Who Has Gone From Sailboat to Motor Yacht?

[0urh]

Originally Posted by doocruiser

i have a 34 ft power cat. handles great. its 18 feet wide so very stable on the hook. its powered by 2 x 4 stroke outboards which run on fumes and for docking with 2 engines that far apart you can spin it on a coin, one forward one in reverse

And with sails it will run on no fumes, but still have the outboards when needed. Best of both worlds

[zeehag]

friend of mine captains a my just smaller thanm ega. he has stated that for an afternoon spent motoring only a few moiles out f or partying, that there is 3000 usd of fuelk used. every time.
so.
is spending 3000 usd to go toatl of 10 miles better than spending 50 usd to go 3000 miles???
you do the math, as mine is not convincing me that my is cheaper to run than sailboat...
i have owned 2 power boats , both chris craft, one fg sportsfisher, one a fg over wood cockpit motor yacht
neither was cheaper to run than a sailboat.
what they DO have is huge living spaces......

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by doocruiser

i have a 34 ft power cat. handles great. its 18 feet wide so very stable on the hook. its powered by 2 x 4 stroke outboards which run on fumes and for docking with 2 engines that far apart you can spin it on a coin, one forward one in reverse

doocruise,

What make is she and what size OBs?

[bajatrawler]

Montenido,
We have a single engine, 38' Defever trawler, which we keep in the Sea of Cortez. We cruise at 6-7 knots, burning about 1.5-2 GPH. Most of our cruising friends are sailors that spend 80% of their time motoring. We have a queen size bed aft, large v-berth forward, 2 heads. If you cruise in hot areas, as we do, the flybridge is an asset, although it does add windage. The breeze always is more pronounced 12' above the water. Great place for a sundowner. Although we don't use the upper helm much underway, when anchoring or manuvering, it can't be beat for visability.

However.......
There is only one means of propulsion, unlike a sailing vessel. So, when the engine stops, you are dead in the water. We carry a large sea anchor for this contingency, but have not had to use it in our 10 years in Mexico (knock on wood). It is feasible to get a tow from another vessel or a panga if necessary. I try to keep our Ford Lehman purring. There is a reason they call the engine room the "holy place".

[Capt Phil]

Spent 6 years living aboard our Transpacific 49 ketch and and cruised her from LA to Mazatlan spending about 2 years in the sea of Cortez. We sold her and were traveling north to visit family in Vancouver and ran across a DeFever 54 in Bainbridge Island, bought her and cruised Desolation Sound and the surrounding area for about 8 months then took her down the coast to SanDiego where we lived aboard her for another 7 years. Coming down the coast from Canada, we burned about 4 gal/hr in the DeFever with twin Cat D300's at about 7 knots (going downhill). Don't recall the burn on the Transpacific because when there was wind we always sailed.
As the years ticked by, the power boat was indeed a good move for us as my health deteriorated. Still managed to run our delivery business out of San Diego while living aboard there but someone came along and made us an offer we couldn't turn down.
Now boat less living in rural Nevada but each lifestyle has its pluses and minuses. All in all, as you reach your 60's and 70's, the additional living space and ease of handling in any kind of weather leans me towards power but the many years I spent living aboard our Ingrid 38 then our Transpacific 49 were magical and wouldn't trade the memories for anything. Phil (retired)!

[Cottontop]

Originally Posted by zeehag

friend of mine captains a my just smaller thanm ega. he has stated that for an afternoon spent motoring only a few moiles out f or partying, that there is 3000 usd of fuelk used. every time.
so.
is spending 3000 usd to go toatl of 10 miles better than spending 50 usd to go 3000 miles???
you do the math, as mine is not convincing me that my is cheaper to run than sailboat...
i have owned 2 power boats , both chris craft, one fg sportsfisher, one a fg over wood cockpit motor yacht
neither was cheaper to run than a sailboat.
what they DO have is huge living spaces......

Let's try something a little more apples to apples.

Compare building new, a 50' power cat versus a 50' sailing cat. The power cat to be displacement, cruising at 7-8 knots, same as the sailing cat (on a good day). What is the cost of all the sailing kit, mast, boom, sails, standing rigging, running rigging, winches, chocks, reinforcing, etc.? And consider the sailing cat will motor some, also (some less, some more).

I suspect the sailing kit will pay for the extra diesel used by the power cat, for 50,000 miles of cruising, probably more.

[Enrique100]

Originally Posted by Cottontop

Let's try something a little more apples to apples.

...

I suspect the sailing kit will pay for the extra diesel used by the power cat, for 50,000 miles of cruising, probably more.

See, here's where I'm trying to do some time/cost comparisons too. Around here the water is hard a few months a year. So for half the year, the boat has to come out of the water. As part of that process, it often means taking the rig down, depending on storage location. Meaning, having to put it back up again in spring. Either I would have to do that myself (no) or pay the yard to do it for me. Now add in cost of keeping functional sails, lines, rigging, and the time spent on it all, seems much easier to just take a powerboat out of the water for the winter. The extra costs could buy a lot of diesel.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by montenido

Thanks for the great replies so far. I should add that I have scaled back my plans for crossing the Pacific. Instead, I am going to explore the Sea of Cortez, anchoring at the many islands and coves found there. There is enough to see there to keep me occupied for many years.

I was thinking about either a trawler or motor yacht in the 35-45' range. Used Defevers, Symbols, and Presents all look interesting. As with sailboats, they all have different features, and everything is a compromise.

Keep the comments coming.

Cheers, Bill


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

Trawler seems to become a broad term. There are easily driven ones and bay plows. I guess it depends on your wife's desires and your pocket book.
All sized don't fit all. I might suggest you try chartering a couple to see what meets you all's need. ( think that's the plural ) I think there are companies out in your neck of the woods that have charters available.

[edmundsteele]

We are doing it! We are switching from sail to power - We close the deal in three weeks time. We sold our 53’ ketch in 2009 after we had completed a circumnavigation and then we played with motor-homes both in the USA and Australia. OK, we got it all out of sequence – we were supposed to go sail, motor–yacht, motor-home, rest-home. (However, we would disagree with this sequence, as it was much harder driving a motor-home and “toad” through city rush hour freeway traffic than parking the ketch.) We researched the options and although we like the trawler, we went with a Leopard 47PC power cat to make the First Mate happy after she suffered for 6 years with sea sickness. We purchased a 5 year old charter from Moorings, which means I no longer have to worry about scratching it. The difference between a mono sail and a power cat is huge, since the cat essentially has 3 “decks” without the boom to knock your head off. Two engines provide power back-up if one dies - we never had an engine failure in 36,000 miles of sailing the ketch (also www.omegasails dot com sells emergency propulsion in the form of a traction kite). The ketch had an 85HP Yanmar and would burn 1 GPH at 6.0 knots. If we didn’t motor, we needed to run a diesel generator for 4 to 5 hours per day at 0.5 GPH for battery charging (refrigeration, radar, autopilot, nav lights). By comparison, the power cat has twin 150HP Cummins and allegedly burns 3.26 GPH at 9.1 knots and 15.4 GPH at 18 knots. I tested her at 7 knots on one engine and she tracked fine on auto-pilot. Fuel consumption at this speed is allegedly 1.6 GPH. I feel confident that she is capable both of crossing oceans and motoring on a single engine since she was originally delivered in this manner to the BVI’s from South Africa on her hull.

We will need to add solar panels, water-maker, radar and AIS to her to convert from “charter” boat to “cruising” boat but we believe that we can push her range to 2,000 NM with “portable” fuel storage and that will enable her to get to the Western Pacific. I would like one of Steve Dashew’s FBP motor yachts but they are a little pricey and we need to save up for the rest home.

[tfrank]

I had a C&C 35 and raced and cruised. I sold it and got a 50 year old Biloxi trawler. 50' with a Detroit diesel. It was a great boat and very comfortable. MPG was not much more than our sailboat under power at about 10 knots. However, the motor noise and diesel fumes were disturbing. You had to tack like a sailboat because if the seas were on the beam it rolled so bad things flew off the counters and if the engine quit, for any of a million reasons, you were just stuck. After a couple of years we sold it and now are back with a 35' sailboat again. Sailors again for good.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by tfrank

I had a C&C 35 and raced and cruised. I sold it and got a 50 year old Biloxi trawler. 50' with a Detroit diesel. It was a great boat and very comfortable. MPG was not much more than our sailboat under power at about 10 knots. However, the motor noise and diesel fumes were disturbing. You had to tack like a sailboat because if the seas were on the beam it rolled so bad things flew off the counters and if the engine quit, for any of a million reasons, you were just stuck. After a couple of years we sold it and now are back with a 35' sailboat again. Sailors again for good.

Bet it was a 671?

[Lepke]

In younger days I did lots of sailing, but 67 now. I also handled ships, tugs and large commercial boats over my life. If you've been handling a variety of sailing vessels over the years, you already have the seaman's eye. It's just a matter of being careful with a different boat. Twin screw, especially, is much easier than sail because you can twist, walk sideways and stop much better. Sailboats usually are underpowered because it's not their primary motive power.
The ride is much different. Power rolls more. You don't get the dampening effect of wind on the sails, but you run on an even keel. Some people have stabilizers installed. Then you get a flat ride. Traveling is easier, no tacking, wind direction and speed is only a concern for waves and docking. Since you're running an engine, powered equipment becomes a non-concern. Most power boats use an autopilot. No tedious steering. It's like having another person on the boat.
Fuel, however, is going to be different. You'll have a bigger engine(s). You'll burn more fuel because the hull isn't as efficient as a sail hull. If you want to go fast you'll burn much more fuel. For example, my boat has twin Detroit 671's of about 225 hp. The same engine with a turbo is about 425 hp. I run 8+ gallons an hour @ 10 knots. With the turbo engines I might make 20 knots, but would burn 30 to 50 gallons an hour. Detroit turbo engines need their rings, pistons and sleeves replaced 3 to 4 times more often than my non-turbo engines. Something to think about while you look for your new boat.
You might read about twin screw docking. I doubt you'd need a handling course. Don't be afraid to ask your local boaters their handing techniques.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Lepke

In younger days I did lots of sailing, but 67 now. I also handled ships, tugs and large commercial boats over my life. If you've been handling a variety of sailing vessels over the years, you already have the seaman's eye. It's just a matter of being careful with a different boat. Twin screw, especially, is much easier than sail because you can twist, walk sideways and stop much better. Sailboats usually are underpowered because it's not their primary motive power.
The ride is much different. Power rolls more. You don't get the dampening effect of wind on the sails, but you run on an even keel. Some people have stabilizers installed. Then you get a flat ride. Traveling is easier, no tacking, wind direction and speed is only a concern for waves and docking. Since you're running an engine, powered equipment becomes a non-concern. Most power boats use an autopilot. No tedious steering. It's like having another person on the boat.
Fuel, however, is going to be different. You'll have a bigger engine(s). You'll burn more fuel because the hull isn't as efficient as a sail hull. If you want to go fast you'll burn much more fuel. For example, my boat has twin Detroit 671's of about 225 hp. The same engine with a turbo is about 425 hp. I run 8+ gallons an hour @ 10 knots. With the turbo engines I might make 20 knots, but would burn 30 to 50 gallons an hour. Detroit turbo engines need their rings, pistons and sleeves replaced 3 to 4 times more often than my non-turbo engines. Something to think about while you look for your new boat.
You might read about twin screw docking. I doubt you'd need a handling course. Don't be afraid to ask your local boaters their handing techniques.

Do you have crash boxes on the 671s?

[rassabossa]

My answer won't fit what you're looking for but I technically qualify. I had a WindRider Rave and it was a pain to put the amas on for the hydrofoils. I sold it and bought a boat at a marina a few blocks away. Turn the key, toss the lines.

The downside of course as many have pointed out is $$$. Lots of lots of dollars for fuel. If you got the money, go for it. Just don't think that you'll be a good boy and keep that throttle down to it's most economical speed. It's too tempting and you will absolutely spend more money than expected. The upside is evident...turn the key and go. The most economical way I know to motor is on a sailboat.