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Kadey-Krogen 44 AE

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 well-built single-screw full-displacement trawler that suits the Loop well. Two generations share the name, so confirm which one a boat is before reading any review.

The Kadey-Krogen 44 is a heavily built single-engine (John Deere 6068) full-displacement trawler with generous fuel and water tankage and long range. Two generations share the name: the original Krogen 44, with 26 hulls launched, and the 44 AE (Advanced Ergonomics), announced in April 2012 to replace it. Confirm which one a boat is from its hull number and build year, because the reviews of one don't describe the other. For the Great Loop, range is comfortably within limits. Draft is the open question. The design figure of about 4'6" sits roughly six inches inside the 5'0" loaded-draft figure we score against. That's a margin, but not a comfortable one, so measure what a boat draws with fuel, water and stores aboard. Note that 5' is a waiver line: Trent-Severn requires a signed waiver over 5', and many boats drawing more have completed the Loop. The rest of the work is confirming the folded air draft and a thorough survey of the single engine and its accessories. Documented first-hand GPH data for the 44 specifically was thin, so the range figures below come from brochures or comparable models and should be checked against the boat's own fuel logs.

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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.

Builder status

CONTEXT
Kadey-Krogen Yachts filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in July 2026 and is liquidating. The builder has ceased operations. No factory parts support, warranty, or technical backing going forward. Parts and support shift to the aftermarket and the (strong) KK owner community; major systems (the engines and other third-party gear) are generic and unaffected. A real parts / support / resale consideration for a used-KK buyer, but not disqualifying. src: Wikipedia; Boating Industry, Trade Only Today, YachtBuyer, TheStreet (Jul 2026)

Model identity

QUESTION
Original 44 or 44 AE? Confirm which one she is Two generations share the name. The original Krogen 44 had 26 hulls launched before the 44 AE (Advanced Ergonomics) replaced it, announced in April 2012 with what the builder called more than 50 ergonomic and technical changes. Most of the reviews this profile draws on cover the original 44, so check which generation a boat is before relying on them. src: Soundings, "Kadey-Krogen unveils new 44-foot model"; MarineLink, Apr 18, 2012
Your move: Ask the broker for the hull number and build year, and check them against the model name on the listing.

Air draft

CLAIM
Mast and radar arch drive air draft: measure and fold Manufacturer figures indicate the mast-up and even radar-arch-up configurations are tall enough to matter on the Loop's fixed-bridge stretches; mast-down and arch-down bring it well under. Antennas and additions vary boat to boat. Measure the actual folded air draft and identify exactly what lowers. src: midorilantern.com (quoting KK specs)

Range & tankage

CLAIM
Large fuel and water tankage AE spec lists roughly 850 gal fuel and 300 gal water; the original 44 is similar. Range is not a limiting factor for the Loop under any realistic burn. src: midorilantern.com
CONTEXT
Treat brochure range as optimistic Manufacturer touts thousands of miles at 6-9 knots, but the Power & Motoryacht test boat had a dirty bottom that the reviewer said shaved speed and significantly affected the quoted range. Measured cruise was ~8.5 kn at 1,850 rpm. Plan on a single-trawler figure around 4 GPH and verify against the boat's own fuel logs. First-hand GPH data specific to the 44 was scarce. src: Power & Motoryacht; PassageMaker; Loop Captain

Draft

QUESTION
Design draft is about 4'6". What does she draw loaded? Designed waterline draft is roughly 4'6". We score against a 5'0" loaded-draft figure, so a boat at design draft starts with about six inches in hand, before fuel, water, stores and running gear eat into it. That is a margin, not a pass: the question is what she actually draws loaded, and six inches is not much to spend. Note too that 5' is where the waiver line sits rather than a wall: Trent-Severn requires a signed waiver over 5' and many boats over it have completed the Loop. src: midorilantern.com
Your move: Get the actual loaded draft (full tanks, stores aboard, running gear included) measured or documented, not the brochure figure.

Construction

CLAIM
Higher-quality hull than the earlier 42 The 44 was a clean-sheet full-displacement design built from only three molds to reduce seams and leak paths, with hand-laid Knytex glass and a closed-cell PVC-cored topsides. Still verify coring condition and moisture readings on the specific hull during survey. src: PassageMaker review

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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