Hello Dennis, Well, you certainly didn't pull any punches there (: smile. I would really like to invite you to place that same observation on this new subject thread at BoatDesign.net and see what responces you get: Displacement Glider, PowerKeel, etc. <http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=12512> As a long time advocate for the multihull form adapted to improving the monohull motorsailer, I might agree with some of your observations. But I am also interested in anything that promotes the motorsailer theme, including new ideas with the monohull form. I wrote,"I like this concept of a marriage between the PowerKeel hull concept and Paine's Steadysailer design. It certainly offers the 'sailing alternative' to Dashew's FPB concept. And I think we will see more of these long-range passagemaker ideas evolve as the new world order of fuel prices become reality" _________________________________________________________ ------ Original Message ------ Received: Fri, 07 Jul 2006 07:51:48 AM EDT From: Dennis OConnor <ad4hk2004@yahoo.com> To: passagemaking-under-power@lists.samurai.com Subject: [PUP] SteadySailer58 > Let me be the group curmudgeon here... It looks to me like he has the worst of all worlds in this design... > > First it is a monohull with a less than 6:1 fineness ratio so 11 knots is just about it, downhill with the engine screaming and a 30 foot following sea curling over the transom... > It has hard chines which makes it quick to rebound roll, and rebound roll, and rebound roll, so he needs both a keel and sail to dampen the motion... > He has the engine shoehorned down in a narrow keel box which has to make maintenance just loads of fun... > He has the initial out of pocket expense and complications of installing and maintaining a large sail rigging while at the same time he has the initial out of pocket expense and complications of installing and maintaining a powerboat engine, wherebye he gets to continuously manage the sails whilst simultaneously burning diesel... > Not to mention the, "wonderful forward visibility", which consists of a 15 degree arc dead forward that is a wonderful view of the aft side of the mast... > In spite of of 831 sq. ft. of sail and a keel stuffed with a cast iron engine, he has to resort to drogue stabilizers to keep from hurling his lunch over the gunnel... > If I were a cynical person I might say I can see why he refused to do the drawings himself and have his name on it... But since I am not, I won't... > There is an old guideline I try to follow in life, to whit: Just because you can do something does not mean you should... > > OK less sarcastically, all boats are compromises... This one has more than most.. > > denny > > > --------------------------------- > Sneak preview the all-new Yahoo.com. It's not radically different. Just radically better. > _______________________________________________ > Passagemaking-Under-Power Mailing List > Brian Eiland beiland@usa.net www.RunningTideYachts.com distinctive expedition yachts