I'd be curious to learn more about the potential of a trip like this. We are planning a similar trip in a year or two and my wife really prefers powerboats. Cost to ship a mid--30' powerboat from here to AUS is quite expensive (probably at least $20k or more) which doesn't make sense unless it's a really expensive boat to begin with.
Had talked with a few guys who claim they get around 1.5 GPH burn at 7-8 knots if the waves aren't too big.
Single screw
diesel trawlers. so maybe 4.6 nautical miles per gallon of diesel with a
single screw or using one
engine on a twin screw?
A lot of these boats have 300-400 gallons diesel capacity. Multiply by 4.6 and that's 1,380 to 1,860 nautical mile range. I guess this would be provided that in rough seas you just hunker down and wait things out.
Vic-Maui is about 2,300 nautical miles.
You've got the currents and winds at your back most of the trip.
So with a lot of the trawlers here you have the fuel capacity to get somewhere between 1/2 to 2/3 of the way to Hawaii. Probably a bit less because every now and then you'd probably want to rev up the negine for a half hour or so to burn off some carbon build up.
What I was thinking about though is that you've got the
wind at your back, what about supplementing your fuel capacity with something like an outleader kite? It can go downwind and reach with no
mast. Maybe have to install some tracks on the powerboat but that's about it. Maybe something to help with
steering. Would be useful after the trip as a get home rig. Maybe try using a kiteboarding rig and adapting it? Doesn't seem like it would take much to go 5-6 knots.
I've been searching around and so far unable to find someone who has installed a kite on a powerboat for cruising, though I do remember seeing one of the "kite for sail" videos of a boston whaler looking
small boat being hauled around at very high speeds. I don't see why it couldn't
work to haul a powerboat downwind at under
hull speed...and the
wind conditions from the US to AUS seem ideal for it...
If you could do that, then you wouldn't have to worry much about fuel. Maybe would even make the trip feasible in planing or semi-displacement coastal cruisers.
Been toying with the idea and seems pretty cool...but no powerboat to try it on...