What’s the Brokerage Market for a Fast Trawler?

We spoke to three brokers each of whom had listed a boat similar to the Krogen Express 53 online. Here’s what each had to say about the advantages of owning a fast trawler.

By PMY Broker Insight

July 14, 2014

We spoke to three brokers each of whom had listed a boat similar to the Krogen Express 53 online. Here’s what each had to say about the advantages of owning a fast trawler.

Paul Flannery, HMY Yachts Sales, 904-607-0099; www.hmy.com
“I find that a lot of my clients today spend most of their time in displacement mode; they prefer to slow down and enjoy the journey. These are folks who, having invested years of hard work, are now slowing down and smelling the roses. For them a boat with a hybrid hull, like the 2002 55-foot Novatec I have listed, is a perfect option. Although she has the ability to run 18 to 19 knots, the people who own her ran her at 10 knots most of the time because it’s more economical, it’s quieter, and it’s much more comfortable. The same is true of the people who buy other boats from us like Grand Banks. They want to be able to get up and run but they prefer to spend the bulk of their time in displacement mode. That’s the beauty of a hybrid (fast trawler) hull.”

Alex Wilkes, Denison Yacht Sales, 239-994-2648; www.denisonyachtsales.com
“Beneteau’s Swift Trawler line is a series of hybrid yachts that are designed to be efficient at an 8- to 10-knot cruise while getting the same kind of fuel economy as a real trawler. But they’re really trawlers that have been designed to be able to run fast when the owner needs to. My listing, a 2011 Beneteau Swift 52, is a lot like a Grand Banks, for instance, in that regard but at a much lower price. Beneteau was originally a sailboat builder and they have a very keen use of space. So you get a boat that has the volume of a much bigger boat with the efficiency of a smaller boat—it’s the best kind of hybrid. Last year the 52 was replaced by the 50, which while smaller overall is actually roomier because it has IPS. It should be even more efficient.”

Kyle Leeper, Nashville Yacht Brokers, 615-394-2222; www.nashvilleyacht.com
“The owner of my listing, a 2006 Grand Banks 59 Aleutian Raised Pilothouse, actually keeps the boat under a covered shed on a freshwater lake, and once a year his captain takes her down the Waterway to the Keys, where he spends a couple of weeks. From there they take her over to the Bahamas, where they stay aboard for a month or more. So while the boat runs at displacement speed perhaps 80 percent of the time, the rest of the time it runs up to near its top speed of 22 knots. A hull like this one that was designed to perform well at both displacement and planing speeds is perfect for this owner.”