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CaptainPete222 · 10-06-2021, 06:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

Easier calculation.

For the cost of your mods and annual maintenance costs, how much diesel can you buy?

We are 58 feet, mono, 40 tons, 115 HP. I use less than 100 gallons per year and we motor sail upwind a lot.

Another consideration, sails. We replaced our OK main last season with a North 3DI. (North in Antigua). Pointing ability up 4 degrees, speed up 1/2 knot. Fun quotient up a bunch. Can’t wait to replace the jib. We’ve noticed the 3DI on many boats of all types and size.

I will definitely look into better sails. I've done a lot of racing and know how important that is and there's some crazy awesome new design technology I should be looking into. I didn't think of that because my sails are fairly new cruising sails, but that's work exploring. Thanks.

And, yes, you're right about total fuel consumption over a season being relatively minimal. My Yanmars are awesome in terms of efficiency. But motoring around my chubby cat burns more than you're burning. Not much, but I'm fueling up 4-6 times per season and burning at bit more than you're burning.

CaptainPete222 · 16-06-2021, 04:51

[QUOTE=CaptainPete222;3423655]I will definitely look into better sails. I've done a lot of racing and know how important that is and there's some crazy awesome new design technology I should be looking into. I didn't think of that because my sails are fairly new cruising sails, but that's work exploring. Thanks.

Update: I've ordered a set of North 3Di Endurance sails to replace the sails that came with the boat and will post how much of a difference they make when sailing to windward. Hopefully it will be enough of a boost to enable me to switch my chubby-cat-motorsailer back to a chubby-cat-sailboat. :-).

I'm still planning to move my dinghy's 6kWh outboard to a bracket on the transom when sailing to a windward location to give me a little extra boost and convert some/all of the solar power my array generates into added propulsion. For the cost of an engine mount, it seems like a good solution, especially when combined with better sails. Thanks again for your input.

**Adelie** · 16-06-2021, 09:15

Pod motors have the problem that they are always immersed and eventually a bit of water seeps past the seals and the motor shorts out.
Trolling motors don’t spend that much time immersed and in the sun the motor heats up and any water that has seeped in is at least partially pushed back out past the seals.
On large vessels pod motors have a pumped line into the main hull to discharge seepage.

CaptainPete222 · 16-06-2021, 10:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adelie

Pod motors have the problem that they are always immersed and eventually a bit of water seeps past the seals and the motor shorts out.

Great point. The manufacturers don't mention that detail, of course. That's yet another reason to go the route I'm taking; moving the electric outboard from my dinghy to an engine bracket on the cat's transom and using that, along with better sails, to make better progress when I'm sailing to a windward destination. Thanks.