The "Courtney Elizabeth"

The "Courtney Elizabeth" was built in 1987 specifically for offshore lobstering. She was built in Bayou La Batre, Alabama (yes, the same city as seen in the movie Forest Gump). Captain Tim ...The Lobster Guy, had the vessel constructed to his personal specifications based on his experience in the lobster industry. The "Courtney Elizabeth" sails the offshore waters of New England year round doing what she does best...lobstering.

The "Courtney," as she is affectionately known, carries a crew of 4 to 5 lobstermen during the summer and fall seasons. Her trips usually last 3 to 4 days long (5 to 7 days if you include travel time). When she is not fishing, the crew is constantly busy preparing her for the next trip. Preparing for a trip includes oil changes and loading bait, supplies, and fuel. We also ensure she gets a thorough cleaning after each and every trip. Captain Tim is a stickler for the smallest details, so he ensures the vessel is kept in tip top condition. Even today, her condition is similar to when she first left the shipyard before her first trip "home."

She presently hauls up to 2500 lobster traps which are set in 50 trap trawls (a trawl is a string of lobster traps connected by a continuous rope which is approximately 1 mile long). Gear is fished as deep as 200 fathoms in the winter and as short as 20 fathoms in the summer. (1 fathom is equal to 6 feet). The traps are tied onto the string by 2 fathom pieces of rope called "snoods." The main string of rope is referred to as the "ground line". The traps (commonly referred to as pots) we use are constructed from vinyl covered wire and average $100 per trap (you can also find traps made from wood). The average cost of a complete new trawl for the "Courtney" is around $6000!

Main engine: 3412 Caterpillar Diesel
Generators:  2 (50 kilowatt power plants)
Length = 90 feet
Width = 23 feet
Draft = 11 1/2 feet
Gross Weight = 160 tons
Cruising Speed = 9 knots

The "Courtney Elizabeth" also carries the following equipment:
 2 Furuno Radars
 2 VHF radios
 1 SSB radio
 3 Loran-C Navigators
 1 Weather Fax 
 1 Celluar Phone
 1 Depth Finder/Chromiscope 
 2 EPIRB distress beacons
 1 Eight man offshore survival raft

We MUST receive your order by 1PM EST the day your order is shipped from New England (i.e. order by 1PM EST on Tue for Weds delivery)! You can place your order online or by calling us toll free at 866-788-0004. We ship Monday to Thursday for delivery on Tuesday through Friday (NO Sunday or Monday delivery). Saturday delivery, when available, is an additional $20.00. Please call us to check the availability of Saturday delivery to your location. To see shipping charges (no credit card needed), put items into your shopping cart and enter your ship to zip code at the base of the shopping cart page. Applicable shipping charges will then display in your shopping cart. Please call us toll free @ 1-866-788-0004 if you have any questions. If you prefer to fax your order, please print out our fax form and fax it to us at 401-284-3348. Thanks!