------ Original Message ------ Received: Sun, 18 Mar 2007 12:16:41 AM EDT From: Philip Eslinger <pslinger@mindspring.com> To: passagemaking-under-power@lists.samurai.com Subject: [PUP] motor sailor > Here is another link from Trawlers and Trawlering about the Motor > Sailor 56: > > http://www.trawlersandtrawlering.com/news/nordhavn56motors.html > > > It is interesting to note that while design projections have the > motor sailor at approximately the same weight as my trawler, it has > only half the amount of fuel and yet has the same range as my boat on > power alone. Hmmm: half the gas and the same range! ___________________________________________________ Brian responded: I just wish these manufacturing folks would stop over-inflating the capabilities of their craft...but I guess its only natural. Here's my opening example to the subject thread I started on another forum: Monohull verses Multihull powersailers / motorsailers I've wanted to bring up a subject that seems to be a trend amoung monohull folks lately. I can only think it has to do with the competition they are feeling from the multihull market. I continue to see these inflated claims as to their particular design's performance capabilities, particularly under sail. Case in point. Have a look at the new PowerSailer from NZ. Can you really believe that a 28 tonne (I would venture to guess heavier by the time its finished) monohull vessel will 'sail' at 18knts??...even with a 110' mast. The vessel is only 66' long and carries a 21' beam. And I imagine it will be very difficult to keep that underwater, retractable Z-drive housing/sea chest volumn free of sea water (lots more weight). And she's carrying around a 13.6 keel and twin rudders. Granted the small print says in a downwind surfing condition, but they advertise the vessel as though a perspective client should readily expect such performance....wishful thinking I believe. I've seen some number of other monohull manufactures claiming some 'very optimistic' speeds for their sailing performance lately....can't recall the specifics at the moment, maybe someone else can fill in the blanks. Now, to get to 'planing speeds' desired of this power sailer she's going to need 800hp....boy, that's not going to be light. Then how do you get the rt-angle gears of a Z-pod unit to stand up to a continuous hp rating of this magnitude?? Plus they're going to have a retractable keel (more weight) to gain entrance into shallow areas. And the vessel is going to be unsinkable?? It seems to me they should just accept the multihull motorsailer planform in the first place, as all of these goals (and their others) are met with this planform. We could accomplish this sort of performance with a 75' mast, two 200hp engines, and a 3.5' draft.....probably cheaper too. ____________________________________________ ...another example, the Nordhaven motorsailer "Hmmm: half the gas and the same range!" I seriously doubt that. In fact I think the weight and windage of that powerboat with a small rig will hamper her sailing abilities so severly, no one will ever sail it. This really goes back to the demise of the motorsailer vessel type..."were necessarily compromised in both their sailing and powering statistics" I believe the Nordhaven project is an attempt to tap into the growing new awareness of the motorsailer concept, but I'm not convinced it is a proper job or design to simple hang some sails on a powerboat As Garry Hoyt said, "....many new horizons that beckon for pursuit, but you have to be willing to venture past charted waters." Brian Eiland beiland@usa.net www.RunningTideYachts.com distinctive expedition yachts