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

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

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

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