Info on new yacht

[vigilant]

Good morning all

Life takes strange twists and turns, none stranger than me having been gifted this beautiful 14 meter steel hull yacht named Crusader.
The first problem i have is identifying it, all i know is it was built in Durban South Africa in the late 70's or early 80's by a company named samson engineering.
She has no engine but hull recently welded and patched and painted, 2 sets of sails and rigging in functional condition.
The goal is to bring it up to spec and SAIL her everywhere.
Looking forward to hearing any comments suggestions you might have, thanks kindly.
David

[PortClydeMe]

Originally Posted by vigilant

Good morning all

Life takes strange twists and turns, none stranger than me having been gifted this beautiful 14 meter steel hull yacht named Crusader.
The first problem i have is identifying it, all i know is it was built in Durban South Africa in the late 70's or early 80's by a company named samson engineering.
She has no engine but hull recently welded and patched and painted, 2 sets of sails and rigging in functional condition.
The goal is to bring it up to spec and SAIL her everywhere.
Looking forward to hearing any comments suggestions you might have, thanks kindly.
David

No important comments, other than "cool sword". If you get tired of Crusader, you can rename her Excalibur ... or Katana if you plan to sail around Nihon for awhile.

Have fun.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, vigilant.

[vigilant]

I thank you both
I hadn't considered name changes because to be honest Crusader is a GREAT name!
Keeping the sword concept is nice, i'll play with ideas.
Going to Nippon is an even nicer idea, GPS recalculating.

[Fore and Aft]

What sort of engine are you going to fit? Are there any good deals on Craigslist?
How about a couple of interior shots?
Cheers

[vigilant]

Interior shots i will send through, just need to upload to an image hosting site.
As for engine she has none, i'm looking to go electric but i have much to learn. She's a big boat so maybe i'm limited. Diesels break and the tank runs empty, 2 easy ways to have a really bad day. Theoretically if electricity runs out all you have to do is wait a while.
Rather have a small diesel genny for the batteries, harvesting solar wind and diesel for power. More reliable long term? It's a question worth asking.

[MartinR]

Originally Posted by vigilant

More reliable long term? It's a question worth asking.

The answer is simple - NO. There are few things more reliable than diesel engines. Mine have given me very little trouble over the years.

If you are rich, maybe electric would work, but range would be very limited.

What was the original engine in the boat?

[vigilant]

Original was probably a diesel, must be a reason it was taken out.
Rich is a bit relative imho, solar and battery have been getting a lot cheaper in the last few years, delivering a lot more than previously for the same price.
Saildrive is a bit beyond my means, but the concept is sound i believe?

[MartinR]

Originally Posted by vigilant

Original was probably a diesel, must be a reason it was taken out.
Rich is a bit relative imho, solar and battery have been getting a lot cheaper in the last few years, delivering a lot more than previously for the same price.
Saildrive is a bit beyond my means, but the concept is sound i believe?

You will need copious amounts of solar and batteries if you want to get any range. A used diesel engine is cheap, and if you already have the tanks and the bed and hopefully the prop, it is not a big deal to install.

You will still want batteries and solar, for consumers.

[Ianau]

She may be based on an Alan Payne design.


Do you have a pic of the stern?

[vigilant]

More pics will be incoming this weekend

So the consensus here is diesel wins because reliability and range. What kind of range are we talking? There's a diesel tank on board, 80L i believe. How many hours / miles does that get you? (yes i know it varies but there must be an average?)

Thanks for the Alan Payne suggestion, it does appear to be a hybrid of sorts though, i'm going to the original port club to ask for info (Durban - Royal Natal).

[Fore and Aft]

These guys have the answer for you.
https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/f...1000rpm.48615/
Cheers

[MartinR]

Originally Posted by vigilant

More pics will be incoming this weekend

So the consensus here is diesel wins because reliability and range. What kind of range are we talking? There's a diesel tank on board, 80L i believe. How many hours / miles does that get you? (yes i know it varies but there must be an average?)

Depends on the speed, but I guess about 100 (+/- 50) miles at 6 knots. But there are many variables. This is a small fuel tank.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by vigilant

More pics will be incoming this weekend

So the consensus here is diesel wins because reliability and range. What kind of range are we talking? There's a diesel tank on board, 80L i believe. How many hours / miles does that get you? (yes i know it varies but there must be an average?)

Thanks for the Alan Payne suggestion, it does appear to be a hybrid of sorts though, i'm going to the original port club to ask for info (Durban - Royal Natal).

Depends on the size of engine but I would say maybe 3L/hr in mild sea's so around 24hrs or 120nm more or less..

[vigilant]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

These guys have the answer for you.
https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/f...1000rpm.48615/
Cheers

Great answer thanks!

"maybe 3L/hr in mild sea's so around 24hrs or 120nm more or less."
"100 (+/- 50) miles at 6 knots"

That seems reasonable.
Batteries would be a completely different equation, i guess it depends on how you use powered sail.