Kha Shing trawler type

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Pathfinder

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Does anyone have any opinions or personal knowledge of these vessels? There is an '89 located a couple of hours drive from me that is for sale. Before I trek there, I'd be interesed in the good, the bad, and/or the ugly (if applicable) on this particular boat.

It's twin Cummins diesel, Onan genset, dual helm. Don't know the hours at this point. Downsides may be the maintenance on the teak decking and misc. brightwork.

It is close to what I have been looking for in size and design.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Kim
 
In my experience in looking at a lot of older trawlers, it is very hard to paint a broad brush analysis of any make/model/year. The older boats are so heavily dependent upon owner upkeep that quality can vary widely from boat to boat that you really have to look at it on a boat by boat basis. Obviously the Tiawanese boats have a reputation of sometimes being junk...leaking windows, poor wiring, etc. but then again, some are great boats with good bones. Teak decks are a major pain in my opinion and invariably mean rotten decks that will have to be stripped and repaired. They sure look pretty though. :)
If it is a few hours away, have the broker/seller email you a bunch of pictures.
 
I have heard just the opposite, that Tiawanese were good boats and that once they moved trawler building to China the quality suffered until they brought in Tiwanese supervisors.

Agree with the teak deck observation tho.
 
One thing you have to watch for in these Twiwan boats is the fuel tanks rusting out. Keep that in mind and see how difficult ($$$) they will be to replace. Some boats are simple, others may have to have the engines removed first to replace tanks.
 
While Taiwanese boats do have a bad rap, there are good and bad Taiwanese built boats and good and bad mainland China built boats.
The quality varied from year to year and yard to yard within the same brand of boat so it is hard to generalize.

As Woodsong mentioned, teak decks over plywood cored glass, window leaks and poor wiring are just some of the major potential issues you need to look closely at. Although properly done teak over solid glass decks rarely leak or rot, you only seem to find them done that way in the higher end older trawlers, Grand Banks, etc.

I suggest going to some of the trawler forums and the trawler mailing list to get more specific answers as to what years were good or bad for what brands.

And whatever brand you might pick, be sure the surveyor you use is very familiar with that brand and it's idiosyncrasies.

http://www.boated.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=130270
 
Capt. Bill 1:

This is the same boat that Greg (Mrs Robinson) referenced in the above link you provided from about this time last year. If its been on the market that long, it sounds suspect.

Its in a marina on the Sassafras River in Maryland so it may still be worth driving up there to take a look. I live in the far northern part of Virginia so its only about a two beer drive. ;-)
 
Didn't realize that. While it looks good in the pictures, no telling how old they are, you may be right. I'd look that one over very carefully.

But like you said, worth a look. And maybe a beer or two.
 
Amazing how folks so broadly categorize boats. Taiwanese trawlers have been made over a long period and IMO there are few commonalities from maker to maker and year to year.

The makers made a lot of changes over time and models. It would be a lot more helpful to say some specifics such as:

say some had wood window frames that leaked some had newer metal frames that seemed better

some had fuel tanks that proved to be a problem

Some had cable steering that was a maintenance problem

The bronze used may have been a problem from some makers
In that period some makers used US fittings and hardware and seemed to be less problematic.

Solid fiberglass construction is a plus

The OP may them take those points and compare them to the specific boat in question.
 
when considering a boat far away, tell the seller or broker you would like to see pictures of everything wrong with the boat before committing to seeing it. i did that years ago and it worked out great. in today's market, i'm sure they'd be even more willing to oblige to get a serious buyer interested.
 
you dont mention the models but Cummins are usually a plus.
 
After seeing a few of these boats I would look for one where the teak was removed from the decks. Other than that looking back I wish I would have seriously considered this type of boat over what I currently have.
Bill
 
Engines are Cummins 150hp but don't know model number.

Broker sent some additional information yesterday:

Steel Fuel tanks, painted, are original and in good condition. There is no fuel polishing system. Deck construction is Flexa teak over solid fiberglass installed in 2005. Port engine is Cummins re-con installed in March 2010 with full 2 year parts and labor warranty. Starboard engine has 2398 hours.

Not being that familiar with diesels, it begs the question that, if the port had issues, is the starboard about due?

From BillyIII's comment,the Flex Teak may be plus.
 
port failed way, way too early. Why is the question Assuming those are 5.9L cummins the port failed way, way too early.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Pathfinder

Engines are Cummins 150hp but don't know model number.

Broker sent some additional information yesterday:

Steel Fuel tanks, painted, are original and in good condition. There is no fuel polishing system. Deck construction is Flexa teak over solid fiberglass installed in 2005. Port engine is Cummins re-con installed in March 2010 with full 2 year parts and labor warranty. Starboard engine has 2398 hours.

Not being that familiar with diesels, it begs the question that, if the port had issues, is the starboard about due?

From BillyIII's comment,the Flex Teak may be plus.

Click to expand...

It's a huge plus.
I saw what was involved with repairing and removing the topsides this past winter with my slip neighbor's Marine Trader.
As for the premature rebuild I can't comment other than to say well at least one engine is new.
Bill
 
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