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Model profile · for Great Loop buyers

DeFever 40 Passagemaker Trawler

The published record on this model and what owners report, with the questions worth asking while a boat is still a listing. This page covers the model. Every boat still needs its own homework.

A rugged U.S.-built single-screw fiberglass trawler well-suited to the Loop — but air draft and original metal fuel tanks are the two deciding items.

The DeFever 40 Passagemaker is the U.S.-built (Jensen Marine) fiberglass successor to the wood Passagemaker 38, introduced in 1973 and built until Jensen ceased operations around 1980; later sister boats were produced as the Downeast 40 after Downeast Yachts took over the molds. Much of the "DeFever problems" chatter online refers to the Taiwan-built 41/44 and does not necessarily apply here. The common original powertrain is a single Ford Lehman 120, though some later boats carried an obscure Ford SSD 655M, and some listings show twin Perkins — so confirm what is actually installed. For Loop use the shallow hull draft is a non-issue; the air draft (mast-up clearance in the low-20-foot range) and the age of the original metal fuel tanks are the two items that decide the deal.

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How to read the tags on this page. CLAIMstated by one source, not yet confirmed QUESTIONopen, and settled by looking at the boat itself CONTEXTbackground on how this model is built or used Sources are linked where published.

Model background

CONTEXT

U.S.-built fiberglass version of the wood Passagemaker 38 Introduced in 1973, this is the American (Jensen Marine) fiberglass version of the earlier wood-built Passagemaker 38, not a Taiwan-built DeFever. Much of the online chatter about 'DeFever problems' refers to the Taiwan-built 41 and 44 and may not apply to this hull. Jensen built the boat until the company ceased operations around 1980. src: HMY Powerboat Guide; Trawler Forum

Range & fuel

CLAIM

Single Lehman 120 cruises ~7–8 knots with long range from ~450gal tankage Published and owner figures put the single Lehman 120 at about 7–8 knots cruise burning roughly 2–2.5 GPH, with large (~450-gallon) fuel tanks giving real-world range well beyond the Loop's longest fuel-dock gaps. The twin Perkins 135 version is reported at 7 knots / 1,400 RPM at about 2.5 GPH. Exact burn depends on the installed engine, load, and bottom condition. src: HMY Powerboat Guide; Edwards Yacht Sales 1975 listing; Atlantic Yacht Sales 1974 listing

Air draft

CONTEXT

Mast-up clearance is in the low-20-foot range; plan to lower the mast for the Loop This boat carries a folding mast and boom as a factory feature, and listings cite mast-up clearance in the low-20-foot range with the folded/retracted configuration much lower. For Loop routing the practical constraint is what the boat measures with the mast down — and spec clearance numbers often omit VHF antennas, radar arrays, and masthead/anchor lights. src: HMY Powerboat Guide; Trawler Forum, 'Two questions regarding the Great Loop'

Your move: Measure actual air draft with the mast folded and all antennas/lights accounted for, and identify exactly what can be lowered or removed.

Systems

QUESTION

Are the original metal fuel tanks still in place, and what is their condition? The original aluminum/steel fuel tanks are the big-ticket item on this model; they do not last indefinitely, and replacement is expensive because access typically requires emptying much of the engine room. Many boats this age will be at or past the point of needing tank work. src: Trawler Forum, general DeFever tank discussion

Your move: Ask the age and material of the fuel tanks, look for weeping/corrosion at tank bottoms and straps, and get a replacement quote if they are original.

Handling

CONTEXT

Shallow draft makes the hull itself Loop-friendly Spec draft is around 4 feet, comfortably within Loop water-depth limits, so for this boat the air draft rather than the water draft is the governing dimension for route planning. src: Trawler Forum, 'Minimum draft for Great Loop'; HMY Powerboat Guide

Engines

The engines research is part of the full profile inside the product. It covers factory options, tested performance and the engine-specific questions in our members' dossiers, and it travels with every dossier and survey brief built on this model.

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