At Trawler School Charters, we’ve witnessed new trawler owners moving on to establish a remarkable resume of cruising experience. While all people succumb to the philosophy of lifelong learning through experience, some lessons are more important than others. Whether you’re purchasing your first trawler or are buying your third, it’s important to understand the most common mistakes people make when shopping for a trawler.

By understanding these errors, you can ensure the best purchase for your needs, and a trawler that will last you for many years to come. While we go over the process of thoroughly scouring the market for a trawler. Trawler School Charters can teach you what you need to know to pick the right model & size.

1. Unrealistic expectations: Think of buying a trawler similar to how you would purchase a car. The only difference is that you’ll spend more time deliberating on the perfect trawler. In order to make the best purchase, research and actual experience is required from you, which can take a while to accumulate. While we’re surrounded by cars on a daily basis, trawlers are less familiar vehicles, so it’s important to understand the handling characteristics of the boat, hull design, safety, and other considerations before making a purchase. Researching and acquiring cruising experience should be your primary focus before you enter the market for a trawler.
2. Underestimating the cost of cruising: Owning a trawler is undoubtedly one of the most rewarding and respected endeavors a water-loving person could ever embark on. However, it’s important to note that it’s easy to underestimate the cost of owning a trawler. Don’t let this discourage you, though. You deserve the trawler that you want! Just be sure that you’re familiar with the fees, insurance, taxes, fuel, maintenance, spare parts, and other random costs that come with owning a trawler. There’s not one expense that is more overwhelming than the trawler itself. Rather, it’s many little costs that make trawler ownership a notable expense, but it’s well worth the investment! Attending Trawler school will be a step in the right direction.
3. Agree with your first mate! Chances are that your “first mate” is your spouse. Most couples purchase a trawler for romantic and recreational cruising together. Heading to the sea as a couple is one of the most fantastic date nights imaginable. Just be sure that your first mate loves the trawler as much as you do before you purchase.

Recreational sailing in a trawler is one of the most relaxing and rewarding experiences that anyone can enjoy on the water. If you haven’t spent much time in the water or didn’t grow up in an environment where cruising was integrated into your everyday life, some of the most common nautical terms and phrases can be confusing to understand.

Fortunately, cruising on a trawler doesn’t have to be so complicated, especially if you familiarize yourself with these terms before your aquatic adventures. Since no one is born with this knowledge innate in his or her brain, it’s important to review these terms so that you’re familiar with them and ready to head out to sea.

Common nautical terms and phrases include:

Dogwatch: There are two dogwatch periods when at sea. These times are between 4 and 6 pm, which is the first dogwatch, and between 6 and 8 pm, the second one. While this term originated in the 1700s, it’s still unknown to experts exactly how the term was invented. It’s believed to be a contraction of “dodge watch,” which refers to the stressful time that cruisers experienced on this watch. The first and second dogwatch is designed to be two hours each so that cruisers aren’t always assigned the same duty every day.

Down the hatch: This refers to the history of cargoes being lowered into the hatch. Seamen who carried and stowed the cargo historically used the term, but today it is known as a drinking expression.

Port and starboard: These nautical terms refer to the left and the right side of the trawler. Originally, the terms were starboard and larboard, but confusing the two terms could cause a shipwreck. Over the sound of wind and waves, it became tricky to distinguish between “starboard” and “larboard,” so the latter was replaced by “port.” This terminology originated in Old England, and was adopted by the United States Navy in 1846.

Mooring line: refers to any line that is utilized to tie a trawler or any sea vessel to a pier. The term originates from the Middle Dutch word “maren,” which means to tie. Combined with “moren rap,” a Middle English word that means “ship’s rope,” the two words create “mooring line,” which most cruisers will use at some point in their sailing career.

These are just a few of the many nautical words that are associated with sailing on a trawler. We hope you enjoy your time at sea!