My wife and I have been discussing this question for a while now. I think it ultimately depends on what you want out of your cruising, and where you want to go. For us, we are wanting a boat to go voyaging in; something that can take us across oceans to distant lands. We ended up with 3 boat categories; Power boats (Troller/Trawler inspired), Sailing monohulls, and Sailing Cats. For that criteria, here are the major pros/cons for what matters to us: Power Boat Pros: 1) Excellent living space: Most Power boats have large living spaces with big windows to see out of when you reach your destination. They typically have huge power systems also, to power all the creature comforts of home. 2) Consistent Passage Speed: While it's true that if you want to cross an ocean in a power boat you're going to be going at speeds equivalent to a sailboat; in a power boat you'll be able to do those speeds more consistently. Just set your engine RPM for whatever cruising speed you desire and, barring any major weather issues, that's the speed you're going to go for the entire passage. This makes time estimates for passages much easier to calculate. To me, this is the biggest advantage to a powerboat. 3) Go when you want: Sailing requires wind, which means you have to leave for a passage before the winds stop blowing, or change directions. In a power boat, there is no such thing as getting becalmed in the ocean, you just get a smoother ride. Power Boat Cons: 1) Higher initial purchase price: There are definitely not a lot of manufactures out there that are making passage-making capable power boats, and the ones that do are generally very luxurious. Nordhavn, Kadey Krogen, and Diesel Ducks are a few of the limited brands that make these boats; generally speaking, a boat from one of these brands is going to be at least $300k-$400k for their smaller models. That's not to say you can't find cheaper boats though; you can get 80's era Krogen 42's in the mid $100ks, though these aren't that desirable to me. Another option is to convert an old wooden fishing troller; these makes exceptionally seaworthy boats, but can be a lot of work to convert and maintain as well. 2) Long Term Fuel Availability/Cost: One of the biggest drawbacks to me for a power boat is that long term fuel availability and cost is uncertain. While fuel costs today may be acceptable and within budget, in a few years the cost could double or triple, who knows. Monohull Pros: 1) Cheapest initial price: Depending on the boat of course, but there are TONS of ocean capable monohull sailboats out there for pretty much any budget. 2) High quality interior: Most of the monohulls we're looking at have wonderful solid wood joinery work inside, which makes the boat seem more like home to us. Monohull Cons: 1) You have to sail!: While this might be a plus for some people, not everyone enjoys sailing. Not only is it a good bit of physical effort, but you also have to get used to living at an angle while underway. (for the record, I do enjoy sailing) 2) Living in a cave: Except for maybe a deck saloon style boat, most sailboat's living space is located down in the hull, which can be a bit like living in a cave. Catamaran Pros: 1) Excellent living space: Probably every bit as good as the powerboat, with loads of space and big windows to look out. 2) Potentially faster: Cats can sail faster than monohulls, but are definitely weight sensitive. You're also still wind dependent, so passage time consistency isn't going to be as good as a powerboat. Catamaran Cons: 1) Cheap interior: All the cats we've looked at appear to be assembled in Ikea, but perhaps some people like that look. Also, since cats are weight sensitive, there is very little solid wood on the interiors. 2) Nearly as expensive as a powerboat: Cats are definitely more expensive than monohulls, or at least the ones we've looked at. This is especially true if you want a performance cruising cat with daggerboards instead of keels. 3) You still have to Sail: Though you don't have to live heeled over all the time. Some general thoughts for things we talked about and ultimately decided didn't matter to us, or were a wash: 1) Redundancy for a powerboat: Nearly every commercial fishing boat, and cargo ship operating today only has 1 engine, and they rarely have problems. As long as you have good clean fuel, then engine troubles are very rare. However, some power boats do have redundant systems; Nordhavn's have small secondary engines and Diesel Ducks often have downwind sail plans. 2) Long term operating cost: For us, this seems to be a wash, at least if you have to replace sails and rigging. The cost of sails and rigging for a moderately large sailboat will cover the fuel costs in a power boat for a very long time (at current prices). If you find a good deal on a sailboat with new sails and rigging, then you'd be ahead. Fuel costs aren't as high as some people believe them to be. An ocean passage making power boat in the 40-50' range is only going to burn about 2-3 gallons/hour at passage making speeds (6-7 knots). These are full displacement boats, not large twin engine motoryachts that can go 20+ knots. 3) Motion comfort: Sailboats are steadied by sails (when the wind is blowing), power boats can be steadied by paravanes or active fin stabilizers. The Gyro stabilizers you mention are definitely not in any boat that we could afford to get haha. So I think the boats will be equally comfortable on average during a passage. We go round and round on what is the best boat for us; for a long time we wanted a powerboat, but right now we're leaning towards a monohull sailboat. Mostly because we can get a much higher quality boat for the money over what a cat or powerboat would cost, and we really don't like the uncertainty of future fuel cost. Again, all of this applies just to our situation. Anyway, this turned in to a MUCH longer post than I intended, so thanks for reading if you made it this far!
Wow thanks for the detailed comment! You make some excellent points here that I hope other folks read. We'd be curious to here what you finally end up with. Sounds like you're doing you're research and trying to look at this from every angle. Great job!
@Blinkerfluid02, You forgot Trimarans. *grins* LOL I was confused before as well, me and my wife are looking into getting a monohull sailboat, we looked at Trimarans with folding amas which fit in a regular monohull slip for a while but they cost quite a lot even when used and doesn't have the same space down below as a regular monohull it seems which is kinda strange to me, right now I am trying to find a 39-42 foot monohull with a pilot house so that in bad and cold weather I can steer from the inside in the heat rather than sitting outside steering in the cold it isn't easy and if I had the money I would go for something like the Rapido or Dragonfly Trimarans as they have some good space but can also travel very well on light winds and very fast on strong winds. *nods* Please let us know what you decided to get and why that one over all the others. *nods and smiles*
@@jandradventures I was scrolling through your video list and remembered I'd commented on this one. We did end up going with a monohull in the end (Island Packet 420). We chartered a couple catamarans in the past few years and decided we enjoyed monohulls a bit more. We're going to perform a big refit on our boat this spring/summer and then should be out living on it full time, so maybe we'll see you out there.
@@SleeplessCDN Yep, you discovered why we discounted trimarans early on.. They sail amazingly well (as fast or faster than a cat, but can still point like a monohull), but their interior volume and load carrying capacity is extremely limited. Ultimately we just didn't think they'd be nice to live on full time. We ended up with an Island Packet that we found in need of a refit and some TLC for a good price. We wanted a relatively shallow draft boat with a molded in keel that had great tankage and an easy to handle and versatile sail plan. Our boat is cutter rigged, draws 5', has 250 gallons of water, and 160 fuel. It's a full keel boat, so no need to worry about keel bolts when we eventually run aground, and the full keel should help her look after us if the weather turns less than pleasant on a long passage. All boats are compromises, but this one ticked a lot of boxes for us; we'll see if we still feel the same way after living on her for a while haha.
You get on a powerboat to go somewhere else. When you board a sailboat you are already there. You've probably heard that all boats are compromises, right? That stretches over to comparing power vs. sail: It depends what you want to do. For instance, sailboats with their masts and deeper draft aren't ideal vessels for doing something like the Great Loop. If you want to circumnavigate the planet (or the Caribbean), a sailboat is the way to go. If you want to go have fun in the Bahamas for a couple of months almost anything will do! I envision my future cruising taking place in segments and on different types of boats. For instance I'd love to see more of the interior of the U.S. and combine that with my passion for boating, so I think it would be really cool to get a trailerable Ranger Tug and use it as an RV sometimes and be able to cast off into the river systems or on big lakes too. I'd also love to take a few years and slowly explore all corners of the Caribbean. I'd like to do that on a sailing cat for it's stability, space, and liveaboard friendliness. From past cruising I've come to think of the sailing catamaran as a great compromise for the types of cruising most of us do. That is to say it sails well some of the time, motors well some of the time, has great accommodation since 90% or more of time is spent at anchor, and is a great platform to explore from.
Yup everything is a compromise. I really like that way of summing up sailing cats, and it describes why they're suitable for what we want to get out of it.
The pros and cons are not the only considerations and the distinctions are rather more blurred than you may imagine. We sailed for many years encompassing Europe, the Mediterranean and Crossing the Atlantic. In the end we had to give up our sailboat due to age and inability to safely work the deck in bad weather. Our choice of power boat was a large sports cruiser with a very low center of gravity and engines (6 liter diesel turbo's) that by today's standards are not oversized. We can still make 20 kts but at 7-8 kts we only consume 4 Gph, which is acceptable. Any reasonable sized yacht will probably burn over 1 Gph and struggle to make that speed particularly into wind and wave action. When going for a power boat it is important that one carries lots of spare parts and it is essential one is able to do one's own maintenance and repairs. In practice a power boat will likely have a range of around 1000 miles and the engines will have a very long life if properly maintained. A sailboat has an infrastructure that is very expensive to maintain and replace and in our opinion a power boat is probably less expensive in the long haul depending how far one travells. Power cats are crazy, if one engine fails one will be going round in circles so two engines are actually less reliable than one in that case. Our main limitation as we see it in our power boat is sea state as we would not like to pound into very heavy sea particularly if it is short. The space and amenities on our power boat far exceed those of most yachts and at this time a good quality power boat can be bought for a lot less than a good comparable yacht due to perceptions. There are many older (1990's - 2000) vintage power boats with low engine hours and equipment that has seen very limited service.
Hi J&R. I have done both throughout my life, and enjoyed both equally for different reasons (speed and flexibility in power boats, quiet and distance in sailboats, etc.) As I age (just turned 61,) it is power all the way. I now have a 1992 50' yacht that I am restoring over time (mostly exterior cosmetic. The cooling system needed cleaning out too.) I stay on top of my twin 510 diesels and I have never had any serious issues at sea with these engines, as I do all of the maintenance on a schedule, use the best parts and don't skimp on costs, and make sure I use clean fuel (or additives.) Twin diesel engines are the way to go, as I can definitely make it back to the marina if one were to crap out (redundancy.) Living wise, the yacht has a large main stateroom, a 2 berth guest stateroom, a crew cabin (one berth) and a pull out couch in the salon. It has 2 heated showers, an aft shower unheated, and 3 heads, will sleep 8 comfortably, and has sun pads on the huge foredeck and flybridge deck. There is no way to get all of this on an equal sized sailboat. It cost around $1,800 to fill the tanks (2,000L/540 gals.,) but that might last me 8 months as I mainly use it for island hopping, diving, snorkeling, local cruising, and I try to keep my cruise speed to between 8-12 knots. If I wanted to circumnavigate, I would only consider a sailboat, but my experience with older sailboats is that in the end, they cost a lot more to maintain, mainly because of the rigging, and poor quality replacement parts used over time.
@@naakatube At 10 knots I consume around 40L/hr, or 10g/hr. The boat (a Riva) is rated at 173L/hr. at full open, which is around 45g/hr, but cruising speed is supposed to be around 24 knots at around 80L/hr or 21 g/hr. I usually stay between 10-15 knots (she planes at around 13 knots) and then open up for a few minutes every few hours. I am now building a 50' catamaran to retire onto so I can circumnavigate.
I have a Leopard 47 and a Sea Ray 415 Aft Cabin. 1. Fuel. Catamaran. If the wind is right, the Catamaran is super efficient even when doing a bit of motor sailing. The Sea Ray burns fuel always. 2. Ability to deal with weather. Catamaran wins hands down. 3. Stability at anchor. Catamaran. 4. Maintenance. Same. I have 2 yanmars in the Catamaran and 2 Cats in the Powerboat. Sure, the filters are a little larger and there is more oil. But that is minor. 5. Heat. One thing I didn't realize about powerboats is how the engines heat up the entire boat, unless you have outboards, etc. When making a crossing to the Bahamas on the powerboat, we simply have to run the generator and air conditioning. It is just very hot from the big Caterpillars. 6. Ride comfort. Mostly catamaran. Sometimes powerboat. 7. Draft. The Sea Ray draws less than 3 feet and the Catamaran 4.5. But if the Catamaran bumps ground it is the keels. If the Sea Ray bumps ground it is the propellers. That wouldn't be good. 8. Bridges. Powerboat. Our Sea Ray is a fly bridge, so there are bridges we have to wait for, but we can't even go to Miami on the intracoastal with the Catamaran because the mast is 72'. Same with the Florida keys. The powerboat can go in and out of nearly all the bridges, but there is only one place in the entire keys that the catamaran can cross over. 9. Upfront Cost. Powerboat.
I was talking with crew from a superyacht and one of the guys said he used to crew on a very large sailboat (like 160'). On ocean crossings the crew would motor because they didn't want to deal with the sails. But when the captain woke up he wanted to sail and the sails would all go up. I laughed pretty hard because I totally agree with the captain. If the water is choppy a sailboat will greatly smooth it out.
That's a big sailboat! Thanks for sharing. Seems like others in the comments section agree too that sail is better than power for dealing with choppy seas.
I am potentially going to be a chef on a med cruising sail yacht....what should I expect in comparison to the M/Y I have worked on previous.....will it be way more difficult for me to work in the S/Y
I had a uniflite 40 ft. with two 3208 engins. 350 gallons fuel capacity. @ 8 kts it used 4 gallons per hour. When I had it fueled @ Marina was over $3.50 per gallon. =$14\hr. Playing around on weekends no problem but fuel on few long trips cost a lot. I also towed a 20ft fishing boat with few problems. The boat was very comfortable even in large chop. My next boat will be sailboat. I do not have the $ for fuel I once had. If you have people to share fuel cost you are lucky. No one chipped in for me.
For me as person who gets bored when idle, and gets motion sick easily, I find that sailing gives me something to do particularly on the first three days when reading is a fast track to emptying my stomach. I also liked your comment the sense of achievement... Steering is something the autopilot can do, but choosing and setting the sails is something that requires human input. There is something very cool about looking down and seeing 10 knots on the GPS, when you had to work hard to achieve it.
Somewhat apples and oranges. A sailboat can do either sailing or motoring, or both at the same time with motorsailing. It's sort of the best of both worlds, although maybe less of an ideal powerboat. Real world sailing cruisers seem to do more motoring than one might otherwise assume. With a pure powerboat you can't sail, so you're burning fuel all the time, but perhaps making more steady progress. Sailboat fuel tanks are smaller, but they also don't need to motor as much. The fuel costs on a powerboat probably grow steeply exponentially with ship size. Sailing's a lot quieter and more peaceful. IMO, if arguably slower. (However, as you note, hull speed in displacement hull powerboats and displacement hull sailboats of similar sizes may be similar, relative to hull types. Fast powerboats plane (or foil), but most cruisers probably don't do that for long distances due to the fuel costs, if not the pounding of the hull on waves (mostly for planing, not foiling). Sailboats can also plane or foil, but displacement hulls are a lot more common.) Which brings another part of the equation: how quickly do you want to get somewhere? And a related question: if you're cruising for fun, what's the big hurry? :) OTOH being able to run away from a storm can be useful. OTOOH, with modern weather information you can probably avoid, wait out in port, or route around storms in a sailboat (or powerboat). In addition to pure gyroscopes, some boats use computer/gyroscope/accelerometer controlled underwater wings to dampen out waves. Here's one article mentioning some different technologies: www.powerandmotoryacht.com/refit-and-upgrade/everything-you-ever-wanted-know-about-marine-stabilizers Solar electric boats are going to be slower than sailboats, so sort of a non-starter today. Also a lot more costly. On the other hand, like a slow powerboat, they may be relatively steady in speed, at least when it's sunny. They can also be hybrids with a combustion engine generator to burn fuel to run the drive motor. Agree with the nature/green aspects of sailing. It's a lot more in tune with the world, IMO. Powerboats seem a lot more like fighting against nature. And it's pretty clear we don't need to be burning more fossil fuels.
Nice comment! Thanks. Those powerboat wings look expensive. It's interesting how different of a mindset it is. At that point the boat is basically a floating robot with a brain in to do the piloting and steady out the seas. That adds another degree of separation from the person to nature. In a weird way it reminds of people who like to go on hikes but wear fancy clothes and don't want to get their shoes dirty. I'm more the type to run around off the hiking trail and get mud and sticks all over me. To each their own, I guess.
Nice comment apart from the last phrase. Fossil fuels are a MUST at this point for it is the most mature technology we have, it lifts millions of people out of poverty every year and its highly doubtful that the impact on the environment is that serious that the governments wants us to believe it is!
Sailboat or powerboat? It all depends where your head is at. Is it about the journey or the destination? Do you want to fly jets or biplanes? You only need money for a powerboat but you have to have heart to sail.
I grew up sailing, and had a 38ft monohull sailboat for many years. I sold it when I had kids and got a 40ft powerboat. Had the powerboat for 4 years and sold it. Hated it. Absolutely hated it. It was a great boat, with lots of amenities, etc. but it just wasn't for me. Now I'm building a multihull as it is a great compromise between the two. Significantly faster than the monohull under sail and power. Very shoal draft which allows access to places even the powerboat couldn't go. Still a sailboat, and a high performance one at that, which feeds my needs to pull lines and adjust sails. In my case, the multihull is demountable, and trailerable, not easily, but at the beginning or end of the season or to haul out to avoid a storm, completely doable. No more inboard engines! I had an engine failure and replacement on the sailboat and numerous maintenance issues on the powerboat. No more. If I have problems with the relatively small outboard that will serve as an auxiliary on the new multihull, I can simply remove it for service or replace the damned thing. If I can offer any advice to potential boat owners it's this. Avoid systems. Water systems, HVAC systems, engines, refrigeration, generators, etc. They all break down. They need constant attention. Go with the absolute simplest boat you can. You will spend less time screwing around with systems and more time boating. And you will spend less money as well.
The solar boat sounds like a cool idea, but a lighting strike might leave you dead in the water. At least if you had a sail you could still move with dead batteries.
Nice summary. What regards the topic I think there must be a reason professionals (navy, merchant marine, commercial fishing etc.) all switched to power about a century ago. OTOH there is something to sailing that I love, the experience of moving almost in silence and controlling the equilibrium between wind and water is very rewarding. Unfortunately for me I get sea sick easily so I am limited to lakes etc.
One thing that I don't think is mentioned is that power boating is possible in more places, because for a sailboat you typically have to be on the ocean or a large lake, whereas powerboats can go in rivers. The rivers and canals in my local area are very popular with powerboats. Also power boating is a more thrilling ride, if you have a fast boat that is. Though to be fair some motorboats like pontoons can be slower.
Maybe the most important aspect (at least for some people) is being left out. It is the time aspect. If u use the boat only few days a week or only on weekends or maybe u do use it few weeks at a time but have to cruise according to a schedule to be able to see all the places u want within the time u have or if u r mostly a live-aboard but still have to be back on land once a week to work in office or to catch a flight or if u r tied to time for other reasons, then u will not be able to make the most of having sails.
Hi Guys, one thing a motor boat has over a sailing yacht is you don't send more time getting to where you want to go ,which in tune Cost less in FOOD . But I have a yacht and I love to sail. I would trust a sailer over a power boat person any day.
ah yeah interesting point. So with motor you have more of a "guaranteed" passage duration since you're less weather dependent. And because of that you can provision more efficiently. and yes, lol we've definitely heard the stereotypes of the different kinds of boat owners. We don't have enough experience with power owners, but the sailing community we've encountered so far has been amazing.
I had both. Sailiing is great when your family allows, it is more slow and its difficult to plan where you arrive. The Powerboat allows you to go wherever you want, and the kids love it. I would say, sailing wins if you are going over the oceans or are really dedicated to sailing. Or are concerned about the fuel cost. In all other aspect (comfort, access, fun), the powerboat wins.
Original Artworkks interesting post. I'm buying a 34 mtr power boat /trawler yacht (actually a fishing trawler stripped and converted to a luxury yacht) which I am converting to a pure electric power boat. The system we have is a unit that we use here in projects here in Africa and is magneto driven. We usually use a 5mw unit to supply power for a town or big mining site but will be using a 1 MW unit with two electric motors producing 550 plus HP. Unlimited range, silent, no heat, clean. Only little issue is the furl tanks are no longer going to part of balast so maybe huge fresh water reserve 😉
Great video! One thing I don't see mentioned in the comments or video is the cost of parts and difficulty of doing maintenance. Sailboats (esp monohulls) generally have parts fit into much tighter spaces, so the parts are often more expensive and definitely a lot harder to work on. By parts I mean gennies, hvac, refrigeration, sink plumbing, and other expensive items. If you're doing your own work, then it's a lot of cursing and scraped knuckles; if you're paying someone, then it's more expensive. Or, at least, I have heard this and am curious to know if others have heard or experienced the same?
Here, we can fix your current dilemma. Do like I'm gonna do, buy a Nordhavn 56 MS(Motorsailer). It's a long range trawler/sailboat that has the best of both worlds. Do some research on this boat and maybe look into other more economical types of boats like it.
Richard Getz electric motoring isn’t greener in relation to conventional ICEs! That's a myth. It might be green LOCALLY but not globally! Why? Batteries are using fossil fuels in advance to be produced. The mining that is involved to accumulate the needed minerals like lithium, cobalt, etc is 100% dependent on fossil fuel burning while the inefficiency of battery output and operational parameters means that you'll need lots of years of using that method of propulsion to even break even on the pollution you initially caused by producing these systems. Recycling of these batteries pose another grave environmental hazard. The same goes for Solar panels and the toxic materials they use in them. The "Green" agenda is pushed by professionals to be subsidised by their friends in the governments. It's a very efficient money grabbing scheme for them.
+C_R_O_M__________ LOL nothing is ever 100% green. What did it take to manufacture the boat? The engines? However solar sailing would be as close to green as you can get motoring.
Hi Jess & Ryan, guys im 58 and i wan to buy a sailboat. I live beside the fiord so i will like to do daysailing and maybe som weekends during the season (norway). Regarding size: will be enough a 25 ft? ( i have a new motorboat too). Thanks for any help.
Hey jess and ryan , I read all the comments below and you seem to be sail boaters. Your answers favor sail boats even the the spirit of your answers favor sail boats Go for it. I' m 62 yr old and I favor power cats myself.
Hey thanks, yeah, we lean towards the sailboats because we want to cross oceans and do it for as cheap as possible. That being said who knows, maybe we'll get a power boat in the future when we want to stay closer to home
Sailboats are heavier so its more stable. Sailboat only has two or three components. Rudder, sails, sometimes a centerboard. The sails are just set and trimmed to keep wind or let loose to slow down. All steering is done with the rudder. Centerboard is down against the wind (keeps the boat straight). Am I right? Maybe Im too lazy though...I worry about storms also and anchoring.
The biggest conflicts between the 2 for me are fuel and docking fees. Also; The mb can get where you need to go fast without having to rig anything but uses a lot of fuel. The sailboat is cheaper for fuel but you need tack but you can also sleep onboard and there is a lot of space. But the sb has a bigger draft and is bigger so you cant get into all the beautiful channels like with a mb. Mb is easier to launch...so many intricate variables.
I think the silent yachts are going to be a great thing, great for the environment, great for travelling and distance that your capable of traveling however the price is unattainable for most right now, but when it becomes more affordable it will be a great thing....my opinion anyway.
It doesn't matter witch one wins its only the money aspect because in sailing it can be length and affordability verses motor and fuel affordability which runs everybody's boat .
We have had a powerboat for 25 years and have now been sailing for 3-4 years....sailboat is definitely the way to go. Any dummy can drive a powerboat 😉
@@keliicenturion if you want to really and I mean really connect with the sea sailboat if you don't want to be that personal powerboats sail boat are cheaper to operate but require a little more experience and more hands one power boat have more space also oh a sailboat you have to plan your trip more because your more reliant oh wind and the water
I'm 17 right now and I plan on moving to Florida in a few years. I also plan to take up boating while I'm there. I have no prior experience with boats. Which one would you suggest for a first time boat owner? I would prefer a motorboat over a sailboat if I can. What are your thoughts motorboat or sailboat? Thanks.
I wish Jessica would add more to the video conversations. Such a nice girl and seems to be a little shy, but I enjoy it when she gets in on the conversation. She's a Dental Hygienist, how about she goes into an in depth video on flossing techniques while underway?
On the electrical drive issue; There is a little known generator that is part solid state and part magnetic pulse. The person that designed it is knowledgeable in quantum mechanics.Also it very, very quiet like Elmer Fudd hunting bunny wabbits. I would define it as a magnetic pulse generator. It takes energy to start it but when it is running it creates more energy than it uses. The larger the generator the more electrical power is generated. If you used a battery tender as an on off switch for it then you can keep batteries at an optimum almost all the time without solar panels taking up deck space and without the need for wind generators ect..... Watch a you tube video called; NO SOLAR NEEDED! it is spelled out in caps. The channel name is, PMMG4HYBRID. Very interesting machine.
Original Artworkks interesting post. I'm buying a 34 mtr power boat /trawler yacht (actually a fishing trawler stripped and converted to a luxury yacht) which I am converting to a pure electric power boat. The system we have is a unit that we use here in projects here in Africa and is magneto driven. We usually use a 5mw unit to supply power for a town or big mining site but will be using a 1 MW unit with two electric motors producing 550 plus HP. Unlimited range, silent, no heat, clean. Only little issue is the furl tanks are no longer going to part of balast so maybe huge fresh water reserve 😉
What about Gulet Yachts (The ones you find in the Mediterranean) ? I personally found them to be the perfect combination of a motor & sail yacht. They offer the luxury, space and comfort of a motor yachts, yet cost efficiency and range of a sails boats. Any thoughts on that?
Surviveability of disasters like emp. Or living off the grid forever. Sailboat wins. No fuel no powerboat. When the powerboat runs out of fuel or the engine breaks down or even is unable to be fixed the power boat is finished until a mast is constructed and is able to sail. Sail boats came before the power boat and the raw natural materals of the first ones can be duplicated from scratch. Not so with a power boat. Sail boat wins forever.
Power boat helps in a storm. You can go into the waves at the speed and angle you want or surf the waves matching the wave speed. In a sailboat your butt will pucker when you have 30knot winds sails down and a sea anchor out and your little engine trying to point you into the waves.
With a sailboat you can heave to and have the sail help stabilize the boat. Also, 30 knots of wind is not really a reason to rig a sea anchor - put in 2-3 reefs and just keep going...
I had originally wanted a sailing cat. After discussing with my wife she didn't want to sail to other countries. She was very wary about the safety. I tried to show her that there are issues with that but it was still doable. No matter what she was not convinced. She wanted to stay close to the US. Maybe Bahamas but that was about as far as she was comfortable with. So I started looking at power boats for the great loop and just coastal cruising/ live aboard. I found out that I could spend a lot less on the initial purchase of boats that we liked. Yes fuel costs more but no more really for the miles traveled than the RV we have now. Thanks for the vid.!
Ride Comfort. Sailboat every time. There is a sort of natural magic in the link between the motion of the sea and the power of the wind - I find it the way a sailboat moves through the water to be most relaxing thing in the world. Powerboats - not so much.
Cool! Thanks for the feedback. We don't have enough experience on powerboats to really know, but there is something transformative about turning off a sailboat motor and raising the sails.
Great comparison guys. :) For communications I would say sailboats have a slight adventage with the ability to communicate with flags on the rigging. But I can't imagine anybody using that in real life, apart from Q or some basic informational flag... and maybe on powerboats it can be done as well... somehow. :)
Dude looks like Zachary Quinto. With that said my wife and I would very much enjoy a smaller power catamaran. We are curious to see when private yachts will have nuclear power.
So cat wins, just as i though hooray! Something about ride comfort might be said about catamarans, winners at calmer seas but in rough waters not so much, it depend on their size big time.
Oh.. lol.. yeah.. my mouth had that backwards. How'd we miss that in editing?? lol. Well thanks for the comment! Hopefully people understand my intent there.
ummmmm, sail boats can go faster than the wind too ! As said, apples and oranges. Motor boats have an enormous environmental foot print compaired to sail.
True, I guess I could've said it better. I meant restricted by the wind in so far as you can only sail at some multiple of the wind speed. So if the wind is blowing at 5kts, then depending on your boat, you're stuck at well below 10kts. So the boat speed is still dependent on windspeed, but not constrained by it. If that makes sense.
So all of that iron ore dug up from the ground for producing the rigging doesn't have an environmental impact? Which needs replacing more often due to insurance. The lithium in your batteries? The copper in your wiring? I'm tired of the self justification ppl make when they say option A is better than option B when it comes to environmental impact. Let's just say unless you are swimming from island to island, then any method you take has an environmental impact.
Power cons : Fuel cost, range. Pros : Noise - slow cruising almost no noise - sailboats creak, slapping sails, ropes and booms, light work load - sailing you're working constantly, STORAGE, hydraulic platform - tender so easy to launch and recover, aircon, comfort - different living areas, multiple fridges and icemakers, dishwasher, washing machine, luxury bathroom and bed, speed - at displacement you can run (hull dependent) at average 8-10 knots 24/7. I know sailboats can have some or all of these things, but they have to be very large and heavy.
Green ? Let's see Batteries,solar panels and Motor sail materials made from fossil materials . Just go have a good time pick up your shit and have a great sail. All forms of transportation are a trade off.
Under sail a sailboat is very exhilarating with 6 - 8 knots feeling like your flying! A trawler is still only going to run efficiently at 8 knots which as with a sailboat motoring gets very boring.
The first time i was on a sail boat it was very easy to sail. It is not rocket science. The first time i was on a power boat it was hard to motor around because i didn't have thousands of dollars for a weekend of fuel. If you have your daddy's trust fund or want to flaunt your wealth and have super deep pockets then buy a power boat. If you are an average person and want to live off the grid for years... Buy a sail boat. A sail boat can flip completely upside down and will wright itself. A power boat that flips upside down will sink.:-(
with climate change, answer is quite simple, also, Powerboat cannot, at all, in any circumstances, be green. Unless is an electrical motor with a full bet of solar panel.
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My wife and I have been discussing this question for a while now. I think it ultimately depends on what you want out of your cruising, and where you want to go. For us, we are wanting a boat to go voyaging in; something that can take us across oceans to distant lands. We ended up with 3 boat categories; Power boats (Troller/Trawler inspired), Sailing monohulls, and Sailing Cats. For that criteria, here are the major pros/cons for what matters to us:
Power Boat Pros:
1) Excellent living space: Most Power boats have large living spaces with big windows to see out of when you reach your destination. They typically have huge power systems also, to power all the creature comforts of home.
2) Consistent Passage Speed: While it's true that if you want to cross an ocean in a power boat you're going to be going at speeds equivalent to a sailboat; in a power boat you'll be able to do those speeds more consistently. Just set your engine RPM for whatever cruising speed you desire and, barring any major weather issues, that's the speed you're going to go for the entire passage. This makes time estimates for passages much easier to calculate. To me, this is the biggest advantage to a powerboat.
3) Go when you want: Sailing requires wind, which means you have to leave for a passage before the winds stop blowing, or change directions. In a power boat, there is no such thing as getting becalmed in the ocean, you just get a smoother ride.
Power Boat Cons:
1) Higher initial purchase price: There are definitely not a lot of manufactures out there that are making passage-making capable power boats, and the ones that do are generally very luxurious. Nordhavn, Kadey Krogen, and Diesel Ducks are a few of the limited brands that make these boats; generally speaking, a boat from one of these brands is going to be at least $300k-$400k for their smaller models. That's not to say you can't find cheaper boats though; you can get 80's era Krogen 42's in the mid $100ks, though these aren't that desirable to me. Another option is to convert an old wooden fishing troller; these makes exceptionally seaworthy boats, but can be a lot of work to convert and maintain as well.
2) Long Term Fuel Availability/Cost: One of the biggest drawbacks to me for a power boat is that long term fuel availability and cost is uncertain. While fuel costs today may be acceptable and within budget, in a few years the cost could double or triple, who knows.
Monohull Pros:
1) Cheapest initial price: Depending on the boat of course, but there are TONS of ocean capable monohull sailboats out there for pretty much any budget.
2) High quality interior: Most of the monohulls we're looking at have wonderful solid wood joinery work inside, which makes the boat seem more like home to us.
Monohull Cons:
1) You have to sail!: While this might be a plus for some people, not everyone enjoys sailing. Not only is it a good bit of physical effort, but you also have to get used to living at an angle while underway. (for the record, I do enjoy sailing)
2) Living in a cave: Except for maybe a deck saloon style boat, most sailboat's living space is located down in the hull, which can be a bit like living in a cave.
Catamaran Pros:
1) Excellent living space: Probably every bit as good as the powerboat, with loads of space and big windows to look out.
2) Potentially faster: Cats can sail faster than monohulls, but are definitely weight sensitive. You're also still wind dependent, so passage time consistency isn't going to be as good as a powerboat.
Catamaran Cons:
1) Cheap interior: All the cats we've looked at appear to be assembled in Ikea, but perhaps some people like that look. Also, since cats are weight sensitive, there is very little solid wood on the interiors.
2) Nearly as expensive as a powerboat: Cats are definitely more expensive than monohulls, or at least the ones we've looked at. This is especially true if you want a performance cruising cat with daggerboards instead of keels.
3) You still have to Sail: Though you don't have to live heeled over all the time.
Some general thoughts for things we talked about and ultimately decided didn't matter to us, or were a wash:
1) Redundancy for a powerboat: Nearly every commercial fishing boat, and cargo ship operating today only has 1 engine, and they rarely have problems. As long as you have good clean fuel, then engine troubles are very rare. However, some power boats do have redundant systems; Nordhavn's have small secondary engines and Diesel Ducks often have downwind sail plans.
2) Long term operating cost: For us, this seems to be a wash, at least if you have to replace sails and rigging. The cost of sails and rigging for a moderately large sailboat will cover the fuel costs in a power boat for a very long time (at current prices). If you find a good deal on a sailboat with new sails and rigging, then you'd be ahead. Fuel costs aren't as high as some people believe them to be. An ocean passage making power boat in the 40-50' range is only going to burn about 2-3 gallons/hour at passage making speeds (6-7 knots). These are full displacement boats, not large twin engine motoryachts that can go 20+ knots.
3) Motion comfort: Sailboats are steadied by sails (when the wind is blowing), power boats can be steadied by paravanes or active fin stabilizers. The Gyro stabilizers you mention are definitely not in any boat that we could afford to get haha. So I think the boats will be equally comfortable on average during a passage.
We go round and round on what is the best boat for us; for a long time we wanted a powerboat, but right now we're leaning towards a monohull sailboat. Mostly because we can get a much higher quality boat for the money over what a cat or powerboat would cost, and we really don't like the uncertainty of future fuel cost. Again, all of this applies just to our situation.
Anyway, this turned in to a MUCH longer post than I intended, so thanks for reading if you made it this far!
Wow thanks for the detailed comment! You make some excellent points here that I hope other folks read. We'd be curious to here what you finally end up with. Sounds like you're doing you're research and trying to look at this from every angle. Great job!
She was more informative than the actual video. Thanks lady
@Blinkerfluid02, You forgot Trimarans. *grins* LOL
I was confused before as well, me and my wife are looking into getting a monohull sailboat, we looked at Trimarans with folding amas which fit in a regular monohull slip for a while but they cost quite a lot even when used and doesn't have the same space down below as a regular monohull it seems which is kinda strange to me, right now I am trying to find a 39-42 foot monohull with a pilot house so that in bad and cold weather I can steer from the inside in the heat rather than sitting outside steering in the cold it isn't easy and if I had the money I would go for something like the Rapido or Dragonfly Trimarans as they have some good space but can also travel very well on light winds and very fast on strong winds. *nods*
Please let us know what you decided to get and why that one over all the others. *nods and smiles*
@@jandradventures I was scrolling through your video list and remembered I'd commented on this one. We did end up going with a monohull in the end (Island Packet 420). We chartered a couple catamarans in the past few years and decided we enjoyed monohulls a bit more. We're going to perform a big refit on our boat this spring/summer and then should be out living on it full time, so maybe we'll see you out there.
@@SleeplessCDN Yep, you discovered why we discounted trimarans early on.. They sail amazingly well (as fast or faster than a cat, but can still point like a monohull), but their interior volume and load carrying capacity is extremely limited. Ultimately we just didn't think they'd be nice to live on full time.
We ended up with an Island Packet that we found in need of a refit and some TLC for a good price. We wanted a relatively shallow draft boat with a molded in keel that had great tankage and an easy to handle and versatile sail plan. Our boat is cutter rigged, draws 5', has 250 gallons of water, and 160 fuel. It's a full keel boat, so no need to worry about keel bolts when we eventually run aground, and the full keel should help her look after us if the weather turns less than pleasant on a long passage. All boats are compromises, but this one ticked a lot of boxes for us; we'll see if we still feel the same way after living on her for a while haha.
You get on a powerboat to go somewhere else. When you board a sailboat you are already there.
You've probably heard that all boats are compromises, right? That stretches over to comparing power vs. sail: It depends what you want to do. For instance, sailboats with their masts and deeper draft aren't ideal vessels for doing something like the Great Loop. If you want to circumnavigate the planet (or the Caribbean), a sailboat is the way to go. If you want to go have fun in the Bahamas for a couple of months almost anything will do!
I envision my future cruising taking place in segments and on different types of boats. For instance I'd love to see more of the interior of the U.S. and combine that with my passion for boating, so I think it would be really cool to get a trailerable Ranger Tug and use it as an RV sometimes and be able to cast off into the river systems or on big lakes too. I'd also love to take a few years and slowly explore all corners of the Caribbean. I'd like to do that on a sailing cat for it's stability, space, and liveaboard friendliness.
From past cruising I've come to think of the sailing catamaran as a great compromise for the types of cruising most of us do. That is to say it sails well some of the time, motors well some of the time, has great accommodation since 90% or more of time is spent at anchor, and is a great platform to explore from.
Yup everything is a compromise. I really like that way of summing up sailing cats, and it describes why they're suitable for what we want to get out of it.
The pros and cons are not the only considerations and the distinctions are rather more blurred than you may imagine.
We sailed for many years encompassing Europe, the Mediterranean and Crossing the Atlantic. In the end we had to give up our sailboat due to age and inability to safely work the deck in bad weather.
Our choice of power boat was a large sports cruiser with a very low center of gravity and engines (6 liter diesel turbo's) that by today's standards are not oversized. We can still make 20 kts but at 7-8 kts we only consume 4 Gph, which is acceptable. Any reasonable sized yacht will probably burn over 1 Gph and struggle to make that speed particularly into wind and wave action.
When going for a power boat it is important that one carries lots of spare parts and it is essential one is able to do one's own maintenance and repairs.
In practice a power boat will likely have a range of around 1000 miles and the engines will have a very long life if properly maintained.
A sailboat has an infrastructure that is very expensive to maintain and replace and in our opinion a power boat is probably less expensive in the long haul depending how far one travells.
Power cats are crazy, if one engine fails one will be going round in circles so two engines are actually less reliable than one in that case.
Our main limitation as we see it in our power boat is sea state as we would not like to pound into very heavy sea particularly if it is short.
The space and amenities on our power boat far exceed those of most yachts and at this time a good quality power boat can be bought for a lot less than a good comparable yacht due to perceptions. There are many older (1990's - 2000) vintage power boats with low engine hours and equipment that has seen very limited service.
Cool. Thanks for the comment and the good info. Very informative. Its great to hear from individuals like your with the real world experience!
Patricia Brook
Hi J&R. I have done both throughout my life, and enjoyed both equally for different reasons (speed and flexibility in power boats, quiet and distance in sailboats, etc.) As I age (just turned 61,) it is power all the way. I now have a 1992 50' yacht that I am restoring over time (mostly exterior cosmetic. The cooling system needed cleaning out too.) I stay on top of my twin 510 diesels and I have never had any serious issues at sea with these engines, as I do all of the maintenance on a schedule, use the best parts and don't skimp on costs, and make sure I use clean fuel (or additives.) Twin diesel engines are the way to go, as I can definitely make it back to the marina if one were to crap out (redundancy.) Living wise, the yacht has a large main stateroom, a 2 berth guest stateroom, a crew cabin (one berth) and a pull out couch in the salon. It has 2 heated showers, an aft shower unheated, and 3 heads, will sleep 8 comfortably, and has sun pads on the huge foredeck and flybridge deck. There is no way to get all of this on an equal sized sailboat. It cost around $1,800 to fill the tanks (2,000L/540 gals.,) but that might last me 8 months as I mainly use it for island hopping, diving, snorkeling, local cruising, and I try to keep my cruise speed to between 8-12 knots. If I wanted to circumnavigate, I would only consider a sailboat, but my experience with older sailboats is that in the end, they cost a lot more to maintain, mainly because of the rigging, and poor quality replacement parts used over time.
hi, how much does your boat consumes at your cruising speed of say average 10 knot ?
thanks!
@@naakatube At 10 knots I consume around 40L/hr, or 10g/hr. The boat (a Riva) is rated at 173L/hr. at full open, which is around 45g/hr, but cruising speed is supposed to be around 24 knots at around 80L/hr or 21 g/hr. I usually stay between 10-15 knots (she planes at around 13 knots) and then open up for a few minutes every few hours. I am now building a 50' catamaran to retire onto so I can circumnavigate.
I have a Leopard 47 and a Sea Ray 415 Aft Cabin.
1. Fuel. Catamaran. If the wind is right, the Catamaran is super efficient even when doing a bit of motor sailing. The Sea Ray burns fuel always.
2. Ability to deal with weather. Catamaran wins hands down.
3. Stability at anchor. Catamaran.
4. Maintenance. Same. I have 2 yanmars in the Catamaran and 2 Cats in the Powerboat. Sure, the filters are a little larger and there is more oil. But that is minor.
5. Heat. One thing I didn't realize about powerboats is how the engines heat up the entire boat, unless you have outboards, etc. When making a crossing to the Bahamas on the powerboat, we simply have to run the generator and air conditioning. It is just very hot from the big Caterpillars.
6. Ride comfort. Mostly catamaran. Sometimes powerboat.
7. Draft. The Sea Ray draws less than 3 feet and the Catamaran 4.5. But if the Catamaran bumps ground it is the keels. If the Sea Ray bumps ground it is the propellers. That wouldn't be good.
8. Bridges. Powerboat. Our Sea Ray is a fly bridge, so there are bridges we have to wait for, but we can't even go to Miami on the intracoastal with the Catamaran because the mast is 72'. Same with the Florida keys. The powerboat can go in and out of nearly all the bridges, but there is only one place in the entire keys that the catamaran can cross over.
9. Upfront Cost. Powerboat.
I was talking with crew from a superyacht and one of the guys said he used to crew on a very large sailboat (like 160'). On ocean crossings the crew would motor because they didn't want to deal with the sails. But when the captain woke up he wanted to sail and the sails would all go up. I laughed pretty hard because I totally agree with the captain.
If the water is choppy a sailboat will greatly smooth it out.
That's a big sailboat! Thanks for sharing. Seems like others in the comments section agree too that sail is better than power for dealing with choppy seas.
Paul Smyers Sailing is great if you like traveling at a 90 degree angle
Dave Fiasconaro And if you don't like traveling at a 90 degree angle, what then?
I am potentially going to be a chef on a med cruising sail yacht....what should I expect in comparison to the M/Y I have worked on previous.....will it be way more difficult for me to work in the S/Y
I had a uniflite 40 ft. with two 3208 engins. 350 gallons fuel capacity. @ 8 kts it used 4 gallons per hour. When I had it fueled @ Marina was over $3.50 per gallon. =$14\hr. Playing around on weekends no problem but fuel on few long trips cost a lot. I also towed a 20ft fishing boat with few problems. The boat was very comfortable even in large chop. My next boat will be sailboat. I do not have the $ for fuel I once had. If you have people to share fuel cost you are lucky. No one chipped in for me.
For me as person who gets bored when idle, and gets motion sick easily, I find that sailing gives me something to do particularly on the first three days when reading is a fast track to emptying my stomach.
I also liked your comment the sense of achievement...
Steering is something the autopilot can do, but choosing and setting the sails is something that requires human input. There is something very cool about looking down and seeing 10 knots on the GPS, when you had to work hard to achieve it.
Good point on the "something to do." I'm sure that's dependent on the individual. But some people need something to fiddle with.
Somewhat apples and oranges. A sailboat can do either sailing or motoring, or both at the same time with motorsailing. It's sort of the best of both worlds, although maybe less of an ideal powerboat. Real world sailing cruisers seem to do more motoring than one might otherwise assume. With a pure powerboat you can't sail, so you're burning fuel all the time, but perhaps making more steady progress. Sailboat fuel tanks are smaller, but they also don't need to motor as much. The fuel costs on a powerboat probably grow steeply exponentially with ship size. Sailing's a lot quieter and more peaceful. IMO, if arguably slower. (However, as you note, hull speed in displacement hull powerboats and displacement hull sailboats of similar sizes may be similar, relative to hull types. Fast powerboats plane (or foil), but most cruisers probably don't do that for long distances due to the fuel costs, if not the pounding of the hull on waves (mostly for planing, not foiling). Sailboats can also plane or foil, but displacement hulls are a lot more common.)
Which brings another part of the equation: how quickly do you want to get somewhere? And a related question: if you're cruising for fun, what's the big hurry? :) OTOH being able to run away from a storm can be useful. OTOOH, with modern weather information you can probably avoid, wait out in port, or route around storms in a sailboat (or powerboat).
In addition to pure gyroscopes, some boats use computer/gyroscope/accelerometer controlled underwater wings to dampen out waves. Here's one article mentioning some different technologies: www.powerandmotoryacht.com/refit-and-upgrade/everything-you-ever-wanted-know-about-marine-stabilizers
Solar electric boats are going to be slower than sailboats, so sort of a non-starter today. Also a lot more costly. On the other hand, like a slow powerboat, they may be relatively steady in speed, at least when it's sunny. They can also be hybrids with a combustion engine generator to burn fuel to run the drive motor.
Agree with the nature/green aspects of sailing. It's a lot more in tune with the world, IMO. Powerboats seem a lot more like fighting against nature. And it's pretty clear we don't need to be burning more fossil fuels.
Nice comment! Thanks. Those powerboat wings look expensive. It's interesting how different of a mindset it is. At that point the boat is basically a floating robot with a brain in to do the piloting and steady out the seas. That adds another degree of separation from the person to nature. In a weird way it reminds of people who like to go on hikes but wear fancy clothes and don't want to get their shoes dirty. I'm more the type to run around off the hiking trail and get mud and sticks all over me. To each their own, I guess.
Apparently the fins/wings can be used on sailing yachts, but mostly they're on large motor yachts.
Nice comment apart from the last phrase. Fossil fuels are a MUST at this point for it is the most mature technology we have, it lifts millions of people out of poverty every year and its highly doubtful that the impact on the environment is that serious that the governments wants us to believe it is!
Great straightforward video
Sailboat or powerboat? It all depends where your head is at. Is it about the journey or the destination? Do you want to fly jets or biplanes? You only need money for a powerboat but you have to have heart to sail.
I grew up sailing, and had a 38ft monohull sailboat for many years. I sold it when I had kids and got a 40ft powerboat. Had the powerboat for 4 years and sold it. Hated it. Absolutely hated it. It was a great boat, with lots of amenities, etc. but it just wasn't for me. Now I'm building a multihull as it is a great compromise between the two. Significantly faster than the monohull under sail and power. Very shoal draft which allows access to places even the powerboat couldn't go. Still a sailboat, and a high performance one at that, which feeds my needs to pull lines and adjust sails. In my case, the multihull is demountable, and trailerable, not easily, but at the beginning or end of the season or to haul out to avoid a storm, completely doable. No more inboard engines! I had an engine failure and replacement on the sailboat and numerous maintenance issues on the powerboat. No more. If I have problems with the relatively small outboard that will serve as an auxiliary on the new multihull, I can simply remove it for service or replace the damned thing. If I can offer any advice to potential boat owners it's this. Avoid systems. Water systems, HVAC systems, engines, refrigeration, generators, etc. They all break down. They need constant attention. Go with the absolute simplest boat you can. You will spend less time screwing around with systems and more time boating. And you will spend less money as well.
The solar boat sounds like a cool idea, but a lighting strike might leave you dead in the water. At least if you had a sail you could still move with dead batteries.
It will be very exciting to see Solar-wave come online in full production.
Nice summary. What regards the topic I think there must be a reason professionals (navy, merchant marine, commercial fishing etc.) all switched to power about a century ago. OTOH there is something to sailing that I love, the experience of moving almost in silence and controlling the equilibrium between wind and water is very rewarding. Unfortunately for me I get sea sick easily so I am limited to lakes etc.
One thing that I don't think is mentioned is that power boating is possible in more places, because for a sailboat you typically have to be on the ocean or a large lake, whereas powerboats can go in rivers. The rivers and canals in my local area are very popular with powerboats. Also power boating is a more thrilling ride, if you have a fast boat that is. Though to be fair some motorboats like pontoons can be slower.
hey guys, what are some important distinctions between cruising power boats and cruising sailboats?
Interesting video. Thanks!
Jessica and Ryan Adventures the Nordhavn 76 is a beautiful motor yacht,
Money!
I love offshore powerboat racing 🚤
Maybe the most important aspect (at least for some people) is being left out. It is the time aspect. If u use the boat only few days a week or only on weekends or maybe u do use it few weeks at a time but have to cruise according to a schedule to be able to see all the places u want within the time u have or if u r mostly a live-aboard but still have to be back on land once a week to work in office or to catch a flight or if u r tied to time for other reasons, then u will not be able to make the most of having sails.
Hi Guys, one thing a motor boat has over a sailing yacht is you don't send more time getting to where you want to go ,which in tune Cost less in FOOD . But I have a yacht and I love to sail. I would trust a sailer over a power boat person any day.
ah yeah interesting point. So with motor you have more of a "guaranteed" passage duration since you're less weather dependent. And because of that you can provision more efficiently. and yes, lol we've definitely heard the stereotypes of the different kinds of boat owners. We don't have enough experience with power owners, but the sailing community we've encountered so far has been amazing.
I had both. Sailiing is great when your family allows, it is more slow and its difficult to plan where you arrive. The Powerboat allows you to go wherever you want, and the kids love it. I would say, sailing wins if you are going over the oceans or are really dedicated to sailing. Or are concerned about the fuel cost. In all other aspect (comfort, access, fun), the powerboat wins.
Original Artworkks interesting post. I'm buying a 34 mtr power boat /trawler yacht (actually a fishing trawler stripped and converted to a luxury yacht) which I am converting to a pure electric power boat. The system we have is a unit that we use here in projects here in Africa and is magneto driven. We usually use a 5mw unit to supply power for a town or big mining site but will be using a 1 MW unit with two electric motors producing 550 plus HP. Unlimited range, silent, no heat, clean. Only little issue is the furl tanks are no longer going to part of balast so maybe huge fresh water reserve 😉
6:50 "burning fossil fuels is greener then not burning fossil fuels to get around" lol btw I love your videos
Great video! One thing I don't see mentioned in the comments or video is the cost of parts and difficulty of doing maintenance. Sailboats (esp monohulls) generally have parts fit into much tighter spaces, so the parts are often more expensive and definitely a lot harder to work on. By parts I mean gennies, hvac, refrigeration, sink plumbing, and other expensive items. If you're doing your own work, then it's a lot of cursing and scraped knuckles; if you're paying someone, then it's more expensive. Or, at least, I have heard this and am curious to know if others have heard or experienced the same?
Here, we can fix your current dilemma. Do like I'm gonna do, buy a Nordhavn 56 MS(Motorsailer). It's a long range trawler/sailboat that has the best of both worlds. Do some research on this boat and maybe look into other more economical types of boats like it.
fpb is better than nordhavn
thank you I enjoyed this informative vid
glad you mentioned solar wave. That is the direction I want to go in! Electric motor is much quieter also and is greener.
Richard Getz electric motoring isn’t greener in relation to conventional ICEs! That's a myth. It might be green LOCALLY but not globally! Why? Batteries are using fossil fuels in advance to be produced. The mining that is involved to accumulate the needed minerals like lithium, cobalt, etc is 100% dependent on fossil fuel burning while the inefficiency of battery output and operational parameters means that you'll need lots of years of using that method of propulsion to even break even on the pollution you initially caused by producing these systems. Recycling of these batteries pose another grave environmental hazard. The same goes for Solar panels and the toxic materials they use in them. The "Green" agenda is pushed by professionals to be subsidised by their friends in the governments. It's a very efficient money grabbing scheme for them.
+C_R_O_M__________ LOL nothing is ever 100% green. What did it take to manufacture the boat? The engines? However solar sailing would be as close to green as you can get motoring.
Hi Jess & Ryan, guys im 58 and i wan to buy a sailboat. I live beside the fiord so i will like to do daysailing and maybe som weekends during the season (norway). Regarding size: will be enough a 25 ft? ( i have a new motorboat too). Thanks for any help.
I'm sorry noise!
If you get a nice sounding engine it's a delightful to hear but get a a bulky diesel then it's in pleasant
Hey jess and ryan , I read all the comments below and you seem to be sail boaters. Your answers favor sail boats even the the spirit of your answers favor sail boats Go for it. I' m 62 yr old and I favor power cats myself.
Hey thanks, yeah, we lean towards the sailboats because we want to cross oceans and do it for as cheap as possible. That being said who knows, maybe we'll get a power boat in the future when we want to stay closer to home
For me the big question is whether I have to arrive on time. IF I do, get a powerboat. IF my schedule is flexible, sailboat.
Sailboats are heavier so its more stable. Sailboat only has two or three components. Rudder, sails, sometimes a centerboard. The sails are just set and trimmed to keep wind or let loose to slow down. All steering is done with the rudder. Centerboard is down against the wind (keeps the boat straight). Am I right? Maybe Im too lazy though...I worry about storms also and anchoring.
The biggest conflicts between the 2 for me are fuel and docking fees. Also; The mb can get where you need to go fast without having to rig anything but uses a lot of fuel. The sailboat is cheaper for fuel but you need tack but you can also sleep onboard and there is a lot of space. But the sb has a bigger draft and is bigger so you cant get into all the beautiful channels like with a mb. Mb is easier to launch...so many intricate variables.
I think the silent yachts are going to be a great thing, great for the environment, great for travelling and distance that your capable of traveling however the price is unattainable for most right now, but when it becomes more affordable it will be a great thing....my opinion anyway.
It doesn't matter witch one wins its only the money aspect because in sailing it can be length and affordability verses motor and fuel affordability which runs everybody's boat .
We have had a powerboat for 25 years and have now been sailing for 3-4 years....sailboat is definitely the way to go. Any dummy can drive a powerboat 😉
Dummy here 😂
Would you explain why the sail boat is better than the power boat. RUclips videos never get to the point. Why is one better than the other?
@@keliicenturion if you want to really and I mean really connect with the sea sailboat if you don't want to be that personal powerboats sail boat are cheaper to operate but require a little more experience and more hands one power boat have more space also oh a sailboat you have to plan your trip more because your more reliant oh wind and the water
Great work - Very informative. Thank you
I'm 17 right now and I plan on moving to Florida in a few years. I also plan to take up boating while I'm there. I have no prior experience with boats. Which one would you suggest for a first time boat owner? I would prefer a motorboat over a sailboat if I can. What are your thoughts motorboat or sailboat? Thanks.
I want to own both!
I wish Jessica would add more to the video conversations.
Such a nice girl and seems to be a little shy, but I enjoy it when she gets in on the conversation.
She's a Dental Hygienist, how about she goes into an in depth video on flossing techniques while underway?
She should wear a bikini..like on Sailing Doodles. A good looking girl in a bikini is interesting!
Hey just thought of something......!!
Was the Titanic a powerboat😊??
Very fast with no side props ....
pure solar plus ample storage capacity(plus genset on board in case of no sun) is EXPENSIVE, that is it's drawback in my opinion.
I'm thinking about living on a small weekend cruiser. Is there a lot of maintenance compared to a sailboat?
In Germany the sailors name the motorboat drivers often "Motorklopper". I like the german language because of this awesome words!
On the electrical drive issue; There is a little known generator that is part solid state and part magnetic pulse. The person that designed it is knowledgeable in quantum mechanics.Also it very, very quiet like Elmer Fudd hunting bunny wabbits. I would define it as a magnetic pulse generator. It takes energy to start it but when it is running it creates more energy than it uses. The larger the generator the more electrical power is generated. If you used a battery tender as an on off switch for it then you can keep batteries at an optimum almost all the time without solar panels taking up deck space and without the need for wind generators ect..... Watch a you tube video called; NO SOLAR NEEDED! it is spelled out in caps. The channel name is, PMMG4HYBRID. Very interesting machine.
Original Artworkks interesting post. I'm buying a 34 mtr power boat /trawler yacht (actually a fishing trawler stripped and converted to a luxury yacht) which I am converting to a pure electric power boat. The system we have is a unit that we use here in projects here in Africa and is magneto driven. We usually use a 5mw unit to supply power for a town or big mining site but will be using a 1 MW unit with two electric motors producing 550 plus HP. Unlimited range, silent, no heat, clean. Only little issue is the furl tanks are no longer going to part of balast so maybe huge fresh water reserve 😉
Mathew Peter elaborate please. What are these units you are talking about?
What about Gulet Yachts (The ones you find in the Mediterranean) ?
I personally found them to be the perfect combination of a motor & sail yacht.
They offer the luxury, space and comfort of a motor yachts, yet cost efficiency and range of a sails boats.
Any thoughts on that?
sailboat, solar array, battery bank, electric motor/ have the cake and eat it too
Surviveability of disasters like emp. Or living off the grid forever. Sailboat wins. No fuel no powerboat. When the powerboat runs out of fuel or the engine breaks down or even is unable to be fixed the power boat is finished until a mast is constructed and is able to sail. Sail boats came before the power boat and the raw natural materals of the first ones can be duplicated from scratch. Not so with a power boat. Sail boat wins forever.
Power boat helps in a storm. You can go into the waves at the speed and angle you want or surf the waves matching the wave speed. In a sailboat your butt will pucker when you have 30knot winds sails down and a sea anchor out and your little engine trying to point you into the waves.
Ah good point that we hadn't heard about yet. Thanks for bringing it up!
With a sailboat you can heave to and have the sail help stabilize the boat.
Also, 30 knots of wind is not really a reason to rig a sea anchor - put in 2-3 reefs and just keep going...
I had originally wanted a sailing cat. After discussing with my wife she didn't want to sail to other countries. She was very wary about the safety. I tried to show her that there are issues with that but it was still doable. No matter what she was not convinced. She wanted to stay close to the US. Maybe Bahamas but that was about as far as she was comfortable with. So I started looking at power boats for the great loop and just coastal cruising/ live aboard. I found out that I could spend a lot less on the initial purchase of boats that we liked. Yes fuel costs more but no more really for the miles traveled than the RV we have now.
Thanks for the vid.!
it takes 10 times the horse power to run a power compared to a sailboat engine
Ride Comfort. Sailboat every time. There is a sort of natural magic in the link between the motion of the sea and the power of the wind - I find it the way a sailboat moves through the water to be most relaxing thing in the world. Powerboats - not so much.
Cool! Thanks for the feedback. We don't have enough experience on powerboats to really know, but there is something transformative about turning off a sailboat motor and raising the sails.
How about single engine vs dual engine for trawlers? I can't find this answer anywhere!
Great comparison guys. :)
For communications I would say sailboats have a slight adventage with the ability to communicate with flags on the rigging.
But I can't imagine anybody using that in real life, apart from Q or some basic informational flag... and maybe on powerboats it can be done as well... somehow. :)
Dude looks like Zachary Quinto. With that said my wife and I would very much enjoy a smaller power catamaran. We are curious to see when private yachts will have nuclear power.
Pssst- GPS/satcom have relocatable antennas
So cat wins, just as i though hooray! Something about ride comfort might be said about catamarans, winners at calmer seas but in rough waters not so much, it depend on their size big time.
6:53 "Obviously burning fossil fuels is greener than NOT burning fossil fuels". How do you figure that??? That makes zero sense.
Oh.. lol.. yeah.. my mouth had that backwards. How'd we miss that in editing?? lol. Well thanks for the comment! Hopefully people understand my intent there.
Spyder Jayohee I suppose you have sail's on your car????
Spyder Jayohee 5
Point 6...she is like...is he ever going to stop talking LMAOOO
ummmmm, sail boats can go faster than the wind too ! As said, apples and oranges. Motor boats have an enormous environmental foot print compaired to sail.
True, I guess I could've said it better. I meant restricted by the wind in so far as you can only sail at some multiple of the wind speed. So if the wind is blowing at 5kts, then depending on your boat, you're stuck at well below 10kts. So the boat speed is still dependent on windspeed, but not constrained by it. If that makes sense.
So all of that iron ore dug up from the ground for producing the rigging doesn't have an environmental impact? Which needs replacing more often due to insurance.
The lithium in your batteries?
The copper in your wiring?
I'm tired of the self justification ppl make when they say option A is better than option B when it comes to environmental impact.
Let's just say unless you are swimming from island to island, then any method you take has an environmental impact.
Power boat for me thanks for helping me make my choice
Catermaran sail boat👍
Power cons : Fuel cost, range. Pros : Noise - slow cruising almost no noise - sailboats creak, slapping sails, ropes and booms, light work load - sailing you're working constantly, STORAGE, hydraulic platform - tender so easy to launch and recover, aircon, comfort - different living areas, multiple fridges and icemakers, dishwasher, washing machine, luxury bathroom and bed, speed - at displacement you can run (hull dependent) at average 8-10 knots 24/7. I know sailboats can have some or all of these things, but they have to be very large and heavy.
Dickhead
6:53 that's not obvious, you mean the reverse? --> "obviously burning fossil fuels is greener than not burning fossil fuel to get around"
Green ? Let's see Batteries,solar panels and Motor sail materials made from fossil materials . Just go have a good time pick up your shit and have a great sail. All forms of transportation are a trade off.
Under sail a sailboat is very exhilarating with 6 - 8 knots feeling like your flying! A trawler is still only going to run efficiently at 8 knots which as with a sailboat motoring gets very boring.
If I had the money 2.2 milI would have a silent yacht.
Solar anything is the way of the future. Can’t wait to get my hands on a used silent yacht
I have a canoe.
Great info. Great video. I like this couple. And she is cute. Subscribers +1.
Motor sailer yacht!
You guys are so god damn cute together x 👩❤️👨 nice vid. Thanks for sharing your research. Going through a similar debate right now 😱😱😱😂
Sailboats
Great,if thy would let us have the real Technology, this would not be debating there’s no reason that we are on fossil fuels
motor dies...your adrift at sea. nuff said.
Life is Not a spreadsheet
The first time i was on a sail boat it was very easy to sail. It is not rocket science. The first time i was on a power boat it was hard to motor around because i didn't have thousands of dollars for a weekend of fuel. If you have your daddy's trust fund or want to flaunt your wealth and have super deep pockets then buy a power boat. If you are an average person and want to live off the grid for years... Buy a sail boat. A sail boat can flip completely upside down and will wright itself. A power boat that flips upside down will sink.:-(
Interesting point there about it being easier to practice with a sailboat because the costs of practicing with a powerboat may be prohibitive.
Powerboats.
Warming the globe 16 cylinders at a time.
with climate change, answer is quite simple, also, Powerboat cannot, at all, in any circumstances, be green. Unless is an electrical motor with a full bet of solar panel.