Range under power

[witzgall]

Yep, depends on where you are. I met some folks in Culebra that got all the power they wanted from a single wind generator. At anchor, this would work for them for all but perhaps 2 months during the dead of summer.

Chris

Originally Posted by jaga

Again, depends so much on where you're at. It wouldn't get you very far up here. I have 170 watts of solar panels, and a wind generator, and if I want to run the refer I still have to run my little Honda 1000 several hours/week, living aboard full time. And that's while at anchor...

[David M]

Forgive me for being a stinkpotter, but for us, range varies dramatically with speed.

I get 0.7 miles per gallon on a plane going 20 knots to 5 miles per gallon going 4 knots.

[maxingout]

I wouldn't be concerned about the number of hours of motoring time in calm conditions. I would be very concerned about the number of hours of motoring time in really rough conditions when you have to bash straight to windward to get to safety.

I carried enough fuel on Exit Only to motor for 1400 miles using the starboard engine for twelve hours and the port engine for twelve hours, alternating the engines as needed to get the job done.

I cannot tell you the number of times I turned the engines on to get into port before dark, to make it to safe harbor before the front came through, to get out of harms way.

I wouldn't sail in a yacht with a limited motoring capability near the coast or offshore. You never know what is going to happen, and the ability to motor indefinitely can mean the difference between life and death, between saving the yacht and losing the yacht.

Of course, Joshua Slocum and Harry Pidgeon sailed around the world without engines, and it worked for them. But when I go to sea, I want to push the odds in my favor.

A no compromise engine with plenty of fuel gives you a decisive advantage in your battle with a sometimes wily sea. Boats get into trouble all the time, and more boats are lost close to shore than offshore. Coastal cruising is chock-a-block with hazards. It's when I am close to shore that I am in the "Danger Zone". I would rather sail offshore with a marginal engine/motoring capacity than sail close to shore with limited range under power.

[Ex-Calif]

I am with Dave - 1400 / 6kts = 233 hrs = 10 days.

I'd be happy with 5 days.

[roverhi]

It's not so much fuel for propelling the boat but charging batteries, etc. as well. We got stuck in the Doldrums on our way to the Marquesas. We powered for two days getting through. Other than that, we only used the engine for battery charging or getting through passes or into harbor. Still it was nice to have about 170 hours of fuel on board so we didn't have to beg and borrow fuel in some really out of the way places. Cruised for more than 6 months without having to buy fuel.

Aloha
Peter O.

[sestina]

Weight of all those batteries in a Fulmar! All your sailing performance will go out of the window. Besides, where are you going to put them?

The longest motor I've done is from the north end of the Mona Channel to Rum Cay. This was in a 33' cruiser-racer, with a puny little tank and loads of jerry cans. Took 50 odd hours nonstop, I was in a tearing hurry to get to Florida and flights home to the UK as my mother was dying.

My current boat has a 96 hour range at best economical speed, without resorting to cans, sure she's a medium heavy displacement cruiser, with which, SWMBO and I are planning a circumnavigation.



Rather than muck about with all this hybrid malarky spend your money on an extra tank, properly plumbed in and decent sails.

[Pblais]

I carried enough fuel on Exit Only to motor for 1400 miles using the starboard engine for twelve hours and the port engine for twelve hours, alternating the engines as needed to get the job done.

OK someone more conservative than I am I think I could be comfortable with 750 miles. I might not be excited but I could be comfortable. I would agrees with Dave (Maxingout) on all the reasons why.

If everything was just a single trip of point A to point B it's easier to say 16 hours or even 8 hours. Managing all resources aboard is a seriously difficult job that any skipper needs to do several times per day and before doing almost anything. Crew, sleep, supplies, fuel, water, and time are all things you can always want a little more of.

Just because you can make do with less does not mean you should do so all the time. The day can get a little too long, the weather a little bit worse, and suddenly the cupboard or tank is a little too low and you begin to worry. Being worried leads to being in a hurry and we all know where that goes in a real big hurry. It never just gets down to how much fuel.