About Life’s TraVails

Life’s TraVails is a classic DeFever 44 Offshore Cruiser/Sundeck motor yacht with ample living space in an open and airy main salon with a full galley on the same level. The full-beam master stateroom is aft with a walk-around queen-sized bed, an en suite head with shower, laundry room, sit-down vanity, and lots of hanging and drawer storage. The guest stateroom is forward with a queen-sized V-berth and an en suite head with a wet-head shower. In addition to the full lower helm in the main salon, she has a full upper helm on the flybridge covered by a bimini that spans the full upper deck with roll-up windows.

However, her most appealing outdoor feature is the full-width covered aft sundeck with teak decking, table, chairs, and handrails, comfortable lounge chairs, roll-down side sunscreens, ice maker, a gas grill, dock access both port and starboard, and swim-step access to the stern. The dingy deck stores an AB Navigo 10′ 6″ RIB dinghy with a St Croix euro steering wheel/helm and seating and provides cover for the sundeck. A Honda 4-stroke 20 HP outboard powers the dingy. For a more detailed description, see the Walk Through page.

Powered by twin Ford Leman 135 HP diesel engines with Borg Warner velvet drive transmissions, Life’s TraVails has Naid six-square-foot stabilizers, a 12.5 KW Westerbeke generator, and three Cruisair reverse cycle AC/heat systems. For a more complete list of equipment, see the Equipment List.

Life’s TraVails is an ocean-going yacht that is live-aboard ready. We completed the Great Loop in 2016, and under a prior owner, she did her first Great Loop, cruised the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and ventured as far south as Trinidad.

In August of 2020, we sold Life’s TraVails and bought The Secret, a 1980 49′ DeFever raised pilot house, in Seattle to cruise the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, that adventure only lasted a couple of years and she was sold in September of 2022. The next adventure in our lives is a land yacht (RV) to explore the National Parks across America. Life’s TraVails, now Free Bird, has a new home and family in Houston, TX.

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