About to turn from the Dark Side..

[Bathdave]

Having moved to the seaside and taken a view 'it's about the destination not the journey' at that point in our lives, bought a MOBO and loved being on the water. Early retirement' beckons at end of the year and therefore soon it will be about the journey. Want to live the dream while we're young and fit enough to, and the running costs of a MOBO scare us.

only got news a couple of weeks ago so mixture of excitement at opportunities and fear of can we afford it. Still lots of thinking and research to do, but the forum is a great place to do that!

Fallen in love with a beneteau Oceanis 37, so my questions are


1. is it a practical first sail boat ( done day skipper and charters many years ago, rediscovered sea legs and boathandling over last 2 year with mobo.

2 how would your experts rate it as a 'stay aboard'' for 4 months in the med

3 also claimed draft of 1.88 ....can we get it down the canals or do we need to go round?



How would

 

[Tranona]

Good choice of boat for the Med. However, if a N European based boat will probably require quite a bit of additional equipment to make life comfortable out there. Very commonly used as a charter boat, so have a look at how they are equipped for a good base spec. Plenty written on here, books, blogs, mags etc on suitable equipment. Boat will be fine as a first boat, but standard draft is too deep for canals. Few modern boats of that size are shallow enough, although some models are available with shallow draft keels. My (older) Bavaria 37 has a 1.45m keel for example, but the choice is limited unless you go for one of the lift keel boats from Feeling, Jeanneau, or more upmarket (expensive!) Ovni and Southerly.

 

[tcm]

Having moved to the seaside and taken a view 'it's about the destination not the journey' at that point in our lives, bought a MOBO and loved being on the water. Early retirement' beckons at end of the year and therefore soon it will be about the journey. Want to live the dream while we're young and fit enough to, and the running costs of a MOBO scare us.

only got news a couple of weeks ago so mixture of excitement at opportunities and fear of can we afford it. Still lots of thinking and research to do, but the forum is a great place to do that!

Fallen in love with a beneteau Oceanis 37, so my questions are


1. is it a practical first sail boat ( done day skipper and charters many years ago, rediscovered sea legs and boathandling over last 2 year with mobo.

2 how would your experts rate it as a 'stay aboard'' for 4 months in the med

3 also claimed draft of 1.88 ....can we get it down the canals or do we need to go round?



How would

Long-term cruiser "markJ" is on cruisers forum, circum nav on a benny 37 (or 36?), seems fine! Definitely a fine first boat.

Going around is easy enough with time instead of a deadline and lots to see, hop along, take it easy, less hard stuff to hit... not been thru the canals so I'm biased. i wouldn't much want to do it it just to avoid the sea - i'd want a boat more designed for the canals.

 

[geem]

Dont be put off with going down the coast of Portugal. its not that hard. if you want a boat in the Med why not buy one out there? They are generally cheaper than in the UK and probably got the level of equipment you need for the Med.

 

[maby]

A friend of ours has an Oceanis 37 about five years old and it is a very nice boat - a fine liveaboard for four months and longer. As others have said, 1.8 metres is going to keep you out of a lot of inland waterways. If you are in no rush, go round - coast hopping will be fine - just keep a close watch on weather forecasts and be prepared to stay in harbour if it's looking a bit frisky for your tastes.

 

[maby]

P.S. it is also worth pointing out that, even with a shallow draft you will have to de-rig it and drop the mast if you want to get far inland - not the easiest of jobs on a boat that was not designed with that in mind.

 

[rustybarge]

Having moved to the seaside and taken a view 'it's about the destination not the journey' at that point in our lives, bought a MOBO and loved being on the water. Early retirement' beckons at end of the year and therefore soon it will be about the journey. Want to live the dream while we're young and fit enough to, and the running costs of a MOBO scare us.

Don't do it!
I've only got a little bit of dinghy sailing experience, but I do know this. The wind is always blowing in the wrong direction, always. Most sailboats go to windward at about 4-5 kts, and when you take tacking into account they only make about 2 kts 'course made good' over the ground in the direction that you want to go...

Now 2kts speed in a MOBO would cost next to zero in fuel, even a 50' boat would cost less than 50p/ mile at that speed. Also remember you just jump into a mobo and turn the key, whereas it takes real grunt to pull all those stringy bits and ropes to set up a sailboat before you can go sailing.

Just guessing that your'e not in your twenties........99% of older boaters change from sail to mobo, not the other way around.

 

[rustybarge]

Duplicate

 

[sailaboutvic]

Don't do it!
I've only got a little bit of dinghy sailing experience, but I do know this. The wind is always blowing in the wrong direction, always. Most sailboats go to windward at about 4-5 kts, and when you take tacking into account they only make about 2 kts 'course made good' over the ground in the direction that you want to go...

Now 2kts speed in a MOBO would cost next to zero in fuel, even a 50' boat would cost less than 50p/ mile at that speed. Also remember you just jump into a mobo and turn the key, whereas it takes real grunt to pull all those stringy bits and ropes to set up a sailboat before you can go sailing.

Just guessing that your'e not in your twenties........99% of older boaters change from sail to mobo, not the other way around.

Ok this is where I end up upsetting some one ...
I 100% disagree with your statement we have sailed over 3000 miles this year and we used up just 120 lts of fuel ,
Yes the wind is some times on the nose and if your not in an hurry to get any where you can still make good progress , the statement that you only make 2 kts CMG is totally rubbish if that was the case we wouldn't of got as far as we did this year .
If you want to buy a MOBO that's fine as long as you have a very large bank balances or just happy to sit in one place for months on ends one other thing to remember , fuel going up all the time and unlike the UK there no red fuel in Europe .

 

[maby]

They are two different activities that both take place on water and result in you moving. If you want to go relatively short distances quickly and to a (relatively) reliable schedule, you need a mobo. If you want to go long distances and are not in too much of a rush, then a sailing yacht is the best (and, in some cases, the only) answer. It's not just a cost thing - it's endurance as well. There are plenty of people that have gone round the world in a sailing boat of less than 40 feet - try crossing the Atlantic in a 40 foot mobo and see how far you get before the fuel tanks run dry.

 

[Tranona]

Don't do it!
I've only got a little bit of dinghy sailing experience, but I do know this. The wind is always blowing in the wrong direction, always. Most sailboats go to windward at about 4-5 kts, and when you take tacking into account they only make about 2 kts 'course made good' over the ground in the direction that you want to go...

Now 2kts speed in a MOBO would cost next to zero in fuel, even a 50' boat would cost less than 50p/ mile at that speed. Also remember you just jump into a mobo and turn the key, whereas it takes real grunt to pull all those stringy bits and ropes to set up a sailboat before you can go sailing.

Just guessing that your'e not in your twenties........99% of older boaters change from sail to mobo, not the other way around.

What a load of nonsense! If that were correct then 90%+ of liveaboards have got it wrong.

 

[rustybarge]

Ok this is where I end up upsetting some one ...
I 100% disagree with your statement we have sailed over 3000 miles this year and we used up just 120 lts of fuel ,
Yes the wind is some times on the nose and if your not in an hurry to get any where you can still make good progress , the statement that you only make 2 kts CMG is totally rubbish if that was the case we wouldn't of got as far as we did this year .
If you want to buy a MOBO that's fine as long as you have a very large bank balances or just happy to sit in one place for months on ends one other thing to remember , fuel going up all the time and unlike the UK there no red fuel in Europe .

The Op states he's retiring next year, so he's about 65 or there abouts. Hauling up and down sails takes quite a lot of effort.
Totally agree with your analysis if your'e sailing the trades, downwind the whole way, or nearly.
But try that in the Med, where the wind keeps on changing it's mind every ten minutes.
If you read the blogs of med based sailers they generally say they motor 80% of the time.

And Mrs OP, will she like been heeled over unable to make a cup of tea?

 

[rustybarge]

They are two different activities that both take place on water and result in you moving. If you want to go relatively short distances quickly and to a (relatively) reliable schedule, you need a mobo. If you want to go long distances and are not in too much of a rush, then a sailing yacht is the best (and, in some cases, the only) answer. It's not just a cost thing - it's endurance as well. There are plenty of people that have gone round the world in a sailing boat of less than 40 feet - try crossing the Atlantic in a 40 foot mobo and see how far you get before the fuel tanks run dry.

Lot's of long range displacement boats have a range of 3000 nm at 5 kts (5000 ltrs).

 

[maby]

Lot's of long range displacement boats have a range of 3000 nm at 5 kts (5000 ltrs).

Hmmm, but that's a bit different to the Mobos that are discussed around here, isn't it? At 5kts you may as well be under sail and burn nothing.

 

[rustybarge]

What a load of nonsense! If that were correct then 90%+ of liveaboards have got it wrong.

Another problem with sail boats is the cave like accommodation, tiny portholes which let no light in, unless you have a motorsailor of course, which is really a mobo with a bit of a sail to help downwind at best.

 

[Tranona]

Another problem with sail boats is the cave like accommodation, tiny portholes which let no light in, unless you have a motorsailor of course, which is really a mobo with a bit of a sail to help downwind at best.

Again a load of nonsense! Plenty of light and airy sailing boats on the market. Just have a look at the latest Beneteaus, Bavarias, Jeanneaus, Hanses etc.

 

[rustybarge]

Hmmm, but that's a bit different to the Mobos that are discussed around here, isn't it? At 5kts you may as well be under sail and burn nothing.

There was an article in MBY a few years ago where two 55' planing boats crossed the atlantic to the west indies.
But they did have to use their 30 hp wing engines for the last 1000 mn, total fuel burn worked out at 1ltr/mn( down wind of course).
Can't remember the boat make, Norwegian IIRC.

 

[rustybarge]

Again a load of nonsense! Plenty of light and airy sailing boats on the market. Just have a look at the latest Beneteaus, Bavarias, Jeanneaus, Hanses etc.

High coachroof=high windage= bad windward performance.........

 

[SamanthaTabs]

Another problem with sail boats is the cave like accommodation, tiny portholes which let no light in, unless you have a motorsailor of course, which is really a mobo with a bit of a sail to help downwind at best.

Huh? 100% disagree with this and every other comment you've submitted on this thread. Happily in the, at least, 90%+ live a boards who've got it right then..

 

[JamesFrance]

Another problem with sail boats is the cave like accommodation, tiny portholes which let no light in, unless you have a motorsailor of course, which is really a mobo with a bit of a sail to help downwind at best.

Rather like traditional southern houses with small windows to keep the hot sun out.

Sail boats use far less fuel when motoring at displacement speeds, can raise a sail to stop rolling under power and raise the other one to get you somewhere when the motor breaks down.(which it or they will sooner or later)