45 Mainship Pilot

Source: Capt. Rob Smith, Power & Motoryacht Magazine

Mainship’s Pilot 45 is their newest flagship of next generation trawlers. The 45 has true stairways to the flying bridge, not a ladder. The extended bridge deck adds entertainment space or room to set up a couple chairs and enjoy the view. The galley down design has been outfitted with a double drawer refrigerator and a double drawer freezer. With a standard 777 gallon fuel capacity, you will pass up many fuel docks on your cruise.

Key Features

• Anchor pulpit with bow roller
• Electric throttle and shift controls
• High density rub rail
• Lounge chair
• Lower helm station
• Swim platform with ladder
• Washdown – raw water
• Electrically-operated skylights
• Opening center window

Mainship introduces its latest generation of trawlers with the introduction of the flagship Pilot 45. Mainship knows the cruising life and how the trawler style and design fits into it. With many years of experience, Mainship knows what customers want and deliver it at a price many would not expect possible. They are the largest builder of these style boats, building over 250 units per year.

From the Stern

The Pilot 45 has a swim platform and a transom door. This makes the swim platform far more usable than many I have seen and far easier to board. For those times you board alongside, there is a step under the gunwales to aid in boarding. On the swim platform, there is room to stow a tender or room to enjoy the water.

One special feature I enjoyed was the cockpit “galley” which is molded into the transom. I believe this is a unique design, and i like it.

Cockpit seating is plentiful with storage below the cushions. A cockpit shower helps to rinse off after a cooling dip in the water. Side decks to the bow are reasonably wide and safe to travel with only two steps up from the cockpit to the bow.

When you open the hatch to the engine spaces in the cockpit, you see that there is a tremendous amount of space inside. With twin Yanmar engines and a Kohler generator installed on our test model, there was still plenty of room for large items to store safely inside. Access to service points was more than reasonable. Best of all, one can get outboard of the engine for maintenance.

Salon, Galley and Helm

Stepping through the aft door, you enter your private hide-away. Forward is a bar with two stools that you can rearrange for guests or relax at the bar for a toast to the day’s travel. Aft is a comfortable chair that also can be moved around to your liking. On the port side is a flat panel TV to enjoy your favorite movies.

The settee is starboard and aft with an adjustable height table that can convert the space into a guest berth when needed. With the helm backrest folded down, you have a view out nearly 360 degrees. The helm station has a large bench seat to relax on while on your voyage. A sliding door allows simple exit to the bow or stern from the helm.

The station has the same wood cabinetry of the salon with all the modern conveniences and room for your personal touch in electronics. The standard ship’s wheel is wood. From the helm, visibility forward was good. The salon and helm is bathed with natural light due in part to the side windows as well as overhead. The center section of the windshield has an electric lift, much like that of your car, letting fresh air flood in while underway.

The galley is plenty large for this size boat. I especially liked the use of separate two drawer refrigerator and freezers in the galley. Counters and storage space seemed to be sufficient as well. Galley equipment included a stove, cooktop and microwave oven. The power panels are located on the starboard side in the galley and also under the steps leading to the galley. Also in the starboard galley side is a small pantry to organize your spices and small dry goods.

Accommodations

The 45 Pilot has two cabins. Forward is the master stateroom with an island bed with a few small steps up rather than one huge step that I have seen in other designs. The TV is framed in wood on the aft port wall for nighttime enjoyment. Cabinets and under-bed storage is typical, but the starboard closet is well organized and sizeable solution for the cruising couple. The head in the master stateroom is large enough to have a tub along with the normal facilities you expect.

The guest cabin is on the starboard side. In here the difference is a separate dedicated head for your guests cabin which doubles as the day head. This is nice as it keeps guests from having to enter your private space in the master cabin. It is a bit inconvenient in that you have to enter the cabin, close the door then open the door to the head, but still it is unusual and very nice to have.

Specifications

The Pilot 45 measures 47’9” length overall with a beam width of 15’6”. She displaces 40,000 lbs and carries a total of 777 gallons of fuel. She has a draft of 3’8” and a bridge clearance of 18’8”. This model is offered with twin engines from either Yanmar or Cummins.

Test Results

I tested the Pilot 45 with three people on board and full tanks of fuel and water on Biscayne Bay in Miami, FL. She ran smooth in turns and was quiet inside with a maximum of 83 dBA at top end. She cut through the chop of passing boats without crashing, proving a smooth ride can be expected.

She reached a top speed of 29.3 mph at 3380 rpm with twin Yanmar 440-hp 6LY3-STPs installed. Her best cruise seemed to be at 2750 rpm and 22 mph, for a range of 632 miles on a full tank of diesel. That is terrific range for this size boat.

Conclusion

I found the 45 Pilot easy to operate and easy to get around. She has the features you need to take a cruise as well as room to entertain. If you have been wanting to enter the cruising life, consider Mainship as they will have you underway with a value that leaves room to enjoy the ride you have dreamed of.

Mainship Pilot 45 Test Result Highlights

• Top speed for the Mainship Pilot 45 is 29.3 mph (47.2 kph), burning 41.7 gallons per hour (gph) or 157.83 liters per hour (lph).

• Best cruise for the Mainship Pilot 45 is 22.2 mph (35.7 kph), and the boat gets 0.90 miles per gallon (mpg) or 0.38 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 632 miles (1017.11 kilometers).

• Tested power is 2 x 440-hp Yanmar 6LY3-STP – Diesel.

Mainship Pilot 45 Photo Gallery

Boat Specifications: 45 Mainship Pilot