Switch to full time power?

[MaddMatt]

What is the big difference between part time motoring with sails and full time without?

I have no interest in sailing but love the catamaran look, layout, efficiency and handling. If i remove all the sailing bits, can i use a 30-40' cat with a couple of outboard 60hp engines?

Thanks. I appreciate the wealth of knowledge present here!

Matt

[smac999]

The fuel bill.

[Chotu]

Yes. You can do this and have a displacement power cat. However, just leave the diesels. Why would you switch to outboards in this case?

Note: I HAVE an outboard powered cat and I think this is a bad idea. Lol

[Thumbs Up]

Fuel efficiency. Even a larger sailing cat can motor using less than 2 gallons of fuel per hour (and some use as little as 1 gallon perhour) but are not designed to motor at speeds over 8 or 9 knots. Power cats are designed to motor a lot faster. A sailing cat can at times sail much faster than it can motor. Most sailing cats are not going to like having the weight of two 60hp outboards hanging off of the back. They also have hull shapes that don't plane as most power cats will and have hull appendages that are not needed nor desirable on a power boat.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by MaddMatt

What is the big difference between part time motoring with sails and full time without?



I have no interest in sailing but love the catamaran look, layout, efficiency and handling. If i remove all the sailing bits, can i use a 30-40' cat with a couple of outboard 60hp engines?



Thanks. I appreciate the wealth of knowledge present here!



Matt

No need to remove the sailing bits, there are lots of power cats from both companies that made sailing cats first https://www.leopardcatamarans.com/power-catamarans and ones that build power boats https://www.aquilaboats.com/models.

Less power for same speed and way more room compared to a monohull power boat, but won’t plane and for some looks weird. But the master stateroom in front of the salon is huge.

Power boats are for being there; sailing boats are for getting there. If you don’t like the sailing part stick to power; the increased cost of fuel will be largely offset by not paying for sails, mast, rigging, lines and all the rest of the sailing-related bits and bobs.

I wonder whether on powerboat forums do they have vociferous arguments about mono vs. cat!

[MaddMatt]

Thanks for all the replies!

I'm looking for a good "great loop" boat and the masts would be too tall. As the route is limited on speed anyway for chunks at a time, speed isn't the most important although having some to outrun impending weather would be handy.

As for costs, it seems the sails and rigging costs are substantially higher than a couple of small engines and the need to replace eventually also comes into play.

Matt

[S/V Illusion]

If you want to drive rather than sail and speed is a priority, skip the boat completely and buy a Ferrari or a Lamborghini.

As they say, ‘it’s the journey, not the destination...’

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

.

As they say, ‘it’s the journey, not the destination...’

I'm guessing you don't cruise much.

As full time cruisers, 99% of our time on board is about destination and living there in comfort.
1% of the time on the water is the journey.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by MaddMatt

.

As for costs, it seems the sails and rigging costs are substantially higher than a couple of small engines and the need to replace eventually also comes into play.

Matt

Absolutely.
Plus if you can get away from cats and buy a low powered cruiser you will most likely spend considerably less again.

America seems to have an abundance of classic motor cruisers for very little coin and your diesel prices are cheap.

[Tin Tin]

If you plan to do the great loop, diesels would be preferable to outboards. They are more fuel efficient, diesel fuel is safer then gasoline, they provide much better electrical energy for battery charging, they also provide hot water.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

I'm guessing you don't cruise much.

As full time cruisers, 99% of our time on board is about destination and living there in comfort.
1% of the time on the water is the journey.

You guess (monumentally) wrong but your math is interesting - 100% of the time on the water is the journey.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

You guess (monumentally) wrong but your math is interesting - 100% of the time on the water is the journey.

Your definition of journey is interesting
A journey is the very small % of time you actually travel.

noun
an act of travelling from one place to another.
"an eight-hour train journey"

verb
travel somewhere.
"they journeyed south"

We spend near 100% of the time on the water, but 99% of that is at anchor, living but not travelling so not a "journey"

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

I'm guessing you don't cruise much.

As full time cruisers, 99% of our time on board is about destination and living there in comfort.
1% of the time on the water is the journey.

Then get an RV . (and PLEASE know that I am joking with you)

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by MaddMatt

What is the big difference between part time motoring with sails and full time without?

I have no interest in sailing but love the catamaran look, layout, efficiency and handling. If i remove all the sailing bits, can i use a 30-40' cat with a couple of outboard 60hp engines?

Thanks. I appreciate the wealth of knowledge present here!

Matt

I have found that motor sailing with the main, or in some cases with the jib too, the boat is far more stable in heavy chop or seas, points far higher without crashing through waves stopping the boat etc.
But a Cat is somewhat better than a mono without sails.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Your definition of journey is interesting
A journey is the very small % of time you actually travel.


We spend near 100% of the time on the water, but 99% of that is at anchor, living but not travelling so not a "journey"

Being pedantic seems your forté. Bye.