Motor Sailing Boat

I'm thinking of buying a motor-sailing boat as it seems the best compromise (you can still make good progress even if the wind dies down), but someone told me its the worst of both worlds, neither an efficient sailing boat, nor a decent motor boat. Anyone know about the advantages and disadvantages of motor-sailers please?
drwe2: what posters? and what does boilling a draft card mean please? I liked your answer but didn't understand all of it......

I see Sir Ahab puts a lot more stock into sailing that just getting from a to b. you gotta get that whale too!

Motor sailors are not a "sail or power" boat but both. while motoring the sails provide a lot of additional power, and therefore less required fuel.

they did this for quite a long time before the invention of the diesel electric powerplant.

the ADDED benfit if you're really cheap is to just sail along slowly when there is plenty of wind and the engine isnt needed.

the downside is unlike power yachts with high freeboards or pilot houses, sailboats must have a weighted keel and a sleek underbody. This means you have less interior space and probably few walls to hang those posters.

Still for us old fahts a motorsailor is a bit like boiling your draftcard and we yearn for those chilly-nights saltwater down your back, wet azz all the time days of yesteryear.

wer

2008-02-24 13:44:36 by annabel m

Falls lake

Canoe!

2010-12-14 09:51:54 by Mystic*Birdy

Price: $26.45

I was thinking of getting a boat I could live on and take from London England to East coast Canada during the summer.

We're not experienced but would gain as much as possible before trying obviously but wondered what the best size boat would be to look into buying and what features would be of benefit... ??? Thanks for any help and thank you to those of you who have answered already *s*

having sailed about 25000 miles in my life here's my thoughts:
30-40 foot is perfect for a couple..its big enough to carry food fuel water needed for a passage, but not so big two people cant handle it....and also proportionally less expensive; a well equipped 50 footer is 2x the price of a 35 foot.......

have a good wind vane self steering system and an electric back up...Monitor/Aries and an Autohelm

for Canada , a radar and know how to use it.fog, you know......

don't put ANYTHING on the boat....including engine, radar, refrigeration, radio that you cant fix yourself or do without.

Sail whatever boat you get as many times as possible FIRST.short day trips weekends bank holidays week at a time. Gain as much experience handling the boat....and also just in living aboard before you set out. Open ocean sailing is actually less nerve wracking than coastal cruising with fog, rocks and other ships and boats around!

Here's a point about your suggested trip....the prevailing winds and the Gulf Stream run FROM Canada to the UK...a direct trip from Cornwall to Halifax is about 2800 miles; tacking upwind adds 50%; a 35 footer will sail at about 4 knots average so you're looking at 45 days......and the Gulf Stream will set you back 25-50 miles a day so it will be a LONG trip...

since about 1500 sailors have found, especially in summer, it's shorter ( in time) to go south out of England down towards the Azores to about 20 degrees Latitude; then west with the Trade Winds to the Caribbean Islands then north up between Bermuda and the US and then into New England and Canada than to try to go due west from Ol Blighty.....

if you only have summers, how about doing it in two parts....one year to the Caribbean, leave the boat in the British Virgin Islands or Antigua, then the next year head up to Maine and Nova Scotia in June.....18 days from St Thomas to Maine........

2007-01-10 11:41:30 by misscanada247

Price: $32.45 $30.72

Volvo has a complete line of diesel engines, I like Perkins myself. Yanmar has several models to choose from. Even John Deere has a line of marine engines but I don't know the smallest.

2008-07-17 00:53:05 by Kristy C

Should I buy a motor boat or a sail boat?. Is it very difficult to learn to sail, there is a sailing club in the West Coast of Scotland who give 2 day and 5 day courses.
Everyone says take sailing lessons first to see if I like it but I know I will enjoy sailing I dive so i'm not afraid of the sea and if I buy the boat it will give me the incentive to get the sailing lessons.
Can anyone guide me in the right direction please.

I don't agree that it's difficult to learn how to sail. You don't need classes, you can learn hands-on.

If you are thinking about buying a used boat, then you should have the boat professionally examined to make sure it's in good condition or better. We call those people "Boat Surveyors" in the States.

Motor boats go fast, which can be loads of fun, are generally noisey and expensive to operate from a fuel cost perspective. Sailboats require more yearly maintenance, but are cheaper to operate since you don't need a motor except for maneuvering into and out of the marina. So fuel costs are much lower. As an example: I was out on a local bay all day, and cash outlay was zero. A friend was out on the water all day in his twin V8 motor boat and it cost him $250 US in fuel charges.

I am biased towards sail boats. But sailing is not hard to learn. As long as you buy a boat in good condition, and take it slowly, you should have many years of enjoyment.

Sailboats are more stable in the water than motor boats - meaning they don't undulate as much, which may be a factor if you are prone to seasickness. As an example, almost every time I have been on a smallish motorboat, in moderate wave seas, I have gotten sea sick, but I have never been seasick on a sailboat (yet) in similar seas.

2006-12-14 13:51:08 by st.abbs