Diesel Duck 462 after 5 years and 10.000Nm (trawlerfans)
South Pacific Familyadventure 2008
Claes Brodin
Sun 26 Jan 2020 13:08
From summer in Turkey to winter in Arctic Norway temperatures have varied between +40centigrades to -16 centigrades putting different demands on boat and crew.
My aim is to give a view of my experiences from 5 years of ownership in different posts on the blog starting with the cruising and liveaboard perspective,followed by investments,experience from major systems onboard,major repairs performed and a final concluding remark with pros and cons of the DD 462(for a specific comparison between Nordhaven and Diesel Duck, please see article from Jeff Merill on the subject).
Diesel Duck 462 is a competent oceangoing passagemaker with all necessary equipment of todays standard for world cruising. For me being a sailor at heart voyaging under power is quite a different way of travelling the seas. To my opinion the major difference is the comfort on an oceangoing motortrawler with the backside of being less of a sport with less excitement. Not only is being under way much more comfortable but as a liveaboard a Diesel Duck is more comfortable than a sailboat of the same size.
So far I have experienced some bad weather out at sea with winds of 35kts gusting 40kts and allthough Dora Mac behaved well in headseas having heavy weather on the beam is not a pleasant experience. The paravanes do help but when being in heavy weather I allways wish I was on a sailboat. Having managed 2 survival storms on sailboats (crossing the North Atlantic and the North Sea)I would feel much safer heaving to under sail than hanging in a parachute anchor on Dora Mac.Having said that,I have heard of 2 Diesel Ducks managing bad weather with success. One heading up the Red Sea in a force 9(45-50kts) and one managing 40-45kts of winds 200Nm west of California. Both owners bragged about the performance of their boats.
Allthough being a very comfortable boat,another backside is also a complex boat loaded with complicated systems that takes time to learn and maintain (probably goes for all oceangoing motortrawlers).
Next post will deal with investments so far,and maintainance.
