I looked into cats, and in the end decided on a Diesel Duck 46-2. After a
bit more thinking and discussions with Bill Kimley of Seahorse decided to
spring for the first 46-2 with a motorsailer rig.

The boat is to hit the water in July or Aug and performace under sail is yet
to be seen, however the hope is that the sail rig will provide both
stabilisation, get home power, and added propulsion. Given a breeze, the
intended running mode is engine ticking over and sails up, however in
no/little wind conditions I can motor along nicely. Best of both worlds? -
we shall see

Robert Straghan
Awaiting DD 462 - "Mo Chuisle"

Have Some Fresh Air Fun This March Break
http://local.live.com/?mkt=en-ca/?v=2&cid=A6D6BDB4586E357F!147

In the event that you are seeking stabilization in windless conditions, I'd
recommend a full-batten main to prevent "slating" and maintain some sail
shape. With a wide mainsheet track, you can add some speed by pulling the
main over to one side and sheeting it hard.

Ron Rogers

----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert STRAGHAN" rstraghan@hotmail.com

|I looked into cats, and in the end decided on a Diesel Duck 46-2. After a
| bit more thinking and discussions with Bill Kimley of Seahorse decided to
| spring for the first 46-2 with a motorsailer rig.
|
| The boat is to hit the water in July or Aug and performace under sail is
yet
| to be seen, however the hope is that the sail rig will provide both
| stabilisation, get home power, and added propulsion.

We Willard owners probably have more trawler-sail
experience than most other trawler brands. The first
production Willard 36 rolled out of Anaheim in 1961.
And Willard has made several motorsailor versions,
mostly in 30-foot models (Larry Zeitlin's Horizon
model is a freqent exemplor for Larry's posts).
Willard even made a 40-foot ketch motorsailor (which
is currently for sale in the Houston area at a very
attractive price). My 1970 Willard 36 came with a
over-sized mast - and a total of 3-1/2 sails: mains'l
(75 sf), blade jib (50 sf), and a roller-mounted twin
heads'l genoa contraption for downwind that I've never
flown. Patrick Gerety recently posted about his
experience with Aloha, a 2003 Willard 40 he had built
with a slightly taller mast just for sails.

My observations:

1. Willards are probably best-case scenarios for
   adding sails to a trawler. They have relatively low
   A/B ratios, long, full keels, and lots of ballast. Not
   unlike old traditional hull forms.

2. Stabilization: so-so. Takes a half-a-hurricane due
   to small sail areas.

3. Get-home: May increase drift, but I haven't seen
   anything that could actually sail in any predictable
   way. Eventually, you'll bump into something, but you'd
   better have plenty of provisions abaord.

4. Range extension: This, in my opinion has merit.
   Larry Z says you need to keep the engine ticking over,
   and I think he's spot-on. I accompanied Patrick for
   1000 miles from Long Beach to La Paz recently. Aloha
   is so damn efficient its hard to tell, but I suspect
   the headsail improved efficiency 20%.

5. Safety. Trawlers are not laid out for sail handling

• usually have to ascend to an upper deck. If the wind
  pipes-up and you need to shorten sail, it could be
  very dangerous. Also means you may have to forego
  stabilization when you need it the most....

I'll be interested to see if the Diesel Ducks exhibit
any usable trawler-sail characteristics
(stabilization, propulsion). I may eat my words, but I
suspect sails will prove, as they have on Willards, an
interesting curiosity, but not a tremendous amout of
practical performance. I am reminded there have been
more than a few chunky sailboats with disappointing
sail abilities despite their pedigree (the Islander
Freeport 41 comes to mind).

Personally, if it's a motorsailor someone wants, I'd
say start from a sail platform and work toward a
trawler rather than a trawler platform and go toward
sail. There has been a recent trend in sailboats to
pilothouse models with excellent tankage. Missing are
the robust engines (lugger, Deere, etc), but there's
probably more selection, the outcome is better, and
resale is more favorable since pilothouse sailboats
fetch a premium in the sailboat market. Motorsailing
trawlers often languish.

Peter
Willard 36

For more information on Willard Motorsailors
(including the W40 Motorsailor currently for sale),
check out the Willard Boat Owners group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WillardBoatOwners/

=======================
Peter Pisciotta
415-902-8439