Considering Crossing Over to the "Dark Side"

[a64pilot]

I come from powerboats.
Maintenance can be several times more expensive depending on engines. Modern four stroke outboards are really tough to beat.
There will be no money savings, unless you can put it on a trailer.
Big expense on a trailerable Boat is having a tow vehicle, I had a four door long bed 1ton truck, but if you have a good enough tow vehicle, that really opens up your cruising range as of course in a couple of hours say on the Fri after work You can drive a couple of hundred miles and be in a completely different state.
And then in truth if you have some where you can stay, (Motel) you don’t need a Boat big enough to live on. Our last boat was a smaller 21’ CC that we dove off of, single engine 175 HP four stroke.
However even with as small a Boat as that an average weekend of diving would put us through a couple of hundred dollars of fuel. A bigger boat with twin 300’s would easily have doubled that fuel bill.

So yes, a go fast Boat will of course cover more ground than a sailboat, but if you can go to a trailerable Boat, your cruising range is indeed phenomenal, and your Marina bill is zip, and if really bad weather is coming, if you store your boat in dry storage, you put it on a trailer and evacuate, lot to be said for a trailerable Boat.

[Greg Mason]

I prefer the term changing from an 'about the journey' boater to an 'about the destination' boater. When we sailed out of Bora Bora sailing was the only way to get there on our budget. Unfortunately for me, a Christopher Reeves injury made it unsafe to be on a sail boat, or any boat for a number of years of rehab, and we said goodbye to our Pedrick Cheoy Lee 41 offshore. Last summer we started looking for something stable and had a list of wants and needs. Wants was twin diesels, needs was galley up. We ended up with a Carver 370, twin Cummins 315 turbos, and all the extras to make life comfortable. Enclosed command bridge takes away most of the engine noise and has a great view of everything around. It will cruise, plane, reject any tide planning notions, and allow us to plan an arrival time with some accuracy. I always consider myself a sailor, it was my life for the majority of my boating life. There are a ton of choices out there, whether you choose displacement over planing, express over sedan, stern drive over shafts, stay on the water any way you can. It adds time to your life.

[Blaine]

If you do decide to join us on the dark side here are three things I strongly suggest; first, do not buy a boat with stern drives unless it will be kept on a trailer. The cost of maintaining stern drives kept in the water full time is onerous at best. Next, spend the money for diesels. The benefits are dramatically improved range (think triple or more for the same cost), better handling in close quarters (more torque/larger props), less maintenance (and more reliable), and finally, safer. Yes, I know some people may argue that last point, but I'm alive today as proof.

You didn't mention your budget but as already mentioned, a semi-displacement hull (or "fast trawler") will give you speed to reach your destination and a leisurely and economical cruise speed for sightseeing when you get there.

A final suggestion is to buy quality. You will be rewarded should you decide to sell and go back to sail.

Good luck!

[Mithril Bham]

When, at 13, we moved to Cornet Bay, inside Deception Pass, in the early 60's I discovered boats. One of the most beautiful places in the world especially during the summer. Lots of seafood during the 60's.

My dad wanted nothing to do with boats being a carrier pilot. There were no sailboats in the Cornet Bay Marina. The local boys could only afford small boats with outboards. Soon I discovered sailing a 19' cedar lightning around the San Juans and fell in love with sailing.

Later, in the charter business, I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time on both sail and power.

Both are great. Today in Bellingham the water is like glass as it is throughout the San Juans. You want power unless you prefer powering in a sailboat.

There is something great about sailing that doesn't come with power and fuel does cost.

[Sailorbob8599]

Maybe you shud consider rent, or charter a powerboat to see if you really want to change over before committing to purchase a powerboat or sell your current vessel.

[CSY Man]

I went to the dark side.
Miss my sailboat, but can’t take 3 week trips any more.
Had a Glacier Bay 2770 for 18 months, ok boat but not my cup of tea, also sloppy build and p... poor factory support. (Purchased new)
Sold it recently and bought a used Albin 28TE. Almost a pocket Trawler, 2 double bunks, big cockpit and single diesel.
Cruise at 17 knots, 11 gallons per hour. Bahamas in 3 hours. $70 for fuel each way.
True, boring journeys until you get there. Constant drone of the motor, but good to get home before dark.
Pros and cons with everything but sailing rocks,
If I was single.....

[4arch]

Many thanks for everyone’s thoughts. Certainly much wisdom and food for thought in everyone’s replies. Luckily we’re not going to rush into this decision. If we decide to move forward, we probably wouldn’t list our sailboat until spring and won’t consider buying anything until it sells.

The suggestion to change locations is a good one and we are looking into that. The suggestion to charter is also a good one that we’ll explore for next year.

One of our goals is to reduce costs and some of the suggestions here (35 foot boats, fast trawlers, inboard diesels) certainly won’t do that.

A boat that we could stay aboard is probably a no-go as we like anchoring and gunkholing. There are some destinations with hotels on the Chesapeake but it would preclude several places. I’m not sure it would be cheaper either. If we had unlimited funds we’d probably buy a small outboard cuddy in addition to the sailboat.

[Colin A]

Originally Posted by 4arch

Many thanks for everyone’s thoughts. Certainly much wisdom and food for thought in everyone’s replies. Luckily we’re not going to rush into this decision. If we decide to move forward, we probably wouldn’t list our sailboat until spring and won’t consider buying anything until it sells.

The suggestion to change locations is a good one and we are looking into that. The suggestion to charter is also a good one that we’ll explore for next year.

One of our goals is to reduce costs and some of the suggestions here (35 foot boats, fast trawlers, inboard diesels) certainly won’t do that.

A boat that we could stay aboard is probably a no-go as we like anchoring and gunkholing. There are some destinations with hotels on the Chesapeake but it would preclude several places. I’m not sure it would be cheaper either. If we had unlimited funds we’d probably buy a small outboard cuddy in addition to the sailboat.

Gas engines likely make sense for short cruises the up charge to diesels is huge. That said I really have found the twin IO boats tend to be maintenance intensive in salt water as they age. They have gotten better over the years but some boats in the 15 year range are going to have issues with the sterndrives. Not many out boards with a mid cabin but there are a few out there. Inboards in this size range tend to be older.

Something like a Tiara with Gas engines is a solid boat but high resale and not the roomiest cabin for kids
2000 Tiara 3100 Open Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

A boat like this Stamas gets you twin 4 stroke outboards and a midcabin they made one right around 30 as I recall to if you can find one.
2006 Stamas 340 Express Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

On the sterndrive thing. I was a yacht insurance adjuster for a while. The amount of sterndrives that I saw sink due to poor maintenance was staggering. This added to a bias I already had from being a tech fighting corroded gimbals and failed bellows.

Stern drive do work just be aware on a 15 year old boat you will most likely need to drop 2-4k right away on delayed maintenance on the drives and transom assemblies.

[Scout 30]

I recommend a Downeaster or Lobster Boat design with a single diesel. Typically slower cruise speeds at 15 to 20 knots but more efficient, sea worthy & comfortable. Plus they look great!

[Drew13440]

If the issue at hand is time and distance there's no question in my mind what I would do, move the boat. You ought to be able to get a monthly transient rate from most marinas on the Bay. I would spend a month in Deale, Solomons, Reedville, etc. There's a month of worthwhile 25 mile jaunts from all of these places.


Problem solved.

[CascadeThumper]

Unlike some, I am a powerboater who would love to learn to sail some day. Home: San Juan Is, WA State. Beautiful scenery right out of the marina w/ fab destinations close by. Ideal power = 30-40 ft max 48 ft. About 24 kt max means I can leisure troll at 9 kt or step out (often to get ahead of weather) at 20. Tidal currents, routinely 4kt + make sailboats into powerboats and winds goofy around islands. Even so, there are lots of sail boats and I would love to learn, someday. I own a 34 Tollycraft, twin Cummings 5.9, small enough to use the small fisherman's marinas and big enough to Cautiously explore the outside coast. Flybridge adds spaciousness but also increases sail area making docking interesting in wind/current joy, hence twins, even bow/stern thrusters +. My average fuel burn over a long trip = 1.95 statute mpg. Identical to my neighbors 37 Nordic Tug. Over a year or 2, fuel $ will be the least of your expenses. Toys are a big one. 5 mo fuel summertime cruising SE AK = $5K plus or minus. I could remove flybridge a truck the boat most anywhere for whatever reason. IMHO perfect mechanicals are a must. Cosmetics can be addressed over time. I have probably wandered outside the parameters of this thread. Oh well, more coffee. If you have not, come see the San Juans/Gulf Is. Maybe charter something similar to what you are anticipating purchasing. I enjoy this forum even though I own a "stinkpot". Love to do the Great Loop someday.

[NewMoon]

Originally Posted by CascadeThumper

My average fuel burn over a long trip = 1.95 statute mpg. Identical to my neighbors 37 Nordic Tug. ....... 5 mo fuel summertime cruising SE AK = $5K plus or minus.

Wow, your friend must run his 37 NT well above hull speed. I traveled 4,400 NM in BC and SE Alaska this summer, at 7-8 knots most of the time. Used 1,158 gallons, avg 3.8 nmpg.

[hsi88]

Cruises at up to 20 knots (can do 30 MPH), can take it almost anywhere, easy setup, no slip fees and sails fairly well. As I didn't take it out much, I would rent a truck when I wanted to use it. I have since bought a $3000 Ford Expedition that was in great condition. I will be putting it into a slip next year for convenience, but always have the option to pull and tow. If I want to go to Bahamas, I could tow it to Florida. If I wanted to sail the Bay of Fundy, I could tow it to Nova Scotia. In both cases, the boat was made to sit on flat ground while the tide is out. Just another option to think about.

[Wayfarer1008]

Your dilemma is a common one, and not easy on to fill. There are a lot of cruising grounds that are best suited for a powerboat/Express cruiser such as the great loop and southwestern lakes that are best cruise with a power craft and even better for something that can live on a trailer. Depending upon what size of boat you are looking at their are lots of choices that will fit your needs. If you are looking to be efficient and keep fuel and operational cost down the new generation of power Cats is a good way to go. The Glacier Bay Cats are a prime example of it and may fit your needs.

[Pizzazz]

I believe both sail and motor boats are great and if you are tired of one, there is nothing wrong to try the other one for a while. The costs are similar but typically sailboats get used more in my marina. I think it is the psychological barrier that everytime you get on a motor boat you need to spend $200-300 on fuel. However, the total cost of ownership is similar. A sailboat has less useable space inside relative to an Express cruiser of similar size but you get a much more useable deck that kids love.

In general, kids find sailing boring (their minds are too fast for the slow pace of sailing while motoring, once you get past the initial excitement of the speed, is also boring since there is nothing to do but steer the boat). So, if you are considering the switch in order to make it more exciting for the kids, I do not think it would work well. I am more of the journey person and the destination does not matter much. So, I sail. Sometimes we will leave the marina, go to Santa Barbara island, circle it then come back. Altogether, around 100 nm, with no place to stop. Others prefer to go to the islands and spend a few days there. A power boat would be better suited to get to the islands quick (2h vs. 6h) and you will be less dependent on the weather. Hope that helps make up your mind.