2005 Seahorse 52

Keokuk is a full displacement, long-range passage maker. Her current owner purchased her from the original owner, who incorporated several unique features that add to the appearance and simplicity of operation as well as reduced maintenance. If your search has taken you to Nordhavn, Krogen or Selene, it would behoove you to seriously consider this gorgeous 52-foot twin-engine trawler. She is equipped with the same quality brand equipment — reliable John Deere 6-cylinder engines, Northern Lights generator, Garmin plotters, Furuno radar — in a more affordable package. She is just as easily run from her climate-controlled pilothouse as from her fully enclosed flybridge. With full 360-degree views, twin screws and bow thruster, she can manage tight docking situations as well as any locks, evidenced by her heritage as a two-time Great Loop veteran.

Keokuk was built in mainland China by Seahorse Marine, an accomplished vessel designer and manufacturer with over 30 years of experience, whose attention to quality and detail led to their selection as builder of several of the award-winning George Buehler-designed Diesel Ducks. She boasts a very practical and truly spacious layout beautifully appointed with rich, old-world teak joinery, traditional teak and holly flooring, and modern touches including granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances and LED lighting. Keokuk's spacious layout is due to her "widebody" saloon with one side deck to starboard, allowing for a much larger middle-level living space. Her design includes a sea-kindly and proven Blaine Seeley hull, a raised pilothouse with excellent 360-degree visibility, high stainless-steel railings around the entire vessel, commercial-grade watertight doors, and a protected starboard side deck.

Keokuk can be easily and safely boarded from four locations around the vessel. From the dock you can board through her hinged boarding gate aft, molded into the hull on the starboard side. She is also equipped with two custom stainless-steel boarding gates that allow direct boarding at the port and starboard pilothouse doors, and a folding stainless-steel boarding gate astern that allows direct access from the water onto the integrated swim step and into the cockpit through a hinged door molded into the transom.

The cockpit, aft of the saloon, is a popular hangout area with room for outdoor chairs. It is protected by the boat deck overhang, which provides shade for relaxing whether in port, at anchor or underway, and shelter from sun and rain. From the cockpit, the entry to the saloon is impressive, with two hinged opening doors and windows that really open this space up and merge the indoor and outdoor living space into one large, airy room.

Inside the saloon to port there is a large U-shaped settee and table. For additional seating there is also a custom oval bench which can be used as an ottoman for the built-in curved settee to starboard; this oval bench doubles as a coffee table, ottoman or dining table for two. The view from the saloon is magnificent, with large sliding windows outboard and aft providing a feeling of openness with excellent all-around visibility and air flow. Keokuk is an all-weather cruiser with a robust Hurricane diesel furnace for cold winter days and dual Cruisair reverse cycle HVAC providing 32,000 BTUs to keep you cool on the hottest of days.

The galley is forward to port, spacious and integrated with the saloon but separated by attractive granite counters. In the galley you will find stainless appliances including a Nova Kool standup refrigerator/freezer, a Broadwater 4-burner propane stove, a GE Profile convection/microwave, and a U-Line under-counter ice maker. There is also a GE trash compactor and a fabulous custom fold-down teak dish rack, and over the stove an Ariston hood with integrated fan and external exhaust. The galley features plenty of counter space and teak storage cabinets.

Across from the galley is a Splendide washer/dryer and an integrated entertainment center housing the 26" Samsung TV with DirecTV, all new in 2018, finished in a granite countertop carrying the theme from the galley. There is also a central vacuum system, and forward of the entertainment center on the starboard side is a custom wine locker.

Moving forward from the saloon is another of Keokuk's key features for safe, all-weather, around-the-clock cruising: a raised, well-protected, professionally appointed pilothouse featuring a curved settee with teak table, a freezer underneath, and a Stidd helm chair. For ease of moving around the pilothouse, the table folds using a custom piano hinge. The look of the pilothouse is all business with its traditional teak helm, custom leather chair, raked-back forward windows, watertight Dutch doors, and chart table with storage underneath. Keokuk's navigation system is run by an upgraded Garmin 7612 plotter and Furuno radar backed up by Furuno NavNet with C-MAP integration. Add in dual engine controls, dual Flo Scan fuel burn gauges, a rear-mounted camera, tank monitoring panel, VHF radio and spotlight control.

From the pilothouse, moving forward down a curved stairway with teak safety rails, you reach a landing that allows you to move forward and aft. Moving aft you enter the midship owner stateroom with centerline queen bed — the closer to the center of the boat, the more stable the ride. This full-width stateroom also has a built-in desk to port and a comfy built-in love seat with a large opening porthole above for light and ventilation. The head and tub shower are ensuite to port; both heads feature high-end stainless faucets and granite countertops. Forward you pass the guest head with full shower to starboard, then enter the guest stateroom up front, which also features a centerline queen berth and a pair of full-length hanging lockers.

The engine room and generator/electrical/battery room are located below the saloon with two through-floor entries — a smaller hatch aft in the saloon leads directly to the generator/battery room, and a long lifting hatch further forward leads directly to the engine room; both rooms are connected via a small door with viewing port. The engine room features twin John Deere 6068TFM marine diesel engines and Twin Disc ZF transmissions, arranged for easy service and inspection. The Racor filters are logically located on the forward bulkhead. Sea water for the engine, generator, watermaker and water heater is provided by a practical sea chest. There are five fiberglass fuel tanks holding 1,000 gallons of diesel and a robust fuel transfer system. Keokuk is outfitted with a Northern Lights generator; the dedicated generator start battery, house batteries and start batteries were all replaced in 2020. The batteries and generator are complemented with a Magnum 2500 inverter and Xantrex charger.

The entire outside deck area is protected by tall stainless-steel railings. On the foredeck, just below the forward pilothouse windows, is a bench seat for relaxing and large storage lockers that house the propane tanks, with plenty of room for fenders, lines and other deck gear. Further forward, the foredeck is smooth and uncluttered, with the windlass and ground tackle up front including foot pedals for raising and lowering the anchor. Using the foredeck ground tackle and the Muir windlass controls in the pilothouse or flybridge makes anchoring Keokuk straightforward and stress free, even singlehanded.

From the foredeck, walking aft to port, you go up a couple of fiberglass steps to arrive at the boat deck. This area has a stainless davit with electric hoist for easily launching and retrieving the 9'6" Zodiac propelled by an efficient Yamaha 6 HP 4-stroke outboard. Noteworthy is the stainless hinge and struts at the base of the folding mast, making this boat Great Loop friendly when you need to lower her profile.

The aft deck is roomy and contains moveable seating. A transom door provides access to the integrated swim platform, which has built-in storage and a hot and cold shower for rinsing off or showering.

Keokuk is in excellent condition. The current owner started with a gem and continues to polish her. She resides in the clear fresh waters of Lake Charlevoix just off Lake Michigan. The owners understand the importance of caring for their equipment so that it will care for them, and this priority of maintenance ensures Keokuk is always ready for departure and will be a dependable cruising platform. The equipment installed throughout includes many top name-brand selections any long-term cruiser would desire.