Helmsman Trawlers

What Helmsman Trawlers does

Helmsman Trawlers is a privately-held American trawler yacht manufacturer founded in 2011 by Scott and Lisa Helker, with production at a dedicated boatbuilding yard in China that has been constructing vessels since 2005 (originally under the predecessor Camano brand). The company designs and sells semi-displacement trawler yachts from 31 to 54 feet across seven models — the 31 Sedan, 38E Pilothouse, 38 Sedan, 43E Pilothouse, 43 Sedan, 46 Expedition Pilothouse, and the forthcoming 54 Pilothouse — with base prices ranging from approximately $623,000 to $1,147,000. Its product line is built around proven hull designs featuring soft chines, deep forefoot, broad aft sections for form stability, full keels with protective stainless skegs, solid hand-laid fiberglass laminate hulls with vinylester resins, vacuum-infused cored superstructures, and multi-layer interior construction with rubber-cork sound attenuation topped by hand-laid teak-and-holly planking. Standard equipment is sourced from tier-one marine vendors including Cummins common-rail diesels, SidePower bow and stern thrusters, Webasto HVAC, Victron/NorthStar electrical components, and Garmin/Raymarine electronics.

The company operates a factory-direct go-to-market model that includes shipping, delivery, commissioning, and on-the-water training in the base price, supplemented by a structured regional representative network — Waterline Boats for the Western U.S., Greg Messerle for the East Coast, Calibre Yacht Sales for Western Canada, and Ian Sawkins for the U.K. and Europe. Operations are anchored at a Seattle, Washington headquarters on Lake Union (2400 Westlake Avenue North), with an East Coast demonstration model at Bay Bridge Marina in Stevensville, Maryland, commissioning support through a partner ecosystem in Charleston, South Carolina, and a manufacturing yard in China managed by partner Wilson Wu. Customer segments include affluent recreational boaters seeking long-range cruising and liveaboard capability, Pacific Northwest boaters, and charter-fleet investors who place boats with San Juan Yachting to offset ownership costs. The company also offers Helmsman Fabrications, a custom stainless, wood, and fiberglass fabrication service for marine owners.

Name

Helmsman Trawlers

Legal name

Helmsman Trawlers

Website

https://helmsmantrawlers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Helmsman Trawlers is a privately-held American manufacturer of semi-displacement trawler yachts (31–54 ft) built at a yard in China and sold factory-direct to affluent recreational boaters in the U.S., Canada, and Europe at prices from approximately $623,000 to $1,147,000.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trawler Yacht Manufacturing

NAICS

Boat Building (336612), Boat Dealers (441222)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Semi-Custom & Series Production Yacht Manufacturing (IMAJAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Luxury Motor Yacht Manufacturing (IMAJAMAD), Explorer Yacht Manufacturing (IMAJAMAE)

Keywords

• Trawler yacht manufacturing
• Recreational boat building
• Fiberglass trawler design
• Motor yacht sales
• Yacht dealership services

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. New Trawler Yacht Sales: Primary revenue stream from manufacturing and selling new trawler yachts. Helmsman Trawlers builds boats at their dedicated yard in China and sells directly to customers. Base prices include shipping, delivery, commissioning and training in Seattle or Charleston. Models range from 31 to 54 feet with prices from approximately $623,000 to $1,147,000.
2. Pre-Owned Yacht Sales: Sale of pre-owned Helmsman Trawlers vessels through their website and dealer Waterline Boats. They list previously-owned models and facilitate trade-ins.
3. Charter Partnership Revenue: While not directly operating charter, Helmsman has partnerships with San Juan Yachting for boats placed in charter. This helps generate buyer interest and provides income for boat owners who might otherwise not afford private ownership.
4. Custom Fabrications: Custom fabrication services out of stainless, wood, and fiberglass for boat owners and potentially other marine applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Helmsman Trawlers designs, manufactures, and sells solid-fiberglass semi-displacement trawler yachts ranging from 31 to 54 feet, with models including the 31 Sedan, 38E Pilothouse, 38 Sedan, 43E Pilothouse, 43 Sedan, and 46 Expedition Pilothouse. The company sells factory-direct to individual owners, with base prices bundling shipping, delivery, commissioning, and training. It also offers pre-owned vessel sales, custom fabrications in stainless/wood/fiberglass, and a charter placement program through San Juan Yachting.

Product overview

Helmsman Trawlers is a trawler yacht manufacturer offering a portfolio of solid fiberglass semi-displacement trawler yachts ranging from 31 to 54 feet. The product line includes Sedan and Pilothouse configurations across seven distinct models: the pocket trawler 31 Sedan; the versatile 38E Pilothouse (their most popular model) and 38 Sedan; the larger 43E Pilothouse and 43 Sedan; the expedition-class 46 Pilothouse; and the upcoming 54 Pilothouse. All models feature semi-displacement hulls with full keels, single Cummins diesel engines, and quality components. Supporting services include custom fabrications (stainless, wood, fiberglass) and a charter placement program through San Juan Yachting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Helmsman 31 Sedan A pocket trawler yacht built on the renowned Camano 31 hull, offering a full bed, separate head and shower compartments, and a comfortable flybridge, targeted at entry-level trawler buyers seeking quality construction at an accessible price point.
• Helmsman 38E Pilothouse The flagship and most popular model, an innovative low-rise pilothouse trawler that fits a 40-foot slip while delivering full-beam salon spaciousness, day head for guests, full engine room, and a set-back flybridge for stable, low-profile cruising.
• Helmsman 38 Sedan A sedan-style trawler sharing the 38E hull, with classic Europa-style lines, walk-around side decks, all-round visibility from the lower helm, spacious flybridge/boat deck, and single- or two-stateroom configurations.
• Helmsman 43E Pilothouse A larger low-rise pilothouse trawler with excellent helm visibility, expansive full-beam salon, two staterooms, two heads, full engine room, and sizable flybridge/boat deck, designed for owners seeking greater interior volume than the 38E.
• Helmsman 43 Sedan A 43-foot sedan trawler built on the proven 43E Pilothouse hull, offering contemporary styling, full covered walk-around side decks, and a sizeable flybridge/boat deck for owners preferring sedan configuration.
• Helmsman 46 Expedition Pilothouse An expedition-class pilothouse trawler designed by Ivan Erdevicki for long-range cruising, with CE Class A Rating, 50'1" LOA, 16'3" beam, fully-loaded displacement of 62,000 lbs, two or three stateroom configurations, spacious engine room, and large flybridge/boat deck.
• Pre-Owned Helmsman Trawler Sales Resale of previously-owned Helmsman Trawlers vessels, facilitating trade-ins and providing a secondary market channel for buyers seeking a used Helmsman at a lower price point than new builds.
• Helmsman Fabrications Custom fabrication services in stainless steel, wood, and fiberglass, delivered to meet specific customer specifications for boat owners and marine applications.
• Helmsman Trawlers Charter Placement Program A charter placement program, operated through the San Juan Yachting partnership, that allows owners to place Helmsman Trawlers in a bareboat charter fleet to offset 65-85% of ownership expenses while retaining first choice of charter weeks.

Quantifiable outcome

• Camano 31 hull design - over 270 units built - demonstrates proven market acceptance and reliability
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Zimmerman MarineminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 December 2025Charleston, SC based marine service company providing commissioning and systems installations for Helmsman Trawlers East Coast deliveries.
• Cooper River BoatyardminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 December 2025Charleston, SC boatyard providing haul out and yard services for Helmsman Trawlers East Coast commissioning and preparation.
• Air-Sea Safety and SurvivalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2025Charleston, SC supplier of tenders and mounting hardware for Helmsman Trawlers East Coast deliveries.
• Waterland CanvasminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2025Charleston, SC canvas company providing bimini tops and custom marine canvas for Helmsman Trawlers East Coast deliveries.
• Bay Bridge MarinaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2017Maryland marina at Kent Island serving as the East Coast demonstration model location and office for Helmsman Trawlers, minutes from Annapolis and Baltimore.
• Waterline Boats LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWestern U.S. dealer representation for Helmsman Trawlers. Waterline Boats serves as the primary display and sales location for the Pacific Northwest, operating from Lake Union in Seattle. They handle boat sales, provide customer support, and participate in the Seattle Boat Show and Boats Afloat Show.
• San Juan YachtingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCharter company in Bellingham, WA that places Helmsman Trawler vessels in their bareboat charter fleet. Owners can purchase boats directly into charter with San Juan Yachting, earning 65-85% of boat ownership expenses covered through charter income. Boats in charter include the AmyAnn (38E Pilothouse).
• Ian SawkinscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK and Europe sales representative for Helmsman Trawlers, based in Fairlie, Largs, Scotland. Manages European sales, customer relationships, and provides a dedicated European website (helmsmantrawlerseurope.com).
• Calibre Yacht SalesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWestern Canada representation for Helmsman Trawlers, participating in the Vancouver International Boat Show virtual events.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Nordic Tugs: Nordic Tugs builds 32–42 ft semi-displacement trawlers priced in a similar mid-luxury band ($400K–$1M+), targeting the same Pacific Northwest cruising demographic. Closely aligned product philosophy (efficient cruising, classic interiors, semi-displacement hulls).
• Coastal Craft Yachts: Coastal Craft builds premium pilothouse and express yachts (33–65 ft) in British Columbia at higher ASPs ($1M–$5M). Comparable product category and Pacific Northwest cruising customer base.
• Ranger Tugs: Ranger Tugs (part of Cutwater Boats/Fluid Marine) builds compact trawler-style cruising boats (21–31 ft) at lower price points ($200K–$600K). Adjacent rather than directly overlapping, but targets similar cruising-lifestyle buyers at entry price points.
• Selene Yachts: Selene builds Asian-built ocean-trawler yachts (42–92 ft) with a similar full-keel, long-range philosophy. Strong overlap with Helmsman's expedition lineup, particularly the 46 Pilothouse segment.
• Krogen Yachts: Krogen builds American-designed, semi-displacement trawler yachts (40–58 ft) at a similar value-luxury price band ($700K–$2M+) targeting the same long-range cruising owner. Closest direct peer given overlapping hull philosophy, owner demographic, and price points.

Others

• Camano Yachts (predecessor brand): The original Camano brand built the 31-hull platform in China that Helmsman was founded to continue. Same hull DNA, same manufacturing heritage; provides direct historical lineage comparison.

Broad incumbents

• Fleming Yachts: Fleming builds premium pilothouse trawlers (55–85 ft) in Asia for the global luxury market. Competes in the upper end of Helmsman's expedition segment (e.g., 46 Expedition) but at substantially higher ASPs.
• Grand Banks Yachts: Grand Banks is a heritage premium trawler brand (41–85 ft) with broader model range and stronger global dealer network. Competes with Helmsman in the 38–54 ft segment but typically at materially higher price points ($1M–$5M+).
• Nordhavn: Nordhavn builds long-range expedition trawlers (40–120 ft) positioned as the premier bluewater brand. Directly competes with Helmsman's 46 Expedition Pilothouse in the long-range cruising category, but at much higher price points.
• Marine Trader / Ocean Alexander (trawler line): Marine Trader is a longstanding trawler marketplace and brokerage brand; Ocean Alexander has produced trawler-style motor yachts. Both overlap with Helmsman's mid-size trawler segment through used/new boat discovery and direct competition.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HelmsmanTrawlers
• Instagraminstagram.com/helmsmantrawlers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/helmsman-trawlers-dba-megaboat-llc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Helmsman Trawlers