Bluewater boats?

[S/V Illusion]

I guess power cruising has some appeal. If I was a diesel engine mechanic with an unlimited inventory of spare parts, it could work.

If it’s simply to avoid weather while in the cockpit, we might need to review the concept of enclosed cockpits.

In my admittedly biased sailor opinion, it seems there are quite a few members of the “more money than brains” club.

[Open-d]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

I guess power cruising has some appeal. If I was a diesel engine mechanic with an unlimited inventory of spare parts, it could work.

If it’s simply to avoid weather while in the cockpit, we might need to review the concept of enclosed cockpits.

In my admittedly biased sailor opinion, it seems there are quite a few members of the “more money than brains” club.

That's a mirror your looking into, bubba.

[Cheechako]

Well, in a displacement powered boat, I think the main considerations are:
-Ballasted so she doesnt turn turtle
-Fuel tankage to take you 1000-2000 miles.
-built with the ability to be totally watertight cabin space maybe as a plus. Like a lifeboat if you really want to venture into the roaring 40's etc!

There are plenty of strong boats out there, like the fishing and crabbing fleet, but they get rolled sometimes.

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Well, in a displacement powered boat, I think the main considerations are:
-Ballasted so she doesnt turn turtle
-Fuel tankage to take you 1000-2000 miles.
-built with the ability to be totally watertight cabin space maybe as a plus. Like a lifeboat if you really want to venture into the roaring 40's etc!

There are plenty of strong boats out there, like the fishing and crabbing fleet, but they get rolled sometimes.

I saw some crab boats hauled out last summer. Sitting beside a motor yacht of equivalent length, below the water line they are completely different beasts. I guess some of that is hold but I was pretty astonished at just how different the hulls were.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

I saw some crab boats hauled out last summer. Sitting beside a motor yacht of equivalent length, below the water line they are completely different beasts. I guess some of that is hold but I was pretty astonished at just how different the hulls were.

Yeah, especially the big ones for the Bering. My step brother survived a roll over crabbing on the coast of Oregon... smaller boat. All he remembers is seeing/hearing the big prop thrashing under the water and trying to avoid it.. I think 1 or 2 were lost. That was his last commercial fishing...

[Matt Johnson]

Met one of this forum's posters in the Azores after he crossed from Canada on his Kadey-Krogen 42. He's since traveled through the Baltic, back across the Atlantic, and has now gone through the Caribbean (maybe Pacific now too).

I've travelled on a Krogen 42 for a week, and I can say it's a heck of a lot more comfortable than our 37' sailboat in all but bad weather.

https://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/b...adey-krogen-42

Matt

[Marc1]

My choice of bluewater boat is a Diesel Duck 462
Diesel Ducks Home Page

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARSdsxmb6BA

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by Marc1

My choice of bluewater boat is a Diesel Duck 462
Diesel Ducks Home Page

I'd forgotten all about the Ducks. I remember looking at them way back when I was still pondering power or sail. Never did see one in real life.

[NYSail]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Kind of on topic if anyone cares to comment - why would anyone choose a power boat to cross oceans?

To get to the other side.

Greg

[Marc1]

Not to mention that the fuel bill will compete rather well with the sail and assorted paraphernalia replacement bill
Plus .. I get a great sense of satisfaction in contributing to the greening of the planet by adding my share of CO2

[Open-d]

Originally Posted by Marc1

Not to mention that the fuel bill will compete rather well with the sail and assorted paraphernalia replacement bill
Plus .. I get a great sense of satisfaction in contributing to the greening of the planet by adding my share of CO2

A substantial added benefit, to be sure!!

[Open-d]

Originally Posted by Marc1

Not to mention that the fuel bill will compete rather well with the sail and assorted paraphernalia replacement bill
Plus .. I get a great sense of satisfaction in contributing to the greening of the planet by adding my share of CO2

I was following for a while a series of YouTube Vids by an ex-Navy fighter pilot now living in Rochelle, FR. He sailed a sloop around bay of Biscay etc. He said the average cruising sailboat spends about 1/3 of its time sailing, 1/3 of its time motoring and 1/3 of its time motor-sailing. That works out to motoring 2/3 of the time.

Plus the added inconvenience of climbing down into the basement just to escape weather.

Cats have some creature-comfort benefits, but have 2 engines, and still, usually, no inside helm station. Like driving a stick-shift, or carrying a duty weapon on duty, it is fun for about 15 minutes. After that a pain or worse.

[Marc1]

I used to consider sail boats as the ultimate freedom machine. After all wind is free right?
It is not after i found out the cost of sails ropes harness and the rest of the stuff, that I came to realise that motoring is most likely as cheap if not cheaper than sailing, the boats are way more comfortable and I decide when to go and how fast.

And then sailboats have motors and as opposed to real sailboats of old, they "cheat". Even racing boats have monster diesel engines pushing hydraulics to shift stuff around and maximising the power of the wind and pretend to be real sailing boats.

But I am no purist and don't really care. I love motoring boats, the bigger the better and my limit is only my hip pocket. Diesel duck is great ... a trimaran powered by two MAN engines even better.

I would however love to hear from the sailboat owners the real cost of sailing+motoring in order to compare to similar size motoring boat. Just for fun, no contest really, just curious.

[CptCrunchie]

Originally Posted by Cpt Pat

Having two engines doubles your chances of having an engine failure.

Your comment reminds me a Ron White routine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH-LmkLFJg0

[Zzmeyer]

A dealer once told me that if I needed to know the cost of the fuel I couldn't afford the boat. While I don't agree that a powerboat is necessarily more comfortable than a sailboat there is of course nothing wrong (except you will burn in hell) with owning a powerboat. Let's look at a new Beneteau Swift Trawler 35. Base price of $416,700 so out the door so so equipped at $500,000. You cruise 3,000 miles per year at 15 knots you will burn about 3,300 gallons of fuel. Say $13,000 in fuel. Probably not much more than your slip and bottom cleaning fees and certainly a lot less than your depreciation. Of course, if you go 7 knots your fuel cost will be less than half. But then again, at 7 knots you are a sailboat that rolls a lot and is a lot less comfortable.