Designed for Long-Range Cruising in Style and Comfort

Sea magazine • Volume 104, No. 10, october 2012 Winterize Now to Avoid Spring Headaches, Kadey-Krogen 52, Westport 112, Journey Cat 47LRC
Rediscovering Puget Sound: Cruiser Retraces Peter Puget’s Journey
AMERICA’S WESTERN BOATI NG MAGAZINE
winterize now, avoid
headaches later
Be Alarmed
3 simple alarms
you can install p. 16
NO surprises
<
new boats
Kadey-Krogen 52
Journey Cat 47LRC
Helmsman 37 sedan
Westport 112
SeaSport Kodiak 2600
Princess V39
$4.99 USA and Canada
1,000s of NEW & Used Boats for Sale INSIDE
seamagazine.com october 2012

SEATRIAL
BY ROGER McAFEE
Kadey-Krogen 52
Designed for long-range cruising in style and comfort
Kadey-Krogen has been building comfortable trawlers for more than
three decades and during that time has built more than 550 boats. Krogens
have developed a reputation as solidly built, capable vessels, with
plenty of interior space, and owners have found them to be excellent
liveaboard boats and long-range cruisers.
One of Kadey’s design criteria is
to find out how the vessel will be used
and give the intended use priority as
designs are developed. Many boat
designs are driven by cost or styling
or construction considerations, and
while all of these items can play a role,
Kadey’s continued success, even in
current market conditions, can be attributed
to its “How is the vessel going
to be used?” design philosophy.
The builder of the new Krogen 52
has stayed true to the marque’s history,
designing the hull to be produced
from a new purpose-built mold, rather
than use a mold from a larger boat
that has been fitted with a dam. This
process ensures the entire 52 hull is
designed with the ultimate use of the
boat in mind. While other builders
adopt the same approach for part of
their line, Kadey is a leader in separate
tooling for each hull, even though
other Krogen molds are only a few feet
longer and would allow for a shorter
hull to be laid up.
The Krogen 52 is, literally, new
from the plans up, and the fact that
six have already been sold indicates
Krogen has given boaters what they
want. Hull #7 is slated for completion
next year, and at $1,385,000 it seems
to represent a good value — something
experienced boaters are now
demanding.
As we approached our test boat
along the dock, it was clearly a Krogen
— a husky, broad-shouldered pilothouse
with a sweeping, elegant sheer,
a wine-glass-style transom and round
bilges. The well-crowned salon roof extends
aft enough to cover the aft deck
and create what Krogen calls a “back
porch.” The same roof also extends over
the sidedecks. These roof extensions indicate
Krogen designers have listened
to what experienced boaters have to say
about exterior protection. Covered aft
and sidedecks provide protection from
inclement weather and also from the
blazing sun.
The exterior glasswork is excellent,
with no haze or print-through,
but I expected this level of quality
from Kadey, and the builder did not
disappoint.
We boarded our test 52 over the
substantial swim grid, complete with
staple-style safety rails, and through
a transom gate to the aft deck. Access
is also possible through two coaming
26 Sea Magazine / october 2012

gates; the one to port leads into the
cockpit, while the starboard side gate
opens onto the sidedeck.
Walking to the Portuguese bridge
and then onto the foredeck is easy
along the starboard walkway. Solid
stainless steel rails and substantial
bulwarks provide a feeling of security
all along the way and on the foredeck.
There is no doubt that moving
fore and aft along this sidedeck, even
in a blow, would be no problem.
Wing engine-control stations on
the corners of the Portuguese bridge
allow the skipper to have excellent visibility
fore and aft while maneuvering
either dockside or when rafting up
alongside other vessels. These controls
will be very useful in the tight quarters
of crowded marinas. The Portuguese
bridge has plenty of protected storage.
Access to the single-level foredeck
is down from the Portuguese bridge.
The chain locker is accessed through
a watertight hatch in the foredeck,
and our test 52 is equipped with dual
chain wheels and a single-rope gypsy.
The foredeck has fittings for both
fresh- and seawater washdown hose
Above The fit and finish of the 52’s interior is very well done, and the wood surfaces are finished nicely,
as you might expect on a Krogen. An abundance of windows, portholes and hatches provide excellent
visibility and keep the boat well lit during the day.
fittings as well as shore power and TV
connectors.
Inside Spaces
The fit and finish of the interior
of our test vessel is very well done, but
this is no surprise, considering Krogen’s
experience and reputation. All
of the wood surfaces are well finished
and can be wiped clean with a single
swipe. Our test boat had been ordered
for a particular buyer, and he had
specified parquet flooring and, while
I am not a fan of parquet on land or
sea, it is very well done. The galley
is set up with the very best commer-
SeaMagazine.com 27

cial-grade equipment — even a top TV
chef would be happy with the equipment
— and there’s plenty of shelf and
drawer storage.
There is one galley feature that,
while not unique to Kadey, is seldom
found on other vessels in this size
Tester’s Opinion:
Kadey-Krogen’s well-known tag line is “At
Home on Any Sea,” and that has applied to its
range of trawler models, and the latest vessel
is no exception. There’s no doubt the new
52 would be at home on any sea, operating
equally well as a coastal cruiser or a bluewater
passage-maker. There aren’t many
powerboats that can do that.
28 Sea Magazine / october 2012
Kadey-Krogen’s new 52 is a full-displacement
trawler that can be configured with an open office
belowdecks (left). All seven buyers so far have
opted for the open office.
range: a Dutch door leading directly
from the galley to the sidedeck. While
this makes loading and unloading
supplies and equipment much easier
than trekking them through the
salon, it also means the cook can get
cool, fresh air in the galley, and the
salon roof overhang provides protection
from the rain if the door is open
during inclement weather.
All the doors on our test vessel are
Dutch type, in that the top half of the
doors can be opened without having
to open the bottom half. Boaters who
have been on board vessels with this
system will understand that this is a
great feature, particularly if the doors
are fitted with hardware that allows
them to be held open only slightly.
Our test boat doors do not have that
feature — the doors have to be wide
open or completely closed.
The pilothouse, reached from the
salon or through port and starboard
pilothouse doors, is comfortable and a
great place for the skipper and guests
to simply hang out. Visibility is excellent
all around (much like in the salon),
the helm seats and settee are
comfortable, and there’s so much window
glass that the interior is bright,
even on dull days. The helm is well
laid out, so all of the instruments are
easy to see and reach. Forward visibility
is excellent with very little bow
“sight” shadow. Side doors provide
good ventilation.
The cabins and the open office
are forward and down four steps
from the salon. The forward master
features a raised island queen
berth, with both bulk and drawer
storage underneath. An en suite
head features a separate shower
stall and plenty of storage. The
spec box
LOA 57 ft., 9 in.
Beam (over rubrail) 17 ft., 9 in.
Draft (single engine) 5 ft., 5 in.
(half load)
Draft (twin engine) 4 ft., 6 in. (half load)
Displacement 70,000 lbs. (half load)
Fuel 1,400 gals.
Water 400 gals.
Engines Twin John Deere 4045 TFM75,
121 hp each
Price, as tested $1,385,000
CONSTRUCTION
Solid fiberglass below the waterline with
blister-resistant vinylester resin utilized on
first two laminates below the waterline, with
aramid fiber/FRP reinforcements. Hand-laid
Knytex fiberglass construction with closedcell
PVC sandwich core used in topsides.
STANDARD EQUIPMENT
John Deere 6068 AFM75 diesel, 231 hp,
Northern Lights generator, wing engine
control stations w/optional thruster controls,
Pompanette helm chair, Ritchie compass,
Maxwell windlass, saltwater anchor
washdown, Racor fuel filters, inverter/battery
charger, Raritan 20-gal. water heater, 2 toilets,
2 molded showers, Corian countertops, Imtra
lighting and much more.
OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT
Twin John Deere 4045 TFM engines, 121
hp, American Bow Thruster w/proportional
controls, stabilizers, Steelhead ES1000 davit,
aft deck convenience cabinet w/sink and
Glendinning CableMaster, air conditioning,
fuel-polishing system, fire-suppression
system in engine room, Stidd helm seat and
much more.
BUILDER
Kadey-Krogen Yachts, Stuart, Fla.; (772)
286-0171; kadeykrogen.com
WEST COAST DEALER
Kadey-Krogen, Seattle; (206) 453-5631;
kadey-krogen.com
guest stateroom is to starboard at
the bottom of the stairs and across
from the office. The open office is
another Krogen design feature that
is proving very popular. Many vessels
in this size range have an office,
but it’s usually just a small

stateroom walled off from the companionway.
While that works well,
it can create a claustrophobic office
for some. Krogen simply does away
with the wall, so the view includes
the companionway forward, making
for a much larger visual space
while still providing a fully functioning
office. It is so popular that
every 52 buyer so far has opted for
the open-office layout.
Fire It Up
Our test 52 is equipped with twin
John Deere 121 hp 4045 TFM engines.
These four-cylinder, turbocharged,
275-cubic-inch (4.5L) engines
are small and lightweight, tipping
the scales at just a tad more than
1,000 pounds. They flashed up quickly
with no smoke or rattling. As the engines
warmed up at idle, about 700
rpm, I went into the salon, right above
the engine spaces, with my noisemeter,
and the noise level was the same
as a normal conversation, 70 decibels.
At 1000 revs, the sound level dropped
to 66 decibels and never reached more
than 73 during our entire test, and
that was at wide-open throttle. The 52
is a very quiet boat.
We eased away from the dock, and
at 1000 revs we were burning a total of
1.6 gph while making 5.1 knots. At 1300
rpm, we made 6.4 knots and burned
2.2 gph. We burned 3 gph at 1600 revs
and achieved 7.5 knots. At 8.2 knots,
the engines were spinning at 1800
rpm and burning 4.2 gph. When we
stepped up the rpm to 2000, we made
8.9 knots and burned 6.4 gph. When
we ran at 2200 revs, we made 9.4 knots
and burned 8.8 gph. WOT was just under
2500 rpm, which yielded 10 knots.
Speeds were calculated by an independent,
GPS and fuel consumption information
came from the engines’ onboard
computers.
When we finished our speed
runs, we put the starboard engine in
neutral and let it idle. We then engaged
the port engine and ran it at
1500 rpm. That produced 5.9 knots
with a fuel burn of 1.7 gph. We throttled
up to 2000 rpm and were making
7.5 knots and burning 3.7 gph.
At WOT on the port engine alone —
2406 rpm — we made 8.5 knots and
burned 6.6 gph. To get to 7.5 knots
running two engines, we ran at 1600
revs but burned only 3 gph. Clearly
one engine had to operate at a much
higher output to produce the same
speed as two, which is not uncommon
when twin-engine vessels operate
on only one engine.
We then put the boat hard astern,
and with the rudder centered we
topped out at 6.4 knots, and the vessel
remained almost dead straight as we
backed down, showing no bad habits
during this exercise.
Kadey-Krogen’s well-known tag line
is “At Home on Any Sea,” and that has
applied to its range of trawler models,
and the latest vessel is no exception.
There’s no doubt the new 52 would be
at home on any sea, operating equally
well as a coastal cruiser or a blue-water
passage-maker. There aren’t many
powerboats that can do that.
SeaMagazine.com 29