How tough is it really?

[Pblais]

yes we were looking into power cruising over sailing.

Many if not most of the issues are the same. Crossing oceans under power requires a substantially more expensive boat. Coastal cruising within protected areas opens up a lot more options. Boats just under 40 ft seem very doable as we have two neighbors that do travel for months at a time with 37 ft Taiwan trawlers. They could last longer but choose to be on land for most of the year. We also have other friends with large Krogan and Flemming boats that can go much farther in open water. I don't think any of this is really a limitation since there are more than enough destinations to last longer than any very young person could survive.

Living on a boat has it's own set of issues to deal with and the travel part and operation under way parts are different from the on the hook at a dock part. I don't think it takes too much that is special if you are familiar with boating and travel. Family separation and old friends become less frequent events and new friends need to be part of your social focus. Grandchildren seem to be a serious issue that you need to deal with before you take off. How you spend your time when not traveling needs to be filled with something different than what you are used to. You can't be under way every single day. What that might be is open to a lot of variations. There clearly are many ways to do it.

Trying some one week and then two week trips might get you started. We all need to build from some base of experience. You could just cut the lines and take off, but it would be better if you had a good taste of it first. Things you need and want and things you want and don't need take a lot of time to settle out. All the stuff you haul with you has to fit is the only hard and fast rule. It quickly turns out the things you really need take up most of the space.

Its all supposed to be fun - even the hard work you may find along the way. The only personal requirement you need is to never be in a hurry. While boating it leads to many bad things.

If you want to take on the Great Circle Route http://www.greatloop.com
I would suggest you find a way to take longer than anyone else to complete it. Sometimes you don't want the trip to end. Imagine reaching that goal and it gets you thinking right.

[Tellie]

I would suggest you find a way to take longer than anyone else to complete it. Sometimes you don't want the trip to end. Imagine reaching that goal and it gets you thinking right.[/quote]



For me, that's some of the best advice I've read here.

[Sailormann]

Why not?

Personally, if I could afford the fuel, I'd forget the sailboat & go a 70/30 motorsailer & plan the best ports to re-fuel (eg: best price).

As I mentioned in my post, it's a very subjective decision. I base mine on the weather that I saw when in the Navy, and the relative stability of sail vs power boats.

I also don't like the constant drone of an engine, however well-muffled it may be.

There are thousands of people out there that have made different choices, and more "power" to them, (or hulls in the case of those on cats or tris ). Just not my preference that's all.

[exfishnz]

Originally Posted by Sailormann

As I mentioned in my post, it's a very subjective decision. I base mine on the weather that I saw when in the Navy, and the relative stability of sail vs power boats.

I also don't like the constant drone of an engine, however well-muffled it may be.

There are thousands of people out there that have made different choices, and more "power" to them, (or hulls in the case of those on cats or tris ). Just not my preference that's all.

Well then, not sure what type of weather you went through during your time in the US Navy, but as a teenager growing up on fishing boats in NZ, I went through this type of weather: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...o-s-16385.html (re: pic below) oh, btw, 2 weeks back they had winds up to 82kts in my former hometown.

You'll still get the sound of engines on 100' but as you're probably aware, there are several things that can be done to drown out the sound/vibration. Not every motorsailer has to sound like a commercial vessel or warship & in modern installations they generally don't.

Oh yeah, another thing with stability, a motorsailer generally has a mizzen, they're great for using the wind as a stability factor

But like you say, you have your choices & I have mine

[exfishnz]

OK Saliormann, just to be fair about your point of “stability”, a mizzen on a motorsailor is used more for dampening the rolling effect (rather than stability) & generating lift (i.e. sails). However, since you previously mentioned 100', you can have a very poorly designed 100' that would take a large wave on the side & capsize.

The thing with vessel stability is its centre of gravity, buoyancy, righting moment, windage etc. If we talk about modern pleasure trawler design (no small sails used) then you'll notice the excessive freeboard & beam (generally done for marketing purposes[1]), these are not good things for a seaworthy vessel in major sea's. The funny thing is, a beamy vessel may offer less roll when upright, but its harder to self right when rolling upside down

Here's a link to a post that shows a 55' power vessel designed to self right: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...3&postcount=79

Here's a link to a post about a 55' purpose built explorer power vessel that did a 4,500nm leg through the southern ocean: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...9&postcount=85

PS. I'd prefer a mizzen rather than poles on a power vessel, when the wind really picks up, poles can become very dangerous.

[1] your average “joe blow” is gonna walk onto a pleasure trawler at some show & look at how roomy (beamy, large house etc) it is & think to himself “I could live on this” (at anchor, marina etc), they're not gonna ask questions in regards to gravity, buoyancy, righting moment, windage etc.

[Intentional Drifter]

Hi, smdat, and welcome to the forum.

We're now 7 months into our little liveaboard cruising adventure and having a great time. Sure, there really is that "2 per cent of the time of sheer terror" (we had a bit of that a few days ago coming into Beaufort NC when the 10 to 15 knots of wind turned into 30+ and the 2 to 4 foot seas turned into 10 to 12). Actually, it was fine and the boat took it all in stride -- it was just a bit of a surprise to us and we found out what we hadn't properly secured! However, that 2 per cent just helps you appreciate the other 98 that much more.

The whole business of power vs sail: We did sail, but I certainly appreciate the attractiveness of power. We've seen and gotten to know some folks on trawlers and power cats and they have their distinct advantages over sail, mono or multihull. The living spaces are considerably more accommodating and it would be nice not to worry about wind direction (at least not much) and not having enough wind. If you're expecting to stay in the PacNW, then this may be even more of a consideration, since when the sun is out, the wind often isn't, and vice-versa.

I imagine you could pick us some nice bargains in power right now, and even more so in a few months. If you can figure out to keep it in fuel, that is.

You might also want to consider a power cat rather than a trawler. Ones like the PDQ 34 are quite nice boats, yet still relatively economical. A friend has one and can cruise at 14 knots on 3 gallons/hr. That's not that much more than what we burn when motoring at 7 (considering the distance covered). Yet, if he has the need, they can make it scoot right along, too. Lot more windage, though, and make no mistake about it, that is a factor to consider when you're coming into a marina you don't know and the wind is up.

ID