KROGEN 58'
A SEA OF CHANGE IN THE HIGH-END TRAWLER MARKET

Every so often a yacht comes along that stands clearly apart from the rest of the fleet in terms of design, engineering and craftsmanship. The Krogen 58, the new flagship for a line of ocean-crossing displacement trawlers, is such a vessel.
By Eric Sorensen, Photos By Robert Holland

NATURAL WOODS LEND A GLOW OT THE SALON AND ADJACENT GALLEY.

Why a displacement hull? Because a well-designed full-displacement trawler yacht has the great advantages of performance, seaworthiness and efficiency. Fuel consumption is a small fraction of consumption aboard a similar-size planing vessel, and the economies of buying and maintaining a 58-footer with twin 154-hp diesels rather than a 2,400-hp planing yacht of the same size are obvious. Then there's the matter of range: the Krogen 58 will cover nearly 1,300 miles at 10 knots; just throttle back to 7	knots for 3,300-mile, ocean-crossing range. The owners of our newly commissioned test boat were getting underway for their temporary home-port, so we joined them for a sea trial enroute. The seas were calm, just two to three feet, but it was apparent that the beamy Krogen has a surprising degree of form stability as well as a very comfortable motion. And like most displacement trawlers, this one has active stabilizers. Heavy built and ballasted for supreme seaworthiness offshore, Krogens are	patterned after rugged commercial fishing trawlers that persevere through the worst kind of weather. While the average planing hull will capsize if it rolls much beyond 40 degrees, the Krogen 58 will come back for more after an 85-degree roll. This new model is available with either single or twin engines, but I'll take the twins any day. The twins draw a foot less water than the single, they're completely protected by full skegs, and have the added benefit of redundancy and improved maneuverability.

	GALLEY VIEW PORT AND STARBOARD. WATERTIGHT DOORS BOTH SIDES.

There's so much hull under water that a fresh breeze has very little effect on the boat when docking, and the response to the rudder and engines is very predictable. This 58's ride is very authoritative and solid, with none of the extreme accelerations that high-speed yachts continuously subject their occupants to. Better still, the noise levels throughout the Krogen 58's interior were extremely low - just 68 dBA in the pilothouse, 73 dBA in the saloon and 68 dBA in the aft staterooms at full power.	LOUVERED LOCKER DOORS PROMOTE AIR CIRCULATION.
	LOUVERED LOCKER DOORS PROMOTE AIR CIRCULATION.
The big windows in the pilothouse offer excellent visibility, and the forward-sloping windshield increases room while eliminating glare. The horizon is always above the pulpit form the captain's perspective, the Portuguese bridge with its wraparound bulwark is salty and functional, especially in heavy weather, and the starboard bridge wing and docking station are nice	touches. Visibility from the raised flying bridge above the boat deck is both impeded by radar arches and smoke stacks, and you can get most anywhere on this boat via molded stairs, not ladders. Back dockside, we started our walkthrough in the cockpit (a back porch really) which is well protected by the boat deck over hang above. And you don't need to look far to see the high	standard to which this Krogen is built. The stainless-steel railing welds are ground smooth and polished, for starters. Standard equipment includes hawse holes with integral cleats, oversized scuppers for quick water shedding, teak-inlaid decks, a pair of Glendinning Cablemasters, molded seams in the internal bulwarks-the list goes on.

A LITTLE SHIP DESTINED FOR THE LONG HAUL.

THE OWNER'S STATEROOM HAS ALMOST 7' HEADROOM AND OPENING HATCHES.

The asymmetrical deckhouse extends flush to the port side, creating more interior room, and leaving space for a weather deck passageway to starboard that leads to the pilothouse and foredeck. A Freeman watertight double door opens to the 17- by 14-foot saloon, which sports 6 feet, 9 inches of headroom and some very fine cherry cabinetry, Krogen's design philosophy emphasizes lots of light and cross ventilation inside, and the large, opening side windows get the job done. The saloon's neutral colors, cherry parquet sole and cherry and white siding coexist harmoniously. To these eyes, the cherry is very pleasing and it doesn't overpower the senses as teak tends to do. The saloon, much like a comfortable sitting room or library, easily swallows a big L-shaped lounge to starboard, a large double-leaf table that will seat six or eight, and a pair of reclining arm chairs opposite to port. Situated at the forward end to the saloon, the galley is co-located yet private. The Corian-topped island counter, a full nine feet long, includes a deep sink, Miele dishwasher, GE trash	Long distance comfort in a three-cabin layout	compactor and assorted storage cabinets below and above at head level. Forward is a four-burner gas stove with range below, a GE combination microwave-convention oven and a full-size Jenn-Air side-by-side stainless steel refrigerator-freezer. A watertight Dutch door leads to the starboard weather deck. The three-stateroom accommodation is forward and is reached by no ordinary companionway; this one measures over four feet wide in places, making it seem more like a foyer or antechamber than a passageway. The master is forward, a big airy stateroom with over 6 feet 10 inches of headroom, a pair of big opening hatches overhead and four large polished-stainless opening port lights. The island berth is a full seven feet long, and it raises easily on gas lifts for access to the storage space beneath. His and her hanging lockers and 16 clothes drawers are provided. The en suite head has a separate stall shower with molded seat, and it's very roomy, in keeping with Krogen's fewer-yet-larger compartments theme.

The amidships starboard guest stateroom also has a queen berth, along with a pair of hanging lockers and six clothes drawers. Bookshelves above the head of the berth make this a natural navigator's quarters. There's private access to the second head, which is also entered directly from the companionway opposite the washer-dryer compartment. Just aft of the master stateroom off the companionway is an Asko washer-dryer stacked in a closet. The third guest stateroom to port doubles as an office, with a desk and the settee converting to a double. The ship-like engine room, well lit and roomy, has two John Deere diesels; they look a little lost in all that space. These engines are de-rated to 154 hp, which means that a life expectancy of over 20,000 hours is a distinct possibility. Watertight doors fore and aft seal the space off for an extra measure of damage control. A workbench is immediately inside to starboard, and there's standing headroom at the entrance, five feet or more elsewhere. This is certainly one of the half dozen best engine rooms we've seen from a mechanic's perspective.	Dual vinylester laminates to counter osmosis	The Deere's drive powerful 32" props through 2.88:1 Twin Disc gears and two-inch Aquamet 22 shafts with Aquadrive intermediate thrust bearings that greatly reduce vibration levels. The enclosed gensets are aft of the engines, and all maintenance points, including seawater strainers and fuel-filter separators are in plain sight and easy to reach. Up in the pilothouse, watertight gasketed Dutch doors lead to the two bridge wings. The two-piece doors, besides lending a homey feel to the boat, allow you to catch a sea breeze while keeping passengers safe in heavy weather. Aft, an L-shaped lounge, seven feet long and convertible to a double berth, is raised a foot and a half off the deck to let the guests enjoy that spectacular view. Out the port pilothouse door, a set of molded stairs leads to the upper boat deck and up to the flying bridge. A Bimini top protects from the elements, and this is a very pleasant place to spend an afternoon. The mast folds easily to pass under bridges, and a tender fits comfortably across the boat deck aft above the cockpit.

THE KROGEN DESIGN IS BASED ON COMMERCIAL FISHING TRAWLERS.

INWARD SLOPING WINDOWS REDUCE GLARE.

The foredeck, also very businesslike, has a pair of plough-type anchors, twin anchor chain windlasses and a capstan for line handling, two pairs of 15-inch bow cleats, and four more of those closed chocks with integral cleats. If you find yourself mooring bow-to, three shore power cable hookups are provided forward along with freshwater hookup and fresh and saltwater spigots. The 44-inch tall bow rails create a very safe topside environment. The bottom of the hull is solid fiberglass, including a skin coat of vinylester resin in the first two laminates to protect against osmotic blistering. Kevlar is used to add impact resistance at the stem and stern. Bulkheads and stringers and plywood cored, and a full 7,000 lbs. of lead ballast is encapsulated into	the keel area to increase ultimate stability and to stiffen up the roll period. Airex foam is used to core the hull sides above the waterline, and end-grain balsa and Divinycell foam are used to keep the decks and superstructure light and stiff; the use of composites topside contributes significantly to the yacht's impressive sense of initial stability. The yacht is remarkably well outfitted from the factory, and it's all absolutely Top drawer stuff. Standard equipment includes the Aquadrive thrust bearings, 8- and 20- kW gensets and a 4-kW inverter, Mathers engine controls, 24 house and starting batteries, Freeman watertight doors, Gebo sliding windows, windlass, Glendinning cablemasters, 1,000-lb. davit, 78,000 BTU air	conditioning, fully equipped galley, VacuFlush toilets, and the washer-dryer units. Price as tested with options, including the hydraulic bow thruster, twin-anchor windlass, and active stabilizers, is just under $1,700,000. Our Opinion The elegantly appointed Krogen is the last word in comfort and safety for a cruising couple (and the dog and the kids), easily handled, superbly engineered, with redundant systems and authentic open-ocean capability. Whether you want to spend a week onboard close to home or cruise the world for a year, this winner of a yacht is waiting to be your sanctuary.

		TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS LOA: ....................................62' 11" LOD: ......................................58' 0" LWL: ......................................52' 3" Beam Molded: .......................18' 1" Draft: ........5' 3" (W/TWIN ENGINES) DISPL.: ........................96,830 LBS. DISPL.: ......................104,100 LBS. FUEL: ........1,760 GALS. (4 TANKS) WATER: ..........................450 GALS BUILDER:...KROGEN YACHTS, LLC

Reprinted with permission from Yachts International Magazine.