Can I exclusively motor a sailboat

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I'd throw a guess out there of a liter per hour? You do a consumption check is the only way to know, fill it up, keep track of hours on motor till close to empty, fill it up

Agreed, about 1L / hr. With a 20L tank, your max range will be about 20 hrs X 5 knots = 100 nm. I'd play it safe (50% safety factor) until you gain experience with actual consumption.

RamblinRod
Marine Service Provider
About Sheen Marine

[Cheechako]

Yes you can, but if you don't put the mainsail up you will be rolling a lot.

[sailingfarmer]

Britannia Ruled the Seas with sails... learn to use the sails as much as possible and you will love the whole boating experience that much more.

(most sailors motor way too much with their sailboats)

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by gulfbreez

The boat im interested in buying like I said is a 1970s 26 Kingfisher , I have already seen the boat, its in Good condition,sound hull,just needs some cosmetic work here and there, tons of extras, 10Hp Bukh engine, runs good. Also Comes with back outboard bracket ,and a tender. its 1,500 British pounds or about $2,000

The Guy wants to sell because he is tired of paying for high slip fees and doesn't use it as much as he thought he would, however I have a place to keep it moored elsewhere for 150.00 per year,

Is this boat a good deal? Any advise?

Yes, I think its a good deal.

Also, I agree with 1 litre per hour. For a 26' boat, that should be around 4.5 knots, depending on your prop and conditions. Avoid WOT, the extra rpm might give you an extra 0.5knots, but almost double your fuel consumption.

You are about to have some great fun. Please let us know how it goes.

[SVrider44224]

OH...And I would be curious how your experiences with the K26 compare with mine in my K20.

[Cheechako]

That's a great deal as far as I can tell.

[roland stockham]

It sounds like a bargain and is an ideal size to learn to sail in. Where in West Wales? I left from Pembrokeshire

[Capt_Flrp]

My boat was a 39' sail, brought down the Western half of "The Great Loop". No sailing there. I had, depending on who is talking, a 20 or 30 or 35 HP Westerbeke engine. I calculated fuel consumption to be approximately 3/4 gal (3 L?) per hour. Usually it was less. The actual consumption will be dependent on engine rpm/boat speed. I believe you will have a max hull speed of about 6 knots. If you cruise at 4-1/2 to 5 knots, I would expect the 1 L per hour to be a safe figure. The following link gives some rule of thumb numbers to use: Diesel Engine Fuel Consumption - Quick calculation
I always set out with a plan of where I wanted to go, and a plan B and sometimes C, just in case. With your tankage, you can go quite a while and, as someone else posted, check your actual usage by clocking times and measuring re-fill.

[Capt_Flrp]

I would agree with others as well. Once you get out, set the sails, feel the heel, then shut down the engine, feel the wind, hear the water passing by, you will want to be sailing.

[jmschmidt]

If you are German, Austrian or Swiss and charter in French Polynesia motoring is all you will do. Don't know why but I never seen them under sail.

[ozdigennaro]

valhalla: really?

[wesevans]

Yes you can and they are more fuel efficient.

[nic26]

Sure you can! My neighbor in the marina is doing the sailing without sails for the last 15 years. Even hi father tried to explain to him what these white thingies are good for - to no avail....

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by ozdigennaro

valhalla: really?

Yes, really.
- Go down to the ICW and watch for a day. Extremely rare to see cruising boat (as in going from point A to point B) sailing with the motor off.
- As far as practicality, there is a reason commercial boats don't use sails.

[nockerwhite]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

Be aware that a sailboat without it's sails up in any sort of sea will roll like a pig in mud. Pretty sure you'll be strongly considering moving your learning to sail milestones a lot closer to the present at that time.

Sent from my SGP521 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

And with your sails up you might be considered the stand on vessel!

'Tell it not in Gath.'