Krogen 42

Based on the trawlers of the U.S. Gulf Coast, this is a true bluewater passagemaker with deluxe amenities for a life afloat….

by Paul Burkhart

Robert F. LePoole is an interesting character. He is multilingual – including Chinese (even his business card is printed in both English and Chinese) – and speaks English with a trace of an unplaceable accent. He is an extremely experienced yachtsman and delivery skipper, with Atlantic crossing to his credit – under power and sail. A cosmopolitan is the best sense of the word, he maintains bases in Europe, Taiwan, and Canada. Edmonton is the site of his Hollimex Products, and diversified company that, among other things, imports the Trintella line of sailing yachts from Holland and the Krogen 42 trawler from Taiwan.
    Mr. LePoole gave us the grand tour of the Krogen 42 at Dockside ’82, we tested the boat a week later in altogether too optimum conditions. While there was no chance to see how she performs in rough water, at least theoretically, she’ll be right at home. Much of the Krogen’s planning and construction is clearly aimed at handling rough water. She is like a little ship, solid, workmanlike and durable. Designer James Krogen has long experience in designing workboats, particularly for the U.S. Gulf Coast, as rough a body of water as one could find. The Krogen 42 hull is based on the shallow-water shrimpers  that work that coast, and the U.S. east coast from Florida to Virginia. On a waterline length of 39 ft. 6-in., she has a beam of 15 ft and a draft of just 4 ft 7-in. Hoisted off the deck of the cargo ship that brought her to Vancouver, she exposed a shapely hull with a relatively fine entry an the waterline forward, lots of flare to the topsides, moderate deadrise and a tight turn at the garboard, and a long, straight keel projecting a solid rectangular rudder. This hull guarantees a seaworthy ride with a gentle motion and a slow roll, good directional stability, and a sedate full-displacement pace. The hull – indeed, the whole boat is constructed of hand-laid fibreglass  with a PVC foam

board  sandwich. The keel is solid fiberglass with 2700 lb of iron ballast set in resin, and mahogany beams are glassed in longitudinally to provide extra stiffness and a solid engine bed. Power is the ubiquitous Ford Lehman 120 hp diesel with 3:1 reduction. Options on the test boat included a 200 lb flywheel (in lieu of the standard 80-pounder), a flexible coupling, the complete antivibration kit, Racor 900FC fuel filter, and a triple sheave drive pulley which allows additional engine-driven accessories. The engine delivers 8.4 knots at 2300 rpm. She carries 700 gal of fuel. An optional Onan MDJA 3 kw generator provides extra electricity. She has all bronze thru-hulls and seacocks as well.
    The vital numbers that determine the relative performance to a true long-range motoryacht destined for ocean-passages are interesting to consider (see Robert P. Beebe’s Voyaging Under Power for a complete discussion). It is generally reckoned that a displacement hull can not be driven to exceed a speed equal to 1.34 times the square root of the length of the waterline. On a waterline of 39’6”,

Specifications
LOA                                                 42'4"
LWL                                                 39'6"
Beam                                                   15'
Draft                                                  4'7"
Ballast                                           2700 lb
Displacement                             39,500 lb
Designed by James Krogen; built by Hollimex Products, 8750 53rd Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta (403-468-1137). Price as tested: $191,000.

the Krogen should do 8.4 knots, at more economical speed/length ratios she still maintains a reasonable pace and her range is greatly increased (small changes in speed can make large changes in range). In an actual voyage, the Krogen is said to have done 850 nautical miles burning 180 imperial gallons at a speed of 8.3 knots: she burned just 1.75 gal/hr for the passage. This is impressive, giving her a range (exclusive of generator fuel requirements) of something like 3300 miles on her standard tankage.
    The other numbers that apply to long-range powerboats are also right: the ratio of area above the waterline to area below the waterline on a workboat might be as low as 1.0; on a yacht it will be between 2.1 and 2.6 – any more and she will be top-heavy. The Krogen has an AAW/ABW of 2.2.  For every speed/length ratio there is an ideal prismatic coefficient as well; for S/L ratios of between 1.1 and 1.34, the ideal PC will be between .5 and .6; the Krogen

has a PC of .6, which is just right. So much for the numbers.
    In appearance, the Krogen does look a little top-heavy, but she has adequate freeboard to keep her aright in heavy going, and her tinted safety plate windows are said to be stronger than the hull itself. With lots of beam and ballast, she should be as stable as the workboats she models.
    On deck (all teak), the Krogen has a bow platform with twin anchor rollers and space for a windlass; the foredeck is protected by high bulwarks and lifelines. Aft, the cockpit has a transom door and swimgrid. The boatdeck roof overhangs the cockpit, which is fine for protection but will interfere with fishing activities.
    There’s a sturdy ladder to the boatdeck and flying bridge, but the hatch hole is too small, making coming and going awkward. The flying bridge has a wheel and controls and some instrumentation, but it is definitely a short-term control station; the bridge with its complete instruments and controls, navigation station and electronic centre is the real command station.
    A variety of interior layouts are available, including your choice of main cabin furnishings. The galley includes a Norcold refrigerator and freezer, a Princess 3-burner stove with oven, double sinks, and lots of storage space. It doubles as a bar, and can be fitted with dishwasher and trash compactor. One innovation is a garbage bin accessible from the sidedeck for servicing. Forward is a Frigidaire washer/dryer station, a guest head with shower, and a guest stateroom which can be fitted out as a den. The guest stateroom has a single upper and double lower; a queen-size lower is optional. It is a cozy little room – owners will no doubt take pride in showing it to guests.
    Right forward it the master stateroom with queen-size berth, hanging locker, bureau, Cat 6000 catalytic heater, and storage. In the bow is the main head, also fitted with a shower. All the interior finish work is first class, with white Formica surfaces set off by satin-finish teak trim, and a teak-and-holly sole.

and spacious, making for easy maintenance; there is room in the engine room for more batteries, more fuel and water, the generator, an air compressor, a watermaker, spare parts and tools, and anything else you might like to put there; she has a counterpoise ground screen molded into the pilothouse for single sideband radio; she is fitted with 110v outlet and freshwater tap in the cockpit.
    The Krogen 42 is an exemplary attempt to combine the seakeeping qualities of a true trawler hull with the fine finishing and complete amenities of a yacht. It is inevitable that some minor points would escape the careful attention of the designer and builder, but they are things an owner would want to put right. This boat will appeal to the fellow who wants to head offshore, whether around the Island or across to Hawaii. That same fellow will demand functional and easy-to-maintain systems appropriate to serious bluewater performance. These he will find with the Krogen 42.

The main bridge has a pilot berth which doubles as a settee, but it is too high to be comfortable for either purpose except in flat water. The helm seat is in the way of anyone trying to move around and about; I suspect in use it functions as a standing rest, in which case it may as well not be there. There is a railing around the boatdeck which will interfere with the storage and launching of the tender. While the bronze opening ports and the deck fittings are good, the stainless bow

pulpit and boatdeck railings are flimsy, almost an afterthought; they don’t go with the quality found throughout the boat.
    On the other hand, some of the thoughtful touches that have gone into the planning and construction of the boat deserve special mention: the rudder can be removed for servicing without touching the rudder shaft; the prop and prop shaft can be removed without touching the rudder; the fuel tanks are fitted with baffles and crossovers to maintain trim; the engine room is bright, clean