Helmsman Trawlers, based in Seattle, Washington, has built a reputation for designing and building true American-style trawlers for adventurous cruisers, cruisers who want the range to go far and wide and the seakeeping comfort of a semi-displacement trawler hull.
Recently, Helmsman launched hull number one of their all new 46 and the new design, while very much bearing the builder’s family resemblance, is strikingly handsome, with a trim flying bridge and hard top, reversed raked windshields in the pilothouse and a sheer that really evokes a trawler heritage.
Helmsman’s founder and CEO Scott Helker commented to me during a recent phone call that the brief handed to their naval architect Ivan Erdevicki, was “to make the new 46 beautiful.”
Judging from the photos, that end has been achieved. The 46 has a distinctly American look that eschews the jagged angles seen on many modern European-designed motor yachts. Instead of huge hull glazing, the 46 has traditional ports in the hull while the salon has the large windows that will fill the interior with natural light.
A single engine, full-keel design the new 46 adheres to the company’s core principles. The idea is to keep the boat fairly simple without undue complexity, to make it as reliable as possible for long haul cruising, to ensure durability and longevity in the whole build process and to finish the interior in classic teak that never goes out of style.
Helker noted that at 55,000 pounds and with a beam of 16-feet, three-inches, the 46’s interior feels massive. “We have always been known for the amount of space and the storage capacity in our boats but the new 46 takes that to the next level. The salon is really spacious and with the pilothouse just a few steps going forward, the whole living and social area makes the 46 feel like a much bigger boat.”
Because the boats are custom-built for each owner, the interior spaces are highly customizable. In hull number one, the owner, who is moving up for a Helmsman 38, opted for a two-cabin, two-head arrangement, with the second cabin fitted with twin singles.
But it is possible to go with a three-cabin plan or one could conceivably have two cabins and a small office. Whatever plan each owner decides on, the completed boat will be finely finished by veteran boat builders and craftsmen.
The 46 is powered by a single Cummins 8.3 liter engine rated at 493 horsepower. With a fuel capacity of 800 gallons and a cruising speed of 8 to 9 knots, the boat will have a useful cruising range of 1,400 nautical miles. The 46 is built to the ABYC Class A standards so it has ocean-going capabilities.
But that said, most Helmsman owners are not crossing oceans. Instead, they primarily choose adventure cruising along the coasts from Alaska to Mexico or from Maine to Florida and the Bahamas.
Helmsman now can add a new type of hull stabilization developed by Dynamic Marine Systems in The Netherlands. The MagnusMaster stabilizers work very well at a trawler’s cruising speed, are energy efficient and have a small footprint inside the hull.
The new Helmsman 46 is a head turner that will make a great floating home and a fine platform for cruising adventures far and wide.
