About our boat

The previous owner named her the "In Sanity". We will see if that sticks. She's a 40' Mainship Pilothouse trawler with twin Perkins T 6.354.4 Ms. Thats somewhere between 165 and 200 hp each, depending on who you ask. The tricky thing is they are from 1978 but the boat was built in '81. Figure that one out!

Yes, we had the dreaded Perkins 6.354 heat exchanger manifold failure. on not one, but BOTH engines. They were pulled by a crappy mechanic who we told to buzz off. We reinstalled them ourselves!

Em didn't like that I took her picture. She's just adding coolant. They took a LOT to re-fill. Something like 8 liters? Maybe more... I can't recall.

The hull is a "semi-displacement" design but with only enough power to make a REALLY big wake. Top speed is somewhere just shy of 12 kts. There are trim tabs which may help us "get over the hump" and up on plane but they are not functional currently. Cruising is about 7.5 kts on one engine. Since we only run the boat about twice a month, I like to use both engines as she was designed to "exercise" them. Generally we run about 8.5 kts, maybe 9 but that starts to really push it. 

Layout:

In the bow is the Cabin with a full-ish sized bed tucked to starboard. There is plenty of storage and a couple hanging lockers. Also "down" forward in the cabin is a full head with separate shower. This was a very important choice for us. Theres a 11 or 12 gallon hot water tank so you don't have to take "navy" showers, but you have to wait a little before someone takes a second shower.

Aft of that is the pilothouse. Here, Em is driving during our maiden voyage, headed across the bay. There's a seat, some cabinets, and a decent view forward. I'm not sure what else to say here. There is a second helm up top.

Aft of the pilothouse and for pretty much the rest of the boat is the main cabin/saloon/salon/galley/main living area. See picture. There is also a "Day head" in the aft, starboard corner. The aft doors lead out to a small cockpit where there is enough space for 3 or 4 lawn chairs if it's clean. currently it's holding cans of paint, paint trays, a bicycle frame, and 3 or 4 folded up lawn chairs. There is a ladder up to the top deck (fly bridge?) from there.

Up on top, there's a mast for the radar, but no radar, a deck box, and a second helm with ample seating for guests. It's one of our favorite places to hang out, at the dock or under way.

That's all for now, I'll try to get Em to tune in and talk about her painting project next time

About us

About us:

Em and I bought a 1981 Mainship Pilothouse model 40' Trawler (Motoryacht?) over the winter.

We have put less than 20 hours on the boat so far. The handful of trips have included: a trip across the by to our new slip (on one engine!), an overnight trip up the chester river to a secret little anchorage, and a few day trips with friends.

Here's Em and our dog Maizey (also living on our boat) enjoying the sun as we putter in some direction or another

Em and I are not filthy stinking rich yachties as commonly believed to be necessary for a boat such as this. We are careful with our money but more importantly, we waited for the right deal on the right boat and are able to do most (all?) of the work ourselves. Also, by living aboard, the slip and boat loan amount have become "rent". We also do not live in squalor - we prioritize our projects and attack them as resources allow.

We both work in Aquaculture (that's farm raised fish for you who don't know). The funny part is, I prefer to go fishing and eat my catch than buy from the store and Em is a vegetarian!! We met in undergrad at the university of Rhode Island ("rhody rhody rhody!") and have been together for...well, a long time! lets see: about 3 months living aboard, we were in 3 or 4 different states prior, and a grand total of 7 or 8 years! 

We are planning to go out to watch the "Thunder on the Narrows" powerboat races June 27-28. I'll be sure to post some photos for all...lets see... 10 viewers so far! Haha

Setting everything up

I'm just getting started so bear with me. This should help our family, friends, and any other interested parties keep track of our Trawler Home and our life aboard.