If money is not an issue, the bigger the better. If we are talking $1 Million or under, I would take something in the 43'-46' length, 15' wide.

 

If money wasn't an issue you wouldn't but anything bigger then 46?

 

Hard to say really. PowderPro has a point that bigger is better. Allowing for longer trips, more gear, and etc. If it ever shifts back to the way it was in the late 80’s and 90’s the guys will be setting in 5 or 6 fathom again fishing the smaller bays and rivers. Dad loves his 31 JC because it’s small and economical, but he has no kids at the house, divorced, and the mortgage is payed off so he can scrape up a living year round by fishing close to home.

Sorry for the lack of an actual point. I guess keep watching the industry and see what the trends are.

 

I would second bigger is better. I have never fished offshore but I have seen plenty offshore running boats and the bigger one gets you through the snot a lot easier!

 

If I’m offshore I want 100’ of steel under me.

 

I will say those shafemaster lobster boats I worked on were pretty frigging stout. 82ft Washburn & Doughty steel hull and completely full of water, fuel and bait. 7.8knts baby!

 

If money wasnt an issue I wouldn’t be trying to make a living off the water. Its awfully hard on the body and harder on the family. I would be floating around a pool someplace where when you say the word Corona they bring a cold beer instead of squirting you with disinfectant.

 

if it was me i'd be looking at something like one of those bering sea crabbers, big, tanked down, no outriggers. Those old Gladding Hern RI Marine steel boats sure seemed to be nice rigs for that fishery. If looking for glass boats then a lot of those west coast dugeness crab boats fishing the winter off of washington & oregon sure fish in some shitty weather and cross some terrible bars in that fishery.

 

I second the shafty boat. Those things are absolute tanks. Those boats will fish through any weather short of a major hurricane as far as I know. I think it’s pretty proven/accepted that the lobsters are shifting north and East.

 

55 x 25 Dixon or something massive in steel

 

So when you say offshore are you thinking 30-50 miles, Gray Zone between Maine and Nov Scotia or are you thinking 100+ miles, Georges and the Canyons?

In the early seventies my dad fished Georges for Western Ocean out of Gloucester. The Western Ocean and Western Wave (still around as a herring boat I think) were steel and in the 75' range. He also ran a wooden converted shrimper the Sea Dog that was 72' I think. Later he fished there for one season on a 35' Ralph Stanley which was the original Miss Julie while the owner was building a 55' Marine Management. Later the current Miss Julie that fishes out of the Sandwich Basin was built as a 68' Aluminum by Gladding & Hearn, current owners stretched it to 72' I think. He made one more season on Georges in late 70's on a 42 Bruno the McCaffery, still inshore lobstering and Pogie fishing out of Hull, MA so it can be done in any size. However, I would say for out there ideally 70'-75" steel seems be the most common and economical. These guys are probably fishing 40 pot trawls and 12-1400 traps, too far to run in after one haul through so may lay to for a day and then rehaul making it a 5-7 +/- day trip. the McKInley fishing out of New Bedford was an Alaskan Crab boat, Similar to the Northwestern with the house forward is 100'+, not sure if it might be too big for the type of fishing but probably the most comfy to work on.

For the 30-50 mile / Gray Zone fishery, minimum of 42' and up to 55' fiberglass. The economics of building and running wouldn't work for a big steel boat I don't think. These guys are limited to 800 traps so if you are trip fishing you are only spending one night offshore and might even work through the night or just do long days if you have enough speed and the economics allow for you to use the speed.

 

Good post. Miss Julie, William Bowe, Rachel Leah, Mister Marco, Virginia Marie......all very similar designs that go way offshore.

 

I always liked the looks of those old Rhode Island Marine boats. A couple of them still kicking around

 

 

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what a raft of beautiful well maintained boats.

 

Fiberglass is nice but steel is real...

wasn't it Bob Brown that said something like: wood boats are for romance of the sea type stuff,,give me steel offshore.... After he blew the windows out of his Novi boat on Georges Bank.

 

Heard that million times when we were crashing through 40 footers in the South Pacific and I don't doubt it!

 

All these replies “If money weren’t an issue”
if money wernt an issue would Anyone here actually be lobstering ?
Maybe they would have a bunch of naked ladies from the Mermaid forum hand feeding fresh lobster

 

Read number 9 Ronnie!