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Model profile · for Great Loop buyers
DeFever 44 Offshore
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 durable full-displacement Loop trawler whose Loop fitness turns on measured air draft and the condition of aging fiberglass-encased steel fuel tanks.
The DeFever 44 (Offshore / LRC) is a full-displacement, long-range trawler built across roughly 1981–2007 by several yards, with engine, tank, and layout variations that make condition and maintenance history matter far more than the model name on a 40-year-old boat. The most common power is twin ~135hp Ford Lehman (or Perkins) diesels cruising 7–8 knots with generous range; some hulls carry larger Caterpillar 3208s or later John Deere power. The most-cited Great Loop concern is air draft with a fixed arch/hardtop and anchor light, which varies boat-to-boat and must be measured. There is no single systemic engine defect unique to this model. Cited issues are general to the engines and to age.
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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.
Air draft
CLAIM
Fixed arch, hardtop and anchor light drive Loop air draft
Air-draft figures reported by owners conflict widely, and the height that matters is set by the radar arch, any fixed hardtop, and a fixed anchor light. Owners report roughly 17–18' with the arch up and ~16' or less with the arch lowered; a fixed anchor light or fixed hardtop is what pushes some boats too tall. A related DeFever 49 owner measured ~22' with a fixed anchor light but could fold down to ~15'6". Whether a given 44 clears the Loop depends entirely on what can be lowered on that specific hull.
src:
Trawler Forum – 'Defever 44 vs Krogen 42'; 'Boat Dimension'
QUESTION
Is the arch hinged/lowerable and the anchor light removable, and what is the true measured air draft?
Owners repeatedly warn that quoted air-draft numbers are wrong (one 'measured' figure was off by several feet). For this model the practical question is what folds down: a hinged arch and removable anchor light let many 44s make the standard Loop, while a fixed hardtop or fixed light may not.
src:
Trawler Forum – 'Defever 44 vs Krogen 42'
Your move: Physically measure air draft from the waterline to the highest fixed point, then separately measure with the arch/antennas lowered; get in writing from the broker whether the arch is hinged and the anchor light removable.
Fuel & range
CLAIM
Large fuel capacity gives generous displacement-speed range
Design/review figures cite roughly 900 gallons of fuel and 350 of water, with a quoted range of about 1,500 nautical miles at 7–8 knots. Real-world twin-135 burn on comparable hulls runs roughly 1.2–1.5 gph per engine at Loop speeds (~3 gph total), so range is not a limiting factor for the Loop. Cat 3208 hulls burn more (a broker listing cites ~3.5 gph but broker fuel figures are optimistic). Actual capacity and burn vary by hull and should be treated as planning estimates, not guarantees.
src:
DeFever Cruisers design page; HMY Yachts; Trawler Forum – 'fuel consumption 135 ford lehmans'
CONTEXT
Treat owner fuel-burn estimates with caution
A delivery skipper notes that very few owners run their boats in a way that yields accurate fuel-consumption figures, and that trusting owner estimates can leave you short. Build a conservative reserve into Loop fuel planning rather than relying on a single quoted burn number.
src:
Trawler Forum – 'Fuel Burn and Range'
Fuel tanks
QUESTION
What is the condition of the fiberglass-encased steel fuel tanks, and have they leaked or been repaired?
A well-known model gotcha: the fuel tanks are steel encased in fiberglass. Owners believe the glass encapsulation adds protection if well built, but any tank can corrode and fail, and the underside is hard to inspect. On a 40-year-old boat this is a material and potentially expensive item.
src:
Trawler Forum – 'Defever 44 vs Krogen 42'
Your move: Ask the owner/broker for any tank repair, replacement or pressure-test history in writing, and have the surveyor inspect accessible tank surfaces and, where possible, the underside for weeping or corrosion.
Reading the boat
QUESTION
Which yard built this hull, and what engine/tank/layout does it actually have?
The DeFever 44 was built over roughly two decades by different yards with varying engines, tankage and layouts, so two boats sharing the model name can differ significantly. Condition and maintenance history matter more than the badge.
src:
DeFever Cruisers; HMY Yachts
Your move: Confirm the building yard, installed engines (Lehman/Perkins vs Cat 3208 vs John Deere), tank material and fuel/water capacity against the specific hull's documentation and survey.
QUESTION
If teak decks are fitted, what is their condition and are the fastenings leaking?
Trawlers of this era and type commonly carry teak decks, which as they age can allow water intrusion at the thousands of fastenings and lead to core or deck-joint issues. This is a category trait of teak-decked trawlers rather than a DeFever-specific defect, but it is a common cost on 40-year-old boats.
Your move: Have the surveyor moisture-map the decks and check for soft spots and leaks around deck hardware; ask whether the decks are original teak and whether any have been removed or over-laid.
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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