Life is Good on the Krogen 44 - Kadey-Krogen Yachts

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The Krogen 44Few people in our niche are unfamiliarwith the Krogen trawlers offered byKadey-Krogen Yachts. Since the late1970s, the company has continued tosat<strong>is</strong>fy a growing fleet of owners withthese capable, full-d<strong>is</strong>placement trawleryachts. The eager, cultlike following of Krogenowners <strong>is</strong> more along the lines of a large family, asall agree the liveaboard comfort of these boats <strong>is</strong>their most endearing feature.The Krogen 42 remains the most popular of theKadey-Krogen fleet, andsome 206 Krogen 42s werelaunched. They can befound in the PacificNorthwest, in Alaska, alongthe Great Circle Route andthe ICW, throughout theBahamas, and all along theU.S. coastlines. The 42 <strong>is</strong> asupremely competent cru<strong>is</strong>ingboat that remains a sought-after classic. Although it<strong>is</strong> capable of offshore passages, few use it that way,as the lifestyle of its owners <strong>is</strong> more about low-stressgunkholing than crossing oceans. It <strong>is</strong> a real<strong>is</strong>tic boatfor real<strong>is</strong>tic couples choosing to live on the waterand enjoy the many pleasures of the waterways.As I’ve commented before, the Krogen 42 lookshappy, with its jaunty angled foredeck and bow, andmost Krogen 42 owners agree that in addition toth<strong>is</strong> happy d<strong>is</strong>position, the boat has classic lines andprovides loads of usable volume for a 42-foot boat.Unfortunately, the Krogen 42 got too expensive tobuild towards the end of its run, as there were justtoo many molds required to build the boat. The costof retooling was not a viable option, so productionof the boat ceased in the late 1990s.In the years since, the Kadey-Krogen lineexpanded with a new model introduced about every3 years. Today the company sells a 39, severalvariations of a 48, and a 58. All share the capabilityand comfort that are core elements of Kadey-Krogen Yachts.The Krogen 39 was the company’s first step insignificantly ra<strong>is</strong>ing the quality levels in the Kadey-Krogen fleet, using higher-quality equipment,products and construction techniques. From gelcoatto tank material, the focus of the company <strong>is</strong> to takeproduction quality to a higher level in all areas. AndTh<strong>is</strong> cast plate provides sure footing when boarding overthe caprail just outside the pilothouse. Nice touch.th<strong>is</strong> effort has been successful. Compare any oftoday’s Krogens with an early model Krogen 42, andyou’ll see many differences behind that classic,happy profile.Several years ago, Kurt Krogen, president ofKadey-Krogen Yachts, recognized that the companyneeded to build or reintroduce a boat to replacethe Krogen 42, but he knew that simply buildinga newer Krogen 42 did not make much sense.After getting lots of input from focus groups madeup of owners with extensive experience on theoriginal, the companydetermined that a new 42would not be differentenough from the Krogen39. Many thought, though,that a slightly larger boatwould allow for a biggercockpit and permit a fixedhelm chair in thepilothouse, two featuresthat were identified by Krogen 42 owners over theyears as w<strong>is</strong>h-l<strong>is</strong>t items.With all of the above in mind, the design team—Kurt Krogen; h<strong>is</strong> marine designer brother, JimmyKrogen; and the folks at Br<strong>is</strong>tol Harbor DesignGroup—went to work. The result <strong>is</strong> the Krogen 44,a yacht that fits squarely between the 39 and 48.While it may initially appear that the new 44 <strong>is</strong> justa new version of the 42, the new Krogen 44 actuallyshares very little with its older s<strong>is</strong>tership. In fact,it <strong>is</strong> much closer in many ways to the Krogen 58,Kadey-Krogen’s flagship, and constitutes a seriousstatement of the company’s v<strong>is</strong>ion of superior qualityand craftsmanship.In fact, Kurt Krogen waited to produce th<strong>is</strong> yachtuntil production quality met h<strong>is</strong> sat<strong>is</strong>faction.“We wanted to make the quality changes first,then address production and support for our boatsand owners,” Kurt told me during my recent v<strong>is</strong>it toKadey-Krogen Yachts in Stuart, Florida. “We neededto totally revamp our production methodologies tora<strong>is</strong>e the quality of the end product. We understandthe need for improving our quality, rather thanfinding ways to simply increase volume.”To say he succeeded <strong>is</strong> an understatement. Thedifferences between the venerable Krogen 42 and thenew 44 are so vast that it <strong>is</strong> difficult to comparethem, beyond a similar profile. Every area of the boatThe eager, cultlike following of Krogen ownReprinted with perm<strong>is</strong>sion. Copyright 2005 © Trader Publ<strong>is</strong>hing Company (888.487.2953) http://www.passagemaker.com
The Krogen 44reflects improvement. Whilemost of the refinements are inequipment, constructionmaterials and advancedboatbuilding technology,other changes were made inthe design because they madesense. And according to LarryPolster, vice president ofKadey-Krogen Yachts, theKrogen 44 <strong>is</strong> built from onlythree molds, to simplifyconstruction and to eliminateseams and potential leaks.In all, the effort took 3 yearsto create, from Kurt’s initialconceptual design to thelaunch of the first Krogen 44,Number One, owned by MikeFord, who also owned thefirst Krogen 39. The new boat<strong>is</strong> faster, has more range and<strong>is</strong> a more integrated structuredue to the complex butsuperior tooling.I could l<strong>is</strong>t several pages ofchanges, but highlighting afew will give you an idea ofwhat I’m talking about. Theteak decks on the Krogen 42,much like all boats of thatera, were screwed down andthe holes bunged and sanded.Over time, these decks wouldwear, and leaks woulddevelop. Many trawlers havehad their decks refastenedand repaired due to th<strong>is</strong>building practice. Today’s teakdecks are glued down withoutmechanical fasteners, so theysuffer none of the potentialleak <strong>is</strong>sues. Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> definitely acase of technology advancinga better, higher-qualityproduct.Instead of varn<strong>is</strong>hed-teak exterior doors that arerelatively high maintenance, the new Krogen 44features dogged, welded aluminum doors fromThe spacious aft cockpit, with ample room for comfortable seating, <strong>is</strong> a great space forentertaining. Notice the large lazarette hatch and the side door for boarding ease.Pacific Coast Marine. The difference <strong>is</strong> outstandingin every way, from improved weather protection toreduced need for maintenance.ers <strong>is</strong> more along the lines of a large family.Reprinted with perm<strong>is</strong>sion. Copyright 2005 © Trader Publ<strong>is</strong>hing Company (888.487.2953) http://www.passagemaker.com
Page 1 and 2: The Trawler & Ocean Motorboat Magaz
Page 6 and 7: The list of equipm
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Page 10 and 11: The Krogen 44flybridge/boat deck <s
Page 12 and 13: The Krogen 44Above left: The clean
Page 14 and 15: The Krogen 44Main fuel filters and
Page 16: The Krogen 44All major systems and

Life is Good on the Krogen 44 - Kadey-Krogen Yachts

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