Sailboat or trawler?

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

$3k, $10k, $25k and up, depending on what boat you have and what you want.

He also forgot about running and standing rigging. $$$$ That does add up

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by bruce v

Oh, and never mind that a good sailor uses wind power the majority of the time.

Really? So a good sailor can make the wind blow and a mild sailor cannot?
GMAFB

60% engine use most of the time regardless. You will still be a motor boat. Sailors are liars.

[a64pilot]

I'll admit to motoring more than I sail when we are going somewhere, now I almost always sail when we are just tooling around the Bay, cause you can afford to go were the wind takes you.
But real world I need to leave X position and go to Y position the wind often is coming from the wrong direction or if correct direction, very little wind. Now if your Retired and can wait til next week when the forecast looks better, then that hopefully will change the motoring / sailing ratio, but for now I have to be back at work, so that means motoring or motorsailing. I rarely motor bare poles.

But I have studied it pretty hard and have come to the conclusion that for the average coastal cruiser, the type that runs up and down the ICW and hops over to the Bahamas etc. a Trawler can be operated for about the same or possibly less money than a sailboat, a Trawler nickel and dimes you to death every time you pull up to the fuel dock, but sailboats want money in big chunks. My upcoming $10,000 chain plate / standing rig replacement for example and the $5K I put into sails last year. But that should do me for at least 10 years.

But if fuel goes up to where it was just a few years ago, with Diesel being what, up to $5 a gl? Well that may change things, but in the near future fuel is supposed to stay cheap


So buy the boat that you will be more comfortable in and that fits the mission as likely neither will be less expensive in the long run.

[Scout 30]

We've had a 30' true displacement hull ballasted trawler for 16 years. With the soft chines she is a roller but very fuel efficient. Over the years we've averaged about a half a gallon per hour overall on the meter with a cruise speed of about 7 knots. We don't normally have a problem with rolling at anchor because our boat points into the wind & the waves typically come from the same direction. However, I will admit that if we're caught with the waves on the beam, for whatever reason, it can be unpleasant enough that we would normally move.

[a64pilot]

For reference if I back off of hull speed by a kt and cruise at 6.5 kts, I burn 1 gallon an hour, probably double that at hull speed, but the noise is obnoxious at that speed.
I have found that it seems sailboats under power, the engine noise is a lot more than it is in a true power boat

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by bruce v

Sorry but the math here doesn't work well. Getting a sailboat with a small diesel inboard runs about .5 ga/hour while a smaller diesel in a trawler will run at least 2 to 3 gph if you run at 75%. .

A trawler doesn't have to run at 75% throttle. In fact if you are willing to run at sailboat speeds, it's more like 25-30% throttle and the ga/hour are pretty close without the costs that go with the giant antenna.

[Dulcesuenos]

So running those diesels at 25% throttle for hundreds of hours is OK for them?

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[reed1v]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

So running those diesels at 25% throttle for hundreds of hours is OK for them?

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Recommended you run at 3/4 throttle under load. But commercial diesels run slow anyways, about 300 rpm. And with all the stuff on board, almost always under some load(generators, prop, winches, etc). Which is why the engine needs to be scaled to the boat.

[SaltyMonkey]

anyone want to have a go at making a comprehensive list of manufacturer/models?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

So running those diesels at 25% throttle for hundreds of hours is OK for them?

Yes.

..

[latka]

Why not consider a motor-sailer. I know, a good one, with a useful,powerfull rig, and a "all-round' hull are hard to find. But I found one and I now prefer it to my once dream boat, the Cape Dory 36.
My motor-sailer is a Benford design, based on the design of a North Sea fishing trawler.
The wheelhouse is so comfortable that I almost regret not having made this move earlier. I admit she needs a good breeze to be a useful sailer but her in NZ that is not really an issue. I am not in a hurry and eventually the wind always makes an appearance.

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Yes.

..

Hum, that is not what we were taught by the Perkins engineer who addressed our club about diesel engine maintenance. But evidently random posters on the internet have more knowledge than the manufacturer.

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by reed1v

Hum, that is not what we were taught by the Perkins engineer who addressed our club about diesel engine maintenance. But evidently random posters on the internet have more knowledge than the manufacturer.

I hardly think Dockhead is some blowhard random poster on the internet. Now about yo...well, never mind.

[phalo]

Bruce V seems to be the only catamaran suggester. I too have been seriously considering moving from sailing cat to power as years creep on as tend to sail mostly in Moreton Bay with an occasional foray to the Whitsundays. I dream of a power cat with a short mast installed, no mainsail, but a low profile genoa for sailing with the wind and maybe off a bit if I can rig some sort of centre board on the windward hull each time. Maybe add a parachute sail?.
Is there a constructive local reason why Chriscook should not consider a power cat maybe 1000 lb weight that could cruise economically at 8 knots and do maybe 15k if required. Heaps of room but might find a trawler cabin design for more space, stable at anchorage, but more cost in marinas.

[leftbrainstuff]

Google james hamilton for some good articles on circumnavigating in a trawler.

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