Anyone live aboard a sailboat and motor everywhere?

[AKA-None]

Wow this thread just brought me down

[sailorboy1]

It’s blowing NE the next 4 days and I want to go NE. There’s no where to anchorage here and I’m in a $1/ft transient slip and there’s not really anything to do here except go for a walk along the highway or go to the bar. But 50 means les away there’s a nice protected place with a wonderful beach, anchorages, free dinghy docks, $20/night moorings, shops, attractions, more than 1 restaurant, grocery store.

I’m in the ICW about 3 miles from a dangerous entrance to the ocean that I had considered going out at. But that still leaves the wind right on our nose. So that means an overnight crappy tippy tacky trip to go 50 miles on sail, a 50 mile motor outside with the wind on the nose and waves on the beam, or 50 miles of motoring up the ICW just having to aviod 2 shoal spots.

What to do, what to do? I mean it’s going to cost $18 of diesel to just motor over there. Or I could stay here at $41/day and wait till Friday and sail part of way there and only use about $6 in diesel.

Guess it’s whether I what to be a loser at sailing or a happy cruiser. I will need think about it a while.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by AKA-None

Wow this thread just brought me down

Why does it bring you down?

No one is forcing you to use the engine.

If you are a gluten for punishment, have at it.

[Coffeeguy]

I live aboard my sailboat but only motor right now. I wanted to start living aboard now but I own a coffee shop in northern IL. There are no marinas on Lake Michigan that allow year round live aborads. So my only alternative is to rent my slip from a marina on the IL river. Even at $300 a month for slip fees it is still the least expensive way to live in northern IL. I plan on being here for another 10 years before I can leave to go further south. Right now I have the rigging and mast down and am doing the refit but in the water. When I need to do projects that require being on the hard I have the marina lift the boat and put me on my stands. I also want to be able to be able to go out on the river when I want so I motor everywhere. One day I will sail again but right now it is a sailboat that motors. And it is a much better life than living in an apartment or paying a mortgage. The views i wake up too are great.

[a64pilot]

Funny thing is on this Forum, maybe a couple of years ago most would rail against any use of the motor, many would brag about burning less than 10gl of Diesel a year.
But then only a few years ago a 35’ to 40’ mono was considered the perfect size for a cruising couple, now it seems as if it takes at least 50’.
Funny how fast things change.

[Tayana42]

My boat has sails. I like to use them. My boat has an inboard diesel. Sometimes I like to use it. I love the sound of turning off the engine and being at one with the universe. I love being able to motor sail directly (or nearly) toward my destination. I’d guess I motor sail about 30-40 percent of the time. I love my boat. All of it. I love life afloat. Aren’t we lucky to have such wonderful options at our disposal?

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Funny thing is on this Forum, maybe a couple of years ago most would rail against any use of the motor, many would brag about burning less than 10gl of Diesel a year.
But then only a few years ago a 35’ to 40’ mono was considered the perfect size for a cruising couple, now it seems as if it takes at least 50’.
Funny how fast things change.

Things change as we get older and wiser
Camping loses its appeal, comfort levels and load carrying ability become important.
Reality rears its ugly head.

[thomm225]

I'm still thinking the wiser thing to do is to actually sail your boat.

Even though it can be a PITA, it makes you work which is a good thing.

When motoring, especially for those with the standard diesel setup, it's just too easy. There's no work involved or exercise.

When sailing, there's lots of exercise and planning. It's great especially for older folks that don't use their bodies enough.

I only liveaboard when sailing. I don't think I'd ever want to live on a boat at a marina or anchored out unless I was resting up after a hard, long open water crossing and just wanted to sleep and not have to worry about much of anything

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by thomm225

I'm still thinking the wiser thing to do is to actually sail your boat.

Not when you charge by the mile.. if by the day its another matter.. as long as the owners prepared to pay.

Even though it can be a PITA, it makes you work which is a good thing.

Your time will come..

When motoring, especially for those with the standard diesel setup, it's just too easy. There's no work involved or exercise.

We all have choices.. laze around or.. do some maintenance.

When sailing, there's lots of exercise and planning. It's great especially for older folks that don't use their bodies enough.

3 minutes changing tack and setting new course.. sit on a$$ till the next tack.. apart from the odd really active tweak on the jib..

I only liveaboard when sailing. I don't think I'd ever want to live on a boat at a marina or anchored out unless I was resting up after a hard, long open water crossing and just wanted to sleep and not have to worry about much of anything

What's the point of the long open water crossing if your not going to spend some time rowing ashore to explore a new land and culture.. after you've cleaned/washed down the boat after your long crossing.. unless your referring to the Chesapeake in which case stay aboard and sleep.. its just like where you left..

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by thomm225

I'm still thinking the wiser thing to do is to actually sail your boat.

Even though it can be a PITA, it makes you work which is a good thing.

When motoring, especially for those with the standard diesel setup, it's just too easy. There's no work involved or exercise.

When sailing, there's lots of exercise and planning. It's great especially for older folks that don't use their bodies enough.

Funny, when we lived aboard a sailing boat, cruised and actually sailed there was probably less work done on passage* compared to now on a powered vessel.

Sailing boat was sails up, autopilot on and drinks fridge, galley, head only several steps away.
Powered boat is engine on, autopilot on, drinks fridge, galley, head down a full deck level and an engine room check every hour another deck down again.
Powered vessel clearly has more exercise with all those extra steps climbed and meters walked.

* on passage/ cruising sailing is totally different to going for a day sail or racing.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by boatman61

What's the point of the long open water crossing if your not going to spend some time rowing ashore to explore a new land and culture.. after you've cleaned/washed down the boat after your long crossing.. unless your referring to the Chesapeake in which case stay aboard and sleep.. its just like where you left..

Maybe I didn't explain myself very well.

Every place I anchor I row ashore to climb the cliffs, hike, or take a run in hiking boots

Before and after that I fish.

I did the same in North Carolina when I lived there (1976) but on a power boat that I paid $700.00 for.

I used to fish at Cape Lookout back then after reaching it going out Beaufort Inlet or going the inside route..............I had an old 17' boat with a 4 stroke Homelite Bearcat back then

My teenage wife and I actually ended up motoring around Emerald Island one summer day after trying to pickup some friends on the beach. We were inside the breakers and almost got swamped except for her scream as a large wave started to break. We came back inside at Swanboro and got more gas along the way back.

I was stationed at Bogue Field so I kinda knew the ICW along there

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Funny, when we lived aboard a sailing boat, cruised and actually sailed there was probably less work done on passage* compared to now on a powered vessel.

Sailing boat was sails up, autopilot on and drinks fridge, galley, head only several steps away.
Powered boat is engine on, autopilot on, drinks fridge, galley, head down a full deck level and an engine room check every hour another deck down again.
Powered vessel clearly has more exercise with all those extra steps climbed and meters walked.

* on passage/ cruising sailing is totally different to going for a day sail or racing.

I reckon you are thinking long distance boating.

I sail locally usually within 100 miles of my marina from one side of the bay to the other and sometimes a long tack out into the Atlantic on the first leg north (or returning South) which means raising and lowering the mainsail each day, multiple tacks handling the sheets mainly free hand, anchoring without a windlass, putting the kayak overboard to row to shore, then hiking, climbing cliffs, or taking a short 1-2 mile run in hiking boats then returning to the boat rowing the kayak, reloading the 16'6"kayak manually.....also don't forget dealing with the outboard which is mounted on a bracket on the lower stern of my boat (squatting on the aft lazarette to raise, lower, steer, plus fueling)

I believe we should use our bodies as long as we can just as we did when we were age 10-12 years old

I've been told by quite a few that I don't look to cool chasing the dog around the yard etc fighting him over a stick but it's what I did when I was 10-12 years old and it's great exercise without really thinking about it especially for some one over 60..

Btw, I ran 2.5 miles one day last week after doing pullups, pushups and stretching and am just now feeling better but also walked / ran the dog (my sons dog) 2-3 miles each day over the weekend in the weeds beside the newly planted fields

[Pelagic]

Seems to me that the dynamics of being on the water in terms of purpose, weather, boat and destination would dictate the form of propulsion you choose.

If you are a racing sailor, then its obvious that fast, competitive design and equipment means mostly sailing in less comfortable accommodations.

Multihulls can be fast and more accommodating, but seem less attractive to the keen racer so far, ....but I think that is changing?

If you cruise between Seattle and Alaska every summer, then a nice fuel efficient trawler with fishing cockpit makes a great liveaboard.


Since Roller Furling has made sail handling so easy these days, an in-between hybrid mentality of using either power or sail ....or both.... when conditions and destination dictates, makes perfect sense for a cruiser.

Sailing Purists always seem to have that constipated look about them.[emoji4]

[SofiaB]

Great thread. I sail with motor sailors and purists which group I find myself. Love to sail with no agenda. If I find that I have to get somewhere I wish I would have driven with the top down. But I also don’t mind motoring with no wind. The Volvo is quiet and smooth as silk. I’ve heard the clanking types and am jus grateful she is so quiet. First sailboat I never filled her up. Sold he before I had to pull into a gas dock. Much rather tack every 5 minutes than go straight to the target. My destination is the boat and hopefully that won’t change. When traveling with friends who have to get there at a certain time okay but often I’m running with the chute faster than they’re motoring and I go right by the gas dock when they pull in. Love to hear about how others “sail”. To each their own. But, it’s nice to have options.

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Why does it bring you down?



No one is forcing you to use the engine.



If you are a gluten for punishment, have at it.

No, it's the part where apparently so many don't sail at all or very little. I'm a bit surprised.

I race and sail on superior so I guess, by definition, that does make me a glutton for punishment.

I get on my sailboat specifically to sail. And because I'm in no hurry to be anywhere specific at any particular time. And yes that does mean that sometimes I simply just sit there and drift /float. But that's usually just fine by me.