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Which is better; DeFever, Kadey-Krogen or Nordhavn?

Discussion in 'General Trawler Discussion' started by Yachting newbie, Sep 21, 2006.

  1. Yachting newbie, Sep 21, 2006
    #1
    Yachting newbie

    Yachting newbie New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2006
    Messages:
    20
    Location:
    Live in metro NYC.
    We are a couple in our mid 50s planning to retire into living onoard a pre-own trawlers in about 10 yrs. Never owned a boat. But preliminary research told us to take some basic courses with the USCGA or US power Squadron, then attend a paid trainning course with a local trawler charter and school outfit. Get some hands on experience and charter a trawler ( most probably some Grand Banks classis ) for a few weeks and then decided whether or not to get our feet wet. If we get thru this stage, we would like to purchase a pre-own pilothouse trawler ( love those pilothouse ) . So far we loved the DeFever PH long range trawlers of the 80s, prices seeed right now, could even get cheaper 10 yrs from now. Kadey Krogen 42 is reachable too. Nordhavn 46 is also under consideration. The above 3 models are plentiful enough on any given years to make purchase choices easier. We will not be financing the boat. Most likely refinance the house, buy the boat, live on a reserve funds set up especially for (1) refit (2) fuel (3) dockage pre-planned for about 5 years. ( Planned on based around the Cheasapeake Bay area m but sail north to the great lakes and Canadian Maritimes in the spring and summer, and after the hurricane seasons, head south to the Carribean in the spring. Most probably will do The Great Loop once .) Then sell it and move back on land and buy a RV to roam America the beautiful on wheels as we get older.
    Any suggestions on DeFever 49' , K-K42 or NH46?
    Do we need an annual refit? Or once when we take delivery, once in mid-term, and once before re-selling it will be fine?

    Thanks in advance of any advices from you more seasoned sailors.
  2. yachtbrokerguy, Sep 21, 2006
    #2
    yachtbrokerguy

    yachtbrokerguy Guest

    The Defever 49 has a lot more room to live aboard and typically has twin engines. The KK 42 has less room, and a much smaller fybridge, and one engine, so it is more economical to run. The Nordhavn 46 was designed as an offshore boat and was built too much more stringent specifications than the Defever, thus they are usually more expensive.

    I think you are not sure of the word refit, each year the boat will need maintenance, zincs, varnish, engine work, waxing, bottom paint every other year or more.

    When you first purchase the boat, many things should be done, usually oil and filters, clean fuel tanks, new hoses and belts, batteries, maybe canvas and whatever is found on the survey.

    We think of refits as rebuilding engines, new paint, fresh interior, replace teak decks, major stuff like that.
  3. airship, Sep 21, 2006
    #3
    airship

    airship Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2006
    Messages:
    297
    Location:
    French Riviera...
    For more decades than I care to recall, I've dreamed about the day I'd be able to buy that Deerfoot sailboat and spend the rest of my years carefreely exploring the globe (or what's left of it :( ) ...

    Then Steve Dashew went and invented his "unsailboat". The very idea that it may be more economical to "motor" instead of "sail" great distances?! Or that there could be an alternative to the sluggish and comparatively uncomfortable in extremis "trawler" yacht designs but especially in terms of his design's apparent ability to handle and recover from capsizes and knock-downs in heavy-weather...

    ...these days, I dream about the day I might afford to buy an unsailboat... :)
  4. Bill Jacobs, Sep 22, 2006
    #4
    Bill Jacobs

    Bill Jacobs New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2006
    Messages:
    2
    Location:
    Palmetto FL (winter) Baileys Harbor, WI (summer)
    My wife and I spent close to 3 years aboard a 49' DeFever. She was the Cockpit Motoryacht configuration. I cannot recommend the DeFevers highly enough. The pilothouse configration looks good, but the CMY offers the best covered aft deck spaceon the market. If your plans include lots of warm weather you might want to look into that configuration.

    I am a freelance writer and just had an article "Classic Cruisers" published in the October 2006 issue of PassageMaker. You might find it interesting as it profiles the experiences of 5 cruising couples who have purchase used trawers of various sizes. Good Luck.