Universal 36 Trawler Tri-cabin

The engine room is very roomy and relatively deep. Engine room access is through overhead hatches in the saloon floor or through a door forward under the stairs to the bow compartment. The engine room is well lighted and easy to access. The fuel filters are well laid out for service. The engine room is clean and well organized. The Westerbeke generator is located forward and is also easy to access.

The typical 36 foot trawler would be equipped with one of these engines. This boat is unusual to have two and is probably capable of almost full speed on either engine alone. The engine stringers are massive and have been tested for condition and are very sound.

The batteries are located centrally, between the engines and covered for good access to each engine and the fuel filters on the aft bulkhead by moving along the central path above the batteries.

In addition to the Westerbeke generator, there is a Heart Interface "Freedom 10" battery charger and one KW inverter.

The current owner is an electrical engineer and meticulous about maintenance of the systems on this boat. He has complete service records and survey reports available.

12 volt battery, 3 batteries charged by: engine, shore power, generator

This is heavily built, full displacement, fiberglass trawler constructed in the Universal boat yard, Taiwan. This yard later built the "Ocean Alexander" series of yachts and is known for quality construction. This particular design is distinguished by being relatively deep and beamy and fitted with twin engines.

The "Taiwan Trawlers" of the late 1970's and 1980's were very popular in the Northwest and represented an excellent value at the time. They still can be a great bargain for a solid, comfortable and economical cruising yacht but there are four major issues that come up with these boats. While the hulls are very solid and well designed, the decks and deck house can show serious problems after thirty years. First, the lovely teak decks eventually allow water infiltration of the plywood deck coring which leads to de-lamination and serious repair problems. Likewise, the deck house windows eventually leak water into the plywood coring structure of the deck house causing similar problems. The steel fuel tanks located to either side of the engines often have sea water dripping down on them and will rust out on top after enough years. Finally, the main engine mount stringers which run the length of the hull are typically made of heavy teak timber encased in fiberglass. Eventually the fiberglass allows some water infiltration if the bilge is not kept dry, and the teak structural member will soften and decay. So, while a Taiwan Trawler of this era can be a wonderful bargain, a purchaser must be careful of these issues. Fortunately, this particular boat seems to be free of those concerns.

The current owner has completely replaced the flying bridge deck and the deck above the aft cabin. This involved removing all teak, the fiberglass deck and the plywood coring structure down to bare frames. Only completely sound framing was retained. A complete new deck structure was installed and fiberglassed with a simple non-skid coating. The main deck was found to be sound but the teak decking was coated with a thick, urethane "bed liner" material to provide a completely water tight seal. The cabin windows were removed and re-bedded and are completely sealed and leak free. The massive engine beds have been thoroughly surveyed and tested and found to be sound. The fuel tanks are easily inspected from the engine compartment (see pictures) and can be seen to be solid and in good shape. So this particular trawler can be expected to provide years of service even if kept in an uncovered marina slip.

The main helm station is located in the central saloon on the starboard side. A second, complete helm station is located on the large flying bridge deck surrounded by seating for guests. The flying bridge is enclosed to the rear with a stainless safety railing topped with a varnished teak rail. The lower sections of the railing are filled in with canvas for safety with children and pets. Extra dock lines and fenders are neatly stored along the rear railing of the flying bridge. At the aft end of the flying bridge is a mast and boom that can service the aft cabin deck area. A BBQ is mounted on the hand rail of the stair to the flying bridge and is useable from the aft cabin deck.

A sturdy davit system is attached to the transom of the cockpit. A Boston Whaler is carried horizontally with outboard fitted. Note that a full trailer for the Boston Whaler is also included.

This boat is arranged in a standard "tri-cabin" configuration with a central saloon/galley with helm station forward and to starboard. The salon is entered through sliding teak doors on either side. The starboard door enters at the helm station providing quick access to the decks for the helmsman. The port door enters further aft behind the large, built in "U" shaped seating provided around the folding table. The table and seating can be reconfigured as a large double bed. The galley is arranged along the starboard side aft of the helm station, with sink, Magic Chef BT18G range and a microwave in a long counter. The floor is hardwood parquet. The bulkheads are finished in varnished teak with a white ceiling featuring exposed beams capped in teak. Cabin heat is provided by electric baseboard heaters and a "Red Dot" heater system using engine cooling water.

Through a door and down stairs forward is the bow compartment with a "V" berth and an enclosed head to port. All vertical surfaces are varnished teak with a gloss white ceiling. The hull sides above the berths are finished in alternating white painted surface and horizontal teak strips. A large skylight provides daylight and emergency exit from the bow compartment. This skylight is a single piece "pitched roof" design rather than the more common type with a central beam and two hinged doors. This one piece approach minimizes the potential for leakage.

Through a door and down stairs aft of the saloon is the aft cabin which has a double bed to port and an enclosed head to starboard. The aft head is very large with a tub and shower. A writing desk and drawers are fitted centrally against the aft bulkhead. A stair and teak door leading out to the cockpit and transom area is on the starboard side of the aft bulkhead. All vertical surfaces are varnished teak with the same white painted, beam ceiling overhead and teak caps on the beams. Unusual for a trawler of this era, there appears to be essentially no sign of water damage to any of the interior surfaces around the windows or door.

3 burner propane Stove