North Sea Trawler Nordic Sailing Trawler

Rare opportunity to own a 1945 48 Industrial built North Sea trawler (Builder unknown) with a recent $60k complete bottom restoration! An extremely seaworthy design that has been converted to a private yacht. It was originally built as a small cargo vessel to work from the north sea to the upper reaches of the Norwegian Fjords. She was tastefully converted to a comfortable Yacht, very spacious, great live a board!

Highlights- Recent (July 2009) $60k bottom restoration (over 100 pictures), rebuilt Diesel engine (600 Hours), NEW 100 gallon fresh water tanks + the 30 it had and new plumbing, 400 gallons fuel (just added 300 gallons $1,700), beautiful Norwegian Fir, Oak & Mahogany wood throughout with NEW Teak and Holly floors. Primarily built with Oak inside and outside. New batteries (13 total), New diesel Stove (never used), 2 NEW refrigerators, 1 Deep Freezer, 1 fridge with icemaker, 1 DC fridge igloo cooler, Washer/Dryer, Electric marine Toilet with overboard valve and 35 gallon holding tank, 2 back-up porta-toilets, Shower/bath, New 400 watt Solar panel system, Radar, New marine water heater, 800 watt Wind Generator, Newly added Xantrex Inverter, New electrical panels, New lights throughout, walk-in Engine room with repair shop and many tools and spare parts, Many bags of sails, 2 Large Recor fuel filters, New in box Dehumidifier, Nice 8 Lapstreak dingy with ours, 3 large anchors (1 New Bruce plow), GPSs, Depth fish finder, VHFs, New Stereo system, NEW fenders, Life Jackets, shore power cords, plenty of repair and paint supplies! Stacks of records and it has a complete Marine survey from 2011 and a complete 2009 hull restoration report with over 100 photos And much more! Tons of gear comes with the boat. Great live aboard.

Specs- 17 beam, 66 draft, 7 Headroom and weighs in at 32 tons.

The History of Born Free is very interesting to say the least. It so happens that Born Free has been docked in the same marina and slip for about 40 years, and so have most of her neighbors that are still there today. Ive been told that the original owner who brought her across from Denmark in the 70s went thru many locks (Over 200) to get her over a mountain range and into the Mediterranean. The story is that her owner motored and sailed her across the Atlantic and down thru the Panama Canal. After the extremely long voyage it ended up where it is today. The owner had her till he was 81, he sold her in 2007 due to health issues for around $75k. The new owner had big plans to take her on an extended voyage so he went thru her further and made many additions ($$$) along with hauling her out of the water for about 4 months at a cost of about $60k. In 2010 the new owner was facing Health issues and needed to move back with family so he sold her for $75k. The next owner customized her a bit by adding Teak and Holly flooring throughout and upgraded all electronics and electrical systems till he also was forced to sell her due to unforeseen business relocation to the east coast. One year ago a man from Vegas purchased her for a quick sale price of $35k. Soon after he purchased her he spent thousands on the engine to make her ready for some island trips along with adding Solar, wind generator, new batterys and many other items to a tune of an additional $15k+. Hes not a boater but liked the idea so spent around $50k on his first big boat. He just sold her to me with the understanding that it will need some work. I stumbled onto this opportunity by chance. I already own 2 other boats and I really didnt need a third. After buying her I have come back to reality and even tho I would love to keep her and bring her back to the pristine condition that she deserves, Ive decided I really do not need another boat of this scale. I have built 3 boats over the last 25 years and my last was a complete build of a 40 catamaran, which was a 2 year project that I completed just a year ago. I love nice boats and this is why I jumped on Born Free. I went thru her and she is a very solid vessel to say the least. I was actually very surprised at the condition since its 70 years or so old. Built from Solid Oak and Norwedian Fir, very solidly constructed. It far exceeded my expectations. With older wooden boats the biggest fear for most is bad rotted wood, especially on the bottom. Dont worry about Born Free as she in July of 2009 had a $60k 4 month out of water bottom restoration, I have over 100 pictures of the work that was done. The bottom is now like new after 69 years of use. Being built with Oak and Norwedian Fir dry rot is hard to get started and I couldnt find anything to mention. The current state is plenty of loose paint and loose varnish. It will need about three weeks of work to get her looking shinny again.

The engine is an old Buda, 109 hp., which runs fine but will need the cooling system addressed for reliability. It might just be as simple as clearing the build up of salt and growth in the intake. The last owner spent thousands on the engine and said the radiator lost all fluid on his last trip. He is not mechanically inclined and has very limited boating knowledge so this scared him off using the boat further. I feel confident that you could work with the Buda and fix the cooling issues so I am willing to work this effort and cost into the price savings here by you doing the work or hiring professional help. The other option is just to pull it out and replace it with a cat, or, something else. I have a VW TDI 165-5 marine motor with about 50 hours that I was thinking about to drop in her until I learned that the Buda is really not done its just a cooling issue. To hoist the engine out is pretty easy if you do choose to replace the Buda as the floor opens easily in the pilothouse and you can get a hoist in easily to lift it out. My VW engine cost me $20k so if you are interested I would let it go for $10k and I can direct you to good low cost guys to do the job.

In regards to the painting, varnish and just about anything youd like to do cosmetically, I have a great guy that I have used for the last 25 years whom I just spoke with and is ready to go when youd like. I am very well connected in the marine industry and I can direct you to the best and lowest cost guys to handle the work needed to bring her back to her glory. My guy is very reasonable ($22 hr.) and does the same if not better work of guys who charge up to $85 hr. I also have accounts with top suppliers and you can use my pricing which is below wholesale. I highly recommend using the best products available; west systems epoxy, Awlgrip Paint and primer and the best varnish, which my guy is an expert with all and can make Born Free, shine like never before in just a few weeks. I estimate a complete really good outside restoration job to cost at a boat yard about $25k+. Thru my guy and my pricing you can get it all done for around $5k.

I am pricing Born Free with me not doing the work but I will be more then willing to help you with best prices, advice and the guys you will need to get the job done right. Born Free is being priced for a quick sale with a starting bid of only $20k. Understand that for just a few thousand more you will have a beautiful classic that should run fine and have many more years of fun ahead of her. She was built to last. If I do all the work and spend the time to bring her back I would start the auction price at $60k and that is reflecting the current market value. The boat is well documented. I have stacks of history; the last survey was done in 2011 as shown in some of the photos and surveyors are very tight with market value price and it was said to be worth $55k and with a re-build value of $750k. Since that survey in 2011 the following other owners have dumped many more thousands of dollars into her. All she needs now is Paint, Varnish, and fix the cooling system on the engine and you are ready. The engine was apparently rebuilt about 15 years ao and has only around 600 hours of use. I started her today just before making this listing, she runs!

She is located at Yacht Haven Marina in San Pedro on an end tie slip. The Slip is fully transferable at $528/month which includes all utilities. Possible live aboard but will have to negotiate with Marina. New owner will have to sign a new month to month contract with Marina or move boat by September 1st. I have paid slip fee's to September 1st. This will give new owner some options as far as moving or keeping it there.

Layout: Forward cabin which contains a queen bed with drawers built in for storage (water tank underneath). Hanging lockers in cabin. Full head including macerator toilet, full shower/small tub. Sink and drawers. Has a 30 gallon black/brown holding tank with an overboard discharge valve. Water system includes a fairly new 110 6 gallon water heater providing enough hot water for two full showers. Extra 12 volt water pumps ready to go for redundancy. Water system also runs to the engine room where a full size washer/dryer sit and they are functional and ready to go. There is also a deep freezer in engine room. Across from head is the Galley. Galley has new refrigerator as noted above, double stainless steel sinks, microwave, diesel stove with burners that is new and has never been used. Lots of cabinets for food and dish storage. Fully stocked with appliances, dishes, silverware, cleaning supplies! Salon is next with two bench seats, the long bench can be easily converted to a double bed for guests and a big open area that can be used for a dance floor,or,??. Engine room to rear that is large enough to do work in and has multiple tools, supplies and parts for repair while underway. Twin fuel tanks for a total of 300 gallons. Currently has about 275 gallons on board and burns about 2 gallons an hour. Standing room in engine room is 5'11". Salon is 7'. Head and Galley 7'. Forward stateroom is 5'7". Up top is the Helm station which has a nice dinette/booth which currently needs to be re-attached which can be seen in pictures. There is also a small refrigerator that has an ice maker at helm. Engine is a Buda. Built in the 40's originally as a pump for fire fighters.

Construction is all "dowel" triple planked, simply meaning it was built without screw/nail bindings making the hull fairly "rust free" since very little metal was used. The swelling of the timber when in water provides a water tight seal as the lumber expands. This is a method rarely seen today and produces a much stronger hull. A survey done a few years ago said the replacement value would be $750,000 if it were to be rebuilt to exact specifications today. Obviously it's not worth anywhere near that, but I believe if someone figured out the cooling system, or, put in a new motor and did a full paint job top and bottom, the boat would shine again and have many years ahead of her and be valued over $60k. Remember that the last few owners have dropped over $150k on her, starting bid is only $20k with a no reserve!

Thanks for reading. Happy Bidding!

If you are a serious buyer please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have at phone