Sailboats vs. Powerboats which is better?

[Voltron66]

Sailboats good.

Stinkboats bad.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Voltron66

Sailboats good.

Stinkboats bad.

Pfft...horses for courses, depends on intended use. Running to town in either of my sailboats is rather tedious...skiff, 27 minutes.

[Dooglas]

Originally Posted by Voltron66

Sailboats good. Stinkboats bad.

Most sailboats above the size of a sailing dinghy have an engine. Does that mean that most sailboats are slow stinkboats? Just asking.

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I've come across a number of motorsailors that have removed the rigging and are now are motor boats

Hmmm . . . Guess they did that to increase their value.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by sailpower

Your parameters are 20'-40'!

How do you compare a 20' to a 40'?

You beat me to it.

The answer changes across the range:

- A old 25' full keel sailboat will typically have more interior space than a 25' cuddy cabin power boat. Of course, that is because the power boat is designed to maximize the open back deck area for weekend use. There are a few mini-trawlers that pretty much match the sailboat but they aren't common.
- A 40' full keel sailboat vs a 40' aft cabin power boat....it's not even close which has the more interior space.

Your supposition, needs to really narrow the size and design type down before we can comment on the interior living space.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by hamburking

On the other hand, spend a little time lingering around the service dock where they sell fuel. The sailboats come in and fill up for $50. Its not unusual for a powerboat to put in "just" $1000 worth, you know, for the afternoon.

Unless you are talking 50ft and bigger, it's really not common to burn $1000 worth of fuel for an afternoon.

We used to own a 31' flybridge and typically went thru less than $1000 in fuel every summer season (about $3/gal at the time). We would have been hard pressed to burn $1000 of fuel if we took off at sunrise, ran at normal cruise speed continuously only stopping to fill up until sunset.

And if we filled up our 34' cat with a 25hp outboard, we were closer to $200.

While it is possible, you are wildly exaggerating the typical.

PS: Sails and rigging can run into the thousands and they do have to be replaced periodically.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Preferably with no engine...lowers initial cost...and they are just a maintenance hassle anyway for a liveaboard.

That's what we call a "camp" in south Louisiana. Some, that's exactly what they look like, a tin shack on a barn cypress or plywood deck floating on some 55gal drums. Living on the water doesn't get any cheaper than that. Some are in fact houseboats with dead engines. You can always use a couple of trolling motors or an outboard to push it to the pumpout station when the crap tank is full.



I think most people on a very tight budget will get more bang for the buck with a sailboat in the 25 to 30 foot range. No motor? No problem. You got sails. But hopefully also an outboard. Got $300 in your pocket and feel like going somewhere 700 miles away? You will be glad you got a sailboat. Got a full to bursting checking account and a hankering to travel 50 miles to a good fishing hole or a fireworks show or free concert or crawfish boil but you HAVE to be at work in the morning no matter what? Maybe you are a powerboat guy.



Theres all sorts of sailboats and all sorts of powerboats. They range widely in capabilities and incapabilities. Cheapest boat to maintain would be a small trailer sailer. Most expensive in the modest size range we are probably talking about would be a cabin cruiser type boat with poorly maintained and over used twin engines, diesel or gasoline. Buy that classy old Chris Craft that needs "some work" on the engines, and try to find exactly the right RIGHT HAND TURNING Chevy 350 V8 that will work as a replacement. Sure, there were jillions of 350 V8s made but for cars they turn only one direction... left hand. So find the right motor, pay a bunch of money for it, and save a bundle installing it yourself. Three months later, what happened to the transmission? Engine rear seal, crankshaft bearings? Or pay a mechanic... there goes another three grand. The number one reason for a power boat to be on the market cheap is the engines are toast and the cost of repairs or replacement is more than what the boat is worth with running engines. You can pick up a sailboat that you can take out for an overnight sail in protected water with a reasonable expectation of making it back home, for as little as $2k if you are in the right place at the right time with cash in hand and some friends who know how to look over a boat. You won't find too many well found motorboats that you can trust to bring you home after an overnight or a weekend for less than around $t15k. So at the bottom of the spectrum sailboats IMHO reign supreme no matter what your tastes. As your budget grows toward the 100k mark motorboats start making some good showings. A well loved and well maintained trawler could be just the ticket. Reasonable fuel economy at the price of speed, reasonable comfort, less draft than a comparable sailboat, good resale value. Maybe you want to go fast. Don't mind burning 80GPH to get out in the gulf stream and troll for billfish and get back in by monday morning. Maybe you want to water ski. Maybe you are an instant gratification type person who wants to turn the key, spin the wheel, cast off all lines and go, without worrying about your mizzen staysail halyard or self tacking jib traveler or lazy jacks or preventer or chainplates or turnbuckles or clevis pin rings or even which side is lee and wich side windward and how that transllates into port and starboard or right hand or left, what those pretty little ribbons mean that are sewed onto the sail, why a sheet is a rope, and yuo don't have a clew. You are a motorboat guy. Just please remember to check engine and clutch oil, day tank water, stuff like that, and puh-LEEZE take the power squadron course and learn the Rules of the Road. If you are all about bending the wind to do your bidding, and are fascinated by all the terminology and all the rigging and want to speed along hearing nothing but the swish of water against the hull, you are a sailboat guy.



One thing about most sailboats is they have to be pretty far gone before they are incapable of taking you out on lake or bay in a reasonable degree of safety in moderate conditions. Turning that boat into an ocean crosser might well cost $30k, but no rule says you can't do it a little at a time and enjoy not only doing the upgrade or maintenance, but also gradually get more out of the boat, with more challenging voyages to match your gradually improving skills and knowledge.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

Buy that classy old Chris Craft that needs "some work" on the engines, and try to find exactly the right RIGHT HAND TURNING Chevy 350 V8 that will work as a replacement. Sure, there were jillions of 350 V8s made but for cars they turn only one direction... left hand. So find the right motor, pay a bunch of money for it, and save a bundle installing it yourself. Three months later, what happened to the transmission? Engine rear seal, crankshaft bearings? Or pay a mechanic... there goes another three grand. The number one reason for a power boat to be on the market cheap is the engines are toast and the cost of repairs or replacement is more than what the boat is worth with running engines. You can pick up a sailboat that you can take out for an overnight sail in protected water with a reasonable expectation of making it back home, for as little as $2k if you are in the right place at the right time with cash in hand and some friends who know how to look over a boat. You won't find too many well found motorboats that you can trust to bring you home after an overnight or a weekend for less than around $t15k. So at the bottom of the spectrum sailboats IMHO reign supreme no matter what your tastes. As your budget grows toward the 100k mark motorboats start making some good showings. A well loved and well maintained trawler could be just the ticket. Reasonable fuel economy at the price of speed, reasonable comfort, less draft than a comparable sailboat, good resale value. Maybe you want to go fast. Don't mind burning 80GPH to get out in the gulf stream and troll for billfish and get back in by monday morning. Maybe you want to water ski. Maybe you are an instant gratification type person who wants to turn the key, spin the wheel, cast off all lines and go, without worrying about your mizzen staysail halyard or self tacking jib traveler or lazy jacks or preventer or chainplates or turnbuckles or clevis pin rings or even which side is lee and wich side windward and how that transllates into port and starboard or right hand or left, what those pretty little ribbons mean that are sewed onto the sail, why a sheet is a rope, and yuo don't have a clew. You are a motorboat guy. Just please remember to check engine and clutch oil, day tank water, stuff like that, and puh-LEEZE take the power squadron course and learn the Rules of the Road. If you are all about bending the wind to do your bidding, and are fascinated by all the terminology and all the rigging and want to speed along hearing nothing but the swish of water against the hull, you are a sailboat guy.

I think you are getting pulled into the OP's apples and oranges comparison

If you are going to compare a $2k 25ft sailboat...you need to be looking at 25ft power boats (or at least close)...that means single engine, so getting a right hand turning engine is a non-issue.

As far as needing $100k+ to get a reliable engine...I can find sub-$10k 25 ft cuddy cabin boats all day long (some even down around that $2k mark)...most have perfectly fine low hour engines. The problem is they are 25-30yrs old and look like hell (just like your $2k example will look like hell).

[nrmontalto]

First question always to answer is "how do you plan to use the boat".
fishing, cruising, living aboard, overnights, day trips, sailing for fun, racing? Takes forever to get anywhere on a sail boat even when motoring (at 6 or so knots).

[ShipOfFools]

Originally Posted by nrmontalto

First question always to answer is "how do you plan to use the boat".
fishing, cruising, living aboard, overnights, day trips, sailing for fun, racing? Takes forever to get anywhere on a sail boat even when motoring (at 6 or so knots).

Okay lets say hypothetically...here are the use case requirements....
fishing - slight amount, casual fishing
live aboard - yes part-time
lets say live aboard on a part-time basis for the weekend or lets say i take my boat down to Florida winter it there - sailing im assuming would be more economical than having a truck move it, for months, then sail it back to nyc, live aboard part-time but not full-time
racing- no
day trips - no, weekend minimum
cruising - slight interest
in keeping with my CL slumming it price, gas cost and maintenance would need to be kept at a minimum and so would the mooring or docking cost

[nrmontalto]

This is from a very experienced sailor-friend re sailing in the Intra-Coastal Waterway:
Nick:
Our experience on Whimsey is that "sailing" is limited to some of the large
sounds and bays. Much of the rest is restricted channels where the wind
direction needs to be from a favorable direction. Even then, most of the
sail boats motor sail using their fore-sails -- roller furling Jib or Genoa.
Some of the larger sail boats choose to go outside, coastal sailing, from
inlet to inlet, where they can have room to tack and take advantage of
better sea breezes.
Over all, I'd say "not practical".
George.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

That's what we call a "camp" in south Louisiana. Some, that's exactly what they look like, a tin shack on a barn cypress or plywood deck floating on some 55gal drums. Living on the water doesn't get any cheaper than that. Some are in fact houseboats with dead engines. You can always use a couple of trolling motors or an outboard to push it to the pumpout station when the crap tank is full.



...

Im originally from Natchez, MS and we had a river camp (physical house, all salvage cypress beams...great wood) over in S Louisiana. Have run most of the MS River from Vicksburg south and most associated canals. So, Im very familiar with all the creative house boat camps in Cajun Country...lots of amusing/interesting/creative ones. [emoji41]

I think for folks who are just going to live aboard its a great option. That was my impression of the OPs original question since he was asking about sq ft. Many liveaboards never go anywhere anyway so why bother with engines & sails. A house boat and a skiff, or a Cajun style piroque, [emoji16] would be a good combination. Powered skiff to scoot around in and go fishing. House boat to live on and fish from too. When you want a change of venue, arrange for a tow or tow it with the skiff.

[ShipOfFools]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Im originally from Natchez, MS and we had a river camp (physical house, all salvage cypress beams...great wood) over in S Louisiana. Have run most of the MS River from Vicksburg south and most associated canals. So, Im very familiar with all the creative house boat camps in Cajun Country...lots of amusing/interesting/creative ones. [emoji41]

I think for folks who are just going to live aboard its a great option. That was my impression of the OPs original question since he was asking about sq ft. Many liveaboards never go anywhere anyway so why bother with engines & sails. A house boat and a skiff, or a Cajun style piroque, [emoji16] would be a good combination. Powered skiff to scoot around in and go fishing. House boat to live on and fish from too. When you want a change of venue, arrange for a tow or tow it with the skiff.

sounds like an interesting way to live at least

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by ShipOfFools

sounds like an interesting way to live at least

Yes, I think it would be a great option. My wife had a big ass house boat on the Sacramento Delta when we met. Great place for house boats & fishing, many liveaboards.

[nortonscove]

One is generally better at sailing and the other at motoring. This is the "how long is a piece of string" debate.