Who Has Gone From Sailboat to Motor Yacht?

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Enrique100

Reviving an older thread here only because I'm thinking we might go down the same path.

I love sailing, when the weather is right, but my wife is only so-so on the idea. This year we've spent quite a bit of time on our C&C 33 that we're sharing and a week on a Morgan 32. She said it's too much like camping. Not comfortable enough. Too dirty. Plus we're not really set up for entertaining others, which is a big part of what she wants to do. We get 3 adults and 3 kids in the cockpit and no one has room for their legs. Plus what I would consider to be perfect sailing weather, might be off-putting to some others with limited experience. Kick up a good 20kt wind and a some waves and suddenly I'm going out by myself.

On charters we have done a Lagoon 380 which was nice and extremely livable, but that was in the Bahamas where wind is not usually in short supply. Also did a couple weeks on a Jeanneau 42 in the caribbean, but again - great wind.

This summer in Chicago we have motored almost everywhere we went. Not really much sailing. And later in the year when we are due to get some nicer SW winds on some warm days as fall approaches, I doubt I'll have too many friends wanting to go out with me.

Soooo.... we have started looking (loosely) at some motor yachts to better enjoy the summer around here since it seems most of what we'll be doing will be confined to Lake Michigan for the foreseeable future (few years at least). Plus I figure it might be more fun for our daughter, who is 6 now as she grows up to make it easier to invite friends along and have more to do with each other.

A couple questions as they pertain to motor yachts - how does the handling compare to a sailboat under power? How is docking? Would you recommend any training classes before we switch to motor if we have a few years sailing experience a several charters under our belt on up to 42' boats? We're thinking of a motorboat in the 42-48 foot range. Trawlers sound like a great compromise to me, I would definitely like to sea trial a few to see how the motion compares to being on a sailboat.

You have given all the reasons to swap. I say go for it.

[gonesail]

Originally Posted by fallingeggs

Just an interesting note: the folks that built Beowulf (the beautiful 72 foot mono that can be crewed by a couple), now (or at least for some period of time) cruised on a custom built motorboat. They claim the MB is cheaper in the long run

yes probably true if you can afford a few million (which i'm sure many can) for a custom aluminum speedster

[Kokanee]

Originally Posted by Enrique100

A couple questions as they pertain to motor yachts - how does the handling compare to a sailboat under power? How is docking? Would you recommend any training classes before we switch to motor if we have a few years sailing experience a several charters under our belt on up to 42' boats? We're thinking of a motorboat in the 42-48 foot range. Trawlers sound like a great compromise to me, I would definitely like to sea trial a few to see how the motion compares to being on a sailboat.

Power boats come in a big variety of hull shapes so the answer to most of your questions is "it depends". Even just looking at recreational Trawlers, there is a big variety.
A power boat with a full displacement hull will have a motion similar to a sailboat under power and at anchor. Planing boats have flatter bottoms near the stern, harder chined, so have more of a snap roll at anchor or in rough water. They may roll slightly less but with a sharper action. Semi displacement - in between.

If it is single engine shaft driven power boat, it will dock like a sail boat with extra windage. If it is a twin shaft, it is much easier to dock, but tight in the engine room. A single engine power boat with an enclosed flybridge and no thrusters can be a real challenge to dock in the wind.

Lots of choices.

Or you can sit on the fence like I did, and have the best of both worlds, with a pilothouse motorsailer.

[Bricky]

We too are thinking of changing.
With no sailing experience when we bought our Seawind 1000 5 years ago we realise that we are not sailors, and find that like many, it does not get enough use, and when we do get out tend to motor a lot.
Looking at something around 32 to 36 ft.....Clipper 34, Island Gypsy 32 or 36, or a Polaris.
Any thoughts on these.

[Magnawake]

I can tell you a 40 ft sail boat would make me very nervous docking. I can turn ours on a dime, 360 degrees around. I thought my engine room was very small until I saw some sail boats engine compartments. Dang, I guess mine is big after all. I could sleep in between my engines. All of your concerns are really not worth worrying about. Sea motion, comfort, manuverbility, fuel consumption and so forth are not worth wasting your time. Get the boat that your like and you'll be a happy camper. I am talking based on my experiences on our 43' Hatteras. tipped the scales at 40K it rides like a battle ship. Semi displacement hull with a keel. It has been the perfect boat for us and we hate to sell it, but it is on the market. Perfect size, great driving, and a great middle of the road compromise between a trawler and planing Motor yacht. Take your time and look at all kinds and types of boats. Just get a boat that smells good, looks good and has been well taken care of. It wont be cheap and wont be the lowest price either. You pay for what you get. PM me if you want to talk more. Hope this helps. Didnt want to turn it into a sales thread you know.

[montenido]

Thanks Magnawake and all of you others for the great replies. Lots to consider. FYI, I just finished doing the "Baja Bash" in my CSY (1100 miles)and she is back in California and up for sale. We looked at a really nice Defever trawler this last weekend and my wife LOVED it. So, I will see if my boat sells and I'll be shopping trawlers while I wait. If Odyssey doesn't sell, its back to Mexico in the fall. Life is good.

Cheers, Bill

[wesevans]

If you can handle a sailboat under power you should have no trouble with a power boat. A little practice with anew boat is always a good ideal.

[rbyham]

another vote here for the pilothouse motorsailer... best of both worlds... but bottom line is get the boat that works for you both... try before you buy...

[Stu Jackson]

Dontcha think, sometimes, when the wind is from aft and you have a motoryacht, that you wish you could unfurl the jib and go for free?

[IdoraKeeper]

Oh the humanity! Oh the horror! How about a nice timeshare at the beach?

[Enrique100]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Dontcha think, sometimes, when the wind is from aft and you have a motoryacht, that you wish you could unfurl the jib and go for free?

Man the few times I was on a near-dead run for hours with gently following seas and a warm breeze in the tropics was the closest to pure bliss I can describe. The silence except for the occasional lap of a ripple against the stern is something that stays with one forever. But that doesn't happen much here. And if it does, I have to tack back through it eventually to get back home. One day perhaps I will truly go where the wind takes me.

[Magnawake]

Originally Posted by montenido

Thanks Magnawake and all of you others for the great replies. Lots to consider. FYI, I just finished doing the "Baja Bash" in my CSY (1100 miles)and she is back in California and up for sale. We looked at a really nice Defever trawler this last weekend and my wife LOVED it. So, I will see if my boat sells and I'll be shopping trawlers while I wait. If Odyssey doesn't sell, its back to Mexico in the fall. Life is good.

Cheers, Bill

A friend of mine with a Defever 54 motored out to Cape Look out with us and we had a great time. The Defever had twin Cats that burn 6 gals/hr at 8 kts. Great economy for that size of boat. Seriously a beautiful boat but kinda expensive. If you have a big family or lots of friends you can invite them all and have a ball. It also had stabilizers so they were not even rolling like we were. Also not heeling either.

[FamilyVan]

$30/hr sounds at 8 knots sounds outrageously expensive to me.

Sent from my XP7700 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[jwing]

I spent a few months cruising the Bahamas in a motor yacht. The traveling part was monotonous and noisy, but once anchored, the roominess was fantastic.

There was one little problem - Once we got to the first Bahamian destination, we anchored and never left until it was time to return to the USA. Not because it was a great place (it was), but because we couldn't afford the fuel.

Sailboats came and stayed for awhile, then quietly slipped away and explored other places while we just sat. That boat never goes out anymore - just sits at dock, too much work to keep it seaworthy and too expensive to operate it.

[doocruiser]

i have a 34 ft power cat. handles great. its 18 feet wide so very stable on the hook. its powered by 2 x 4 stroke outboards which run on fumes and for docking with 2 engines that far apart you can spin it on a coin, one forward one in reverse