Krogen 44
For those who wander paradise aboard long-range trawler yachts, Kadey-Krogen is a brand that needs no introduction. That was not always the case, however. According to Kurt Krogen, president of Kadey-Krogen Yachts, “The foundation for our company’s success was based on our first design and the enthusiastic review it received in Yachting Magazine.” (Of such an acorn a mighty oak…)
The boat was the now-venerable 42-foot Trawler conceived by Art Kadey and designed by Kurt’s father, naval architect James S. Krogen. The story, by Jack Smith, appeared in the December 1982 issue. The rest, as they say, is history-in its 15 years of production, 206 of the 42 Trawlers were launched. Today, if you could separate one from its owner you would likely pay more than twice what the boat sold for new in 1983 ($106,000).
Kurt has worked together with his brother Jim since their father passed away in 1994. While they have brought 39- and 58-foot trawler designs to the market, fans of the mark have been waiting impatiently for the 42’s replacement. Now, the wait is over, the Krogen 44 has been launched. “Designing a boat that would complement our dad’s original vision was important to us,” says Krogen. While the brothers collected reams of input from enthusiastic owners, their father’s thoughts on the design were remembered. “Dad loved the 42, but he always used to say that if he could redesign her he would have added enough space to the afterdeck for a table and chairs,” says Krogen. “We’ve done that and more-I think he would be pleased.”
The 44’s hull lines are based on the principles that James S. Krogen promoted. “Dad believed that long-range trawler yachts with lighter displacement-length ratios and end-to-end symmetry were best suited for living aboard and passagemaking,” says Krogen. The result is an honest full-displacement form, her optimum speed a function of her waterline length. “The 42 had no gimmicks to cheat natural hull speed and neither does the 44,” says Krogen. As the 44’s waterline length is slightly longer, she has about a half-knot advantage on the 42 and cruises easily at 8 knots. At this speed her single 154 hp John Deere diesel will drive her 2,450 nautical miles given her 950-gallon fuel capacity.
While James S. Krogen’s thoughts on displacement hull forms still make sense, yacht-building practices have advanced-and Kadey-Krogen has kept pace. The 44 is built with premium resins and stitched fiberglass and Kevlar reinforcements. Foam-coring is used to stiffen the superstructure and decks. The pilothouse top, flybridge and boat deck are molded in one piece instead of fastened together, resulting in a far stronger structure. Teak is bonded, not fastened, to the decks-and there is less of it to fuss over. “It’s been our goal to build the best boat we can,” says Krogen.
In the 1980s Krogen was delivering 60 boats a year, now they are building about 20, but length overall and sophistication have increased. Windows that used to be made in Taiwan are now imported from Holland. Teak pilothouse doors are out, welded aluminum doors are in. All this adds up to a base price of $645,000, which is fair in my view, considering the 44’s features and her stout bloodline. “Our owners tend to be active and cruise with a purpose,” says Krogen. I suspect those serious about cruising will be pleased. In 1983 our story title described the 42 as “Salty & Seakindly”-the 44 is that and more! n
Contact: Kadey-Krogen Yachts, (772) 286-0171; www.kadeykrogen.com.
