center queen bunk aft which has an electric lifter to access storage where we carry about 300' of extra chain, and assorted other gear, parts, sleeping bags etc. Finally, this was not a $500,000 boat to build. I had thought about doing it in China but frankly taking a close look at the early boats coming over from Seahorse Marine I decided the quality and systems I wanted could not be accomplished there at that time and opted to have the yard that had refitted and maintained by boat on the west coast to build the new one. Our maiden voyage in 2007 took us to Kodiak AK and covered over 5000 miles with only one minor electronics glitch! If I was in the market and on a budget, I would search for one of Ed Monks Skookums, 47 or 53 and refit as needed. One hell of a great hull design and built to commercial specs - so very solid. My wife still is upset I sold mine to John but am glad it has such a good home! god Bless - Ross Anderson