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darylat8750 · 20-12-2013, 08:06

" Maybe what we are really looking at are great differences in wealth."

Could be. On the other hand, missing a corroded terminal and loosing a mast gets expensive also. A dock mate on Isla Mujeres was getting ready to head S. and asked an experienced sailor/engineer to check his rig. after his friend went around the boat with a magnifying glass he wound up replacing all his standing rigging. It was small enough (30ft. boat) that the $ numbers weren't huge but it did put a bit of a dent in his cruising kitty.

**Hudson Force** · 20-12-2013, 09:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by darylat8750

" Maybe what we are really looking at are great differences in wealth."

Could be. On the other hand, missing a corroded terminal and loosing a mast gets expensive also............

Well, I certainly agree with you that overlooking maintenance is costly. Are you suggesting that buying new, large and expensive would save money in the long term because you would not need to be concerned about things like corroded fittings? ..... Are you suggesting that power vessels are less likely to have costly problems when overlooking maintenance? I don't think I understand the, "On the other hand..." comparison.

When comparing sail and power vessels with a concern for costs. The choice between sail and power is dwarfed compared to the choice between smaller and bigger or the choice between new and used.

My choice was a sailboat due to my passion for sailing. My chioce was smaller and older for my economy. I'm all for those with a greater opportunity to buy larger boats with huge sail and rigging costs or huge engine costs, but when it comes to choosing the power boat or the sailboat, I don't think money needs to be the deciding factor. More importantly, the choice should be made by your interest and capability.

jkleins · 20-12-2013, 09:36

There are plenty of examples of people cruising under motor for less or about the same as many cruise under sail power. In the mid-range and up there is probably very little difference and it might even favor the motor in the higher end as Dashew has documented.

The one thing that does seem clear is that it is much harder to cruise at the low end under motor. The boats are more expensive that have the fuel capacity to do long range traveling and are usually bigger to accommodate this. You can cruise cheaply on a small boat under sail though and that is probably why the impression is that long distance cruising is cheaper under sail. The way the average cruiser cruises is probably not cheap so there may be much less difference in cost related to the way your boat is moved through the water and more about other lifestyle choices you make along the way.

Jim

valhalla360 · 20-12-2013, 09:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkleins

There are plenty of examples of people cruising under motor for less or about the same as many cruise under sail power. In the mid-range and up there is probably very little difference and it might even favor the motor in the higher end as Dashew has documented.

The one thing that does seem clear is that it is much harder to cruise at the low end under motor. The boats are more expensive that have the fuel capacity to do long range traveling and are usually bigger to accommodate this. You can cruise cheaply on a small boat under sail though and that is probably why the impression is that long distance cruising is cheaper under sail. The way the average cruiser cruises is probably not cheap so there may be much less difference in cost related to the way your boat is moved through the water and more about other lifestyle choices you make along the way.

Jim

At the low end, I think it is more an issue of people repurposing exisitng boats as opposed to the feasibility of a purpose built power cruiser being less cost effective.

Under 30' power boats tend to be dominated by planing hulls with big fuel thirsty engines (there are some exceptions but they are much rarer).

Sail boats in that size range tend to be dominated by fuel sipping under 25hp engines which force you to go slow and conserve fuel.

Both are typically designed and built for weekending but if you have no money and are looking at old smaller boats, the logical choice is an old sail boat.

That doesn't mean you couldn't design and build a more cost effective power boat in that size range but if no one is buying them new, you won't find any used.

darylat8750 · 20-12-2013, 11:09

I agree that the difference between small and large is THE big factor. I do hope that some one could do a reasonably scientific study on the costs for something in the 35 to 40 foot range. It could be that comparing boats that have particular accommodations might be useful as a trawler type of X length may have the same accommodations as a sail boat of Y length. Perhaps comparing displacement would make more sense for mono hulls?

darylat8750 · 20-12-2013, 11:15

" I don't think I understand the, "On the other hand..." comparison."

I apologize for the poor example. I was just pointing out that sail power is not free. Sort of "you pays me now or pays me later" sort of thing.