1944 Newcastle 104 Commercial Freighter

A stout 1944 Newcastle Ship Builders wooden freighter of 104 feet, offered as a ready working platform or conversion candidate. Twin Caterpillar mains, refrigerated fish holds, and classic West Coast workboat lines — now Canadian-licensed and lying Campbell River.

There are boats that chase fashion, and there are boats built for work. This 1944 Newcastle freighter belongs firmly to the second tradition: a heavily timbered, round-chined hull with a raked stem and canoe stern, laid up in fir planking on sawn oak frames and still carrying the honest proportions of a mid-century Pacific freighter.

Built by Newcastle Ship Builders and surveyed in August 2026 by Anderson Marine Surveys while hauled in Port Townsend, she presents as a classic oil-screw fishing freighter that remains in her fishing-tender configuration. Below decks the layout runs from a forward storage peak through three fiberglassed, insulated fish holds — roughly 88,000, 140,000, and 95,000 pounds of estimated capacity — then the engine room, and aft to water tanks and lazarette. The holds are served by a refrigerated freon system rated at about 60 tons. On deck she carries a hydraulic anchor winch, wood masts fore and aft with twin steel booms, Gearmatic boom and topping winches, and custom aluminum product-hold covers.

Power is serious and appropriate to her size: twin Caterpillar D343 diesels of 245 horsepower each, keel-cooled, driving through Twin Disc MG 514 reduction gears to four-bladed 53" × 40" bronze propellers on stainless shafts. At survey, hours stood at approximately 9,750 port and 10,000 starboard. Ship’s power comes from a Detroit 671–driven 100 kW generator (about 400 hours at survey) and a Kubota 14 kW auxiliary. Fuel capacity is approximately 2,500 gallons in two steel midship wing tanks; fresh water is carried in stainless tanks of 900 and 1,500 (as recorded on the survey). Steering is hydraulic with a Comnav 2001 autopilot.

Above, the deckhouse offers forward staterooms, a head with dual sinks, and a working galley with oil range, refrigerator, and double stainless sink. Aft of the house, the poop deck opens over the aft hold. The wheelhouse sits forward atop the house with helm seating, engine controls, and a full suite of electronics noted at survey, including Furuno radars, GPS, AIS, multiple VHFs, Kenwood SSB, and a Ritchie compass. Aft of the wheelhouse is the master stateroom with berth, navigation station, and head with shower.

Principal dimensions from survey: 104' length, 23.2' beam, 9.4' draft; 166 gross / 99 net tons. She is currently Canadian pleasure-craft licensed (BC10138610) to Shaun B McNutt and Anna E Lock, black hull, inboard, 31.7 m, and moored under lease at Campbell River through the end of June 2027.

The sellers purchased her in August 2026 and have been forthright about her condition. A keel scrape found at that haul-out was judged superficial and non-structural by the surveyor, with a temporary repair in place pending proper work at the next haul-out. The survey also notes areas of bulwark rot for attention at the owner’s convenience, and the sellers disclose that the cook stove and a hydraulic steering solenoid need attention. She is offered as-is, where-is — stout, recently sailed to her present mooring, and ready for a new owner to put her back into fishing service or to begin a conversion for liveaboard, charter, research, or other work.

Asking $145,000 USD. Exclusively listed with Engel & Volkers Yachting.

Disclaimer

The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.

Dunigan Marine Group is pleased to assist you in the purchase of this vessel. This boat is centrally listed by Engel & Völkers Yachting. It is offered as a convenience by this broker/dealer to its clients and is not intended to convey direct representation of a particular vessel

A stout 1944 Newcastle Ship Builders wooden freighter of 104 feet, offered as a ready working platform or conversion candidate.