why we have a trawler and NOT a sailboat

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I am one of the classic stories, I sailed my whole life, built a 14' sloop in my teens, etc. My wife mutinied 10 years ago, after 30 years of sailing with me and we now have a trawler. Love the comfort. My 37 year old son, always says we got dad out of a sailboat only to see him buy the slowest powerboat made...lol.
 
rmorris said:
I am one of the classic stories, I sailed my whole life, built a 14' sloop in my teens, etc. My wife mutinied 10 years ago, after 30 years of sailing with me and we now have a trawler. Love the comfort. My 37 year old son, always says we got dad out of a sailboat only to see him buy the slowest powerboat made...lol.
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Speed would be another of our reasons.
 
Bay Pelican said:
Sailboats have an undisputed advantage in crossing oceans both because of range and seaworthiness.
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Rumor has that, but....

Sure are a lot of them that do have problems and require rescues and a few just never heard from again.
 
BandB said:
Rumor has that, but....

Sure are a lot of them that do have problems and require rescues and a few just never heard from again.
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operator error all to often...the silboats are often found later in fine condition.
 
I have found myself on YW a lot lately looking at sailboats . I would like to move up a little,but a larger trawler that I can afford just doesnt have the look. It probably sounds a little silly but I have to have a look that I like before the comfort .I guess that's easy to say when you have a home that's just 20 minutes from the boat . A sailboat is not what we need here on the river but I sure like looking at those salty ones .With all that said Joy has decided that she will be picking out the next one .:flowers:
 
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BandB said:
Rumor has that, but....

Sure are a lot of them that do have problems and require rescues and a few just never heard from again.
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On our trips to NZ and OZ, I can count on one hand the number of power boats under 50' vs several 100 sailboats every year. Maybe that's why you hear about the sailboats. :)
 
I am gradually making the switch to power from sail for physical reasons. 4 years ago I broke my shoulder blade. Although it healed up well and I have a full range of movement, I find that certain movements are quite painful. My first response was to install electric winches on the sailboat. That helped, but didn't eliminate the problem. In general, I find that I am exhausted by a day underway on the sailboat, but no where near as tired after the same time at the helm of the powerboat. I also find that maintaining the powerboat is physically easier than the sailboat. That is largely due to access issues. Changing the transmission fluid on the sailboat is actually painful since it involves going in under the cockpit head first and working in a very uncomfortable, head down position. The same job on the powerboat is done while seated and takes about 1/4th the time. Lots of other chores are similar. Accommodations on the two boats are similar in size. While the sailboat has two staterooms, the powerboat compensates by having a large upper cabin with lots of windows.

So in my case, the transition is based on physical capabilities as much as anything else. Being in your mid-60s imposes some restrictions on lifestyle, at least for me. I expect to have made the complete transition to power by the time I hit 70, which isn't that far away. For now I have two boats.
 
rmorris said:
I am one of the classic stories, I sailed my whole life, built a 14' sloop in my teens, etc. My wife mutinied 10 years ago, after 30 years of sailing with me and we now have a trawler. Love the comfort. My 37 year old son, always says we got dad out of a sailboat only to see him buy the slowest powerboat made...lol.
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Similar but now my 32 son is learning to love go slow boats we bought some stand up paddle boards for the boat and the kids love them
 
angus99 said:
There is also something "live" about a sailboat; when the breeze and the swells are in sync, the rhythm is downright magical.
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YES! thats what I miss about sailing, no powerboat I know can match that. ...but the advantages of the trawler win out in the end.
 
Larry M said:
Eric: I can tell you have a sense of humor and are just baiting us sailors - and I'll bite. Lena and I crossed the Pacific, sailed to NZ twice, crossed the southern IO, across the Atlantic to South America and ended up on the East Coast. Something we couldn't do in a power boat if for nothing else we couldn't afford one large enough (plus fuel) for the comforts that we had on the sailboat. Your comment about engine, sails and rigging costing more than the boat, not close.

Here's our boat before we went back to the dark side.

presenting s/v Allons'y: a Semi-Custom Slocum 43
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I know this is a super old thread, but I was just thinking about sailboats with a PH design and ran across this.

Larry, is the the kind of boat you and Lena did your big adventure on? I still want a sailboat to take to the Bahamas and Caribbean.
IMG_1483379100.817838.jpg


http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1988/Slocum-43-Pilothouse-2672678/RI/United-States#.WGqQSYZOKEc
 
I still sailing and would love have the money to afford a real motorsailor around 80' or maybe a catamaran 65' with 200 hp then I can have the best of both world... the range and the possibility to cut engines and just go down the wind.
I called the 5K challenge.. from SF to hawaii by sail is around 2.5K and you can sail very easily. From Honolulu to Kodiak is 2.4K and you must use engine. If can get the 7/9 knot a 65' catamaran can get going down from sf to hawaii under sail, going north under any condition and a reserve, you got a real globetrotter...
 
Diesel at $2/gal: Fast planing boat and long trips

At $3/gal, slow running mostly for long trips

At $5/gal, slow running and short trips

At $8/gal, buying a rag hauler.
 
I owned a Cal 20 sailboat when I was a bachelor with a good friend. He had a very strong racing background and taught me a lot. We alsodid a few longer runs, including the coastal races on the bigger sailboats including some Maxis. Back then, I was younger and didn't have the patience for it, and probably did not appreciate the finer points of sailing that are being pointed out. Now that my joints are worn out, we couldn't own a sailboat even if I wanted to try again. Cruising with an engine is the way to go these days.
 
cardude01 said:
I know this is a super old thread, but I was just thinking about sailboats with a PH design and ran across this.

Larry, is the the kind of boat you and Lena did your big adventure on? I still want a sailboat to take to the Bahamas and Caribbean.
View attachment 60099


1988 Slocum 43 Pilothouse Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com
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Yes and no. It was a Slocum 43 but not the pilot house model and we had a Perkins 4-108 not the Ford Lehman. We spent most of time in the tropics so we didn't miss the pilot house. If you do get a sail boat for the Bahamas watch your draft. Fully loaded we bumped bottom at ~ 7'. We did ok till we got the Abacos. :eek:
 
cardude01 said:
I know this is a super old thread, but I was just thinking about sailboats with a PH design and ran across this.

Larry, is the the kind of boat you and Lena did your big adventure on? I still want a sailboat to take to the Bahamas and Caribbean.
View attachment 60099


1988 Slocum 43 Pilothouse Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com
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I didn't know these came out in a PH version. Very nice.

I will gladly pay the price of increased windage for a pilothouse with a view, although I would be in the minority. Most sailers don't seem to want to make that sacrifice.
 
I think that aging process is the reason for going from sailing to power. At younger age, I did not care about small living space - now I want more room and comfort.
 
nodestination said:
I think that aging process is the reason for going from sailing to power. At younger age, I did not care about small living space - now I want more room and comfort.
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I think you are correct.
I began boating as an "adult" in my late 20's. My first boat was a 17' trailer sailer with a porta-potty and not much else. That boat was a blast.
It was my vacation home. I kept it in Newport harbor on a mooring, without heat or real electricity and I loved it!
A winter rated sleeping bag and showers at Seamans Church Institute were all I needed to keep life happy, well into October.
Life was simple and that part of it was fun!
I'm pretty sure I'd balk at the opportunity to spend time that way today...
Bruce
 
Donsan said:
Not familiar with DAF diesel engines. Are they supported in the US?

Haven't you lamented previously about running aground? Well, you will have a ball with a 5 1/2 ft draft.
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Ha! True. I would do some damage with 5 1/2'.

Yeah what's a DAF?
 
Bruce B said:
I think you are correct.

I began boating as an "adult" in my late 20's. My first boat was a 17' trailer sailer with a porta-potty and not much else. That boat was a blast.

It was my vacation home. I kept it in Newport harbor on a mooring, without heat or real electricity and I loved it!

A winter rated sleeping bag and showers at Seamans Church Institute were all I needed to keep life happy, well into October.

Life was simple and that part of it was fun!

I'm pretty sure I'd balk at the opportunity to spend time that way today...

Bruce
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Yeah that's sounds like it would have been a blast at 20 something. Now not so much.
 
Our 28' Shearwater Yawl had quite a pedigree; designed by Phil Bolger, built by Peter Duff, easily towed cross country to cruising water on any of the three coasts. Both wives enjoyed cruising in her.

Now we have an Albin-25; a classic design arguably of equal pedigree; 3 ft shorter, but standing headroom throughout most of her length; no need to get up to reef, ever. Guess which boat current wife prefers?
 
Just saying the things that are usually disliked by power boater about sailboats are often the very details that make the average sea going sail boat far superior as a sea boat. Lower decks small windows ballast and keels sail stabilization deck designs and cockpits better suited to withstanding bigger seas the ability to hove-to no limit on distance between ports better motion in a seaway compared to non stabilized MY. On the hook or at a dock where most MY spend 90+% of their time the MY wins the comfort contest hands down. Since it is my opinion that most older boaters really want a traveling cottage on the water, at this forum the winner, the Trawler or MY
 
A lot has to do with where you will be sailing. If in the higher latitudes, pilot house sailboats are great. If you are planning more tropical climes a center cockpit or aft cockpit works well as you will be outside much of the time anyway and you will catch the cool breeze easier than when it is blocked by a big pilot house. If I were crossing big water I would definitely go with a sail boat. Earlier this year I crossed the Gulf of Mexico with friends in their 47' center cockpit sloop and it was a great ride. We did run the Perkins 4-236 quite a bit, motorsailing to keep moving and make a weather window. The sails kept the ride stable and we burned less than 70 gallons of diesel including generator run time for 800 miles. in 7 days. We kept the beer and ice cream cold, made ice for drinks and ate like kings including fresh Mahi Mahi caught along the way. I doubt if even a Nordhavn would do much better. Yes being able to shut down engines and just sail with the rush of water past the hull the only sound, priceless. Now coastal cruising, hard to beat a trawler.

Kevin
 
tallswede said:
A lot has to do with where you will be sailing. If in the higher latitudes, pilot house sailboats are great. If you are planning more tropical climes a center cockpit or aft cockpit works well as you will be outside much of the time anyway and you will catch the cool breeze easier than when it is blocked by a big pilot house. If I were crossing big water I would definitely go with a sail boat. Earlier this year I crossed the Gulf of Mexico with friends in their 47' center cockpit sloop and it was a great ride. We did run the Perkins 4-236 quite a bit, motorsailing to keep moving and make a weather window. The sails kept the ride stable and we burned less than 70 gallons of diesel including generator run time for 800 miles. in 7 days. We kept the beer and ice cream cold, made ice for drinks and ate like kings including fresh Mahi Mahi caught along the way. I doubt if even a Nordhavn would do much better. Yes being able to shut down engines and just sail with the rush of water past the hull the only sound, priceless. Now coastal cruising, hard to beat a trawler.



Kevin
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Sounds like a fun trip. 7 days from where to where-- Galveston to Key West? I need to go on a trip like that.
 
cardude01 said:
Sounds like a fun trip. 7 days from where to where-- Galveston to Key West? I need to go on a trip like that.
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We went from Isla Mujeres Mexico to Kemah Texas. My friends were coming back from cruising the western Caribbean all the way down to Panama. The boat was a 46' Seamaster Perry design built by Lien Hwa. Very capable boat with a large engine for a sailboat that size and fuel tankage enough to cross even if we had no wind. One of the coolest things about that boat is the aft cockpit in addition to the center cockpit is great for fishing. The boat is now for sale if you look on Little Yacht's site as my friends are now seeing the country via RV.

Kevin
 
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