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Old 11-12-2008, 06:22   #17
Southern Star
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Belleville, Ontario, Canada; Playa Zaragoza, Isla de Margarita
Boat: 1994 Solaris Sunstream 40 'Estrella del Sur'
Posts: 1,014
Christian, virtually no modern sailboat is powered with an auxilliary that is only sufficient to maneuver the boat in harbour in calm conditions. Indeed, if the ability to proceed under motor in rough conditions is the sole point of distinction for motorsailers, then most modern sailboats are motorsailers.

I think that Bob Perry's point is that we are getting into largely semantical differences in the context of modern yachts - since there are small trawlers with very small diesels and sailboats with very large ones, then the principle distinguishing feature is an inside steering station. There are motorsailers that are oriented more towards cruising under power than sail and others that are oriented more towards sail than power. As a result, as Bob says, in attempting a definition "the line can be blurred in so many ways."

Brad
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