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Welcome to the Com-Pac Idea

Com-Pac Yachts began business in 1974 with our first boat, the Com-Pac 16. The idea then was to build a seaworthy yacht with a strong commitment to value. (For the full story, see Hutchins Company Profile .) Since then we have expanded our line and today we have twelve models, six cat-rigged sailboats, five sloop rigged sailboats and one power launch. The Com-Pac line covers a wide range of sizes from a 14' day sailor to the Com-Pac 27/3 cruising yacht . Each model, regardless of size, is built with the same exacting attention to detail and that same commitment to value.

Our line of modern cat-rigged models (dubbed “A New Breed of Catboat”) offer the ultimate in trailer-sailing ease and rig set up. All come with the Mastendr™ quick-rig sailing system that allows for the boom, sail, and gaff to be left installed on the boat while the mast is folded or raised. The shrouds stay attached and the head stay disconnects with the flip of the pre-adjusted forestay self-locking lever. This system, unique to Com-Pac, adds an ease and convenience to trailer sailing that is really astounding. Your mast is up and you are ready to go in seconds, not minutes.

Our newest sloop-rigged models are the Eclipse SL , the Legacy , and the Legacy Sport daysailer. We consider these yachts “crossover” models. We have taken all of the convenience and features of our cat boat line and applied them to these new exciting sloops. Features include the Mastendr™ (Eclipse), Boomtendr™ (Legacy & Sport), keel centerboard hull configuration and low riding trailers for ease of launching and retrieval.

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The three traditionally rigged sloops ( 23/IV , 23 Pilothouse , and 27/3 ) have full masthead, eight stay rigs and fixed keels. As such they can be sailed in areas and conditions that lesser sloops would be wise to avoid. Many of our sloops have long cruises to their credit. Coastal cruising, Gulf of Mexico crossings, and long term Bahamas cruises are a few that are recorded. The 23/IV and 23 Pilothouse are trailerable but they are still full fledged cruising yachts. We did not compromise sea-worthiness or comfort. When the 23/IV or 23 Pilothouse is fitted with the available custom trailer, they can easily be taken over the road for vacation or winter storage.

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The new launch with the available electric propulsion is perfect for an evening of touring the harbor, canals and waterways or even more varied areas of interest with the standard 2 cylinder diesel engine.

All of our models come with an extraordinary list of amenities and standard equipment. From the 14' Picnic Cat to the 27' cruiser, you will find everything you need for that day sail, day cruise, weekend getaway or extended cruise.

If you are looking for something other than an “off the shelf” yacht, then Com-Pac is for you. Many builders today do not give you any more choices than cushion fabric and canvas colors. Whether your yacht is 14' or 27', nowhere else will you find the freedom of involvement and creativity you will find by sitting down with us and discussing your dream yacht. Our answer to 95% of requests for personalization is “we can do that.”

• Articles and Guides

Best Trailerable Trawler Brands: Pocket Cruisers to Go Anywhere

October 12, 2023 by lenny rudow.

There are many different types of boats with cabins , but if you want to do some serious adventuring from coast to coast, nothing will beat trailerable trawlers. You can hitch up to your tow vehicle and head to any lake, river, or bay you want, sleep aboard, prep meals, and essentially enjoy your very own floating mini-home. Ready to start exploring? These top pocket trawler brands are just waiting for you to take a peek.

Best Trailerable Trawlers for Towing

Some boats are technically trailerable but require a huge beast of a tow vehicle and special permits to get from point A to point B. Those that are best for trailering, however, can be hauled by a standard full size pick-up truck or a large SUV. True, these will be among the smaller options out there and will have tighter cabins and fewer amenities. But if lots of space is your highest priority you’d probably be looking at larger trawlers for sale , as opposed to these pocket trawlers. If you can get by with less elbow room and want to hit the highway with minimal stress, check these options out.

Atlas Boat Works

With an LOA of 21’3”, a beam of 7’0”, and a dry weight of 2,400 pounds, the Atlas Pompano 21 is about as small as you can get while still enjoying a cabin worthy of an overnight. With a 54-hp diesel inboard, it’s also about as fuel efficient as you can get, burning a mere 1.4 gph at an 11-knot cruise. And even though it’s an inboard, the Pompano 21 draws a mere two feet of water, so it can be launched and loaded at most boat ramps. The helm is enclosed on three sides, and below there’s a mini-galley and a V-berth with a portable MSD underneath. 

You say you want an outboard powered-pocket trawler? Atlas also offers the 23 Pompano, which adds a bracket and a 70-hp outboard that provides speeds of up to 20 mph and a cruise in the mid-teens. If a touch more elbow room is to your taste check out their Acadia 25 models, which have substantially more cabin space and fully enclosed stand-up heads. Beam is 8’6, though, so they can still be hauled just about anywhere in the U.S.

Atlas Boat Works boats for sale

Photo credit: Atlas Boat Works

C-Dory has a number of trailerable models but the 22 Cruiser takes the cake for ease, since it tips the scales at a mere 2,600 pounds and stays under a 5,000 pound fully loaded towing weight — which means even a relatively modest tow vehicle can pull it without any problems. It’s designed to run with just 115 horsepower on the transom, and has an open 4’6” aft cockpit so you can enjoy some fishing when the mood strikes. Yet for such a svelte disposition, the cabin has a significant amount of room, with a dinette to port, the helm station to starboard, a mini-galley behind the helm, and a 6’3” V-berth forward. Surprisingly, it also has 6’2” of headroom. 

You can up the ante a bit with their 23’ Venture, which takes headroom to 6’4” and can handle up to 150 hp. Or consider the 25 Cruiser and 26 Venture. These have significantly larger cabins yet still keep beam at 8’6” so they can be hauled legally in the U.S. without a permit.

C-Dory boats for sale

Photo credit: C-Dory

Best Trailerable Trawlers for Cruising

If you plan to do serious cruising and spend days at a time aboard, a few creature comforts and some additional elbow room is in order. You’ll need the ability to prep meals, have plenty of room for sleeping, enough stowage space for all your gear, and a separate fully enclosed head compartment. Can you get all that and still have trailering abilities? You bet.

Ranger Tugs

There aren’t many pocket trawlers that have a full suite of cruising amenities yet can still be trailered, but Ranger Tugs has several models that fit the bill thanks to an 8’6” beam and a folding mast. Check out the R-23, R-25, and R-27, for example, and you’ll see a list of options including perks like diesel forced-air heat, air conditioning, Fusion stereo systems, and electric cockpit grills. More important for the cruisers among us, the galley is fully equipped (including a microwave, stove-top, and refrigerator/freezer), and there’s room to sleep five even on the smallest model, with a forward stateroom, a convertible dinette berth, and a midship berth.

If you’re willing to jump through the hoops to get a wide tow permit, Ranger Tugs R-29 and R-31 offer much bigger cabins and gobs of amenities. Dry weight for the R-31 is 12,000 pounds so you’ll need a tow vehicle that’s quite capable, but everything above hard-top level folds down to maintain a 13’6” height, keeping to the legal maximum.

Ranger Tugs boats for sale

Photo credit: Ranger Tugs

Nordic Tugs

This builder only offers one model that’s trailerable, the Nordic Tug 26, and with a 9’6” beam in most states you’ll have to get a permit to haul it down the road legally. You’ll also need to be careful about the ramps you use, because the boat has a 3’6” draft. But if you’re willing to deal with the extra paperwork you’ll have an excellent cruising boat with sleeping accommodations for four, a fully enclosed stand-up head compartment, a full galley, and lots of extra stowage space. At 8,600 pounds you’ll need a substantial tow vehicle, but this isn’t outside the capacity of many full-sized trucks.

Nordic Tugs boats for sale

Photo credit: Nordic Tugs

Sporty Trailerable Trawlers

There are many different types of boats out there, and while trawlers are historically slow and fuel efficient, in this day and age you can find some that are downright sporty. With planing hulls and outboard power they certainly push the definition of a trawler, but these boats deliver the amenities and often the look that trawler aficionados love.

Cutwater’s C-248 is their only model that offers the hassle-free trailering that goes along with an 8’6” beam. If you’re willing to do some legwork, however, the C-288 C and C-30 Sedan have 10-foot beams and can fly across the asphalt atop a permitted trailer. These boats feature fully enclosed helms and cabins, riding atop a fast double-stepped hull. They also display an inventive use of space, designing in a bonus berth underneath the dinette.

Cutwater boats come fully equipped right out of the box, with an eyebrow-raising list of standard features including perks like Garmin electronics systems, digital engine displays, and folding cockpit seating. More to the point, they also come with plenty of power and the C-248 is one of the few boats on the planet that can be used like a pocket trawler and also pull a water skier.

Cutwater boats for sale

Photo credit: Cutwater

Solara is the latest brand from Fluid Motion, and these boats are billed as “luxury pocket cruisers.” With outboards on the transom and stepped planing hulls, many of their models cruise at over 30 mph and can hit speeds well into the 40s. They offer three different 25-footers that have that magic 8’6” trailerable beam, but very different layouts. 

The Solara S-250 C “coupe” model features a fully enclosed cabin and helm station, with a galley, dinette, and helm station plus a lower cabin with a berth and enclosed head. The CW “center walkaround” is almost like a center console, except that the console goes all the way to the port side of the boat and encloses a cabin with a berth, mini-galley, and head. And there’s a dual console model as well, which is great for day-boating but doesn’t really fit into this roundup since it doesn’t have enclosed sleeping accommodations.

Solara boats for sale

Photo credit: Solara

Just which of these options would be the best pick for you, personally? That depends upon your priorities—and just how hefty your tow vehicle is. Whatever you may decide, however, one thing is for sure: These days you can get trailerable trawlers that are simple, sumptuous, sporty, and everything in-between.

Written By: Lenny Rudow

With over three decades of experience in marine journalism, Lenny Rudow has contributed to dozens of boating and fishing publications and websites. Rudow lives in Annapolis, Maryland, and is currently Angler in Chief at Rudow’s FishTalk ; he is a past president of Boating Writers International (BWI), a graduate of the Westlawn School of Yacht Design, and has won numerous BWI and OWAA writing awards.

More from: Lenny Rudow

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43E PILOTHOUSE

38E PILOTHOUSE

46 PILOTHOUSE

Sedan, pocket, pilothouse & walk around trawler yachts.

HELMSMAN TRAWLERS 46 PILOTHOUSE

Designed for long-range cruising! This expedition pilothouse trawler features a full beam salon, a 2nd stateroom convertible to an office, massive engine room and large flybridge/boat deck

HELMSMAN TRAWLERS 43E PILOTHOUSE

Innovative lowrise pilothouse trawler design with excellent visibility from the helm, an expansive full beam salon, two staterooms, two heads, a full engine room and sizable flybridge/boat deck

HELMSMAN TRAWLERS 43 SEDAN

The 43 Sedan builds upon the tough and proven hull design of our 43E Pilothouse, and offers a contemporary and stylish trawler design with full covered walk-around side decks and sizeable flybridge/boat deck

HELMSMAN TRAWLERS 38E

Innovative lowrise pilothouse trawler design with excellent visibility from the helm, an expansive full beam salon, separate day head for guests, a full engine room

HELMSMAN TRAWLERS 38 SEDAN

A sedan-style trawler with classic lines and walk-around side decks, all-round visibility from the lower helm, spacious flybridge/boat deck, single or two-stateroom versions

HELMSMAN TRAWLERS 31 SEDAN

A salty pocket trawler built on the renowned Camano 31 hull that features a full bed, separate head and shower compartments, and a comfortable flybridge

HELMSMAN TRAWLERS®  are solidly built and finely-crafted motor yachts. Models range from the pocket trawler class Helmsman 31 sedan to our new Expedition 46 Pilothouse.  Helmsman Trawlers’ pilothouse and sedan trawler yacht designs provide roomy and comfortable interiors, rich in fine woodwork and evocative of classic yachts while modern in every way — and suited for both cruisers and liveaboards.

Helmsman Trawlers® are crafted to please the most discerning owners, though are surprisingly affordable. With modern wide-beam hull designs, top name equipment, and fit-and-finish achievable only with labor-intensive craftsmanship, they are a prize choice for those who won’t compromise quality but have no desire to pay too much. The Helmsman Trawlers® factory has considerable experience in the construction of these fine yachts, offers many options, and can expertly accommodate custom modifications.

The hulls of Helmsman Trawlers are robustly constructed of solid fiberglass using modern fiberglass hull construction techniques. Other FRP elements are manufactured using vacuum infusion. Full keels provide capable sea-keeping ability and modern diesel engines provide dependable long-range performance and trouble-free maintenance. Multi-layered construction of interior decks with sound attenuating elements reduce engine noise, and new insulation in our 38E and 43 models helps control temperature and deadens exterior sounds.  

Helmsman Trawlers® most popular yacht is the 38E Pilothouse Trawler. This boat offers the spaciousness of a much larger boat while fitting into a 40-foot slip. The low-rise pilothouse has excellent visibility and open communication with the salon and is a social area too while underway or in port. The full-beam salon is expansive and comfortable, with exceptional light and ventilation. A day head is a rare and practical feature, and the convertible settee and day head can be enclosed to provide a private suite for guests when needed. The flybridge is set back to maintain a low profile – which benefits windage and center-of-gravity. A high, flush bow, sturdy railings, full covered cockpit, deep pilothouse side deck footwells and secure flybridge stairs on both sides increase practicality and safety in adverse conditions.

The Helmsman Trawlers 43 Pilothouse is in steady production. This yacht design is derived from our 38 Pilothouse Trawler and expanded in every dimension. With the additional volume achieved from a longer and wider hull and additional freeboard we’ve added a second stateroom, expanded the salon, added more interior seating, and increased the cockpit area. 

We are pleased to offer the Helmsman Trawlers® 31 Sedan – an update to the original Camano 31. The Camano, with over 270 built, is well-known for many reasons including its outstanding hull design with great sea-keeping characteristics and economy through a wide range of cruising speeds. Helmsman Trawlers® has updated the lines on this boat, completely redesigned the interior, and has created a true pocket trawler yacht offered at an affordable price.

The Helmsman Trawlers® 38 Sedan is built on the same hull as the 38E and is available in one or two stateroom versions for cruisers who prefer the classic Europa-style lines and walkaround decks.

We are also excited to introduce the Helmsman Trawlers®46 Expedition Pilothouse – an expedition trawler yacht for the long-range cruiser and explorer.  

We appreciate your interest in Helmsman Trawlers®. Please feel free to contact us – we wish to be helpful in any way and welcome the opportunity to talk about these fine trawler yachts.

Helmsman – take the wheel!

Helmsman 31 Sedan Helmsman 38 Sedan Helmsman 38E Pilothouse Helmsman 43 Sedan Helmsman 43E Pilothouse Helmsman 46 Pilothouse Helmsman 54 Pilothouse Helmsman Available For Sale

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