Suzanne & Steven WebsterOne could say the Kadey-Krogen 54 broke the mold in a big way. In the timeline of Kadey-Krogen production boats, this serious motorsailer launched in 1988, after the 42, the 38 cutter (designed by and for co-founder Jim Krogen) and the 36 Manatee.
The 54 was also a bit of a pioneer. According to Jim Krogen’s sons, Kurt and Jimmy, she was believed to have the first asymmetrical house design in a Kadey-Krogen, and possibly the first one available on any production cruising trawler. Her design could take her anywhere. Patty (Hull No. 7) was delivered to the French Riviera after a 24-day, 4,800-mile journey across the Indian and Atlantic oceans. Overall, eight hulls were built.
This is a workboat-inspired cruiser. Amid a sailboat’s complexity of shrouds and stays, booms and furled sails, the forward mast in this ketch-rigged vessel is outfitted with a proper crow’s nest.
There’s a substantial beam, a ballasted (6,000 pounds of lead) deep-draft keel, a canoe stern and forward-canted pilothouse windows, making the 54 an adventurous-looking trawler.
The Kadey-Krogen ethos of comfort for long passages at sea extends to her interior layout. With accommodations exceeding six adults, and stowage for food reserves and safety gear, the 54 balances pragmatic good looks, interior comfort and usability.
KADEY-KROGEN 54
LOA: 54ft. 5in.
Beam: 17ft.
Draft: 5ft. 6in.
Construction: FRP
Displacement: 67,800 lbs.
Fuel: 1,200 gal.
Water: 600 gal.
Power: 1x 225-hp Ford Lehman
Info: kadeykrogen.com
This article was originally published in the May/June 2024 issue.
