Northwest Trawlers

Hull Structure for Offshore Cruising or a Case for Steel

2011-05-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

It was last year that we began to think about offering full displacement hull forms as an option for our Northwest Trawler line. Essentially, keep the basic Northwest Trawlers styling above the waterline but design the hull so that it could be easily built as a semi-displacement or full displacement hull.

Our designer, Steve Seaton, was tasked with making the subtle hull shape changes that would allow this. Our original idea was to build the tooling so that it split horizontally above the waterline and you simply bolted on the hull bottom type that you were building. It would be easy to have the boat built either way at the same yard.

It sounded like a great idea.

But then I began to ponder if FRP (fiberglass) was really the right choice for an offshore (ocean crossing) cruising hull. I recalled the numerous times that I have been running offshore in the middle of the night or in reduced visibility and had the thought strike me, "gosh, I hope we don't run into something we can't see". It is a sobering thought (not that I would be drinking while underway, mind you). But when you are hundreds of miles from land and you are totally self reliant for survival, you want to be confident that your ship (as small as it may be) is built of the strongest, most puncture resistant material available. Just in case!!! Then thinking of inadvertently running up on a reef and wave action grinding the fiberglass away while trying to extricate the boat.........hmmmmmm...

I began to waffle on FRP as a viable hull material for serious offshore cruising.

Then the tragic Japanese tsunami occurred and I began reading reports of debris, large debris, maybe even overturned fishing vessels, containers, and other large objects that are predicted to be orbiting around the Pacific Ocean for the next 5-10 years.

That sealed my decision......no FRP hulls for our full displacement expedition series. Steel it would be....with FRP or aluminum for the superstructure to keep the weight down.

Steel is actually easier to build with. It requires no tooling for the hull and with today's modern coatings, it can be as easy to care for as fiberglass.

So beginning with our 2012 models (available for order now), we will offer Northwest Trawlers in a steel hulled configuration for the:
NW48FD, NW52FD, NW58FD, NW64FD, NW72, and the newly designed NW88.(the FD designates full displacement.

Of course for coastal and near coastal cruising (not ocean crossing), which is what most people do, we still recommend our semi-displacement, performance trawlers; the NW48, NW52, NW58, and NW64. All of our FRP hulled trawlers have Kevlar in the forward sections for strength and puncture resistance.

And now, due to Steve Seaton's brilliance (Steve are you listening???), we now offer all of our models in either single engine or twin engine configurations. You can opt for single engine, displacement speeds for economy, or you can up-size your single engine or "twin" your semi-displacement hulled Northwest Trawler and achieve top speeds in the high teens.

So if your cruising plans are for weekend getaways, summer cruises up the Inside Passage, Caribbean adventures, or crossing an ocean, we are confident that Northwest Trawlers can provide you a trawler or expedition yacht to meet your needs and exceed your expectations.

Asian Trip

2011-03-02T18:39:00.001-08:00

I just returned from 2 weeks in Asia where I visited with several shipyards in order to evaluate their capability to build our steel-hulled Exploration Series trawlers. In my last blog post, I showed the preliminary drawings of the 72', aft pilothouse model. We are working now on a forward pilothouse version of the 72 plus an 83' boat. A very preliminary sketch is below:

Bear in mind that this is very preliminary. We already will be adding 3' to the cockpit to accommodate our client's requests. This boat will be set up for tropical cruising with over-sized A/C units and a special dive room for tank storage, filling, etc.

I visited 2 very capable shipyards, IAG in Zhuhai, China and Jade Yachts in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Both yards build exceptionally high quality vessels. Fit and finish is outstanding both inside and out. I was especially impressed with the systems and propulsion installations from both yards. Now it will be up to which yard offers the better value proposition.

Going to Asia during Chinese New Year is especially nice. There were festivals and celebrations everywhere I went. Upon arriving, I received the customary "red envelope" which signifies good luck and good luck I received.

Not only did I find two good yards for steel boats but I cemented relationships with several other yards that we either do business with or would like to consider in the future, UniShine, Maxi, Tricon, Hang Lik, and Cheoy Lee (Zhuhai, China), President (Tainan, Taiwan), Jade Yachts, Hershine, and even a visit to our old friends at Ta Yang (Kaohsiung, Taiwan) who build the beautiful Tayana sailing vessels.

While at Cheoy Lee, I was able to get aboard the 45 meter Marco Polo II for a quick look. She is still a couple of months from completion but what a magnificent vessel.

From the Jade Yachts yard, a Jade 95. This is a steel hulled expedition yacht that has a very European flair to it. The steel work is beautiful, looking more like FRP. I saw no evidence of fairing. The superstructure is aluminum and execution was flawless.

From recent activity, I would say that the economy really is improving. Activity is not back to pre-recession levels but we do have some solid inquiries.

As we get the designs finalized for our larger boats I will be posting information here. Check back often.

Northwest Trawlers Update

2011-01-18T11:46:00.001-08:00

A lot has happened since I last posted here. Jan and I embarked on a 10,000 mile, 10week RV trip in September to participate in several boat shows on the East Coast. Having no RVing experience, we thought it would be a great way to compare the trawler cruising lifestyle to the RV cruising lifestyle.

We both can say, unequivically, that we prefer the trawler lifestyle. There are numerous reasons, but so as to not offend any of those "good buddies" we came in contact with on our trip, we'll just leave it that we are boaters, not RVers.

We did meet many great people at Trawler Fest in Baltimore, the Annapolis Boat Show and then the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. We continue to receive many compliments about the Northwest Trawlers and we think that people are now starting to "come out of the woodwork" and seriously consider purchasing a new boat.

We spent several days with Steve and MJ Seaton, enjoying their company and also fine tuning some of the existing design and preparing to release of some new models.

Our two most significant design changes were to the Northwest 45 and 50. We listened to our client base and potential customers and moved the flybridge up over the pilothouse and we now have the master stateroom amidships rather than in the bow.

Here is the drawing of the NW45 (click on thumbnail to enlarge):

We also are readying to release information on 3 new models, the NW57, NW63 and NW72. The NW57 and NW63 are like our other Northwest Trawlers as they are semi-displacement hulls and they will come standard with twin John Deere 6090 engines at 500hp each. These models are also available with a single John Deere 6135 (750hp) engine also.

Here are preliminary drawings of the NW 57 and NW63.

The Northwest 72 is a long range expedition yacht, designed to be built either as a full FRP boat or as a steel hull with FRP superstructure. This boat will be powered by a single John Deere engine and will have a range of greater than 3000 miles.

For further information on these new models or any Northwest Trawlers please give us a call or drop us a note.

Upcoming Events for Northwest Trawlers

2010-08-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

Seattle Boats Afloat Show - Lake Union, Seattle, WA September 15-19. We will have Nor'wester (hull #1) on display at the in-the-water section of the show. Come by and meet our new agents, Seattle Yachts. Seattle Yachts is owned by Ted Griffin and Ed Scripps. Working the show will also be Paris Woodard, Chris Duppenthaler, and Bob Olson.

Trawler Fest - Baltimore, MD September 24-26. Jan and I are leaving for Baltimore aboard our borrowed "land yacht" to display at the Trawler Fest in Baltimore. We will be blogging the trip so stay tuned.

Annapolis Boat Show - Annapolis, MD October 14-17. Come see us at the Passagemaker tent on the docks. While we won't have a boat at the show, if you are interested, we can take you to see "The Path", hull #2 which is berthed nearby.

Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show October 28-31. We won't have an official booth there but we will be "hanging out" with our good friend and designer, Steve Seaton at the Seaton Yachts booth. We will have plenty of material available, so if you are there, and want to see us, drop me an email or call. (peter@nwtrawlers.com) 360-317-7456 (cell)

A Nice Note From an Owner

2010-08-10T15:26:00.001-07:00

One of our owners (Larry Hansen) recently returned from his summer cruise and sent me a very nice note regarding Orca's reception by people he encountered.

Here is an excerpt:

"We just got back from three weeks in the San Juan's and Desolation Sound so I thought I would give you a brief update on our summer cruising. We took our daughter, two grand children and their Caulker Spaniel "Sadie" with us. Even with all 5 ½ of us, the boat was very comfortable and never felt cramped. They spent a week with us in the San Juan's before we headed north. Leaving Nanaimo the water and weather were fine as we crossed the Straits of Georgia. We proceeded directly to Desolation Sound in one easy day. Weather there was outstanding for most of the trip. In Prideaux Haven the air temperature and water temperature were a matching 77 F. There was only one night in Squirrel Cove where we had 25 to 30 knot winds, while at anchor. Noisy but no problems. Generally, we cruised at 8.5 to 10 knots depending on our schedule. The boat performed great.

I think you miss out on an important part of your boating business my not spending more time on the water in a NW45. You would be impressed with the tremendous positive response the boat gets at every place we stopped. For example we anchored one night across from Nanaimo next to Newcastel Island. We got there about 5 PM, sat on the fly bridge with a glass of wine and watched boats. Within two hours we had 13 boats come by specifically to look at Orca Blue. Everyone made very positive comments about the boat, some yelling across on what a great looking boat she was, some wanted to know where she was made and others gave a strong thumbs up. You would be very happy to see how well the boat is received, especially in Canada. Every anchorage produced numerous positive comments and questions. I believe you would be greatly encouraged about the future of the boat if you heard some of these complements. I know you experienced this while on Hull 1 but the interest continues.

Orca Blue is currently back in Tacoma. We are planning two south Sound trips yet this summer.

Linda and I hope all is going well with you and Jan. Please keep in touch.

Sincerely,
Larry & Linda

PS: As a side note, our 12 year old Granddaughter wrote a little poem while she was cruising with us. It’s cute and I thought I would share it with you.

Riley's Poem (Click on the Image to Enlarge, this is great)

Thank you Riley for that wonderful poem.

One more thing....If you haven't already responded to our survey, please take a moment to help us. We will be closing down the survey page soon.

TAKE THE SURVEY

Please Help Northwest Trawlers Set Its Course for the Future

2010-06-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

Northwest Trawlers has reached a waypoint and needs to decide whether to alter course or continue on our present heading. Please take a few moments to be a part of helping us decide our future course. Your participation is greatly appreciated and you will remain anonymous...Thank you

HELP US CHART OUR COURSE

If you have any other comments or suggestions, please don't hesitate to call or write me directly.

Peter Whiting

Northwest Trawlers
360-317-7456 (direct line)
peter@nwtrawlers.com

Northwest Trawlers Discussion Group

2010-04-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

We have started a Northwest Trawlers Discussion Group on Yahoo Groups. There are not too many members yet but it is growing. Tell us your boating plans, (ocean crossing, coastal cruising, great loop, inside passage, etc.). What type of boat is your preference (displacement, semi-displacement, pilothouse, sedan, tri-cabin, etc.) Or maybe we can discuss number of engines.....that always gets a lot of spirited conversation going. So click on the link above and join in.

More on President

2010-04-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

I have been visiting shipyards in China and Taiwan for the past 9 years, some prospecting for a subcontract yard and others just to visit and see what they do and how they do it. Few yards have impressed me as much as the President yard; so much so that that is why we chose them to build our Northwest Trawlers.
When you first approach the entrance, you realize that President is truly an international company. The flags, which fly every day (not just for visitors), represent the countries where President has done business. Eddie Yeh, the owner, has been building boats for over 40 years, the first 35 or so years at an older shipyard many miles inland. Eddie moved into this facility, right on the water in 2005.
The main building shown above is huge, being over a football field in length and about half that in width with a cavernous overhead that has 2 mezzanine levels. Boats of up to 150' in length are able to be built here with ease.
When your first walk in the offices, you realize that this is not a typical Asian yacht yard. The reception area is very tastefully decorated with modern furniture (comfy black leather). Outside the window, visitors can watch large Coy fish swimming in Eddie's fish pond. He is a collector and I am told he has had a Coy pond at his shipyards for many years. On the walls are pictures of Eddie meeting government and business leaders both at home and abroad. One shows him with President and Mrs. H.W. Bush when they met at the White House. Eddie has been actively involved in Rotary International for many years, serving as chapter president of his local club.
Turning toward the engineering and administration offices, the first person you see in Chief. And beyond Chief's desk is Jack. Chief and Jack are both graduate naval architects with Jack having earned a Master's degree. Both attended the same school, at the same time and joined President over 22 years ago. They are a Chief (pardon the pun) reason that President turns out yachts of such high quality.

The offices are very impressive. You literally feel you could eat off the floor. It is immaculate and well organized.
Above is one of the sample racks where new owners can select wood types, molding shapes, and finishes. Everything is organized and labeled to make selections easy. Our Northwest Trawlers will have a matte finished, medium toned cherry as the standard with other woods to choose from, most with no additional cost.
Another display rack holds samples of granite and Corian. Granite is available as full thickness or honeycomb backed where weight is a consideration. There are many optional patterns and colors to choose from.

Eddie and Me

Before we went out into the manufacturing area, Eddie wanted to show me their training and visitor housing building. This is a 3 story structure across the yard from the main building. The first floor is their training area for classes and company meetings. The upper two floors have apartments where skippers, owner's agents, and owners can stay when they are visiting the yard for extended periods of time.
This is the classroom/meeting room area. Again, it was very well organized and clean as a whistle.
Jack led me on the tour and the first thing that struck me was how voluminous the building was. Here you can see the 2 mezzanine levels. The small boat you see is one of the production boats that President builds for the Japanese market. I believe Eddie said it was a Nissan product.
This is one of the woodworking shops. I think I counted 3 that were strategically placed so that the workers did not have far to go to get components from the shop to the boats.
This is a smaller woodworking shop on the 2nd mezzanine level.

Above is a hull for a President 120 under construction.
This is a completed President 107 mega yacht awaiting the owner's instructions for delivery. This is truly a beautifully finished yacht. Admittedly, I am a trawler lover but I can appreciate the fine workmanship that President did on this boat.
I took a few interior pictures of the President 107. There were some things that were being left to be installed once the boat reached its home port. I am told that there will be 3 Stidd chairs for the helm station.
This is the settee and table located at the back of the pilothouse. The cushions are wrapped in plastic to protect them.
This is what I call the "breakfast nook". It is a dining area just forward of the galley that appears to be for informal dining.
And this is for more formal dining. The amazing thing was that President made the table, chairs, and the buffet table seen in the background.
Here is a shot of the galley. this is just one of the work areas.
And this is the rest of the galley (taken from behind the "breakfast nook")
And the final picture taken of the stairway going up to the pilothouse.

You're probably wondering why I am showing the President 107 pictures because its trawlers that we build. Well, after my tour of the 107, I met with Eddie and he assured me that the quality (not necessarily the styling) of the President 107 is what we can expect on our Northwest Trawlers series. That was the clincher that made the decision to contract with President easy.

2010-01-26T16:33:00.000-08:00

Altering Course

Northwest Trawlers is pleased to announce a new strategic partnership with President Boats International, Ltd. (President Yachts). Effective immediately, President Yachts will be the manufacturing arm of Northwest Trawlers.

For over 40 years, President Yachts has been producing high quality yachts up to 150' under their own name and as an OEM supplier. Notable customers include Krogen, Hood Yachts (Whisperjet, Hood 66 Expedition), Marlow, Offshore and many others brands in the US, Europe and Asia.

President Yachts is home to 250 skilled craftsmen, engineers, designers and support staff. Their dedicated teamwork has produced over 1,100 yachts, exporting to markets all over the world. Even in a period of financial difficulty and extraordinary competition for most exporting boat builders, President has maintained continuous growth and quality improvement.

Today, yachts being built by President are recognized by yachtsmen worldwide as a high quality product at an affordable price. Utilizing resident naval architects, designers and engineers, as well as the services of internationally well-known designers and engineers, they are constantly advancing the quality, styling, performance and durability of each President and OEM built yacht product. They are industry leaders in the use of CAD (Computer Aided Design) and ISO 9001 quality control systems; all part of their daily goal of maintaining the highest standards for quality and innovation in the boating industry.

While the current economic downturn has had a devastating effect to many builders in the recreational boating industry, this lull in business has given Northwest Trawlers an opportunity to fine tune our business model in order to give our customers boats with higher value at less cost.

Call or Email now for information on our new pricing and special re-introductory promotions.

Owner Innovation

2009-11-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

I am continually amazed at the imaginative innovations our owners come up with. I recently was back at the Annapolis Boat Show, aboard "The Path", NW45, hull #2 and observed the boat deck/ flybridge seating arrangement that the owner designed, had fabricated and then installed.

I apologize for the quality of the pictures. If you had been in Annapolis for the show, you would know that it rained sideways for the entire 4 day event. This was due to a nor'easter that lingered in the area. These pictures were taken at the conclusion of the show with my iPhone shorty after it stopped raining.

The owner had not originally opted for our optional boat deck seating area but once he got the boat back home to Annapolis, he realized how much he would use the upper deck while aboard and almost immediately began thinking about adding a structure there.

The basic structure is constructed in aluminum and is painted with an LPU paint to match the gelcoat of the superstructure. The workmanship is very good and the design extremely functional. Although hard to see, the seating allows for 2-3 people to sit at the upper helm station with good visibility over the pilothouse roof.

The numerous cabinet doors give great access to a large storage area under the structure. The owner kiddingly said that it would serve as another stateroom in a pinch. On the aft portion and on each side are handy shelf areas, the shelves of which being done in a matching Avonite solid surface countertop material.

This shot, taken after dark, shows the profile. Many favorable comments were overheard by visitors aboard during the show. I think the owner may qualify for an honorary appointment to our design team. What do you think?

Nor'wester to New Home / Annapolis Boat Show

2009-10-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

NOR'WESTER TO NEW OWNERS

Jan and I are experiencing mixed emotions right now. After nearly 2 years of displaying Nor'wester from Canada to Mexico, she is now going to new owners. Charlie Huxford and his wife Jonni are shown here in the cockpit shortly after we completed the final checkout and turned Nor'wester over to them.
Their previous boat was a Chaparral 250 (25') with an outdrive. Moving up to a 45', single engine trawler would be a daunting task for many, but Charlie was definitely up to the challenge. It took little coaching before he was deftly docking Nor'wester, both straight in and backing in. The articulating rudder and powerful bow thruster make it easier, but Charlie also just had the right touch.

Nor'wester is going to be berthed up on Bowen Island, just north of Vancouver. If you see Nor'wester out cruising, stop by and say hi to Charlie and Jonni; they are a great couple. While we are sad to see Nor'wester go, we know she is in good hands.

UNITED STATES POWERBOAT SHOW - ANNAPOLIS, MD

For those of you on the East Coast, come by and visit us at the United States Powerboat Show in Annapolis, MD this coming weekend (October 15-18). We will be displaying "The Path" (NW 45, hull #2) with Robert Noyce and company of Noyce Yachts.

Lake Union Boats Afloat Show and Visitors from Afar

2009-08-29T13:03:00.001-07:00

Shellfish to be at Lake Union Boats Afloat Show
September 16-20

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend the Lake Union Boats Afloat Show on South Lake Union, September 16th thru 20th. We will be there aboard Shellfish, the Northwest 50EC (extended cockpit). Shellfish is truly a spectacular boat, having won the People's Choice Award at the recent Trawlerfest held in Anacortes.

Visitors from Brazil

Ian, Alex, Giselle, Peter, and Jan

In the past couple of years, since launching our Northwest 45 (hull #1), we have had many inquiries from all over the world. Quite a few have expressed interest in coming to visit us in Anacortes to experience, first hand, the Northwest 45.

Several months ago, I received a very nice note from Alex Peraja, from Santos Brazil. He told me that he had been following the progress of Northwest Trawlers and really wanted to come to Anacortes to visit us. Plans were made for he and his wife, Giselle, to come to Trawlerfest this past May. Unfortunately, it was during that time that the swine flu was headline news worldwide. As a cautionary measure, they sadly canceled their travel plans.

Alex continued to write however, saying that he still wanted to bring his family to Anacortes for a visit to see the Northwest Trawlers. Well, recently, they made that happen. Alex, his wife, Giselle, and their son, Ian, came to visit; not only once, but twice within a week. They made a thorough inspection of Nor'wester and we went out for an extended seatrial. By the smiles on their faces, I could tell they loved the boat. When they left to return home, they told us they wanted to have us build them a NW45.

Sadly, that may not happen. The difficulty that they face is the very high import taxes for Brazil. The tax rate is around 100% of the value of the boat when it arrives. This means that whatever they purchase that is manufactured outside of Brazil costs twice as much as anything produced in Brazil. Unfortunately, they probably cannot purchase a boat made here in the US for as much as they love the Northwest 45, it does not make sense to pay twice the price.

Alex, however, is not one to give up on his dream easily. He believes in the old adage: "where there is a will, there is a way" and he is determined to find a way.

Orca Blue Returns from Glacier Bay

2009-08-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

Larry and Linda Hansen returned from their 2.5 month cruise north to Glacier Bay this past week. Larry sent me the following pictures note to tell us of their adventures. With their permission, I am sharing it with you below.

Glacier Bay

Hi Peter,

Orca Blue has completed her journey to South East Alaska and back. We were gone 2 ½ months and logged over 3000 miles. It has been a great adventure to say the least. Orca Blue plowed thru everything we asked her to. Many times the large passages were like glass and to be expected there were those times where conditioned challenged Orca Blue’s abilities. She never faulted or caused us to question her abilities to get us through safely.

We took a short one week break from Alaska to get a grandchild fix back in Seattle. They returned with us to Wrangell for 5 days near the end of June. It was great for them to see some glaciers, catch Halibut and leave with a taste of Alaska. On their departure we headed north again through the Wrangell narrows. Which, by the time the trip was over, we would have transited 4 times. Some of the areas we went through were so remote that days would go by without seeing another boat. We again worked our way up into the head of Tracy Arm reaching a point only a half mile from the glacier face.

The small and large icebergs blocked our way and kept us from going any farther.

There was spectacular scenery in every direction. Fantastic vertical rock cliffs come directly down into the sea. You could be 100 feet off shore and be in 600 ft of water.

Our trip destination goal was Glacier Bay. We arrived there on July 8^th and were able to get a 5 day pass. They only allow a set number of boating into the park at any one time. The park is huge, taking more than a day to cruise to some of the upper reaches. Every day the weather was beautiful. Light winds and blue skies. There was a little smoke from fires in the Yukon but in general the weather was perfect. One night we anchored right at the foot of Reid Glacier. Along about dusk we got a chance to experience our first “Williwaws”. These are winds that are generated by the air cooling on the glacier face and sliding down hill along the glacier picking up speed as they descend. On reaching the foot of the glacier, where we were, they had picked up speeds in excess of 35 mph. For 2 hours we had an interesting ride, at anchor, until it died off to nothing about 11 PM.

On our second day in the park we got right up to the face of Margerie and Grand Pacific Glacier. There were no other boats in sight. We stopped at the face, shut everything off and went up to the flybridge. We sat there, with a glass of wine and cheese watching and listing to the glacier for over an hour. It was truly a great experience to say the least.

With our major goal achieved we began working our way south. Sometimes we were making more than 100 miles a day. The major passages south through the Dixon Entrance and Cape Caution were timed with good sea conditions and were not a problem.

Dixon Entrance Light

One evening we timed our arrival at Watts Narrows in Grenville Channel and worked our way through a twisting 80 foot wide passage into Baker Inlet.

Watts Narrows to Baker Inlet

You can only do this at slack water because the current can run through the narrows at 8 to 10 knots. So once you get in there you are locked in until the next tide change. Baker Inlet is a 3 mile long bay that had a great anchorage at the far end. Again we were the only boat there and in some ways felt a little claustrophobic, with the high mountains all around and knowing that you couldn’t leave even if you wanted too. The isolation was amazing.

Each day we were treated to some type of surprise. It may have been breaching Humpback whales, feeding Grizzly bear along the beach, mother Sea Otter with her baby on her belly, Orca’s hunting or the Eagles being driven off their catch by crows.

Grizzly Bear

Black Bear

Humpback Whale

Orca Frolic

As it turned out one of our roughest rides was at anchor. We were returning south, through the Straits of Georgia, with a nice 10 knot wind on our tail and temperatures in the 80’s. We found an ideal anchorage on the south side of Hornby I. in Tribune Bay, which is beautiful Marine Park. Since it was Saturday night the bay was packed with over 50 boat ranging in size from 16 ft to 85 ft. The weather had been clear, sunny and a light breeze out to the north for days. It was predicted to stay the same for at least 3 more days, so we felt comfortable anchoring there even though it was exposed to the south. All went well until, about 7:00 PM, we noticed some large thunder heads developing over the mountains and Texada Island. By 9:00 PM the winds began to slowly switch direction, now coming out of the south directly into the bay with a long 25 mile fetch. They began building to over 20 knots. As it got dark we were treated to a fantastic lighting show with multiple lighting strikes to the south every few seconds. Three large, 960 ft, cruise ships idled in the area waiting for things to settle down. By 10:00 PM we had 4 ft breaking rollers coming into the bay. Not a problem because our anchor held us directly into the waves. The smaller boats were taking a real pounding and by then it was getting dark so everyone was committed to spend the night. At around 11:00 PM the thunder storms were moving off to the west, which seemed like a welcome change. It wasn’t. The winds now changed direction to the west which rotated all of the boats into a position broadside to the large rollers and surf that were still coming directly into the bay. Many of the smaller boats, with the typical lunch hook ground tackle, began breaking free all in the dark. Orca Blue did just fine, but we did move our pillows out to the salon and tried to sleep there. That was difficult since we were up regularly fending boats away from us. Most of their crews were terrified. By 2:00 AM the winds rotated again, out of the north and things began to quiet down a bit. After a somewhat sleepless night we headed to Nanaimo for brief fuel stop.

That also turned out to be an interesting experience too. On arriving in Nanaimo we were surprised at all the boat traffic. We were greeted with a harbor that was alive with boats of all sizes going in all directions. People were lined up all along the shore line and fireworks were filling the sky. We felt all of this was a nice friendly welcome for the arrival of Orca Blue. But no, it was the beginning of their yearly Bathtub races. This is equivalent to Seafare in Seattle. Almost immediately we found ourselves in the middle of hundreds of boats rushing in every direction to follow the little modified bathtubs powered by big outboards. Chaotic to say the least. No fuel in Nanaimo that day.

It’s hard to summarize all of the cool things we saw in the 2 ½ months we were gone. It was a great adventure.

Peter, we were amazed at all the positive response the boat received everywhere it went. In Alaska especially, they all truly loved the boat. Almost every person walking the dock would stop and complement us on the “beautiful boat”. Many, would stop to ask about details. It was fun to hear their comments as they walked by on the dock. One day we were in Tenakee Inlet, one of the local fishermen came by to say he saw the boat in Wrangell three weeks earlier and how much he liked it. It was typical to be anchored somewhere and have numerous people dingy by to take pictures and ask where the boat was built. It made us feel good and I’m sure that you and Tom should feel proud of the product you have turned out.

Our thanks go out to all of the team that was involved with the design and fabrication of Orca Blue.

Sincerely,

Larry & Linda

Additional Photos

Not Calm Every Day

Rare Glacier Seahorse

Wrangell Totem

Orca Blue in the Mist

This is indeed what it is all about............

The Uncorking of Nor'wester

2009-07-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Jan and I took Nor'wester to Kirkland, WA for "Kirkland Uncorked", a "Festival of Art, Style, and Taste". The event was held at Marina Park on Lake Washington.

All I can say is: Wow!... The crowds were amazing. We estimate that more than 2500 people boarded Nor'wester during the 3 day event. At one time, I counted 28 pairs of shoes on the dock with people still waiting to come aboard.
We met so many very nice people; some boaters, but many were not. They just were interested in seeing the yachts on display. Cultures from all over the world were represented. Our guest book had someone sign in Chinese, another, a visitor from Dubai, and several others from countries in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. And the children. Many had never been aboard a yacht before, much less one as nice as Nor'wester.

The questions and comments we heard were not what we typically hear at a traditional boat show. A few tidbits:

"Is that the basement?" (looking down into the engine room)
"How many square feet? This is bigger than my condo and a much better view."
"This is why I was born to marry a rich man."
"Can you take it out in the ocean?"
"Does a trailer come with it?"

and the one statement we heard over and over:

"I could live on this."

The main attraction at Kirkland Uncorked was the wine tasting and live music. On Saturday evening Jan and I went to the pavilion and sampled wines from some of the 19 local wineries who were offering tastings. Unfortunately (for us) we were busy much of the time and missed some of the wonderful cooking demonstrations that occurred during the day and early evening over the 3 day event.
The Lady Washington was there offering short sailing cruises on Lake Washington.
Even the County Sheriff came by. The Sheriff's Deputy (who's name has escaped me) who was running this boat has been aboard Nor'wester several times at various boat shows. He offered to trade the Sheriff's boat for Nor'wester but Jan vetoed it.

We had a great time showing Nor'wester and educating people about cruising and living aboard a trawler. We hopefully sparked some interest; there were quite a few people who said they wanted to learn more.

Thanks to those of you who came by to say hello. It was nice to see familiar faces.

Nor'wester Coming "Uncorked"

2009-07-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

Jan and I will be bringing Nor'wester to Kirkland Uncorked on July 17-19. Here is what they say about the event:

"Kirkland Uncorked: A Festival of Art, Style & Taste is a grand celebration showcasing Washington's finest wines, gourmet food, engaging art and the best Northwest jazz -- all in one elegant, entertaining weekend on the shores of Lake Washington.

A signature summer event, Kirkland Uncorked offers the perfect opportunity to discover this vibrant lakeside community. An abundance of restaurants, boutiques, art galleries, home decor shops, designer stores, day spas, waterfront strolls, lake cruises and water activities make Kirkland the perfect weekend destination. Visit explorekirkland.com to discover all there is to experience in Kirkland."

Please come and visit us and tour Nor'wester. We look forward to seeing you there.

Alaskan Adventure for Orca Blue

2009-06-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

Larry and Linda Hansen

Larry and Linda Hansen left for Alaska in late May aboard Northwest 45, hull #3, Orca Blue. I have been receiving their Spot position almost daily since they left. Larry sent me the below pictures which I am sure you will agree, are spectacular. (Click on the images to enlarge)

Underway

An Orca Escort off Stuart Island

Transiting Grenville Channel

Mirror Images

A Quiet Anchorage

Ice is Nice

Dall's Porpoises Frolicking off the Bow

A Bit Choppy in Dixon Entrance

Another Mirror

A Two Point Landing

A Crash Landing

Catch Me!!!

Drat...... You Missed!!!

Fresh Halibut for Dinner

And Halibut for the Hansens (90lb)

And Crab Too!!!

Tranquility

Safely At Anchor

An End to Another Great Day

San Juan Island Yacht Club Cruise And Shilshole "Open House"

2009-05-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

Jan and I have been members of the San Juan Island Yacht Club for many years. We have not, however, attended any events that they put on since we moved from Friday Harbor to Anacortes about 5 years ago. Consequently, not many people from the yacht club had ever been aboard Nor'wester to see it. When we got a call last week from a member, encouraging us to participate in the Vice Commodore's Cruise to Ganges (Saltspring Island in the Gulf Islands of BC) and open up Nor'wester for display, we thought it would be a great idea. We hastily put together clothing, provisions, etc., got a pet sitter for the cats, and off we went. The weather could not have been more spectacular.

Not A Cloud in the Sky

It is about a 5 hour run to Ganges, not counting the diversion to Bedwell to clear Canadian Customs.

Canadian Customs Office

It was interesting to clear customs. When I checked in at the office, there was an officer there and 2 more out on the docks. He told me that they were technically not there and that I should call Canada Customs from one of the 3 phone booths right outside the office. I placed the call, gave them all the requested information, and was told to go back aboard the boat and an officer would come down shortly. I did as requsested and soon 2 customs agents came up to the boat and proceeded to ask me all the same questions that I had just answered to the agent on the phone. The one that got me was: "Do you have any firearms on board?" "No," I replied. "Do you have any firearms at home?" "No," I replied again, wondering what that had to do with anything. "So I won't be surprised and find any ammunition aboard", he said. "No", I replied.
"If I don't own a gun, then there is not much reason for me to have ammunition." He just smiled and went aboard. The next thing we heard was the two agents opening drawers and cabinets to verify that we had told them the truth. After about 10 minutes, they got off the boat and said "Enjoy your stay in Canada," and they walked on down the dock to the next boat. While the customs agents were on board, we struck up a conversation with a couple who arrived while we were standing there, only to realize that we knew them through mutual friends. Dennis and Julie Fox, who own a Krogen 48 (Julie K) are good friends with Bruce and Joan Kessler (Spirit of Zopilote). Dennis and Julie participated in the Atlantic Rally which was sponsored by Nordhavn back in 2004. They were aboard the only Krogen to make the crossing with the group. After the rally, they went on and cruised extensively before shipping their boat home.

Julie K on the Way to Ganges

We were soon on our way to Ganges, about an hour's run from Bedwell. Julie K was going there also to join friends for the weekend so we traveled with them. As we got ready to cross Swanson Channel between North Pender Island and Salt Spring Island we saw a BC Ferry bearing down on us.
The AIS display said it was going 17 knots and the CPA (closest point of approach) was about 200 yards. Since we were running with Julie K, we decided to slow down and divert to the east rather than speed up to cross the ferry's path.
The BC ferries certainly know how to market. This one is advertising the upcoming Olympic Games in 2010, being held at Whistler, a winter playland near Vancouver.

Safely by the ferry, we continued on to Ganges where we were greeted by the SJIYC welcoming committee who helped us get tied up at the end of B dock at Ganges Marina.
Friday night was "heavy hors d'oeurvres night, which meant we feasted on some magnificent offerings brought by the 70 attendees.

Saturday morning, we went to the Ganges Saturday Market
Here we found wonderful goat cheeses, breads, jams, and a lot of other calorie laced goodies. One highlight of the morning was to encounter this little girl playing the harp. She kept us spellbound for several pieces that she played.
And of course, no trip to Ganges is complete until you browse Moats. Moats is a store that if they don't have it, you don't need it.
Back to the boat with our booty and of course, it was dead low tide; one of the lowest tides of the year. Jan could not resist snapping my picture after I had negotiated the steep ramp.
The second night, we took the dinghy over to Moby's dinghy dock and walked accross the street to have dinner at the Harbor House. We could have walked, but the dinghy is way more fun. The Harbor House served us a very nice buffet and all 70 club members enjoyed themselves.

The rest of the weekend, we spent relaxing, reading, visiting and most importantly showing Nor'wester to the many members who wanted a tour. I think that nearly everyone there came aboard to see the boat. I think that there were a couple of people who may be interested in having us build a boat for them. Time will tell.

Our trip home on Monday was uneventful, though the current was running against us nearly the whole way. Our timing was not good for our arrival back in Anacortes as the CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) agents had just left to clear in the Sydney Ferry and it was over two hours before they returned to check us in. Before we go to Canada again, I am getting the I68 and Nexus pass applications in so we don't have to be delayed.

***********************************************************************************
This coming weekend, May 30 and 31st, we will have Nor'wester at Shilshole Marina in Seattle for their first summer "open house". We will be the guests of SAS Yachts. If you are in the area, come on down to Shilshole and say hello.........

Northwest Trawlers Wins "People's Choice Award" at Trawler Fest, Anacortes

2009-05-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled that the attendees at Trawler Fest, Anacortes have chosen the Northwest 50 as the recipient of the "People's Choice Award for 2009.

We had hundreds of people aboard during the 3 day event. We lost count of how many wonderful compliments we received but the biggest compliment of all was to win the award.

There are so many people that I have to thank that participated in creating the Northwest 50-01. First of all our, thanks go to Doug Hallat who, as the owner, provided the opportunity. They made so many wonderful selections of both interior and exterior design features as well as equipment, electronics, and furnishings. I next have to thank the build team at NWT, led by Gene Kohlmann, General Manager. Team members include Kevin Clinger, Chris Duppenthaler, Paolo Jurkovich, Dan Thompson, Curt Diemert, Steve Martin, Pat Munroe Sundi Camp and many others who contributed their talents. They all did a terrific job. Contracted team members include Steve Seaton, Topcat Engineering, Canvas Supply, JJ and his finishing crew, Stone and Clay (Bellingham), Creative Surfaces (Anacortes), and Kristen Engerman of Interior Arts (Blaine). Thank you all!!!!
Pictured from l to r: Rob Dorfmeyer (Passagemaker Magazine) Jan Whiting (NW Trawlers), Doug Hallat (boat owner) Peter Whiting (NW Trawlers), Steve Seaton (Seaton Design) and John Woodridge (Passagemaker Magazine)

One of the most positively commented features of the boat was the fishing gear.
This shot shows the two downriggers and the pot puller. Downriggers are used for salmon fishing here in the Pacific Northwest.
The pot puller makes it easy to bring crab and shrimp pots up from the depths (think Deadliest Catch in miniature). Anyone who has hauled up a crab pot or shrimp pot will appreciate the value of this option. The electronics and controls in the cockpit were also a hit. (see previous blog posts for pictures).

The enthusiasm of the people who visited us on the boat at Trawler Fest was very high. You might even think that the recession was ending after talking to many of them. We have quite a few people who are interested in our building them their dream trawler.

Until next time......thank you all who voted for the NW50 this weekend.

Weather Is Fine.....Wish You Were Here

2009-05-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Trawler Fest Anacortes kicked off yesterday with sopping wet conditions in the morning. But by early afternoon, the sun was shining and out came the trawler enthusiasts. This is the largest Trawler Fest yet, surpassing Solomons Maryland in registered attendees as well as exhibitors.

There are over 80 shoreside exhibitors and more boats in the water exhibits than I can count. We have the new Northwest 50FC on display and initial reaction has been extremely popular. We were fortunate to be in the same spot this year as last; right at the bottom of the ramp when you enter the floating exhibit area.
Those of you who have been aboard a Northwest Trawler in the past may think this is the same boat. Wrong!! This is the Northwest 50FC (Fishing Cockpit) version. It just so happens that the new owners selected the same Nor'wester green color as hull 1. This boat is truly worth seeing. The interior is spectaculor. From the European appliances to the lavish tile flooring, as well as wrapped panel wall coverings and a rich dark cherry interior, nothing was spared to deliver, arguably, the nicest 50 foot trawler ever built. The electronics install team have repeatedly remarked that the navigation systems aboard this boat are more what you might expect on a boat 2 to 3 times the size.
Here is another shot taken from shore. Right behind us is the new Nordhavn Motorsailor, a fine looking vessel if you are looking for a motorsailor.

The weather is supposed to be spectaculor for the next few days so come on down to see the Northwest 50FC and say hello. Even if you are not local, just hop on a Southwest flight and come on up. All the major manufacturers are here with their latest models. You won't be sorry.

Trawler Fest runs now through Saturday, May 9th.

The Testing Continues

2009-04-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

For the past several weeks, we have been conducting sea trials on the new NW 50, hull #1. There are many systems to not only test to make sure they work, but we are doing continuing testing to insure that there is minimal chance of infant mortality.
The electronics package is pretty much all integrated. With this level of complexity and redundancy, we want to make sure that the new owner does not run into any glitches once he gets underway for his first season of cruising.
Fully loaded, this NW 50 carries 1000 gallons of fuel, 300 gallons of water, and over 200 gallons of black and gray water. This represents about 11,000 pounds of fluids. Performance is still nearing 14 knots at full load. These pictures were taken at a more reasonable cruise speed of about 8-9 knots.
There are 2 completely separate autopilot systems and they each must be tested to insure that they will work in all modes of operation.
One system that I had not used previously was the forward looking sonar. It is really pretty interesting to see what the bottom contours are going to be before you get there.
Another really great system aboard is the FLIR system. This is the thermal imaging infrared camera system. While we have not encountered fog, nor have we tried to run the boat at night, I am told that it all but eliminates the need for a spot light. And in the fog, it is a great enhancement to radar.
Another neat feature on this boat is the Bose entertainment system. There are wireless speakers in each cabin. Each has its own remote and can be controlled independently. The KVH satellite TV system insures that you won't miss any of the episodes of "Dancing With The Stars" although, I must admit I have never seen it and probably wouldn't miss it. I would rather dance with the stars while at anchor in a quiet cove.

So these pictures posted today were taken earlier this week on one of the sea trials. The new owners are getting checked out on the operation of the boat and soon will be off for their first cruise.

We will be displaying this boat at Trawlerfest in Anacortes. Trawlerfest begins May 7th and runs through May 9. Passagemaker University begins 2 days earlier. For complete details visit Passagemaker's website

2009-02-25T09:42:00.000-08:00

First, I want to thank you for your continued interest in Northwest Trawlers.

Today, I am writing to share some recent news with you:

Over this past weekend, we updated our website to include more information on the NW 50 and NW 55. In addition, the “Welcome Page” now offers an opportunity for you to view our company video. Some of you may have seen it already on DVD, but in case you haven’t, it can be viewed by clicking on the video “view” link. Visit our site at www.nwtrawlers.com.
To help begin economic recovery soon; we have introduced our very own “Economic Stimulus Package”. For a limited time, we are offering very attractive financial incentives if you order a new Northwest Trawler. Complete information can be found on the home page by clicking the word “details” or “Northwest Trawlers Special Promotion” at the bottom of any page. This program is for a limited time so take a look and give us a call.
I am beginning a list of names of like minded people who may be interested in owning a Northwest Trawler as a fractional ownership or partnership. Aircraft fractional ownership programs have become quite popular in recent years because they divide the cost of ownership between several owners. A boat, like an airplane requires a significant capital investment and may not be used full time by the owner(s). The key to success in a multi-owner situation is to have the goals of the owners compatible. It is also very important to keep the boat well maintained and ready for the next owner’s use. This is something that we have extensive experience in having owned a bareboat charter/ yacht management company in the past. Fractional ownership can also get you out on the water cruising a Northwest Trawler sooner than if you waited until you had the time or resources to purchase one entirely on your own. And costs (insurance, moorage, maintenance, etc.) are also divided to keep cost minimal. If you have interest in fractional ownership, give me a call or drop me an email and I will add you to the list.
Nor’wester, our demonstrator boat is still for sale. She is very well priced at $879,000. This outstanding boat is extremely well equipped with: (partial list)

Complete hydraulic package including stabilizers, bow thruster, windlass and auxiliary Bat Drive “get home” system.
Advanced Electronics package including redundant radar, chart plotter and depth sounder. Also includes KVH satellite TV system and “fly by wire” jog stick for effort free steering.
Watermaker.
Long Range Fuel (900 gallons).
Flybridge package including electronics.
Air Conditioning/ Heat.

Replacement for a comparably equipped Northwest 45 would exceed $1.4M. In all my boating years, I have never experienced a boat as quiet, solid, and comfortable as Nor’wester. She is a boat you would be proud to own and she would give you years of pleasurable and safe cruising. Call me and schedule a sea trial to see for yourself. Northwest Trawlers has interest in building a Northwest 50 or 55 for a client and offering additional incentives or leasing it back for occasional use as a demonstrator or use for promotional purposes. Check with your accountant as this may have significant tax advantages for you. If you are interested, call me to discuss this further.

Boat construction financing is available as well as 20 year term financing to begin once construction is complete. Construction financing is through North county Bank, a local community bank that can be quite flexible. Longer term financing can be done through either North County or Trident Financial. We also will consider quality trade-ins toward the purchase of Nor’wester or a new Northwest Trawler.

Well, that’s it for now, except as always, if you are in the Anacortes area, please stop in and say hello.

Another Sneak Peek

2009-02-06T18:02:00.000-08:00

Its been a busy week but I headed over to NW 5001 yesterday to see, first hand, the progress being made. I am always amazed at what the guys have accomplished. The boat is even more impressive in person than in pictures but I couldn't resist taking some more shots and posting them. Please bear in mind that the boat is still under construction so there is some dust and many things are not quite finished yet.
As I approached, this was what I first saw. The first think I noticed was how well she sits on her lines. Kudos to Steve Seaton for nailing the weight distribution. If you look carefully, you will see the new window arrangement on the port side of the pilothouse. (Click the image to enlarge it). Also notice the opening portlight aft of the angled window. This was an addition that the owners requested. I must admit that I was dubious of how it would look, but now I think it looks terrific.
I had to walk down the quay to see her from the other side. The dock blocks her a bit but still, she looks good.
Another thing that impressed me was the arch and sub mast. Check out that spotlight. I forget the candle power but I am told that it will turn night into day. The strong spotlight, coupled with the FLIR system aboard and the owner should be able to pick his way through pretty much anything.
From inside the pilothouse, you can see how much more light will be let in. The portlight being of an opening type will let in welcome air on those muggy nights. Oh.....I forgot, this boat has air conditioning as well as a diesel heating system so the portlight may remain closed if the a/c is running. It is still nice to have fresh air when you want it. And besides, we never have muggy weather here in the Northwest :-).
Looking around the pilothouse, you can see the overhead electronics panel. Plenty of room up there to put all the toys you ever would want. In a later post, I will detail what is aboard this boat.
This is the brains of the boat. Four flat screen panels adorn the burl faced instrument panel. The gear on this boat rivals that which I have seen on 100'+ boats. The small wheel is nice as with the joy stick and autopilot control, you seldom steer with the wheel.
As I walked past the day head, I couldn't resist taking a picture of the sink and backsplash.
Then I continued up to the galley and discovered that the guys had partially uncovered the counters and backsplash so I snapped another shot. They must have seen me with my camera out. The granite is spectacular and as previously reported, I love the Bertazzoni range. On our next boat, this will be my choice.

Well, that's all I have to report for now. Monday, if all goes well, there will be the first of the sea trials. I hope to ride along and if I do, I'll give you an update.

Have a great weekend.............

Seattle Boats Afloat Show Report and The Launch of the 50

2009-02-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

The Show... We arrived back in Anacortes this afternoon aboard Nor'wester. The trip back was uneventful (the best kind) with smooth seas and favorable currents. I love it when you see 13 knots over the ground for extended periods. We even went through the Ballard locks without any delay. This never happens after a boat show. Usually it takes a couple of hours to clear through but today it took us only about 20 minutes.

The show itself was down in terms of both display participants and attendees. The numbers I heard were about 40% less boats than last year and mid-week they were saying that attendees were down about 25%. That's the bad news.....the good news is that those that boarded Nor'wester seemed to be in much better spirits than what we have experienced at recent shows and many were seriously looking at boats to make a purchase in the near future. Nor'wester got the usual ooohs and aaahs, with several people making serious inquiries that may result in sales.

The Launch..... On Friday last, the NW 50 (still unnamed) was launched in La Conner and moved to a slip for final commissioning. This process will take another 3-4 weeks. Below are a few pictures of her before, during and after the launch.

The Trailer Being Backed Into Place.

Almost Ready To Go.....

Leaving For La Conner

Installing The Radar Arch

The Launch

Underway To Twin Bridges

The Commissioning Slip

Stern View

The owners of this boat are having a difficult time deciding on a name. There have several suggestions but so far nothing has clicked with them. If you have any good ideas, either email them to me or leave a comment below. As you can see, the color scheme is the same as Nor'wester with the exception of the caprail, which is a gorgeous burgundy.

If any of you would like to view this boat before she is delivered, please contact me and I will make the arrangements.

More to follow..............

Seattle Boats Afloat Show

2009-01-20T21:10:00.000-08:00

This is just a quick update to tell you that we are displaying Nor'wester (our prototype/demo boat) at the Seattle Boats Afloat Show on Lake Union. The show dates are January 23rd through February 1st. (not that anyone will come on Superbowl Sunday)

Nor'wester is now seriously for sale. A new build boat with the equipment that is on Nor'wester would be $1.4M. Nor'wester, with 400 hours on her, is for sale at a special price of $879,000.

We took her down this morning, leaving Anacortes at 6:30AM. It was still pitch black out but we easily motored out of Skyline Marina. I hope we didn't wake anyone as it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

By the time we got to Whidbey Naval Air Station, we were in pea soup fog and that's the way we traveled all the way to Shilshole. With the dual radars (one overlaid on the Nobeltec) and the AIS receiver, we saw every target with plenty of time to stay out of the way. I was really amazed that even in the thick fog, the Victoria Clipper was still moving along at 32 knots.

An easy traverse through the small locks and we were safely nestled in our show spot (space 31) by 1:45. A quick cleanup and off for home.

If you are coming to the show, please stop by and see this wonderful boat. We hate to see her go, but it is time to get moving on the new Northwest 55. (Can't wait)

Northwest 50-01.....Coming Along Nicely

2009-01-08T13:01:00.000-08:00

This truly will be a beautiful boat with so many wonderful appointments. There is still quite a bit of finish work to be complete so pictures of the interior at this point would not do it justice. It will be 2 or 3 weeks before I want to take many interior photos. I will post some shots of note on some of the details that we have included.

The stove below is a Bertazzoni 24"Professional Series Stainless Stove. This is a rendering as the actual stove is covered up and cannot be photographed yet.
We are excited that the owner selected this high quality stove as we have wanted to do a gourmet galley for some time.

Below is the refrigerator, a Liebherr 1650 which has a 13.3 cu foot refrigerator with a 4.2 cu foot freezer underneath. This too is not the actual installation as the refrigerator is also covered for protection until the boat is finished.

The refrigerator section alone is 4 cu feet larger than the standard Dometic. The stainless face is very sharp looking as well.
Plenty of room for lots of provisions. I like the large freezer. When we went down the coast last fall, we found that pre-prepared frozen foods were easy and very tasty. We took several items we found at Costco in the freezer section.

Another detail that I really like is the owner's choice of caprail color. You can't get the full impact with this picture because again, it is covered for protection, but I think it will be stunning when the boat is in the water and you get the full impact.
The color, a burgundy, will compliment the green hull as well as the interior woods.

The cockpit control panel seen below includes state of the art electronics. A fishfinder, chart plotter, radar, and a complete camera system are all accessed on the large screens.
Below is a closer look at the controls. There is a Maretron repeater, autopilot control, jog stick, shifter, bow thruster control, and in the cutout will be the controls for the hydraulic Wesmar APU (auxiliary power unit). The Wesmar APU will be used for trolling as it gives very good control at slow speeds. The unit gets its power from the generator.
Other nice additions to the cockpit are the BBQ grill seen below with the twin composite fiberglass propane tank storage beneath. The fiberglass tanks are very lightweight and obviously will not rust.
Another change is the large sink. This will be very useful when cooking on the BBQ or when cleaning fish.
And the last detail is the new rudder support. This does several things. It provides additional support so that if you have a grounding, it will lessen the chance of rudder bearing damage. It also offers protection to the back of the rudder if backing down. Just one more improvement.
Well, there are many more things I would like to share with you but a lot of things are still in progress. If you like what you see, give me a call or drop me an email to make an appointment to come and view the boat personally. We are scheduled to launch in late January or early February with delivery in late February.

Come to the Seattle Boats Afloat Show where we will have an unbeatable deal on Nor'wester. (or call me and I will give you the details)

December Update

2008-12-01T15:49:00.000-08:00

We at Northwest Trawlers would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!!!!

I haven't written much in the past few months as I haven't felt I had anything noteworthy to talk about. The boating industry, as you might imagine, is in a slump. It seems that the recreational boating industry is a good barometer as to the health of the economy. We began to see a slow down about a year ago. I read today that some leading economists now say that we are officially in a recession and that it began last December. Well duh.....they could have asked me that earlier this year and I could have told them that. You probably could have too. Everyone I talk to in the boating business is suffering, many more than we are.

To brighter news......

We are so fortunate to have a great project that is keeping us busy. A Northwest 50 shown below. As you can see, the owner selected the same hull color as Nor'wester but with a Matterhorn white superstructure instead of the standard Oyster color.

This Northwest 50 has the same interior layout as the single stateroom NW45. The difference is all in the cockpit and boat deck. The owner is an avid fisherman so the large cockpit has been designed with that in mind. Complete controls and a very comprehensive electronics package is being installed in cockpit. While not yet in place, the below picture shows where the 4 monitors will be placed on the aft saloon bulkhead. On the console below will be a shifter, jog stick and autopilot control
Also in the cockpit will be a custom barbecue and sink counter. There is either an ice maker or a refrigerator going in one of the cabinets.

Below is a view of the boat deck from above. With the longer deck, there is plenty of room for dinghy, kayaks, bikes, or whatever else you might wish to have up there. This is the original pilothouse/flybridge arrangement as chosen by the buyer.
Below are some more pictures.

This boat should splash some time in mid-December with a completion date in January. We have another hull under construction that has not been sold as yet. If you have any interest in having a Northwest 45, 50, or 55 built, please contact us for a delivery schedule.

"The Path" is the Platform

2008-08-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

"The Path", which is Northwest 45, hull #2, served as camera boat for the T2PTV (www.t2p.tv) production of the Governor's Cup Regatta, a 70 mile overnight race from Annapolis to the St. Marys River in Maryland. There were over 150 sailboats entered in the 35th annual running of this event.

An interesting shot of Robert Noyce at the helm with boat owner Patty Arcoleo navigating. T2P TV's Bruce Nairn can be seen in the reflection in the window. I see that Robert had the chips and dip close at hand.

The race had just about everything to offer. Thunderstorms, light air, and even one unfortunate grounding by the entry from the US Naval Academy. (you'd think those guys could navigate better) Here are the "lucky" midshipment out on the boom trying to get enough heel to get off the low spot they got hung up on. Even though they were hung up for 40 minutes, they still managed to finish with "line honors" (first to finish).

Robert is "racing" Donneybrook, here clocked at 10.2 knots going to windward. Donneybrook held the lead for much of the race, but in the end, the USNA midshipmen prevailed.

Here is Donneybrook crossing the line in second place.

Anema & Core finished 3rd in light air and early morning light.

To see complete video highlights of the race, go to http://www.t2p.tv/

Announcing.....Northwest 55

2008-07-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce the addition of the Northwest 55 to our lineup. We asked Steve Seaton to take a look at the existing design look of the Northwest 45 and 50 to see if he could keep the look and come up with a larger boat. Thus the 55 was born. Above is a very initial drawing of the profile with a new style flybridge that will offer great visibility but keep the lines of the boat looking streamlined.

As with all of our models, the NW55 can be tailored to each individual owner's tastes and requirements. Above is just one layout that will provide for 2 spacious staterooms with generous queen sized berths in each. The forward stateroom can be configured with individual bunks if requested.

The galley will truly be a gourmet's galley with incredible storage and a huge pantry area. Granite counters, Sub Zero refrigerator, Viking Range and Fisher Paykel drawer dishwasher are expected to be often chosen options.

The saloon will offer either free standing furniture or built-ins as possibilities. Exotic (sustainable) hardwoods and veneers will make the Northwest 55 a standout in its class.

This is one way to configure the flybridge and boat deck settee area. This arrangement has one helm chair and seating up top for 3 guests. There is an optional beverage cooler so you don't have to go below for refreshments. The settee on the boat deck will be a great entertainment area with the BBQ grill and sink just forward. Preliminary comments by prospective purchasers have been very favorable.

We are planning on making the John Deere 6125 (610hp) the standard engine which should deliver great performance when needed or very efficient cruising at displacement hull speeds. All of the options that we offer on the NW45 and 50 will be offered (sized appropriately) on the 55.

Steve Seaton tells me that we will have 1400 gallons of fuel. At 8 knots this should give the NW55 a range of about 2800 nm. Most people will opt for a watermaker, but there will be tankage for 400 gallons of water. Blackwater and graywater tankage has not been calculated yet, but I anticipate it to be close to 200 gallons.

If you have suggestions, please call or email me. My email address is peter@nwtrawlers.com

We have lots more to share. There is a new flybridge for the NW 45 and 50, but I will save that for another post.

A lot to update

2008-06-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

Has it really been 2 months since my last update? I really didn't think I had that much to contribute but as I think back, a lot has happened in these past 2 months.

Steve Seaton Joins Us!!!

We are thrilled that Steve Seaton has joined us to continue the design phases for our current models as well as future models. Steve has over 35 years experience in yacht design. He designed the original Northern Marine series as well as many yachts built at Delta, Cheoy Lee, and other notable yards. His influence is already having a positive effect. More on that later.

Gene Kohlmann Joins Us!!!

We are proud to announce that Gene Kohlmann has been brought aboard as General Manager of Northwest Trawlers. Gene brings over 35 years experience in senior management in the yacht building industry. His contributions to the success of Ericson Yachts, Pacific Seacraft and more recently, Nordhavn are well known in the industry. We are truly excited to have Gene aboard.

Hull 3 is Launched

Hull #3 is nearing completion and we launched her this past week. Here she is just before they lowered here into the water.

Here she is in the water just before we pulled away for the first seatrial.

This boat has an optional John Deere 6125 engine that produces 610 horsepower at 2100 rpm. We observed a 2 way average of 16.75 knots in our initial seatrial. This, of course, was at "lightship" which is without full fuel, water, provisions, or gear. We anticipate that at cruise weight, we will have a 15 knot top speed, which is what we were hoping.

Above is the hand held GPS that we used to measure the speeds. This was the one way run and the other read out at 16.6 knots.

Back at the dock....

Hull 3 will be here for another 3 weeks or so for final commissioning. There still needs to be carpeting, electronics, and a few other interior items completed before we begin the process of delivering her to her new owners.

If you want to see hulls 1 or 3, please give us a call (866-370-5560) to schedule a viewing and a sea trial.

Announcing.....Northwest 49

2008-04-05T17:05:00.000-07:00

We have begun our 4th boat, a 50 foot (49' 10")version of the Northwest series. There will be 2 new interior layouts available. Hull #1 has chosen a single stateroom with a large king sized bed. A large master head with a smaller day head make up the forward lower level. The saloon, galley and pilothouse all remain the same as the 45. Here is hull 1 having the extension added.

For the first hull, we have cut the existing 45 hull and inserted a section. This section will be infused so it will be as strong as if it were all done in a single piece infusion.
Here is a picture looking forward. The forward engine room bulkhead can be seen. The cutout is where the stairs go down to go forward.

The new owners came down from British Columbia to visit and see the progress. They are having this boat very well equipped as they plan extensive coastal cruising from Alaska to Mexico. We will be installing a complete hydraulics package including stabilizers, bow thruster, windlass, and the Wesmar APU get home system. The clients have chosen a Cummins QSM11 with 670hp. We anticipate that the top speed should be 15 to 16 knots with this configuration. This will give them the speed they may need when negotiating the "narrows" that we have here in the Northwest. Currents run strong in these areas and the extra "umph" of power is comforting as it is an added safety factor. The good thing is that the new "common rail" engines, when run at lower rpms are just as efficient as a smaller engine would be. This gives the owner the best of both worlds; the speed of a fast trawler and the efficiency of a full displacement boat.
The engine was lowered into place to make sure that it did indeed fit. The transmission is tight, but no problems. As soon as I get some of the layout drawings complete, I will post them here and on our main website.

For those of you in Canada, we are planning on taking Nor'wester over to the Victoria Harbour Floating Boat Show.

Plan to come and see us. If you know you are going to be there, drop me a note at peter@nwtrawlers.com so we can keep an eye out for you.

For more information on the show visit their website at: www.bcmta.com/bcyba/04shows/vicboatshow/

TTFN

2008-03-27T16:42:00.000-07:00

We didn't have a lot of time, but we were able to get the two boats out for a photo shoot. This is the only picture that I have so far. It was interesting. Paolo drove the #2 boat and I drove Nor'wester. We found that at top speed, the #2 boat is about a knot faster due to not having stabilizers and it also was not as heavily loaded. Paolo reports that it is very quiet and smooth, even running at full speed.

I wish that we had taken a camera with us. The camera boat, a small Bayliner Trophy of about 20' was driven by Steve Luther with the photographer and David Voetmann (our marketing consultant) aboard. They asked us to come at the camera boat at full speed and pass on either side of it. With the 2 trawlers running at about 12 knots, we really bounced them around when our collective wakes hit them. The second time, they were pretty wide eyed as we went by.

A quick note about Trawlerfest. I just received a list of those displaying. There are about 40 boats it appears and the tent has 37 vendors signed up. This is fantastic. I hear they have had to increase the size of the tent ordered for vendors twice. I also know that the Trawlerfest people have been requesting more slips from the Port of Anacortes as the list of attendees keeps growing. We hope to make the Anacortes Trawlerfest the largest in the country.

And Then There Were Two

2008-03-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since my last update. We launched hull 2 in late February with quite a bit of interior finish work to be completed. The owner and owner's representative came out to visit and were thrilled with what they found.
That's the owner on the left with Robert Noyce, our Annapolis representative. The owner, we'll call him "T" has grand plans for decorating the boat and they are looking forward to cruising the Chesapeake this summer.
Here is the happy skipper at the helm. We couldn't seem to get him to stop smiling.
"Gosh!!! I can see my face in the hull" I have to admit that I was skeptical about doing a boat in yellow, but it really is stunning. I am told that this is one of the "new" colors that is the rage on the East Coast.

Hull #2 (Barb calls it "Big Bird".......she also calls #1 "Kermit", because it is green)is leaves on March 20th aboard Yachtpath. She is scheduled to arrive in Fort Lauderdale about the 11th of April. Those in that area can schedule an inspection with our representative there, Judy Waldman. Just click on her name on the right to get her contact information. If you are in the mid-Atlantic area or Northeast, contact Robert Noyce, also by clicking on his name on the right side of the page.

More Later.......

Hull 2 Progress

2008-02-08T16:56:00.000-08:00

We are getting ready to deliver hull 2, a beautiful pale yellow color. This boat is headed for Annapolis, MD next month on Yacht Path. They will deliver it in Port Everglades, FL and Robert Noyce, our Mid-Atlantic representative will ferry it up the coast.
The radar arch is being installed prior to sea trial launch.
With the travel lift in place, she will make the short trip to the ramp and then into the water.
The sea trial went very smoothly with no issues. We still have a couple of weeks worth of work to finish her up but that will be completed with the boat in the water. Here she sits at the dock at the conclusion of the sea trial
A word about the bow thruster:
This is the ABT (American Bow Thruster) unit. It is the most powerful thruster I have used on a boat of this size. It is a 24 volt unit with its own dedicated battery bank of 2 8D batteries. The great thing about it is the fact that it won't overheat and shut down like most electric thrusters. ABT tells us that you can run it until the batteries go dead (about 4-5 minutes of continuous running) and it will keep on thrusting the entire time. I don't think you can ever say that your bow thruster is too powerful. In strong winds, it gives you a lot of confidence when docking.
The owner of this boat opted for the 5 blade prop, smooth as silk. The acceleration and top speed is higher than Nor'wester, but that is due primarily to the absence of stabilizers and a lighter boat (no hydraulics, watermaker, extra fuel, etc.).

Hull 3 is coming along nicely though I don't have any pictures to post yet. I will when I can.

Catching Up...........

2008-02-04T11:46:00.000-08:00

I am sorry that I am so tardy in posting an update. Since we returned with the boat from Nanaimo, we have been busy getting ready for the Seattle Boats Afloat Show on Lake Union and working hard to finish hull 2.

Jan and I took Nor'wester down to Seattle a couple of weeks ago in preparation for the show. The weather was clear, cold and quite windy but the winds were from the North so the trip was smooth and uneventful. On the way down, while sitting in the sun filled, toasty warm pilothouse we chuckled as we remembered why we now love trawlers. We reminisced about the decision to move to trawlers that was made on our trip back from Princess Louisa back in 2001. I still remember how cold and miserable we were.

We had no sooner positioned Nor'wester for the show when both Jan and I started to come down with the flu. The Monday and Tuesday prior to the show's Thursday opening found me wishing someone would just shoot me. I don't think I have felt that bad in many years. We managed to survive but as I write this, I still have a lingering cough.

Our slot at the show could not have been better. We were on a corner where people could see the boat from all angles.
The weather this year at the show was horrid. The cold wind blew so hard that the docks started to come apart. The boat show crew was great but they had to constantly monitor the situation so that no boats got damaged or people injured. I think that some days the winds blew more than 30knots. We had rain wind and snow. Below is a picture taken shortly before the show opened one morning.
This was certainly a far cry from La Paz. (take me back.....please)

While attendance was off by over 20% compared to last year, we were very busy. At times we had more than a dozen people aboard to see Nor'wester. I spent most of the show on the boat and I don't think there was any time during the day that there wasn't someone aboard. We now have our fingers crossed that the enthusiasm showed by our visitors will turn into boat sales. The economy is not good right now, but our clients don't seem to be too affected. Ten days is a long boat show and while I do enjoy shows, it was great to get home and unwind.

Northwest 45

2008-01-02T12:21:00.000-08:00

We are getting ready to announce a designation change for the NW42

Less than three years ago we kicked off the design program for the Northwest Trawler line. Throughout the process, we conducted ongoing discussions with our customers and continued to explore the latest innovations with our design and manufacturing team. During this time the boat we have always referred to as the NW42 underwent a remarkable metamorphosis. The result is a vessel with an overall tip to tip length closer to 46 feet (including bow roller and anchor) and a beam just shy of 16 feet.

As many of you know, we recently took Hull #1, “Nor’wester”, down the Pacific Coast from her home port in Anacortes, Washington to LaPaz, Mexico, participating in the FUBAR Odyssey that served as an extended sea trial. During that voyage it became obvious that our NW42 performed more like a much larger trawler. She has evolved into a very capable coastal cruiser handling beautifully even in very rough seas. We closely followed the CAD model as she grew up and went into production but now that she’s in the water we are experiencing first hand the full impact of countless incremental improvements. Given these facts and observations, plus the many comments we’ve had from guests on board, we now believe that the designation NW45 more accurately reflects her actual size and bearing.

2007 has been a great year of celebration for us. As it draws to a close we will be updating our website and printed material to reflect the change to NW45 and wanted to give you the inside scoop before this change goes public.

We are looking forward to sharing our adventures with you and hope that we will be a part of your adventures in the coming years.

Home Again

2008-01-01T15:42:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year !!

Saturday Steve drove Jan and me to the Tsawwassen Ferry to cross over to Nanaimo and offload Nor'wester. The Tsawwassen Ferry is just over the border in BC and we thought that traffic would be light and getting to the ferry would not be an issue......WRONG... As we approached the border crossing we were greeted with a long line of cars. It took nearly and hour to get to the booth where we were asked so many questions I thought the guy surely must be writing a book. I don't think he ever had encountered someone going to Nanaimo to offload a boat that we built in Anacortes and took to Mexico only to put it on a ship and bring it back home. He seemed quite confused but finally looked at us and said, "Ok....have a nice day" then let us through.

Steve drove us at breakneck speed so we wouldn't miss the ferry as the next one was about 3 hours later. He pulled up in front of the terminal and Jan and I sprinted (ok, I limped as I had sprained my ankle the week before.....but that is another story) to the ticket counter. They were calling last call so we were given permission to cut in line and then run (limp) to the ferry. We no sooner got aboard than the ferry left.

We are used to the Washington State Ferries, having lived in Friday Harbor for a number of years, but this was our first experience with the BC Ferry System. Quite frankly, we were impressed. The ferries themselves were in great condition with very comfortable seating. They also had a great cafeteria that served delicious food. (I had a double cheeseburger). We would definitely do that again.

Once we got to Nanaimo, we took a cab to out hotel, the Coast Bastion, which is right near where the Dockwise ship would offload. We met up with Chuck and Margaret of Mairead, the Grand Banks 46 that did the FUBAR with us and decided to do dinner later. At dinner, we were joined by Mik and Barb of Navigator, a beautiful Krogen 48 and John and Margot of Caretta, a Tartan 41 sailboat who were also there to offload their boats. We had a great time at a great little restaurant called the "Modern Cafe". (highly recommended if you get to Nanaim0)

The following morning dawned clear and icy. Here are some pictures of Super Servant 3 at the dock.
We boarded the ship and met with the shipping agent who had all of our documents already processed with Canadian Customs. We then were off to inspect Nor'wester to see if there was any damage.
No damage observed, just a bit of soot and a lot of salt. We talked to the crew of the ship and they had quite a rough passage, especially off the Northern California, Oregon, and Washington Coast. There were 2 boats with very minor damage, but all in all most of the owners who were there to offload were very happy.

Soon it was time to flood the ship so that we could offload. Here are several pictures I took while the ship was flooding.Soon the ship was flooded and one by one we backed out. The crew was very good in helping with lines and they were there to assist if anyone got too close to the sides.

We motored over to the Port of Nanaimo docks and were assigned a space to raft up to an old fishing boat. The owner of the fishing boat was there to help us with lines, but we soon found out that we couldn't get off the boat and that there would be no electrical power or water. We finally figured out that the easiest way for us to get ashore was to put the tender in the water, which we did. Off to the store for some food, then a quiet night aboard before an early departure the next morning.

As we left the harbor, we passed by Super Servant 3 one more time. she was ready to receive the boats being loaded later that morning.
One of the boats that was being loaded was After Eight, an Northern Marine 151 that is headed for Florida and presumably the Miami Boat Show. ( I don't know that for sure, just a guess)Even though we have some reserve power, we still wanted to get to Dodd Narrows some time around slack water. Our timing was almost perfect. Here we approach the narrows.The sun was brilliant, shining on the islands visible through the cut in the narrows. For those of you who aren't familiar with Dodd Narrows, this narrow cut through the islands is just south of Nanaimo. During maximum flood or ebb, the current can run to 9 plus knots. Prudent mariners will only transit Dodd Narrows within an hour each side of slack water. Even if you have the reserve power to fight the current, there could easily be logs or other debris that you might encounter and not be able to avoid. The currents wasn't running too strong and we passed through with little effect on our speed.We leave Dodd Narrows behind. The rest of the trip was uneventful. As you can see from the below photos, the wind and the waters were calm.We made our way south and arrived in Friday Harbor about 2pm. Customs was busy with clearing an aircraft in up at the airport so we had about an hour wait. During that time, we had several people come up to Nor'wester to admire her.

Customs cleared, we headed out toward Anacortes. Two hours and she was safely berthed at her slip behind our office in Skyline.

We now will prepare Nor'wester for the Seattle Boats Afloat Show in late January. Please come to see us there.

Say It Ain't So....... or.......The Party's Over

2007-12-17T16:47:00.000-08:00

It is fitting that the last morning would dawn spectacularly. We had to be at the ship by 8:00 AM so we left at 6:45 to allow plenty of time.The crew had already begun to submerge Super Servant 3 in preparation of the 13 boarding yachts.Here is Navigator, a Krogen 48 preparing to enter. She will be the first powerboat and will tie port side forward.We are "on deck" to enter right behind Stormy Weather, a Hatteras 48 LRC owned by Dudley and Jean who have been cruising in Mexico for quite sometime. We enjoyed their company on the dock for these past few weeks.Here we are, all nestled in. That's Nor'wester 3 boats back on the right of the picture. The divers will position the bracing before the ship is raised. Welders will weld the bracing to insure that everyone stays where they are supposed to, even inrough seas.

Sadly, we pull away in the launch.

These past two months have been perhaps the best times of our lives. Our dream of creating a world class, comfortable, luxury, coastal cruising trawler has come true. Nor'wester has performed far beyond our expectations. Everywhere she went, she was met with oohs and aahs by guests and passers by alike (even a competitor or two). We have made so many new friends and bumped into old friends as well along the way. We will never forget 2007 and the FUBAR Odyssey.

So now it is time to head north. Back to Anacortes to prepare for the next adventure. What is it to be?

Our Ship Has Come In

2007-12-15T09:34:00.001-08:00

Jan asked me this morning if I thought the ship would be on time or late. I said, "probably on time, why?" She then said, "oh shoot, I was hoping it might be 6 months late."I turned on the Nobeltec and lo and behold, the AIS showed that Super Servant 3 was in port.
I jumped in the rental jeep and drove up to where they off load and there she was, already submerged and just out of the picture was a yacht steaming away. The boats remaining on board are pretty large.

We load on Monday morning. I will try and take pictures then, if my hands aren't too full getting us safely aboard.

Isla Espiritu Santos

2007-12-11T19:01:00.000-08:00

Today we took potential clients (who have become friends) on an extended sea trial to Isla Espiritu Santos. This is an absolutely gorgeous island that is about 18 miles from Marina CostaBaja where we are moored in La Paz. Much has been written about Isla Espiritu Santos and the neighboring island, Isla Partida. This is a wonderful area to spend days or even weeks anchored, enjoying the warm, clear waters for swimming and snorkeling or dinghying around the bays to see the wildlife.On the way up, we were passed by this guy going about 25 knots. Doesn't he know there is a fuel crisis. He must be burning several hundred gallons an hour. It is hard to tell, the boat is probably about 85 feet long. I wonder if he realized how ridiculous he looked.
Anyway....we made a leisurely 2 hour trip up to Puerto Ballena where we decided to stop and anchor for the afternoon.
This is a shot as we approached Puerto Ballena. You can see the layered rock. The dark layer is lava and the lighter colored rock is volcanic ash. What you are seeing in the picture is actually a small island as we approached the bay. The island's name is Isla Galo.Jan is checking out the layered rock. I wish I had a polarizing filter so that the pictures would show the true color of the water. The aqua blue greens are only what you see in travel brochures.Here we've rounded up and dropped anchor in about 18 feet of water. We could look down and see the anchor below us as clear as looking through glass. The island in the foreground is the back side of Isla Gallo and the island in the background is Isla Gallina.Larry couldn't wait to go for a swim. The water temperature this time of the year is about 75 degrees. We have noticed that it has dropped about 6 degrees since we arrived on the 19th of November.I jumped into the Bullfrog (dinghy) and sped off to get a couple of pictures of Nor'wester. We were the only boat in the entire large bay. We were at anchor here for about 4 hours and in that time I think 3 pangas with tourists came through the bay, but they didn't stop and didn't bother us at all. We had a great lunch that Susan prepared and soon everyone was basking in the sun.After a short rest, we all jumped in the Bullfrog and explored the rest of the bay. We could see sting rays and small manta rays darting in the shallow water beneath us. There were brilliantly colored angel fish and we all wished that we had enough snorkel gear (and time) to do some snorkeling.The sky is almost cobalt blue. Note the erosion that has been occurring for the past several thousand years.Here we approached Isla Gallo. Again, we could see lots of fish beneath the surface. None of the pictures I took came out, though. (operator error)This is looking back the other way at Isla Gallo. Also in great abundance were the birds. Frigate birds circled overhead, gliding on the eddys and taking advantage of the updrafts. The other thing we saw a lot of was the Mexican Air Force which is better known as pelicans. They were everywhere. They love to fly in twos and threes in formation, gliding just inches above the water. They can go a long way without moving there wings at all. This one above is not really gliding, he had just taken off and Jan snapped the shot.I couldn't resit one more shot of Nor'wester in the bay.Before we went back to the boat, we decided to stop by and ask a local his opinion. Pelican's never lie. This guy will be our friend for life!!!

It was back to the boat, lift the anchor and head on back. A truly marvelous day that we topped off with a scrumptious dinner at the Azul Marina Restaurant with a Mexican version of paella and shrimp.

Meanwhile.....Back at the Ranch

2007-12-07T19:34:00.000-08:00

I spent 4 days back in Anacortes this week discussing the latest progress on the project. I tried to get back into the swing of thing but it didn't work very well. I went from gorgeous 80 degree weather in La Paz to mid 30s weather in Anacortes. A shock to the system.

Hull #2

While there I was able to see the progress on hulls 2 and 3. The color for hull 2 is going to be as striking as the green is on Nor'wester.

Port Bow

Hull #3

Hull #3 is a more traditional Flag Blue color. I think it will look very elegant. This boat is going to have an optional larger engine so it should be a few knots faster. The engine is going to be installed later this week and then the boat will take its place in line on the other side of the shop.

Mezzanine Area

A new mezzanine area has been built along the side wall. This is one end where the carpentry tools are located.

You can see the length of the mezzanine here. Hull 3 will be placed just the other side of hull 2.

This picture was taken from the far end looking back. There is room for 4 boats along the side wall with one or two more on the other side of the building. With production coming up to speed, we think that we will not have more than three boats in the building at any one time.

I am back to La Paz tomorrow to load Nor'wester on Dockwise. We are hoping to slip off to Espirtu Santos for a day, but the weather is not looking too promising. A norther is developing that makes the seas very choppy and the achorages at Espirtu Santos very uncomfortable. We'll just have to wait and see what develops.

Life at Marine CostaBaja

2007-12-02T10:14:00.000-08:00

Resort at CostaBaja

Entrance Canal to Marina CostaBaja

Entering Marina CostaBaja

Marina CostaBaja

The past 2 weeks have been a bit busy. Thanksgiving day we spent with the Club Cruceros group for a pot luck Thanksgiving dinner. There were over 200 people there and the food was terrific. The club is a group of mostly American cruisers of both power and sailboats who have made La Paz their home base from which to go cruising. The number and makeup of the people is constantly changing, but the goals and lifestyle of the membership never changes. They support a local orphanage here in La Paz with several fund raising events throughout the year.

The week following Thanksgiving, Doug, a client from Vancouver, came down to visit us and take a sea trial on Nor’wester. This was part of his decision making plan and as per Murpy’s Law, the weather was forecast to be snotty for the time he would be here. We left the harbor in a light norther and were able to show the capabilities of the boat successfully. Doug had been reading our blog and knew of our coffee grinder woes. We all had a big laugh when shortly after he arrived, he opened up his carry-on bag and presented us with a brand new Braun coffee grinder, guaranteed to last for many years (so says Doug).

Today, Club Cruceros had their annual Subasta (auction). The items auctioned were mostly unused boat items that have been donated by the Club Cruceros members. They also had several food booths and a couple of baked goods tables. We found wonderful apple pie and banana bread there. There were also several local artisans displaying and selling their wares. We bought 2 Mexican decorated, hand made coffee mugs.

The weather has been quite pleasant overall. The temperatures are in the low 80s during the day and in the upper 60s at night; perfect sleeping weather.

Tomorrow I must return to Anacortes for a couple of days. Jan will remain here and watch over Nor'wester. We have some important decisions to make and it is best I be there in person. I will report on what is happening there in my next post.

La Paz

2007-11-20T12:01:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning early we left Puerto los Cabos (Cabo San Jose) for Muertos Bay. We were supposed to leave at the same time as Venture, Tony Flemmings boat as he had Bob Lane from Passagemaker aboard and he wanted to take some pictures underway. I got a call on the radio as we were just getting up from Bruce Kessler aboard Venture saying that they were just outside the breakwater and had left early, forgetting to let us know. A mad scramble to load the dinghy, make coffee and get underway ensued with all hands participating. It took an hour at 10 knots to catch Venture. We both slowed and I made 2 passes by so the Bob could get some good shots.

Soon after, the wind began to pipe up. It was right on our nose and built to about 18 knots. The whole rest of the trip the chop kept the windshield wipers busy clearing away the salt spray. We heard on the radio that several people were not feeling well, but we were happy as clams. The trip took 9 hours and we anchored about 3pm next to Pacific Escort, Jim Leishman's boat.

There was a grand party planned ashore at the Bahia de los Suenos resort there that evening. When we got ashore, we joined a small group that was getting a tour of the owners home that serves as a showpiece for the development. It is difficult to describe the property so the best way is for you to visit their website: www.bahiadelossuenos.com. It is truly a magnificent spot.

The last day.....Monday we left for La Paz. Bob Lane, our friend and writer for Passagemaker, rode with us for the 5 hour run up to La Paz. The trip was totally uneventful. Calm seas, no wind, and clear, blue skies. We arrived at the CostaBaja Resort and Marina about 12:30 and were soon nestled into our slip in the inner harbor. A grilled hamburger lunch with Bob and then it was siesta time. Monday night we had our final Fubar dinner and had (guess what?) Tacos, beans, etc. I love Mexican food, but I think I have had enough for awhile. While at the dinner, we met some long time cruising friends of mine that live aboard their sailboat here in La Paz. We are joining them for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. It is a cruiser's event with about 250 people attending. It is put on by Club Cruceros at the Palmira marina every year, I am told. It should be fun.

Well, that is about it for the Fubar Odyssey. It was a great event and I hope they do more of them. It demonstrated that power boats can safely travel the Baja coast and hopefully it will encourage more power cruisers to venture south.

We will remain here in La Paz for a couple of weeks preparing Nor'wester to be put on Dockwise for the trip back home. We also hope to visit a few nearby islands as we have been told that the snorkling is great and we haven't had much chance to just kick back and relax.

I will post more information as things unfold.

Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

2007-11-17T15:16:00.000-08:00

We slept in this morning as we didn't need to leave for Cabo San Jose until mid morning. It is a 20-22 hour run depending on sea conditions. The morning was quiet with smooth seas. Some time after noon we saw several marlin jumping in our wake. Oh to have a fishing rod..... A little bit later we saw a school of dolphin off the starboard bow and soon they joined us for a free ride.

First there were 2
Then there were 4

Actually there were a lot more, but these were the only ones I could catch on film.
The day wore on and finally it was time to prepare dinner. I fired up the grill and soon had a pork loin cooking while we were 50 miles offshore. We have some electric candles that we set up at the pilothouse table and we all enjoyed a sumptuous pork dinner. (sorry no wine, we are on watch, you know).
The winds continued to rise slowly throughout the night and we were really rocking and rolling by the time we rounded Cabo San Lucas at 5AM. I am really sorry it was dark and I was unable to capture a photo of the stone arches that are so famous there.
We arrived in Cabo San Jose about 7AM and were greeted by Jim Effers (sp?), the marina manager, on channel 22. The marina is brand new (read, not yet completed) and we were very fortunate to be assigned a slip in the completed area. This is a very modern marina which is going to be one of the central amenities in the Puerto Los Cabos resort area which encompasses over 2000 acres. In addition to the marina are several upscale housing developments as well as 2 golf courses under construction. This is quite the spot.

We were getting low on some grocery items so we grabbed a cab and headed for town and the local Super Mercado. After returning, Bruce and I dinghied around the marina before we all headed over to the evening event at a local outdoor restaurant. Looking to the West

The above picture was taken from the center of the fairway looking at Nor'wester to the west at sunset. Bruce and I just sat and drifted in the dinghy watching the pelicans fishing for dinner for about an hour. They are fascinating to watch.We had yet another Mexican dinner of tacos, rice, and beans (this is getting a bit old). The ambiance was pleasant and being in the company of roughly 200 fellow travelers gave us a lot to talk about. We spent quite a while talking with Bo Larson, the skipper of Cadenza, a Nordhavn 78 that is powered by a Siemens diesel electric power plant. We took dessert "to go" and returned to Nor'wester and had carrot cake and tira missou. Yummy!!!

Sans Souci in the morning sun

The next morning dawned bright and clear. The above picture shows the cross on the hill and another section of the marina. Morning chores and then we got a tour of the resort area and then a reception at the beach club complete with mariachi singers. After the reception, Bruce, Janie, Jan and I went to town for dinner at a local restaurant that caters to gringos. Bruce I had Ahi tuna;Jan had sea bass; while Janie had crab. Yummy again!!
Above is another angle of the marina. This is where most of the Selenes ended up. Unfortunately there was no power or water installed yet.
Tomorrow, off to Muertos Cove......

Man O' War Cove......Mag Bay

2007-11-15T14:28:00.000-08:00

On the Way to Mag Bay

It was a quick 3 hour run down to Mag Bay with calm seas and beautiful clear, sunny skies. We were one of the first boats to enter the cove and before we could even get the anchor down, a panga approached with a local fisherman grinning and holding up 4 lobsters that he would gladly sell us for $1 apiece. I only had a $5, so he through in 2 additional smaller ones instead of giving change.Entrance to Mag Bay

Right after that, another panga approached, this time with a better dressed driver who had his briefcase with him. This proved to be the port captain who would board us for our first boarding by a Mexican official. He spoke little English and we even less Spanish but with gestures, smiles, and a few words, we understood that he merely wanted to see our crew list and a copy of our documentation papers. After we signed his official log, we asked him to sign our guest book which he did with a big smile. After many "mucho gracias's" and more smiles, he got back in his panga and headed off to the next arrival who had just anchored.
Word spread fast that there was to be an impromptu potluck dinner ashore that evening. Bruce Kessler had arranged for a local restaurant (read shack that prepares local fish for the locals) to allow us to use their outdoor facilities for our party. Everyone brought wonderful dishes that they had prepared and the restaurant had beer and soda for $1.50 each. Eric Leishman, Jim Leishman's son, had speared a 60lb grouper earlier in the day and restaurant cooked it. (Jim is one of the founders of Nordhavn). Everyone had much to eat and drink and it proved to be one of the best gatherings so far. It seemed that we now all were getting to know one another better and friendships were beginning to form.
We returned back to the boat early as we had not yet cooked the lobster. They had been awaiting their fate in a 5 gallon bucket filled with seawater. I steamed them and we ate half of them with garlic butter and put the other half away for a lobster salad.
Again we retired early because we have another overnight run beginning early the next morning.

2007-11-14T11:29:00.000-08:00

Turtle Bay to Bahia Santa Maria. We left at about 7am as the trip should take about 27 hours or so and we want to arrive early Tuesday morning so we might enjoy a day of swimming (if the water is warm enough) The trip was uneventful and we averaged 9 knots as we had a bit of a push by the currents, winds, and waves. We alternated watches and I took the mid watch (midnight to 4). We arrived in Bahia Santa Maria about 8:30am and found a great anchoring spot in 28 feet of water. Bruce decided to put the tender in the water while I completed shutting down the boat’s electronics and setting things up for our 24+ hours here. I heard the davit begin to lift the dinghy followed by a loud “thunk”. I ran up to the boat deck and saw Bruce standing there frowning and muttering to himself. He had inadvertently hit the up button when the cable was already at it’s highest point and the strength of the winch had snapped the cable. Luckily, he had not yet attached the cable to the dinghy or he would have dropped the dinghy. Initially we thought we would be tenderless for the rest of the trip but after some thinking and a radio call, we located two boats who each had a cable clamp aboard. While in San Diego, I had purchased yet another Dremel ( I have 2 at home) and with the grinding wheel, it was simple to cut the stainless cable and by using the 2 cable clamps donated by the 2 boats (Voyager, a Selene 53 and sailboat close by). We were soon able to get the davit working again.

We put the tender in the water and Jan and I went exploring. We went up to the fishing village (just a few old shacks on the beach) and negotiated our way through the surf line and into the lagoon. We dinghied up the lagoon for about a mile until we started to “dredge” the bottom with the motor. We turned around and started out the lagoon and cross the surf line again. This time I was not as good (or lucky) and we caught a breaking wave over the side of the dinghy. Again, I was drenched, but the Bullfrog dinghy proved itself very stable and able to handle the approximate 20-30 gallons or so of water that came aboard. I turned on the bilge pump and we were soon pumped out. That’s when Jan pointed out that perhaps we should have tried to exit the lagoon a bit more to the left, where the surf wasn’t as large. Oh well, I learned a lesson.....

There was a party scheduled on the beach tonight, but after watching the pangas trying to negotiate the entrance to the lagoon at about 2 hours before low tide, we decided to stay aboard and do our own thing. We had a delicious dinner of blue cheese burgers and salad and then watched 2 episodes of “Planet Earth”, the marvelous production done by the BBC. Early to bed for a good night’s sleep.

Sunday In Turtle Bay

2007-11-12T08:13:00.000-08:00

Sunday….a day of rest before the next long leg tomorrow. We took a dinghy ride again, this time with all four of us. Bruce was in the bow and got a bit wet. We went in to the town dock, but when we saw the rickety ladder we had to climb to get ashore, we opted not to. We cruised down the beach a bit but decided that we would not land there either as there were several Federalies with machine guns patrolling the beach and they did not look too friendly. Back to the boat for a grilled steak dinner and an evening watching ‘The Full Monty”.

Turtle Bay

2007-11-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

Bahia de Tortugas (Turtle Bay) We are anchored in the northwest part of the bay, just off the small fishing village. The fleet is split into two groups, one here and one just off the beach where we will party tonight. We launched the dingy and explored the anchorage, stopping to say hi to anyone out on deck. We are starting to get to know some of the other cruisers and they in turn, us. It is great to hear all of the positive comments about Nor’wester. While most of those in the fleet are aboard very nice boats, they still want to know all about the Northwest 42.

We are busy hosing off the salt on the boat and organizing after the 30 plus hour cruise here from Ensenada. The water is getting warmer, but at 68 degrees, it is still a little too chilly for swimming.

This is Tony Flemings Fleming 65, Venture. We spent a delightful hour chatting with him at the party and learned the history (and future) of Flemings. Tony is truly a gentleman. His plan is to cruise the Baja area for a short time then take Venture down the coast, through the Panama Canal and up the East Coast to eventually spend time cruising the St. Lawrence Seaway. It was great to get to know such an icon in the boating industry.

Later……We arrived back from the party…..what a hoot!!! We were picked up in a panga (Mexican skiff about 16-20 foot long) and whisked to shore. The surf was just a bit too high with the party going till after dark, it was recommended that we not use our own tenders. We had salsa and chips, margaritas, cervezas, tamales, taquitos and beans as our Mexican “gourmet” meal. The most interesting part was the trip home. The combination of the surf, the number of people who wanted to return at the same time, and low tide made getting off the shore a slapstick comedy event. I ended up having to wade out to waist deep water while helping to push the panga off the shore. I got soaked. Then, in the dark, we couldn’t find Nor’wester as I had neglected to properly turn on the anchor light and to conserve power; we had only limited lights illuminated. We eventually found her (how else could I be writing this) and spent a peaceful night sleeping aboard.

2007-11-10T08:13:00.000-08:00

A Gourmet Breakfast

Ensenada Cruise Ship
Hamming It Up With Bruce
Jan and Janie's Fashion Show

It’s a bit past 4AM on Saturday morning. I am alone in the pilothouse, vigilantly on watch as I write this. I am totally typing by feel and will go back and spell check later before I post.

The soft lights of the instruments glow just bright enough to be seen but not so bright as to destroy the night vision.

We left Ensenada yesterday morning at 5AM. It was still dark and we followed two other boats out of the narrow entrance to the marina and into the main harbor. Soon we could see the lights (and radar returns) of more than a dozen other boats that all were leaving at the same time. Dawn broke some time around six am under, you guessed it, gray, murky skies.

Shortly after we rounded Cabo Punta Banda, just south of Ensenada, we were greeted by a large gray whale and her (we assumed it to be the mother) baby lazily going in the other direction.

We each took turns on watch throughout the day and Bruce and I are sharing the nighttime watches. About 8 last night we started to hear a loud grinding noise coming from the lower passageway. Upon investigation, we discovered that we had picked up something on the starboard stabilizer and it was making an awful sound every time the stabilizer turned outward. I cycled the stabilizers and even turned the starboard side off for awhile, but the noise persisted. Finally, after about an hour or so, whatever it was that was snagged either dropped off or was cut by the stainless knife blade that is just in front of the stabilizer fin. Whew!!

Looking around, I can see the running lights of 16 boats and the radar shows 7 boats within 3 miles of us. Sans Souci, a Nordhavn 60 something has sort of taken over as the mother hen and we all seem to be flocking behind her. We have an AIS receiver aboard that allows us to see the names of other boats (and ships) that are transmitting their information. We also see their course, speed, destination, length, beam, type of craft, closest point of approach and a bunch of other useful information.

Jan is up and the dawn is beginning to break so I am going to stop writing for a bit……

We saw a lot of whales today but as luck would have it, this was the only picture I was able to get. There was a baby and a mother together.
Here is Sans Souci, a Nordhavn that is part of our fleet, as we pass Cedros Island. This picture was taken just after we came out from under the clouds that have persisted since we arrived in San Diego.

Entering Turtle Bay

FUBAR Day 1 or San Diego to Margaritaville

2007-11-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

From Ensenada….. This past week is somewhat a blur. Or maybe I should say a “murk”. When we arrived in San Diego, the first day or two were very nice but then I think the weather directors thought it was June as June gloom set in and it became murky. It is even gloomy here in Ensenada as I write this. Hopefully by Turtle Bay we will see some sunshine.

Steve and Tom departed for home on Saturday the 27th and I was left to straighten up and clean (the ''guys" mess) for when Jan would arrive on Tuesday. The fires in Southern California left a coating of ash on all the docks and ramps so every time I left the boat and then re-boarded, I left gray footprints. I solved part of this by washing the dock areas on all of the approached to the boat. This took time, but did keep the boat a bit cleaner in the long run.

Jan arrived on Tuesday and we set about shopping, stowing and generally preparing for the beginning of FUBAR. I visited the West Marine store about twice a day on average and I think if you check their stock prices, they must have gone up last week. I am sure that now that we have left, there will be massive layoffs at West Marine. There were so many things that I never realized that we needed. A dinghy anchor, dinghy anchor rode, new CO2 cartridges for the PFDs, wash buckets, scrub brushes, letters to mark the dinghy: T/T Nor’wester and then there were the numbers to place the documentation numbers in the engine room. We had just received the new official number and I had not yet marked the boat. The Coast Guard wants it to be in 3” numbers and in a manner that it would be very apparent if the numbers were altered or removed. I thought that the best way to do this would be to use the vinyl numbers and then to put a single layer of glass and resin over it so that it was still readable, but protected against altering. Well, can you believe that at West Marine I was able to get all of the letters and numbers I needed except for the number “5”. I could not find a number 5 anywhere that I went. West Marine was back ordered on that number and the other marine stores I visited didn’t have one either. I did find one in white color but that doesn’t do me any good as the rest of the numbers are black and it is going to be placed on a white stringer and wouldn’t be seen. Well, I finally settled for getting a couple of other letters that could be cut and a 5 could be made from them. I bought a white number 5 to use as a pattern. I decided to just put the numbers on the boat and let our fiberglass experts cover them when the boat returns as I think they would do a much neater job than I could do. I hope the Coast Guard will understand.

Saturday we went to Fiddlers to get checked in and receive our participants’ packet. Representatives from Cruiseport (Ensenada) were there to help us with Mexican immigration papers and it was a smooth process to get checked in. They provided us with a Fubar bag that was loaded with goodies including a spiral bound set of Mexican charts. We have Nobeltec with all of the charts installed, but the addition of the paper charts is comforting if the computer crashes.

Before we had left Anacortes, we had tested the BAT drive get home system and found that while it worked great, we were only able to get 2.5 knots out of it; hardly enough to make much difference if we had an engine failure in any sea state other than flat calm. It was determined that the hydraulic motor that was installed required too much hydraulic oil flow for what the pump on the genset was able to produce so the pressures would drop and the speed would then suffer. We had a motor air freighted in and found Viking Marine to install it. The motor is located under the main shaft at the aft part of the engine room. Numerous hydraulic hoses, valves, and a corner of the genset complicate things further. Joe and Kane both looked at where the motor had to go and soon decided that reinforcements had to be brought in. Kane called his daughter, Sydney, who is very petite and she was soon crawling under the engine and all the way to the back of the bilge.

This reminds me of the scene in the Wizard of Oz where the wicked witch's feet are sticking out from beneath the house that has fallen on her.

Between Joe, Kane, and Sydney they got the motor changed and when we tested the BAT drive, we were able to achieve the 4 knots that we had expected. Sydney deserves a medal.

Bruce and Janie Hinds, our dear friends and the couple that introduced me to Jan, arrived on Saturday night and are our honored crew for FUBAR. We always enjoy their company and have spent many wonderful times with them in the past, but never a boat trip of this length. Bruce is so excited to be doing an offshore trip as this has been his dream for many years. Janie just hopes she doesn’t get seasick.

Sunday we had breakfast at “Point Break”, a great little restaurant just off Shelter Island. Then we did a little sight seeing that took us to San Diego “Old Town”. I had not been there for years, but my memories of great margaritas a one of the restaurants there had us making a beeline. Unfortunately, it was too chilly (remember the gloomy weather) for us to sit outside so we opted to go back to Shelter Island and have an early dinner at Miguel’s. Yum!!!

Last Monday night was the get acquainted party that was held at the Portuguese Hall on Shelter Island. The food, beer, wine and camaraderie was wonderful. For the first time we met many of the other skippers and crews, all of whom were as anxious as we were to be underway. We saw our friends Natalie Friton and Amy Pinter from Passagemaker Magazine and met Bob Jones of Ocean Nav that had provided us with the excellent weather routing on our trip down from Anacortes. Bruce Kessler and his all volunteer crew from the Del Rey Yacht Club did a great job of organizing the event.

Tuesday was for last minute provisioning and stowing of “stuff”. I made a quick stop at the Village Marine office to make sure I had a complete understanding of how the watermaker works. I met Gary Foster who was very helpful and he explained the operation of the watermaker much better than the instruction manual did. I also learned that Gary was a retired navy chief sonar tech and also a submariner. As I had spent 4 years in the sub services as a sonar tech, we had much to talk about. He was about 8 years behind me, but the equipment and ops drills that we did were the same. I had not talked “sonar” to anyone in many years and it was a bit of nostalgia.

Wednesday morning dawned, guess what…….gloomy. We left at 7am and fell into line with several other FUBAR boats. We had 2 large Nordhavns ahead of us and 2 small Nordhavns behind us. The trip down to Ensenada was very uneventful. Seas were calm, wind was nil, and visibility never got above about 3 miles.

We arrived at Cruiseport Marina at 3pm and found that this marina has the same problems with dirt as we had in San Diego, though this time it is the soot from the generators on the cruise ships that make the docks filthy. So we did the same drill as before,,,,,wash the boat, then scrub the docks around the boat. Our slip is along, what I call, Nordhavn Row. There are 5 Nordhavns next to us; (3) 43's and (2) 40's. With the addition of the FUBAR Nordhavns, they have cornered the market here. (I think it is appropriate for us to be here.) We walked ashore to town and had a fabulous dinner at Mahi Mahi, a local favorite restaurant. Bruce and I had the garlic swordfish, Jan had the garlic mahi mahi, and Janie had the Mahi Mahi shrimp, a coconut crusted shrimp dish. Yummy!!!!

Today we will go ashore and search for yet another coffee grinder. I had replaced the previously reported failed grinder with a similar one thinking that lightening never strikes twice in the same place and this morning when Bruce went to grind the beans, it didn’t work. Sniffing the bottom revealed a strong burned electric smell so I guess that there must be an inherent problem with the Mr. Coffee grinder. Luckily there is a Costco and Walmart here in Ensenada so replacing it should be easy. (We won't be buying another Mr. Coffee)

The weather is still gloomy but our spirits are high. Here are Jan, Janie and Bruce at our breakfast table aboard. Jan made a scrumptious scrambled egg, bacon, english muffin and oranges breakfast. Tonight is another party here at the marina. I will report again tomorrow, assuming I still have internet access. If not, then at the next opportunity.

San Diego At Last

2007-10-29T15:28:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy these past 2 days that I forgot to post again. Ted wrote me an email and said I should let everyone know we made it here safely. When I last posted, we were crossing Monterey Bay. The conditions from then until arrival varied from 15 foot following seas to being able to see the reflection of the shore because it was so calm. It was mostly the former, not the latter, however.

Thursday afternoon we passed Pt. Sur.....or Big Sur as the town is known there.
You can see here that the seas were not that bad. It was a shame that there was haze in the air so the view was not as clear as it could have been. No, it wasn't smoke, just haze. The only fire we saw during the entire trip was up near the California, Oregon border.
This is what we did mostly when off watch and awake. Steve read several books during the trip. I didn't get to read much. When not sleeping, I was keeping track of our progress and answering emails and phone calls when we had good wireless service. We used Verizon and the coverage was not too bad. I was surprised that we got better cell/wireless coverage off the Washington and Oregon coast (up to 15 miles offshore) than we could get in Southern California. I could not connect or make a cell call until a mile off the outer buoy in San Diego. It is beyond me.
This is the moon rise. We were north of San Luis Obispo when this was taken. The full moon was awesome to see, especially when the high swells would pass beneath us. The peaks and valleys of the water with the white caps glistening were beautiful.

Thursday night the wind howled and the waves were large. It was dark so I don't know how large they were, but we were surfing again and Steve reported a 15.5 knot highest speed. Again, this was with the boat set to run at about 8 knots. I never felt like the boat was out of control and none of us were ever afraid or apprehensive about our safety. We did talk about the fact that we were the only vessel out there and if anything were to happen, we would be on our own. Fortunately we did not have to use the immersion suits, EPIRBS, or life raft.

Friday morning found us rounding Point Conception. Immediately, the seas quieted and the winds died. We motored on in foggy, but calm conditions. Some time in the early afternoon, we crossed the shipping lanes and passed by Anacapa Island.
This was a bit of deja vu for me. My first experience cruising was aboard a friend's 21' Venture sailboat on a cruise to the Channel Island in 1970. The bug for cruising bit then and it still is infecting me some 37 years later.

Our track took us very close to Catalina Island and there were numerous tugs, sailboats, and motor yachts coming and going almost all night. It was the busiest any of us were during the whole trip. It amazes me how some people will sail along at night without any lights on. We saw no less than 3 radar targets that we finally saw in the moonlight that were out there with no lights. Two were sailboats and one was a small fishing boat, maybe 25 feet long. We managed to avoid running them down.

We entered San Diego harbor at about 8AM on Saturday morning. My good friend and fellow yacht broker, Dan Peter of Cabrillo Yachts had arranged a slip for us at Sun Harbor Marina at Harbor Island . We first pulled in to the pump-out dock and Dan soon came down and guided us to the slip we will occupy until we leave on FUBAR next Wednesday, November 7th.

A shower, clean clothes, a hearty breakfast at a local cafe and we were soon feeling human again. Tom had a flight home Saturday afternoon and Steve went of to visit old Southern California friends so I was left tidy up and prepare for Jan's arrival on Tuesday.

On Sunday morning, I snapped this picture taken from up on the flybridge. The redness of the sky is due to the fires, no doubt.
It was sure pretty, but a huge price to pay for beautiful sunrises. I would rather have gray skies I think and leave the pretty sunrises for Hawaii.

All in all, the trip has been a tremendous success (so far). The boat has performed far beyond our expectations. We only had one major equipment failure that threatened the continuation of the trip. Fortunately a jury rig solution was found and we escaped a fate worse than abandoning ship or encountering pirates, or even death for that matter.
About the 3rd day out, the new Mr. Coffee coffee grinder gave up the ghost. No amount of coaxing, tapping, jarring, or talking sweetly to it would make it grind our beans. Fortunately, we had some very talented people aboard and after much discussion, an alternative solution was found. A Ziploc baggie and a plastic mallet. We just put the required number of beans in the Ziploc bag and take it into the engine room where I could tap the beans lightly until they were the right "grind" and we soon had our requisite morning coffee.

Thanks to all of you who have been encouraging my rambling musings. I am going to take a break until the FUBAR begins next week. I am not sure how good the internet connections will be in Mexico, but I will journal the happenings and get them up here on the blog when I can.

Hasta luego!!!

Surf's Up....Dude!!!

2007-10-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

Everybody’s gone surfin’ down Californ-i-a….. This was taken out the back door earlier today. We estimate the swells to be running about 12 - 15 feet.
It’s Thursday afternoon and we are crossing Monterey Bay, south of San Francisco. Conditions for the past 2 days have been 10-30knots of wind out of the north with 6-15 foot following seas. We have been averaging over 10 knots for most of the time with bursts to 15+ and this is with the engine set at an rpm that should deliver 9 knots. Surfing down the waves is exhilarating. You can feel the boat accelerate down the wave much like the feeling you get when you catch a wave body surfing. I know…..not really a fair comparison.

I spoke with Bruce Kessler (Spirit of Zopolite) earlier today by cell phone and we both agreed that the articulating rudder makes all the difference in the world in following seas. He put one on several years ago on Spirit of Zopolite. The rudder angle indicator shows the autopilot is hardly working, maybe 2 or 3 degrees of rudder required to handle the largest waves. The long keel also helps with tracking.

At present speeds, we expect to be in San Diego on Saturday morning, hopefully not too early. All systems are working well. Today I fired up the Village Marine watermaker for the first time (other than tests) and we are filling the water tanks at a rate of about 24 gallons per hour.

We have seen several whales migrating south. Some go to Mexico while others go to Hawaii. Researchers have determined that some whales will go to Mexico some years and then to Hawaii on other years. They don’t really understand why. One year, a tagged whale was observed in both Mexico and Hawaii in the same season.

We keep pushing south, making the best time that we can. We had planned to average 8 knots but our weather forecaster (Bob Jones of Ocean Marine Nav) has told us that the bad weather is following us south and we should stay ahead of it. We have been running 9-10 knots and so far have out run the gales.

With our delays in Westport, I now will stay with the boat rather than fly home. Jan will join memore on Tuesday and we will provision and prepare for FUBAR.

2007-10-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

Tom watching a ship go by....

Underway again…..at last. We spent 6 days in Gray’s Harbor waiting for decent weather so we could cross the bar and resume the trip to San Diego. The weather didn’t seem all that awful, especially these past 3 days, but the Coast Guard cautioned us against leaving as the bar was treacherous.

Speaking of treacherous bars, we found the Islander, a neat place in Westport that had a big screen TV so we watched the ALCS and the Boston Miracle. The food was pretty good as well. Another great spot is Tachahachi, a seafood restaurant right across from float 6 where we were docked.

But back to the trip…… We crossed the bar this morning at about 9AM, an hour and a half before high slack water. On the way out, the Coast Guard called us and asked how long we were as the bar was closed to traffic under 40 feet. The swells were running about 10-12 feet. Nor’wester handled them with ease, gently climbing up one and down the other side. The run out to the outer buoy took about 45 minutes and then we turned south.

Seas have been quite lumpy all day and I have more or less stayed put here in the pilothouse. Wireless (Verizon) coverage is good using my Blackberry as a modem. We have been able to keep up on the buoy reports as well as business email.

As I write this, it is about 7PM and I am going on watch soon. I will stand the 8 to midnight watch. We will dog the mid-watch so that Tom and Steve will only have 2 hours each and that breaks it up except that I only get 4 hours sleep before going back on watch. Dogging the watch changes the schedule so that you don’t end up with the same watch each day.

So here is the sunset from tonight……More tomorrow.

Stuck in Westport

2007-10-19T16:12:00.001-07:00

The weather since we arrived on Tuesday has been horrible. Above is a picture taken this morning of the bar that we would have to cross to leave here. This picture was taken at slack water, high tide. You can see the breaking waves that are right in the channel that we would have to take to depart.

Westhaven, the marina part of Westport is pretty much a ghost town this time of the year. The fishing fleet is in and no one seems to be doing much fishing, or anything else for that matter. We spent Tuesday and Wednesday doing small chores on the boat. I calibrated the tank monitoring system and we mounted smoke detectors, the 406 EPIRB, boat hook brackets and a few other miscellaneous items.

Yesterday we went to Westport Shipyard and had a tour of the portion of the factory that builds the Westport 130. An amazing place. They have 700 workers there in 2 shifts and they are extremely well organized. We saw 5 130's in various stages of construction. Tom Gilbert (crewmember and our electronics engineer) has done work for Westport before so he was able to get us this insider's tour with a friend of his that is the head of the electronics department there.

Yesterday we also discovered "Junky's", a marine hardware store that had more "stuff" than I think I have ever seen before. Virgil, Junky's owner, is a real character. His first love (other than his wife who is 25 years his junior) is Packard automobiles. He owns 15 of them. In addition, he had a DeLorean there that only had 1000 miles on it. The DeLorean was on a lift and covered by a canvas tarp but we got a sneak look at it when Virgil was looking the other way. Upstairs we found antique gas pumps in mint condition as well as shelves and shelves of automobile parts that likely were not for any automobile built after 1960. I asked Virgil about taking inventory and he said "That's something we don't talk about around here". It seems that the last time he took inventory it took 7 people over 6 weeks. (no way they counted everything)

Today we were a bit bored so Steve and I took the local bus for it's loop around Westport. The best 50 cent ride I have had in years. Mid way through the loop, I spied a barber shop and asked the driver if I could get off and catch her on the next trip around. Steve stayed on the bus and 30 minutes and an inch off the top later, they came back by and picked me up.

Well, that's all there is to report from here in Wobegone......er Westport except to say you know you've been here too long when Bill at the fuel dock waves and says "good morning, Peter". (how'd he remember my name?)

Gray's Harbor (Westport)

2007-10-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

Cape Flattery

I should have never said that things were benign yesterday......wow!!! what a night we had. Confused seas of maybe 8' with a very close interval kept us on our toes.... The boat handled everything exceptionally well. Tom Gilbert had made a long passage on an expedition yacht of a manufacturer who will remain nameless and he said that Nor'wester handled the seas better than the expedition yacht and we are only 1/2 the size.

Tatoosh Island

We spent the night heading into strong swell, whipped by winds that we recorded at a high of 41 knots (true wind speed) and with our 8 knots of speed, made the wind show 49 knots apparent wind. We hardly knew it except for the spray being thrown up and then back over the pilothouse.

We approached Gray's Harbor entrance at 5AM, right at slack water and high tide. This was planned as Gray's Harbor is notorious for it's bar, with breaking seas that can reach 15' or more when there is a strong ebb with onshore winds. We were fortunate and we felt only a gentle swell. Picking our way in was interesting, but with the Simrad radar and Nobeltec chart plotter, it was a peace of cake.

Gray's Harbor

We will be here for several days to wait out the current weather that is hammering the Pacific Northwest. You see some of the clouds in the picture above. Waves are expected to be at 19 feet with high winds. Our weather guru (Bob Jones) advises that we stay put. So.....what to do? We have plenty of food a few good books, crossword puzzles, and satellite TV. I guess we won't get too bored.
Here is Nor'wester at the fuel dock. Accross the dock is a Canadian fishing vessel. It is hard to see, but she is very "bow down" with a full hold of Hake.
Just another picture because we think she is soooooo pretty.

Can we get some respect here? Can you believe that this guy sat up there and would not move in spite of my efforts to shoo him away. He even left a poop spot behind......

We will be here a couple of days. If anything of note happens, I will post.

Underway

2007-10-15T15:27:00.001-07:00

We are underway to San Diego!!! These past 2 weeks have been a blur. Non stop details to make ready to leave for San Diego and then we decided to display Nor’wester in the Anacortes Boat Show.

The show was a great success with our getting another order for a Northwest 42 and several strong prospects. The weather was snotty but the people who turned out were in good spirits and there were plenty of trawler enthusiasts there.

At the show, Chuck Gould of Nor’westing Magazine came aboard and we gave him a short seatrial. He was quite excited about the performance of the boat, especially the maneuverability with the articulating rudder. Bob Lane, from Passagemaker Magazine also spent quite a bit of time on the boat and then on Monday following the show, he came and did a seatrial and photo shoot. I think he will have an article in PMM early next year.

To top things off, Neil Rabinowitz, the famous yacht photographer did a full day interior shoot on the Wednesday before the show started and then we left the show early (4pm) and he did a helicopter shoot of the boat underway. When I say he did a full day on the interior, that is an understatement. Neal boarded the boat at 7AM and was finished at 10:15PM that night. He is very meticulous, but is the best and the results will show that. I will post some of the pics here when we receive them.

With all of that activity and then the last minute stuff, I haven’t had much sleep in the past week. We got underway at 6AM this morning and by 8, I was ready for a nap. I told the crew (Steve Luther of our office, and Tom Gilbert of Topcat Engineering, our electronics engineers) that I felt like a cat. All I do is eat and sleep.

Conditions are pretty benign right now. The seas are only a foot or two and the boat is just purring along. We recorded the sound readings this morning in the pilothouse at 8 knots. 58db. The crew said my snoring was louder than the rest of the boat.

Our plan is to cruise all night and arrive in Gray’s Harbor at 5AM tomorrow morning. There is a strong, nasty front coming this way and our weather guru, Bob Jones of Ocean Nav suggests that we get in there and sit tight for a day or two. Not being one to tempt Mother Nature, especially this time of the year, I think we shall heed his advice.

More when I can……..

Nor'wester to be at Anacortes Boat Show

2007-09-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

With work being done feverishly to complete Nor'wester so she will be able to safely transit to San Diego and participate in the FUBAR Odyssey, we decided to display her in the upcoming Anacortes Boat Show, October 5,6, and 7.

Almost all of the work needed to complete her is finish work such as cabinet hardware, cork floor sealing, trim installation and some detail work.

The life raft has arrived and we should receive the new 406 EPIRB this week. I also decided that an Iridium phone was in order so that should be here on Tuesday.

With all of the preparations being completed, I will not attend Trawlerfest in Solomons, but Jan (my wife) and Robert and Susan Noyce of Noyce Yachts (Annapolis) will be there. We have a booth reserved. I will miss it as we had a wonderful time last year. By next year, we hope to have an actual boat there.

Not much of interest to take photos of. I will post once she is back in the water.

Boat Show (second installment)

2007-09-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

It's Monday and we just returned from the Seattle Boats Afloat Show. While I am absolutely exhausted, I am also elated at the response we received at the show. There were so many of you who have been keeping up with the progress that came by to see the boat. I am overwhelmed with gratitude to all of you who had such positive comments. As promised, here are some more pictures:
Jan says I am a lousy photographer and she is probably right. I forgot to turn on the other light before snapping away. This is the forward stateroom and it is quite lovely with the grass cloth on the sides and mirrors framing the leather backboard of the berth. We finally measured the berth and find that it is 3" wider than a queen bed and is the same length as a California king (84") This appealed to a lot of tall people at the show.
Here is the sink in the master head. It is an Avonite counter top with an undermount molded sink. The fixtures are Grohe. I like what Dan did with the curved fascia. It is a nice touch.
The second stateroom, while not huge, does provide for extra wide singles that are also 84" long. The mattresses here as well as in the master stateroom are Handcraft Mattresses which are not only extremely comfortable, but they carry a 10 year warranty. I slept in the master stateroom last night and it was wonderful.
We have put Bosch full sized washer dryers on board. In earlier boats we put "all in one" units and while they were compact, they took a long time to dry and the size of the load was pitiful. These will be great when we do the FUBAR. This is a standard feature of the Northwest 42.
Looking down the hallway forward, you can see the natural cork flooring. It is very durable and is a sustainable product. It also has sound dampening characteristics.
And finally, here is Nor'wester taking her place in the boat show. I thank all of you who have been so supportive our efforts these past 2 years. This is not the end of the blog, but it is the beginning of a new chapter. We now have 4 more Northwest 42s to build and if the response we got at the show is an indicator, we will be building many, many more.

Seattle Boats Afloat Show

2007-09-14T19:55:00.001-07:00

We Made It!!!! We are all nearly exhausted, but the crew pulled together and we made the Seattle Boats Afloat Show. We were literally still installing cabinet doors and drawer fronts up until the opening of the show. Here are some shots I took today.
This is the optional flybridge seating area. There will be cocktail tables installed when the show is over. The Sunbrella cushions really came out nice. This is going to be a great spot to unwind at the end of the day. A glass of wine, a bit of cheese, a glorious sunset and that special person in your life.
The Bullfrog Dinghy nestles in behind the flybridge seat. We installed the optional 1000lb. Nick Jackson davit that lifts the nearly 800lb dinghy with ease. This dinghy is 11.5 feet long and easily fits. I think that a 12' or 13' dinghy will fit with no difficulty.
The helm seat is quite comfortable and the visibility is good. Objects in the water within one boat length of the bow can easily be seen. Docking is easier from the pilothouse or by using the optional remote controls from the side of the upper deck or the Portuguese Bridge.
The instrument cluster is well laid out with all controls easily reached from the comfy helm chair. We put a jog stick that steers the boat so easily that I doubt that I will ever need to use the wheel. We are considering the jog switch for the upper helm station in lieu of a wheel.
The pilothouse settee is shown above. The leather seats are soooooo comfortable. Visibility while seated here underway is outstanding.
The galley is roomy and well laid out. Note the backsplash. This is fused glass made for us by our good friend, Kathy Crain, from San Juan Island. Each piece is fired in a kiln and she uses her artistic magic to make an exquisite, functional work of art. The Avonite counter tops I like better than granite. Also the Grohe faucet is not only elegant but very functional with its pull out spigot.
The saloon seating and table are shown here. Kathy also fired the fused glass that is in the center of the table. The table is not quite finished as Dan has to finish the leaves and install them. The table still looks great. Under the settee at the left of the picture is the battery switch panel. I wanted it there as I don't like to stumble up to the pilothouse to get lights on when I return to the boat after dark. Too many boats make you grope around to get lights on.
This picture is a bit dark, but shows the other side of the saloon. The chair shown will not be kept as it is too large and is not practical. Note the TV. The image is that of the engine room. We installed a camera so that you can see into the engine room from either the saloon TV or the flat screen display on the computer in the pilothouse.

That's all of the pictures I could get today. I will post more interior images soon.

Come to the Seattle Boats Afloat Show to see her "live".

Splash!!!

2007-09-04T17:48:00.001-07:00

Nor'wester is in the sling and on her way to the launch area. These past 3 weeks have been a blur. The first 90% of a build takes less than the last 10%. The details take the time. Note the breast plate. We hope this will become a signature item on the boat.Here Nor'wester is being lowered into the water.
And she floats.....and on her lines, too. Now the final stages will be completed. There is flooring, wallpaper, and some outside fairing that needs to be done; all by Sunday (that's when we leave for the Seattle Boats Afloat Show). The electronics are nearly complete, but if you look closely at the radar arch, you will only see one radar, no TV dome, antennas and some dangling wires. These will be done in the next few days.

As things get completed, I will try and post pictures of the interior. Today there were about 15 people inside the boat working and I didn't want to disturb them or get in the way. Plan to come to Seattle for the Boats Afloat Show running from September 12th through the 16th.

Nor'wester's First Sea Trial

2007-08-21T06:28:00.000-07:00

Once again I must apologize that I have not posted lately. With the scramble to complete the boat before the Seattle Boats Afloat Show, I have been spending most of my time on the shop floor, not in front of my computer.

After much thought, a name has been chosen. "Nor'wester" seems very appropriate and there are not many Nor'westers out there. The most famous Nor'wester is John Wayne's first yacht, a 75' wooden boat built in 1932.

Last Saturday we put Nor'wester in the water for a short sea trial. Below are a few of the pictures taken from the chase boat.
These first 2 pictures were taken at about 8 knots. Nor'wester was extremely responsive with the articulating rudder. At idle and in gear, with full rudder, the boat moved in a complete 360 degrees in little more than the length of the boat.
Here is a shot of the boat at about 11 knots. We only went up to about 12.5 knots in this first sea trial. We have a bit of "tweaking" to do, which is expected on a new design. With the stabilizers (drag) and extra weight of the options, we expect this hull will be at the lower end of the performance specification range. We were very encouraged to see that our tank testing proved out and that at higher speeds, the bow did not rise more than a couple of degrees. Great hull design, Stuart (Archer).
This shot is at 12.5 knots. Nor'wester was moving ahead of the chase boat, a Skookum, which can only do about 8 knots.
Here is the port side. She sits with a slight rise of the bow but the anchor roller, chain, anchor, etc. have not been installed yet. We had full water tanks (aft) and a bit over 300 gallons of fuel aboard. In addition, there were 10 good sized passengers aboard.

Nor'wester is back out of the water now for the final installation of hardware, flooring, carpeting, headliner, etc. We expect to do a second sea trial in early September and then its off to the show.

Green Machine

2007-08-08T17:35:00.001-07:00

Ok.....I wasn't going to show pictures of the painted hull until later, but the cat is out of the bag so here they are. The picture really doesn't do it justice as the shots were taken inside the darkened building. The color is "Laurene Green" and is really spectacular. (not my words but those of a client) The color was not blended or named originally by us, but rather by Bill Parlatore of Passagemaker Magazine. Named for his wife, Laurene, it is the color that Bill originally painted his rowing scull; the one featured in Passagemaker last summer.
Here is a shot from the stern. The bottom paint will be black and the boot stripe will be painted the same Oyster White as the superstructure.
Here is another stern shot. Note clarity of the reflections. The hull was actually painted about 10 days ago and I took these shots about 8 days ago after it had cured for a couple of days.

Work is really progressing now as our completion deadline approaches. We have had a few challenges with suppliers getting us key components on time. One issue has been the curved glass for the pilothouse. We are told that it should arrive next week, but then again, we thought they would have it here by last month.
The galley is coming together. Also note the veneers are on the side bulkhead.
This picture gives you an idea of the detail of the moldings. Dan and his crew are really talented.
Measurements were taken yesterday for the Avonite counter tops and they should be installed in a couple of weeks.
Scott has been busy in the pilothouse. The Diamond Seaglaze windows are in, the shelf is complete and the seating areas just lack moldings and cushions. The interior design group will begin with the wall coverings in about 3 weeks. It will only take them a couple of days to complete.

We hope to splash the boat again for a seatrial before completion. I think we will start the engine and run the systems this week with the boat still in the shop. They loaded 300 gallons of fuel today and calibrated the sight gages as the fuel went in.

There is an army of workers now working 20 hours a day (in 2 shifts) to complete the boat. With no hiccups, we should be ready in time for the Seattle show. See you there!!!!

Float Test

2007-07-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

Our hull #1 got wet for the first time on Tuesday. This was a quick in and out test to verify all the calculations in the weight study.
She still sits quite high in the water but there is much to be added. When loaded, hull #1 will be quite a bit heavier than a standard boat. As you have read previously, this boat has almost all of the options available plus an additional 300 gallons of fuel. The good thing is that she sat level side to side and nearly level fore and aft.
Above is a shot of the steering pump and reservoir (upper right). This is a Kobelt system, the quality and robustness (is that a word?) that is usually found only on boats of more than twice the size of the 42. The sight gage visible on the reservoir will show the level and temperature of the steering fluid when the system is in use. The catch can at the bottom is to collect any overflow that might occur. The coiled line has a pump on it making replenishing of the steering fluid simple and "mess free".
Scott is fitting a piece in the pilothouse. I took these pictures a few days ago so there is quite a bit more progress than seen here.
Curt has installed the optional 5 blade propeller. We ordered two props to test and had them computer analyzed before we installed one. Both props met the Class S specification which is as true and well balanced as you can get. Not visible but installed is the line cutter. It is just forward of the prop on the shaft.

The boat is being prepped for hull paint. If all goes well, I should have some pictures of the painted hull over the weekend. Stay tuned!!!

Hull #2 and Judy Waldman

2007-07-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

Judy Waldman, our representative from Fort Lauderdale, Florida came to visit us this week and she was on hand to see Hull #2 during the infusion process. Judy may be one of the most knowledgeable yacht brokers I know who handle true passagemaking yachts. It has been fun to have her finally see in person the operation we have been describing in pictures and emails. She has several clients interested in our Northwest series. Thanks for coming to see us Judy!!!
Here is a better picture of Hull #2. The owners of hull 2 will be visiting us later this week to see first hand the progress. I will post pictures and an update then.

Continued Progress

2007-07-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

The electrical crew has been pre-cutting the wiring in preparation of wiring the boat. This is just part of what will be installed. All the wiring is color coded and tinned. The tinned wire is considerably more expensive than standard copper wire but the benefit is that in years to come the owner of a Northwest 42 should have no problems with corrosion of the wiring. It is not an ABYC requirement, but only your better quality boats are using tinned wire.
The carpenters have begun installing the cabinetry in the pilothouse. There are large drawers on either side of the helm station with opening cabinets underneath. The instrument panel is just sitting there to see how it will look.
The deck drains have been plumbed under the boat deck. Also the wiring for the deck lights has been run.
REACH FOR THE SKY..... Oh...they are just putting the liner in place. I thought I was witnessing a bank heist.
As you can see from the above picture, the carpenters have been "furring" out the walls. Depending on the wall, there will be either wood veneers, fine cloth, or leather panels being applied to the furring.
As I was leaving, the laminators were preparing the vacuum bag for the infusion of hull #2 which is supposed to occur early next week.
The finishing crew has been preparing the hull to be painted. I believe it is to occur on July 25th (or thereabouts). I am not sure if I had mentioned it previously, but the color selected for the hull is Laureen Green. Many of you may have read Bill Parlatore's article last summer in Passagemaker about interesting Awlgrip colors that can be used on boats. One example he used was his own rowing skiff which was painted Laureen Green (named after his wife Laureen). Jan and I loved the color and it really goes along with our "green" approach toward boating so with Bill's approval, we're going to paint hull #1 Laureen Green.

The Boat Deck

2007-06-28T19:28:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry that I didn't get pictures of the boat deck being installed today. I was at a business seminar and missed it. But here are a couple of photos I took this evening. The lamination crew will bond it in place but the accuracy of the mold made it so that there was only a very minimal amount of fitting that had to be done. Note the boss on the back for the stern light.
Here is a view of the port side. I wish I could show you the other side as that is where the walk around deck is but the boat is too close to the wall for even a wide angle lens to capture it. Most of the door and window openings have been cut in and now with the boat deck in place I really can get a sense of how large it is in the salon.
Here's another view from the front. I know I am biased, but I think she truly is a beauty. Stuart, Jamie and the rest of the design crew really hit the mark. We now have our work cut out for us as we need to be ready for the Seattle Boats Afloat Show in September. I am confident that the crew can do it.

We have had visitors coming nearly every day to see the progress. Our place holders for hulls 4 and 5 were here yesterday and today. If any of you are in the neighborhood, please call and we will be happy to give you a tour. Our insurance company has requested that we be with you when you are there, so please call ahead. Thanks.

On The Road Again!!!

2007-06-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

Today was moving day.........again.... We have been building in a temporary facility and now we are moving the boat to our new building. The building has a bit of history as it formerly was used by Northern Marine as a manufacturing facility. A lot of our crew (former Northern people) worked here for many years. More recently the building was used by BMW Oracle to build their Americas Cup contenders. But now it is ours......
Here is a shot of the woodworking shop. Dan and crew are ecstatic with the amount of room they have to work with. Here they are just getting set up. They have their work cut out for them as I don't want to lose any production time.
Here is another shot of the interior. The building is 20,000sq. ft. We should have room to build 3-4 of the 42's and a couple of 52's or 62's to boot. Part infusion will be done at our facility at Bayview Edison so we won't have to deal with moving molds around or storing them when not in use.
Before we move the boat into the new building, we are installing the pilothouse shell.
By golly......it is starting to look like a boat.
It fit through the door with plenty of room to spare. The cradle that it is now sitting on will make it easy to move around the shop.
And here she is in her new home for the next couple of months. The boat deck is being infused and should be ready for installation in a week or so. I will post further developments.

Single Stateroom Layout and Engine Room Changes

2007-06-16T16:11:00.000-07:00

There have been many requests for a single stateroom layout for the 42......so below is the Steve Davis rendering of how it would look. The bed is a king size bed and there is plenty of room to move around the spacious stateroom. Also note that the head has two sinks. The entry arrangement to the head is designed so that the head can be accessed without entering the stateroom. This provides privacy if guests need to use the facilities and someone is sleeping in.

To the right as you go forward out of the saloon is the washer/dryer (full sized Bosch) and a storage/commissary area.

If you look at the engine room, you will also see some changes in the layout. We have split the fuel tanks to either side and moved the genset to the forward part of the engine room. This will open up the area forward of the engine so you will have more room to work. It also improves weight distribution as the genset is quite heavy. One additional benefit is that with the genset forward, there is much easier access to the BAT drive (if installed).

We will be moving into our new building this upcoming week. I will post pictures then.

TTFN

Much Progress

2007-06-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Trawler Fest in Poulsbo. What a great time and thanks to everyone who came by the booth and/or our two brokerage boats we displayed to say hi. I was surprised at the number of people who told me they are reading this blog and visiting our website regularly. (I guess I should be more diligent in posting progress reports)

The folks at Passagemaker (Amy, Natalie, Will, Eileen, and many others) really put on a great event. If you are a trawler enthusiast, I really encourage you to attend a Trawler Fest near you. The seminars are very informative. Jan (my wife) went to see Pat Raines who gave a talk on cruising in Mexico and Central America. She learned a great deal of where we should stop (and avoid as well) and got great tips for transiting the Panama Canal. Bob Smith does a superb job on the diesel workshop and Steve D'Antonio always has some great tips on maintenance and systems. We are national sponsors for Trawler Fest and feel that it is one of the most worthwhile boating events held. (off my soapbox back to the boat)

In the previous post, the superstructure was being infused. The process went well with only a couple of small hiccups. We found a couple of small areas that had undercutting. When a mold is manufactured, care must be taken to insure that the part can be removed. This means that there can not be any reverse tapers that will not allow the part to slide out of the mold. Well, we had a couple of small areas; no big deal but it slowed the removal of the part until they could figure it out.

I am happy to say that the part did come out and it was in good shape (and the most exciting thing is that the mold can be used again .

The part was infused at our facility at Bayview and then we moved it to our temporary building in Anacortes to be mated to the hull.
The superstructure was lifted into position by the overhead crane in the building and one of our portable cranes.
That's Kevin operating the crane through the "moon roof". Here is a closeup of him:
I don't know what we would do without Kevin. Even at the young age of 29, he has many years experience in boat building, most of it as a lead at Northern Marine building large expedition style yachts.

Well, we got the superstructure into position and lo and behold, it fits.

Once the deck is bonded in place, it will be difficult to get full shots of the engine room, especially from above so below are the last unobstructed shots you will see.

Dual Seachests showing Reverso Oil Changing System to the left
Lower part of fuel manifold (less site guages) with Reverso fuel transfer pump
Racor Fuel Filter System
After part of the engine room showing much of the hydraulic system.
Climate Control System and Watermaker
Overview of Engineroom
Another view of the Engineroom
Engineroom looking forward.
Rudder

We are slowly beginning to move into our new building here in Anacortes. The building is where the BMW/Oracle Americas Cup boats were built. It is 20,000 square feet and will finally provide us with the needed space to get into production. I am not sure when we will move hull #1 there, but it should be soon.

I invite anyone who has an interest to come and see the boat under construction. Please call ahead so that we can be here to give you the 25 cent tour.

Thanks for your interest and as always, write me if you have any questions or comments.
peter@nwtrawlers.com