1976 F-44 an Off Shore Boat?

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slipknot
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1976 F-44 an Off Shore Boat?

Post by slipknot »

Hi, new to the site and have a question for those with experience. I am looking at a Trojan F-44 1976 in really great shape. (Twin Cummins VT-555-M) I plan on bringing it down from Seattle to SF Bay. I have hired a captain since I have limited off shore experience and he thinks its a great boat and should have no issues.
However, I have had two different surveyors tell me that the Trojan F-44 was NOT built for the Pacific Ocean and that they would not be comfortable saying that the boat would be capable by design, (this boat has NO structural issues). That said, the boat came from Florida, through the Panama Canal and up to Seattle when it was new. Im conflicted,
Was the 1976 Trojan F-44 designed and built to handle the Pacific North West seas?
any help appreciated. thanks
trojan 44 BC.jpeg
trojan 44 BC.jpeg (65.3 KiB) Viewed 9190 times
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P-Dogg
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Re: 1976 F-44 an Off Shore Boat?

Post by P-Dogg »

I have general comments only, the first of which is what I read on the fishing forums when people ask if their boat is big enough to go offshore: pick your days.

Regardless of how blue water capable a boat may be, few boats can handle the worst of the worst. You need to ask yourself how far from shelter will you be? How flexible is your schedule? Will you be able to sit in port a week for weather if needed? What life safety equipment do you have? Epirb? Sat phone? SSB? Off shore towing insurance? What is the experience of the crew?

My 36 ft tricabin does fine in 4 ft chop. Not something that I wanted to do forever, but certainly within the bounds of vessel, Captain, and crew. Note that that particular experience was running down Delaware Bay on a flood tide, not 4 ft ocean swells. Wave period makes a huge difference on ride and comfort.

Someone with particular knowledge of your type of boat will be along any minute now. In the mean time, make use if the search feature if you have not done so already. Please keep us posted. Consider adding to the knowledge base here by posting a trip log/report. Welcome to the forum.
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slipknot
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Re: 1976 F-44 an Off Shore Boat?

Post by slipknot »

thanks for your input. The delivery captain Ive hired has brought over 100 boats down the coast, in fact mine is 'in line' after a trawler. I have full confidence. all modern electronics, life raft, EPIRB, survival suits etc. strong engines. We plan to stay about 30 miles off the coast and duck in every 30 hours or so unless the weather kicks up. I have NO plans on spilling my cocktail <jk>, so I will be aiming for the calmer weather, Im in no hurry.
Most people say things like 'pick your weather' and I get that, It's like when the surveyor says, "It's a great boat, 'for it's age' ". LOL
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Re: 1976 F-44 an Off Shore Boat?

Post by oil&water »

I have absolutely no experience on this hull, so I have very little input on how she would handle directly. What I will offer is the USCG developed their roll over boats for the Pacific NW Coast's inlets and their gigantic rollers that will wash a boat quickly. We do not have that problem all that much here on the East Coast unless you are running an inlet on a bad day.

Your challenge will probably be greater within an inlet / river entrance with a strong following sea than anywhere else. Most all of the Trojan hulls have a tendency to stern walk side to side in a following sea. When she walks far enough, you get to add the roll to the boat. Add that to a powerful inlet / river current and your Capt's hands may be a little full during that time.

Otherwise, she should handle like any of the other various motor yachts that we all love so much.

I looked at a Maritime Concorde 47' before I started tackling my F36 project. The lines were very similar to the F44. She was very stable at rest. It felt very large and comfortable to move around on. This one did not have the flybridge, but I imagine it only improves the experience onboard for those calmer days.
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slipknot
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Re: 1976 F-44 an Off Shore Boat?

Post by slipknot »

the point youve raised about entering the inlets is very valid. We plan on leaving Neah with at least 3 days good weather and can get down to Oregon, apparently the further South, the easier it gets. I looked at a 47' Concorde thats here in SF. It was rough and no where near the beauty of a Trojan, it was a beast though.
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Re: 1976 F-44 an Off Shore Boat?

Post by oil&water »

You are correct, the Concorde is beastly. One of those "only a mother would love" hulls. Doesn't have the fit and finish of a Trojan.

When the DD 8V71's fired up, I felt like I was on a Greyhound to the beach. She looked like one also!
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Re: 1976 F-44 an Off Shore Boat?

Post by P-Dogg »

And I left out "Will your insurance cover you in that operating area?" Having a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders means that they would not cover you if the boat couldn't handle the trip at least some of the time. Of course I'm sure that you have already checked, so there is part of your answer.

When I cruised offshore in my tricabin, I had to get a rider because my normal cruising area is limited to the Inside Passage. Okay, so its the one between the mouth of Chesapeake and the mouth of Delaware, via the Chesapeake. For like $40 or something ridiculous I got offshore coverage for a month. There was no specified cruising limit, so I asked how far, to Spain? Short answer was "Yes.", although with just a few score miles safe cruising range, I did not attempt it. Sounds like a fun trip. I love being underway overnight.
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Re: 1976 F-44 an Off Shore Boat?

Post by prowlersfish »

Assuming your delivery captain is experience I would go with his judgment . A good captain would not risk him self .
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slipknot
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Re: 1976 F-44 an Off Shore Boat?

Post by slipknot »

of course the Captain will have the final say! We are going to push her around this weekend on the sea trial. Mechanic will be in the engine room the whole time.
When I asked my Insurance guy, he said the insurance for the SF Bay is good all along the coast from Mexico to BC. According tho them, if you can handle San Francisco Bay, you can pretty much handle the coast I guess
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Re: 1976 F-44 an Off Shore Boat?

Post by comodave »

I have run a 46' trawler from Seattle to LA. We experienced up to 18' seas and we were trying to pick the weather. My trawler took the waves far better than an F44 will. As mentioned Trojans typically experience slewing when hit by waves from astern. Coming down the coast, you will have predominantly quartering seas from your starboard. The Coast Guard came out at Greys Harbor and escorted us in due to the huge waves in the inlet. We made it OK, but I would not have wanted to be in an F44. It is a great boat for protected waters. If you d make the run, I hope sincerely that all goes well and you have great weather.
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Re: 1976 F-44 an Off Shore Boat?

Post by rickalan35 »

Hi Slipknot, Looks like a lovely boat. Gotta love those lines. There is a man here in my hometown who used to work on the 44's.

He's in his seventies now, does home renovations and ploughs driveways (mine included) during the winter. Trojan would deliver these boats sometimes by water and he was part of a nine man delivery crew because the boss wanted enough men on hand to deal with whatever might come up.

I have to agree with P Dogg and Oil and Water. I was pretty proud of the 36' TriCabin I owned for sixteen years. It handled rough water in my Rideau Lakes area fine, better than most. When running downwind on a rough day, I simply kept her throttled up a bit quicker than the waves to avoid having the stern pushed around.

Then I ran into a storm on Lake Ontario, whereupon I was handed a dose of reality. I don't know how big the waves were, but I had my hands full with the wind and wave action, stern walk is a nice way of saying, "Was that the TV set I just heard crashing through my inlaid coffee table?" I drove her into the waves as fast as I dared, watched them break large across the bow then hung on for the imminent stern swing. It was an uncomfortable trip for four hours until we got to Kingston and took four runs to get her through the narrow entrance in the seawall. No damage except for the personal effects that got thrown around in the salon.

My friend in a SeaRay 370 Motoryacht faired worse. The waved were breaking right over the bridge and that's a long way back. His ports were under water as the waves washed over his bow and they leaked badly. The water ran down both companionways under the doors and soaked his rear deck.

So all in all, I have been careful ever since to avoid running in stormy weather. There are many others on this site who regularly use their Trojans in ocean conditions. They have great stories and know what they're doing. I've learned a lot from them. But I'm not a blue water guy and wouldn't want to be thirty miles out, ever watchful for changing weather conditions and knowing that I and my beloved Trojan hull might be receipients of a close encounter of the stormy kind.

All the best with your decision. Unless you're a dyed in the wool bluewater guy, I suppose that if I planned to keep her in protected waters or close by the same, I would simply insure her and have the captain add a crew member. Then have them run her down the coast and take delivery in San Fran. Best of luck.
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slipknot
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Re: 1976 F-44 an Off Shore Boat?

Post by slipknot »

comodave wrote:I have run a 46' trawler from Seattle to LA. We experienced up to 18' seas and we were trying to pick the weather. My trawler took the waves far better than an F44 will. As mentioned Trojans typically experience slewing when hit by waves from astern. Coming down the coast, you will have predominantly quartering seas from your starboard. The Coast Guard came out at Greys Harbor and escorted us in due to the huge waves in the inlet. We made it OK, but I would not have wanted to be in an F44. It is a great boat for protected waters. If you d make the run, I hope sincerely that all goes well and you have great weather.

What time of year was your trip?
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Re: 1976 F-44 an Off Shore Boat?

Post by comodave »

We left Everett in early May and got as far as Humbolt Bay and then got weathered in with 60 knot winds and 25 foot seas predicted. Left the boat in Humbolt for 4 weeks before we could get back and resume the trip. We started again on 5 July and ran it to LA. Overall a great trip but we were in delivery mode so we did not get much chance to sight see.
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slipknot
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Re: 1976 F-44 an Off Shore Boat?

Post by slipknot »

Hey Dave
thanks for getting back to the thread. It's ALL about timing. WOW Everette to Humbolt in May must have been more than a thrill in May!!
My captain said he would not even think of leaving the dock before June, and that he would have to have reliable long range weather reports. Since he has a trawler ahead of me, Im hopeful that by the end of June/July, when my number comes up, we will have glassy seas. (keyword 'hopeful') Since I am paying per diem, we too will be in delivery mode, not planning on hitting any of the Washington inlets. Neah Bay to Newport, Or. to Eureka, Ca to San Francisco Bay. 950 miles, give or take. 8-10 days
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Re: 1976 F-44 an Off Shore Boat?

Post by lawyerdave71 »

I would not be afraid to take an F44 out on the ocean weather permitting of course. In fact, I would love it!

Keep us posted!!!

Make sure your hired captain has insurance.

I recently watched a youtube video where this young couple in Florida bought a sailboat to cruise the world - ah, young love. They poured all their money into her and spent several months fixing the sailboat. They hired a captain to move the boat and train them how to use it wherein the captain crashed the sailboat into a bridge causing the boat to be totaled.

That's raghaulers for ya!
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