1974 DeFever 40 Passage Maker Trawler Yacht

LOA: 39' 6"

Beam: 13' 8"

Draft: 4'

Displacement: 26,500 lbs

Designer: Arthur DeFever

Builder: Passagemaker Trawlers, Costa Mesa, California

White solid fiberglass hull with dark blue boottop and shear strake; red bottom paint;  plywood cored fiberglass decks; Flybridge with helm and engine controls and seating; Bimini top (no enclosure); aluminum mast with boom and deck lights; hydraulic steering at two stations; long skeg keel; twin bronze rudders; swim platform; boarding ladder; dinghy davits; bow pulpit railing; teak capped lifelines running the length of the vessel; anchor handling platform; substantial bulwarks giving a secure feeling on deck. The owner reports the recent replacement of the through-hull fittings, sea-cocks and ports in the forward cabin.

Vee Berth stateroom forward with ensuite head with marine toilet, sink, vanity and shower; hanging locker to starboard; the main cabin has the lower helm station forward to starboard; an ‘L’ shaped settee forward to port and the galley aft to starboard. This boat is fitted with a Dickinson ‘Atlantic’ diesel range, for heating and cooking, in addition to an induction cook-top and microwave oven. There is a household type, 12/110 volt refrigerator with freezer aft to port.

The owner’s stateroom is aft with a double berth to port and ensuite head with marine toilet, sink, vanity and shower stall, forward to starboard.

The yacht is equipped with hot and cold pressure water supplied by 4 new polyethylene water tanks with a total capacity of 170 gallons; the marine toilets are Jabsco manual models. There is a 30 gallon holding tank.

Twin 1974 Perkins 6-354, naturally aspirated, marine diesel engines with heat-exchangers; 135 HP each; wet exhaust; 4 new aluminum fuel tanks with a total capacity of 400 gallons; hour meters showing approximately 4,500 hours.  

The yacht is equipped with both 12 volt DC and 110 volt AC systems. The 12 volt system is supplied by alternators on the engines; the 110 volt system is supplied by a 5KW Westerbeke diesel generator; or by shore power connection. There are 5 lead-acid batteries: 1 for starting the main engines; 3 house system batteries and 1 generator starter battery; circuit breaker panels; Guest ‘Charge-Pro’ automatic battery charger.

2 – Furuno Radars: #FR-7112, Economx; ComNav Autopilot; Garmin Smart MAPS 721 plotter; Apelco log & depth sounder; Simrad depth-sounder; Furuno GPS; 2 – Danforth compasses; stereo system; loud hailer; 2 Icom VHF radio telephones.

8’6” Mercury dinghy (2020); (older) 4 HP outboard motor; Bruce & CQR anchors with chain leader and rode; Lofrans ‘Tigress’ electric anchor windless (2022); dock lines & fenders; barometer; 3 – fire extinguishers; Fitzwright Solas “A’ pack 8 man life raft (needs servicing); manual and electric bilge pumps.

‘This is a US built boat so very different to the Taiwan trawlers no teak decks or window frames. The windows are hardened/laminated glass set like on a car in a rubber seal and as far as I can see leak free. The decks are plywood core and have not found any bouncy bit same applies to the superstructure. The only teak is hand/cap rails and doors. 

She is by no means perfect but I have dealt with the important parts such as tanks, seacocks etc. and is constantly chipping away at the cosmetics. Good on fuel and with large tanks she has about a 1500' range @ 7 Kts.