Touring a DeFever 49 Pilothouse Trawler (Full Walkthrough) Ep. 185

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]Hey guys, and welcome back to Sailing  with the Jameses, where Sam, myself, Kate, and our four-year-old daughter Charlie.  For the past four years, we've been living full-time on a sailboat, sailing, traveling,  and exploring some pretty incredible places.

[00:00:14]But now, we're stepping into a brand new  chapter. We're on the hunt for our next boat, a long range expedition trwler. [music] Last year,  we came very close to buying a 78 ft excommercial prawn trwler over in Western Australia. We had  big plans to convert her into our next liverboard, but we hit a huge roadblock with insurance.  So, now we're back on the hunt. [music] We are currently in Tasmania, and for the past 2 weeks,  we've looked at a 77 ft steel a wheelhouse vessel and a 65 ft steel affe liner. [music]  And this week, we're stepping on board another potential contender right here in  Hobart. [music] So, grab a coffee, hop on, and buckle up. We're going on a road trip to  Hobart to tour what could be our next boat.

[00:01:06]It's 6:00 a.m. here in Lawncest and we're  hitting the road early. We've got our takeaway mugs full of coffee in hand, a full tank  of fuel, and a pretty exciting day ahead.

[00:01:16]Today, we're heading down to Hobart  to check out another potential boat.

[00:01:20]But before we get there, we've  got a quick stop to make.

[00:01:48]We're pulling into this marina just outside  Hobart. Not for the boat we're viewing today, but to check in on a maid's boat  and have a look around this marina.

[00:01:58]I don't know what we were expecting, but I think  this marina is actually larger than Gladston.

[00:02:03]Yeah. Um I thought we were just going to go to  like a marina with two fingers, but this has like I don't know. But way less parking. [laughter] Is this it? Yeah. But yeah, we'll find  some parking. Like way less parking.

[00:02:22]Oh, and yeah. Yeah, definitely.  We found a car park. So lucky. And check that car out right there. I can't  see the whole of it. One of our really good friends is currently up in Queensland on  a delivery. So, while we're passing through, we'll swing by and make sure everything's [music]  all good. But what makes this stop even cooler is what's sitting right next door. This is the home  to INCAT Tasmania, one of the world's leaders in building high-speed aluminium vessels. They're  known globally for their massive fast fairies, all built right here in Tasmania. And when you  see them in person, they're seriously impressive.

[00:03:04]Huge aluminium structures, cuttingedge design,  [music] and it's pretty wild to think that these are heading all over the world from right here.  [music] And in just a couple days, King Frederick and Queen Mary of Denmark will be in this very  spot. Definitely a cool place to stop [music] in.

[00:03:40]All right, quick check done.  Everything looking good, and it's now time to head across  the river to our actual appointment because sitting on the other side of Hobart  is the boat we've come all this way to see.

[00:04:01]Yeah. Or it looks like it be  there's a car park behind this.

[00:04:07]Yeah. Wow. Look at the  beach. That's gorgeous. Yeah.

[00:04:41]All right, guys. Meet A prevu. Today, we're  stepping aboard a 1982 DeFever [music] 49 raised pilot house trwler. She is a proper purpose-built  cruising twler and does [music] something a little different from what we've been looking at lately.  She has a beam of 4.6 m, draft of 1.5, [music] and she has a displacement of around 28 ton. And she  is a fiberglass boat with teak overlaid decks.

[00:05:15][music] She's a two cabin vessel with two toilets and  two [music] showers. And one of the things that we really like is the amount of fluids  she holds. She has 3,000 L of fuel, 1,000 L of fresh water, and with approximately a  fuel consumption of around 12 [music] L/ hour at 8 knots, it gives us a range  of around 2,000 nautical miles.

[00:05:39]Starting up at the bow, one thing we really  like straight away is the deep anchor locker. [music] There is plenty of space and  there's no need to flake the chain by hand, which is always a win in our book. And wrapping around  here is the classic Portuguese [music] style design, which gives that extra protection at sea,  but it is also really easy access straight from the pilot [music] house out onto the for deck,  making it really easy for one person to drive and then drop anchor or single-handedly drop a moing  and then get back to the pilot house. For a couple like us, short-handed cruising, that kind of  design and layout makes life so much easier. Now stepping inside to the wheelhouse. This [music]  is definitely one of our favorite spaces on board.

[00:06:19]The visibility from up here is amazing, [music]  and we really like the sitting area and table.

[00:06:24]It's a really nice place for all of us to  hang out [music] on passage. We could do some schoolwork at the table with Charlie. We could  do some editing. We could do taxes and everyday admin and [music] accountant stuff while underway.  And there's even a pilot birth, which we really, really like. This offers a place to rest during  long passages for that person that is offw watch or a nice [music] bed on anchor in bad storms to  keep an eye on things. And if we have guests on board, then it offers us another birth [music]  for guests. It's a really nice practical setup.

[00:06:54]Moving below, there's a master cabin midship with  a walkound [music] queen-siz bed. And straight away, we love that it's got a walkaround bed.  [music] There's plenty of storage, a nice space to get ready in the mornings, and we really like the  on suite. [music] And the shower even has a tub, which is really cool and unique on a boat.  Realistically, we probably only ever use it in the marina [music] because fresh water on board  is always a coveted item, but it would be really cool feature for Charlie [music] when we are in  marinas to have a little bubble bath. The second cabin setup is a V-birth with bunks, two beds, and  I [music] think it's a really clever design with the drawers doubling as steps to get up to the top  bunk. There's plenty of [music] hanging storage and drawers, and I like the head height and the  two beds in here. We also really [music] like these spiral staircase. It's just something  different and adds a lot of character to the boat.

[00:07:48]Even this one, we have to get all of these. The  drawers you lift up and then out. Oh, up and moving down into the galley. It is a really  nice size. [music] There's loads of storage both above and below. I personally really like uppers  [music] and having storage above as well as below in a galley. It's a nice decent size galley and  I really like that it is open to the saloon area.

[00:08:19]It's not blocked off and you can still interact  with people while cooking. [music] And the other side of this bench can be made into a breakfast  bar and have stools right there. And right as you enter the galley, you've got access down  into the engine room, which is super practical.

[00:08:34]The saloon feels really open and inviting. It's  nice seating, heaps of natural light, and it's the kind of space you can relax in. Out on the  back deck, we've got this really nice open aft area with built-in seating. And there's a [music]  small dive platform as well, which we really love, especially for getting in and out of the water  for swimming or any kind of water [music] sports.

[00:09:04]Now, stepping down into the engine room. This is a  really spacious space. It is not standing height, but it is a nice workable height. It's really well  lit and easy to move around in [music] and to work around the engines. Access is straight through  the hatch in the galley and with a big storage area opposite the galley. Everything you need  is pretty close. [music] She has twin Ford Liam engines which are 120 horsepowers each and  they are six cylinders and naturally aspirated diesels [music] which are really well known  for being incredibly reliable, simple, and easy to work on which is a big tick for long range  cruising. She sits comfortably around 8 knots and fuel burn is around 12 L/ hour, which is great for  a boat this size and a big bonus for what we want.

[00:09:51]Overall, this boat feels really  well set up for cruising, but it's definitely different than the other boats  we've been looking at. This is a purpose-built cruising troller compared to the fishing vessels  and commercial [music] boats we've been exploring.

[00:10:04]And that's kind of where we're at right  now. We're figuring out what direction feels right for us for our next chapter.  And we genuinely would love to know your thoughts. What do you think of this def  fever? Let us know in the comments below.

[00:10:48]After the viewing, we head into Hobart City to  stretch the legs a bit. We managed to snag a 2-hour park just near the marina and wandered into  town to the main street. And we found ourselves a little hidden Chinese restaurant. And honestly,  it was so, so good. Exactly what you want after a big morning. After lunch, we went for a walk  along the docks, checking out the local marina, the working trrollers, and the long liners that  operate out of here. And there's definitely a different kind of feel here. It's a real  working waterfront. There's also a secure dock for international vessels coming in, fully gated  with no public access. And while we were there, we watched a big Arctic expedition vessel  coming in, which was pretty incredible to see.

[00:11:33]Hobart's got a cool mix of industry, cruising,  and [music] adventure. Definitely a place we would love to spend more time, maybe even on our  own boat one season doing the lap around Tazzy.

[00:11:44]Unfortunately, we did miss King Frederick and  Queen Mary, the Danish monarchy by a couple days.

[00:11:50]The Danish royals did a tour of Oz ending  in Hobart, where Queen [music] Mary is from, and they were in the exact spot we are standing  in just a few days after. Continue for 4 km.

[00:12:14]And just like that, our day in Hobart has  come to an end, and it's time for us to hit the road again. We've got a 3-hour drive  back [music] to Lawncest. And of course, the GPS decides to take us the scenic route  instead of the highway route, straight through the mountains again. [music] But it gives us a bit of  a time to think. This is the way. This is the way.

[00:12:44]This is the way. No. Excuse me. [laughter] This is the way. This is the way. No, it's  not. It's not the way. This is the way.

[00:12:56]This is not the way. This is the way. No, no,  no. It's It's the way. No, no, no. It's the way.

[00:13:05]So, what did you guys think of the DeFiver?  Let us know in the comments below. [music] It's definitely a bit different from what we've been  looking at lately. It's purpose-built trwler, but we would love to know your thoughts. Is this  more the kind of boat you'd love to see us in, or should we stick to the more rugged commercial  style builds? [music] Let us know in the comments.

[00:13:24]Thank you guys so much for watching. If you  enjoyed this [music] video, please consider clicking the like button, subscribe, and join  us on our adventures every week as we share our journey sailing full-time as a family.  A massive and huge shout out to our amazing Patreons. [music] Thank you guys so much for  your support. We couldn't do this without you.

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[00:14:03]Don't forget to leave a comment and we will  see you all same time next week. Bye everyone.