1974 De Fever 34 Passagemaker — a rare American-built offshore trawler, currently in the Bahamas and ready to cruise.
I purchased Southwind from an owner who kept her for over 30 years. She's been in Freeport, Bahamas since 2023 and is U. S. Coast Guard documented, registered in Florida with a home port of Tampa. The 34 Passagemaker is one of just a few trawlers ever built in the United States — most of her contemporaries came out of Taiwan — and that American heritage shows in her construction.
KEY FEATURES:
- Solid fiberglass hull — heavily built with a round-bilged, full-displacement design, deep keel, and large rudder for directional stability. The flared bow, sharp entry, and deep forefoot make for a dry, comfortable ride in offshore conditions.
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- Wide side decks and functional mast and boom — the side decks are genuinely wide as a serious trawler should have, and the mast and boom add real utility. There's also a teak swim platform, transom door, and a deck access door at the lower helm.
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- Teak interior with galley-in-salon layout — the sedan layout is well suited for a cruising couple. The galley sits aft of the lower helm in the salon, with a built-in lounge to port, a huge storage locker opposite the head, and a surprisingly roomy cockpit accessed through teak doors.
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POWER & DRIVE:
Engine: Ford Lehman 2715E, 120hp diesel inboard, 3,000 hours
Fuel: Diesel, 380-gallon tank
ELECTRONICS:
Westerbeke 5.5 KW generator, under 100 hours
FUEL & RANGE:
Fuel capacity: 380 gallons
Cruising speed: 7 knots — honest 800-mile cruising range
Max speed: 9 knots
Fresh water: 160 gallons
Holding: 20 gallons
LOCATION:
Currently in Freeport, Bahamas. Home port: Tampa, FL 33603
