In April 1974, naval architect James S. Krogen signed off on a design for a 42-foot “trawler yacht” in his office on Rice Street in Miami. Krogen, an avid sailor and commercial vessel designer, developed the design with Florida yacht broker Art Kadey — a cruising powerboat based on the hard-working shrimp boat, known for its rugged seakeeping capabilities.
There’s no mistaking the heritage of the Krogen 42, which was launched in 1976, the first model offered by Kadey-Krogen Yachts. She has a big, husky profile that’s not unlike her commercial counterpart, with plenty of topsides and sturdy bulwarks. The raised pilothouse has the shrimper’s distinctive three-panel windshield and triple side windows. The aluminum mast could be used for a steadying sail or, with a boom, for moving a dinghy. Krogen added a flybridge helm to the traditional layout.
A single 135-hp Lehman diesel allowed the full-displacement trawler to cruise efficiently at 8 knots. With its 700-gallon fuel supply, range at that speed was more than 2,000 miles. At 6 knots, range was 5,000 miles. An optional emergency drive was available, using a dedicated 12-kW generator.
The tri-level layout featured a master stateroom forward with an offset berth and a guest stateroom. The port-side head compartment included a stand-up shower and adjacent washer-dryer combination. The galley, with a three-burner range and oven and a full-size refrigerator, was in the large, open saloon. The pilothouse had a centerline helm station with a large area for charts and electronics, as well as a convenient watch berth.
The Krogen 42 was in production until 1998, with 206 built, and fans consider her to be the “quintessential trawler,” and a “timeless design.” She has a cultish following, spurred on by active owner associations. Kadey-Krogen continues to build trawlers based on Jim Krogen’s credo of “rugged simplicity” and “conservative style.” Today the fleet ranges from 44 to 70 feet. kadeykrogen.com
This article originally appeared in the February 2016 issue.
