DSK inscribed in red ink for all to know:
RW Salnick wrote:

I can only offer this direct, real-world comparison. Two years ago,
we (and our 50' ketch, Perkins 4-236 4 cyl diesel) made a month-long
trip from Seattle to Desolation Sound and back. During the same time
frame, friends of ours down the dock made essentially the same trip
in their 55' (?) trawler-style power boat. Not sure of the power
plants, but they are also diesel. We burned 95 gallons of diesel
over the course of the month. The power boat burned 895 gallons of
diesel.


Cal Vanize wrote:

How much time was spent under sail?


Going at what speed?

Not meaning to be suspicious but a lot of "trawler style" power boats
these days are semi-planing hulls disguised to look like tugboats.

If two boats of relatively similar LWL & displacement motor at the same
speed, their fuel consumption will generally be pretty close to the same.

Now, how much did you spend on sails & running rigging, and how much
fuel would that amount buy?

DSK


Oh, this is definitely a displacement hull... no doubt about that.

The sails, rigging, etc came with the boat...as well as the diesel.
Didn't spend anything extra on them. I have replaced some of the
running rigging in the 10 years we have owned Eolian - probably
$100-200/year. And my oil changes in the diesel involve 2 gallons of
oil altogether.

But as I said to Cal, this is less about cost than about money well
spent. If you buy the least expensive boat type (by whatever criteria
you should choose to use - and the arguments on this subject abound here
on usenet), and end up with a boat that doesn't match your personality
properly, then *all* the money will be poorly employed, supporting a
marine life habitat tied to the dock.

bob
s/v Eolian
Seattle

RW Salnick wrote:
Oh, this is definitely a displacement hull... no doubt about that.


Sorry, I meant the trawler that burned 895 gallons... For a
55' boat that's probably not even a full load (maybe not
even half), but then there are trawlers I know of in the 45'
~ 50' range that burn approx the same 2 gph that we do. The
ones that burn more all go faster... the ones that go
significantly faster don't want to talk about it


The sails, rigging, etc came with the boat...as well as the diesel.
Didn't spend anything extra on them. I have replaced some of the
running rigging in the 10 years we have owned Eolian - probably
$100-200/year. And my oil changes in the diesel involve 2 gallons of
oil altogether.


'K
But sails do have a finite life span, and ones that are
worth having in the first place are relatively expensive.
Amortizing them over 10 to 12 years makes them a better buy
for the mileage than diesel fuel.... however, if power
boaters were content to cruise at 5 knots, they'd burn FAR
less fuel. Shucks with our boat (which is overpowered IMHO)
if we go 5 knots it seems like the engine is actually making
fuel out of air and pumping it back to the tank!


But as I said to Cal, this is less about cost than about money well
spent.

Very much agreed.

.... If you buy the least expensive boat type (by whatever criteria
you should choose to use - and the arguments on this subject abound here
on usenet), and end up with a boat that doesn't match your personality
properly, then *all* the money will be poorly employed, supporting a
marine life habitat tied to the dock.


Agreed again, and there are mor examples IMHO of people
getting this wrong than getting it right.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King