If No Engine ... Why All The Fuss About "Proper", BIG Electric Motor?

[model 10]

Originally Posted by daletournier

100% agree. For me its not the journey its the destination. My boat is my home that gets me places. Sure, on the nice sailing days it's great, but honestly after several hours quite often if I could teleport me and freeform to the next port I probably would.
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You won't be crossing any oceans, in real time anyway but there is a lot of coast line

[daletournier]

Didn't say I don't do it, but its not the highlight of cruising for me. Just did 700nm in one hop followed by another 500nm, I have to do it to get the places I want to see. Currently anchored in paradise of the Mentawai islands west Sumatra.

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[Monkeyfist]

Daysailing a smaller boat with no engine is one thing, but its nuts to even consider cruising a boat of any size without an engine. I also have never really understood sailors who claim to hate engines. Maybe they also "hate" cops ... until they need one. All real cruisers are jacks of many trades - part carpenter, plumber, electrician, navigator, etc. Whats the big deal about adding engine mechanic to the list?

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by Monkeyfist

Daysailing a smaller boat with no engine is one thing, but its nuts to even consider cruising a boat of any size without an engine. I also have never really understood sailors who claim to hate engines. Maybe they also "hate" cops ... until they need one. All real cruisers are jacks of many trades - part carpenter, plumber, electrician, navigator, etc. Whats the big deal about adding engine mechanic to the list?

I'm actually a qualified motor mechanic, haven't worked in the trade for 20 years. I often reflect upon the stress less mechanical minded cruisers must have. I find it stressful even with some skills. I'm literally anchored right now waiting for yanmar filter housing to be shipped from Australia. A cruising sailboat makes you much a more capable human , because you have to be.

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[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Monkeyfist

its nuts to even consider cruising a boat of any size without an engine.

Hmm, of course I appreciate the help of a good engine now and then, but nuts if you don't have one? I can't agree with that. A person who chooses that is someone who likely is confident in their boat, their sailing ability, their ability to pick their weather, and they are not in a hurry. Often they are highly skilled sailors. If you see one, you'd be wise to go ask him or her just how they do it... and what you learn will probably come in handy some time even if you have a great, brand new engine. I have a friend who had a Cal 40 he used to singlehand without an engine. He is really skilled and very humble, and he is great to sail with, nothing phases him and he can solve almost any problem (including with diesel engines.) Sure he laments the times when he had to wait a day or two for the wind. But we are on the sea in a boat for God's sake. Certainly we ALL have to accept the terms of that arrangement to varying degrees? And I speak as someone who does need to keep to SOME form of a schedule most of the time, so I DO rely on my engine too!

[Monkeyfist]

Sorry, but im standing by "nuts". While its entirely possible to sail a boat engineless, and ive also known many folks who have done it, the cons overwhelmingly outweigh the pros. Say youre exhausted or hurt and drifting onto a reef or lee shore and theres no wind and your wife and kids are terrified and looking to you to save the day... youre going to be very thankful for that smelly gross iron jenny. Just one example.
I have a background that also includes a lot of mechanical with trucks, heavy equipment and of course my own cars and boats. And yes, engines and associated stuff can be a major pain - and major drain on the wallet. Still, basic maintenance is not that hard to learn.
The most famous engineless sailors may be Lin and Larry. They are excellent sailors of course, and know how to handle pretty much anything nature throws at them. That said, i have heard more than once about them requesting - and getting tows into and out of various places. Funny how that never got mentioned in their "go simple, go now" books.
a final comment. Years ago i got invited for a ride on the splendid bright-finished 12-meter Newsboy, which used to parked in Newport Harbor. One of owner Jack Bailee's favorite stories was rescuing a couple of Hobie catters on a trip to Catalina - he heard them yelling and was able to get them aboard, cold and hungry but otherwise okay. "We never would have heard them if we had an engjne running," he said. In fact, i remember him telling me that Newsboy (built as Easterner) had never had an engine. When Jack had her there was a small piano installed in the general area of where the engine would have been.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Monkeyfist

Daysailing a smaller boat with no engine is one thing, but its nuts to even consider cruising a boat of any size without an engine.

James Baldwin cruised most of the way around the world engineless.

Atom Voyages - Atom's Second Circumnavigation - Part One

From the link above:

For years I had been continuously repairing Atom's cranky antique four-cylinder gasoline inboard motor, using it only when entering ports and in some coastal motorsailing. It had been such a uncooperative beast that I decided to remove it entirely and sail engine-free. My main motivation, however, was that I now felt ready to tackle this sport on a more fundamental level. I imagined an experience aboard Atom alone at sea in some ways not unlike Thoreau's elemental sojourn at his cottage on Waldon Pond

[daletournier]

There's places you just don't go without an engine. I suppose it just comes down to what your goal is. People cruise for different reasons.

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[monstads]

Originally Posted by thomm225

not unlike Thoreau's elemental sojourn at his cottage on Waldon Pond

off topic, but I live not far from Walden pond, and apparently the real story is that the cabin only being a couple of miles from Concord center, Thoreau was known to walk in to party it up, and would crash at friends houses fairly often whenever he got bored. Kinda like firing up a trusty diesel to break the monotony and solitude of sitting around with no wind..

[sailorboy1]

No, we are talking sailing and I consider tricky tacky to be having to tack back and forth.

Consider doubling up on the chill pills

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by monstads

off topic, but I live not far from Walden pond, and apparently the real story is that the cabin only being a couple of miles from Concord center, Thoreau was known to walk in to party it up, and would crash at friends houses fairly often whenever he got bored. Kinda like firing up a trusty diesel to break the monotony and solitude of sitting around with no wind..

I'm just pointing out that it can be done.......sailing/cruising without an engine like James Baldwin of Atom Voyages did.

But after racing/sailing BeachCats for many years without an engine to include many 30-100 mile races, it is a pain waiting for a breeze. Sometimes waiting over night.

I do remember a breeze coming up at 1am though while racing down the narrows between Pensacola and Ft Walton Beach trying to finish the 100 mile RTI Race in 2001. It was a welcome except for the fact we had trouble seeing the obstacles/channel markers in the dark at 15 knots plus

I like a small auxiliary engine and have a 5hp on my Bristol 27.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

No, we are talking sailing and I consider tricky tacky to be having to tack back and forth.

Consider doubling up on the chill pills

OH! TRICKY tacky! but wait... your moniker is sailorboy! No chill pills for me mates, the answer is steroids and oars!!

[sailorboy1]

[QUOTE=Don C L;2141666 No chill pills for me mates, the answer is steroids and oars!![/QUOTE]

that would be engine-less

[SURV69]

I don't have numbers to back me up, but I'd be ALMOST willing to bet that the "engine", is the number one source of stress and problems(and repair costs) with sailboats.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by SURV69

I don't have numbers to back me up, but I'd be ALMOST willing to bet that the "engine", is the number one source of stress and problems(and repair costs) with sailboats.

Well, I wouldn't bet the farm on that! For instance, my engine has now outlasted three sets of working sails, and is still going strong (touching wood behind my back). A full set of sails for my boat runs around 15-20 thousand bucks, depending on quality, etc. Add some light air sails and the number goes up a lot more. I can replace the engine for less than the cost of one of those sets of sails. Figger it out!

And for sailors who do any sort of serious cruising, as opposed to day sailing, the stress and problems of NOT having an engine easily match, and usually surpass the stresses of having one. Been there,done that!

Jim