A bigger - pocket DE.

[MouseTrap]

I've had my little Nordic for 10 years now, and I absolutely love the boat. It is very economical to run, has been extremely reliable, can get into very skinny water, and has a huge cockpit for her size. My family uses her as a picnic boat, and I do some light fishing on her.

My kids will be 6 and 8 this summer, and the boat is still fine for the four of us. The drawback is when we want to take guests out. Any more than the four of us, and the boat is just too small. we have visitors from out of state, and love to take them out to see the beautiful Maine Coast.

One boat that I continuously circle back to when thinking about the next size up is the Rosborough 246 Custom Wheelhouse.

What are the thoughts of forum members on my choice? We obviously don't currently cruise, so the custom wheelhouse is more appealing than the sedan cruiser. The time we spend on deck far outweighs the time we spend in the cabin.

Another thought is the Eastern 248. It just seams that the Eastern is not a big enough step up in size. More than six people on the Eastern would seem to have the same problem as our current 21 footer. The Rosborough "appears" to be a bigger boat.

Unlike some of the traditionalists on this forum, I love having a single engine four stroke outboard. I like tilting the engine up, and dropping the family and gear off on a beach or island in 18" of water. I love the amount of deck space that is opened up without having an engine box.

What other boats out there should I compare? We would be looking to pull the trigger next season.

 

[MouseTrap]

Another boat

Another boat that was on my short list was the Tomcat 255.

My wife won't even entertain the thought, because she says its ugly!

Gotta love a woman that will only own a Downeast style boat! .

 

[jerseysportfisher]

or you can get a real DE and go for a 25 BHM

 

[MouseTrap]

I see what you are saying about a "real DE", and one can argue that the Rosborough 246 is a real DE too. Getting into a Seaworthy 25' gets us out of the "pocket" category. Then there's the slippery slope of "why not get a 28, 31, 35... etc.

I saw a North Shore 25' at the Maine Boat Builders show last month which was beautiful.

I guess what I'm thinking is that I want the largest of the trailer-able boats, rather than the smallest of the non-trailerable-boats.

 

[F/V First Team]

Somebody found how to do a starburst in photoshop I see

 

[jerseysportfisher]

IMHO What can you argue ? its a planning hull design, Because it has a pilot house its a DE ? so does parker, or evans or Chesapeake or stieger. I don't find them to be DE's. Because its Built in ????, okay so like eastern which says is DE styled, still a planning hull and still not a traditional DE. So the CAT for example, is that a DE ? if so I guess that makes buzzard bays cat a DE ?

 

[F/V First Team]

A flared bow, low sheer and some tumble home makes a DownEast boat to me

 

[jerseysportfisher]

My idea of a DE, is semi-displacement hull, full length keel, and 1 shaft. Sharp entry at the bow, radioused back to a clean sheer line.

 

[F/V First Team]

So if I put a jet drive in my OEM42 it wouldn't be a down east boat anymore because it has no shaft? Or how about a scaled down version which would take an outboard, can't really have much keel on one of those.

 

[jerseysportfisher]

OK good show, but by your deff this can be a DE

 

[jerseysportfisher]

Actually, you should put a hamilton on that thing, shave the keel down abit. Should run like hell

 

[F/V First Team]

She will take twins, just fyi if you know anyone interested in an awesome ride

 

[jerseysportfisher]

She will take twins, just fyi if you know anyone interested in an awesome ride

say what

 

[MouseTrap]

IMHO What can you argue ? ...So the CAT for example, is that a DE ? if so I guess that makes buzzard bays cat a DE ?

No, the Tomcat is clearly not a DE hull... And so, my wife thinks it's ugly :grin:

The Rosborough... Yes.

 

[Downeaster]

My idea of a DE, is semi-displacement hull, full length keel, and 1 shaft. Sharp entry at the bow, radioused back to a clean sheer line.

Huh? Help me out here ... Can you name a "semi-displacement" hull designed in Maine in the last two decades? Three decades? Neither can I.

 

[MouseTrap]

Not built in Maine, but the Rosborough is claimed to be a true semi-displacement hull.

"The semi-displacement hull form resembles that of the more familiar New England lobster boats and features an integral keel and moderately deep forefoot with rounded sections forward that hardens to a radius chine and nearly flat bottom at the transom. The nearly plumb bow is quite high for a boat that has an overall length, without appendages, of 25 feet. Beam is 8 6, draft is 18 to the bottom of the keel and the weight without equipment, fuel or water is 5,400 lbs."

Source: BoatUS.com: Boat Reviews by Jack Hornor, N.A.

 

[jerseysportfisher]

Huh? Help me out here ... Can you name a "semi-displacement" hull designed in Maine in the last two decades? Three decades? Neither can I.

how about the ellis 40 ?

 

[Downeaster]

Not built in Maine, but the Rosborough is claimed to be a true semi-displacement hull.

"The semi-displacement hull form resembles that of the more familiar New England lobster boats and features an integral keel and moderately deep forefoot with rounded sections forward that hardens to a radius chine and nearly flat bottom at the transom. The nearly plumb bow is quite high for a boat that has an overall length, without appendages, of 25 feet. Beam is 8 6, draft is 18 to the bottom of the keel and the weight without equipment, fuel or water is 5,400 lbs."

Source: BoatUS.com: Boat Reviews by Jack Hornor, N.A.

I haven't paid much attention to the hulls from the Maritimes which is why I was specific as to "designed in Maine" rather than built in Maine. The last boat that I recall seeing and that I could comfortably call semi-displacement was a carvel-planked, galvanized nail-fastened, absolutely plumb stem with a transom that was completely dry while the boat was at rest, Novi built (roughly) in the early 70s - she was gorgeous to my eye. I'd see these hulls on the swordfish grounds occasionally too at distances from home that no small boat should ever have been - we had a term for the operators that I won't use here for fear that it'll be misunderstood but we really respected these guys and their boating skills. Cute little boats but for those grounds, a long trip home if the weather turned at semi-displacement speeds!

Like to continue but I work for a living. I'll add a few thoughts about semi-displacements when I get home this evening in another post to this thread.

 

[jerseysportfisher]

Not built in Maine, but the Rosborough is claimed to be a true semi-displacement hull.

"The semi-displacement hull form resembles that of the more familiar New England lobster boats and features an integral keel and moderately deep forefoot with rounded sections forward that hardens to a radius chine and nearly flat bottom at the transom. The nearly plumb bow is quite high for a boat that has an overall length, without appendages, of 25 feet. Beam is 8’ 6”, draft is 18” to the bottom of the keel and the weight without equipment, fuel or water is 5,400 lbs."

Source: BoatUS.com: Boat Reviews by Jack Hornor, N.A.

when you put 2 outboards on it and go skipping across the water at 25 knots, thats not semidisplacment. If you look over that boat real good, its resembles a novi more then a DE

 

[MouseTrap]

say what

Well just because you can put 2 giant jet drives on an Ellis and go skipping across the water at 40+ knts doesn't mean the hull is no longer a Downeaster.

All of these boats (Novi, DE, Chesapeake Deadrise) were designed long before today's engines. Back in the day they would have had sub 100 hp engines pushing them along at just north of hull speed. It's the 300-700+ HP that has changed today.

By the way, Rosborough recommends not pushing the boat to 30+ knts even though it can get there. The hull is most efficient at 12-18 knt cruise. It will get squirrely if pushed beyond that. Some would probably question why a person would want to do that to such a hull. They probably should be looking at a proper planing hull to begin with.

And after all of this, I'll concede that you've got me really thinking long and hard about a 28' BHM as my step up from my little 21 footer .