Seven Motorboat Options

Motor boats can be classified into seven basic categories. Each type has its own unique pros and cons, including the trawler. Still, when you consider everything that you want in a boat, it will be easy to see that trawlers are really the best choice for a motor power recreational water craft.

Here are your choices:

1. Outboard Motorboats: Boats with outboard motors are one of the most popular choices for hobby boaters. Typically, you can angle the motor in and out of the water, which makes it an ideal choice for boating through shallow water. Outboard motorboats also tend to be relatively inexpensive. Still, they are not safe for the open seas.

2. Inboard Motorboats: More expensive than outboard motorboats, inboard motorboats have engines that are inside the boat. These boats are rated highly for open waters, but cannot travel in shallow water.

3. Cabin Cruisers: A cabin cruiser is an inboard motorboat that has a cabin and other structures built on deck.

4. Yachts: Yachts are cabin cruisers that are more than 50 feet in length. Typically, the cabins of yachts are designed to be as luxurious as possible with staterooms and other amenities.

5. Hydroplanes: Hydroplanes are specialized crafts designed to fly over the surface of the water. They skim over the surface rapidly, but can be very dangerous.

6. Motor Sailers: A sailboat with an auxiliary motor, this boat is designed for sailboat enthusiasts who want the extra protection of a motor in case the wind dies.

7. Trawlers: Trawlers are the ultimate motorboat for recreational boaters. Because trawlers are designed exactly like commercial fishing boats, they are completely safe for ocean cruising. Although they will not work well in smaller, shallow bodies of water, a trawler is perfect for the boater who wants to cruise the coastline or go island hopping. If you are in the market to purchase a new motorboat, a trawler is the best and safest choice.

Are you looking for a school that will teach you how to captain a Trawler?

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!