The Diesel Globe-Trotter

1999 Kadey-Krogen 39 — $375,000

When amateur powerboaters dream of crossing to the Bahamas or running the Caribbean island chain, they picture themselves behind the wheel of a massive, triple-engine center console. But the reality of offshore powerboating is brutal: a center console will burn 60 gallons of gas an hour and run out of fuel in 300 miles.

If you want to cross an ocean under pure diesel power, you cannot do it in a fast boat. You need a full-displacement, heavily ballasted trawler.

You need a Kadey-Krogen.

Built to look like a salty little commercial freighter, Kadey-Krogens are the undisputed kings of the long-range cruising world. Because the hull is round and deep, it moves through the water with zero resistance. If you pull the throttle back to 7.5 knots, this 39-foot ship sips a microscopic amount of diesel, giving you a staggering 2,400+ nautical mile range. You can literally drive from North Carolina to Europe on a single fill-up.

A brand-new Kadey-Krogen will easily set you back over $1.5 Million and put you on a multi-year waitlist.

The savvy buyer hunts for legacy hulls on the secondary market that have already been completely dialed in. Currently sitting in North Carolina, is a 1999 Kadey-Krogen 39 listed for $375,000.

But before you wire the cash and cast off the dock lines, you need to look deep into the engine room. If you buy a full-displacement trawler without understanding the terrifying cost of “Steel Fuel Tanks” and the necessity of “Active Fin Stabilizers,” your retirement dream will turn into a financial nightmare.