Can a Beneteau Sense cross oceans?

[Tranona]

Thanks all for your contributions.
Can't agree more re solar and as mentioned earlier I can just about keep pace with ships demands but this also includes anchoring breaks. Will be interested to see what the drain is when the autopilot has been running for 10 hours in a lumpy sea. Anyway I have decided to take the Sense to the Caribbean then make a decision to change at that point if she proves hard work or unreliable. Also planning to add a 10HP outboard to the inventory on a swing down bracket on the stern so if all fails I have an alternative means of propulsion before calling the engineers. This is my major concern with all controls run through wires and computers and a rotating 360 degree sail drive to select forward or reverse. The adoption of a back up engine I have seen on many power boats and can't see why this cant be applied to a sailing yacht. Need to work out what the impact will be with balance (if any). Planning to join the Arc next November (2018) and take it from there after a year sailing round the Med (Greek islands next stop!).
Thanks again for all your thoughts and advice.

Very sensible.

However, don't waste your money on a 10hp outboard unless you want it to power your tender (possibly a 3m RIB?). You really will never need it as a back up. You have a sailing boat and your main engine is your back up. 10hp will do nothing about moving 12 or 13 tons of boat other than maybe 1.5 knots in flat calm.

 

[[70521]]

In addition to solar, take a look at the Watt & Sea generators. It's like a dinghy rudder blade that you lower into the ware which has a prop on the end. I'm lead to believe that they can produce 600w at 5kts.

Link here http://www.technicalmarinesupplies....ls/watt-sea-cruising-600-hydrogenerator/1454/

Another forumite recently took a Bavaria 46 across the Pacific with one of these fitted and said that it was the mutts danglies.

Just don't get too upset at the price.

Hopefully, the price will fall in a few years. I consider them the most efficient way of generating power underway.

 

[Kelpie]

Thanks all for your contributions.
Can't agree more re solar and as mentioned earlier I can just about keep pace with ships demands but this also includes anchoring breaks. Will be interested to see what the drain is when the autopilot has been running for 10 hours in a lumpy sea. Anyway I have decided to take the Sense to the Caribbean then make a decision to change at that point if she proves hard work or unreliable. Also planning to add a 10HP outboard to the inventory on a swing down bracket on the stern so if all fails I have an alternative means of propulsion before calling the engineers. This is my major concern with all controls run through wires and computers and a rotating 360 degree sail drive to select forward or reverse. The adoption of a back up engine I have seen on many power boats and can't see why this cant be applied to a sailing yacht. Need to work out what the impact will be with balance (if any). Planning to join the Arc next November (2018) and take it from there after a year sailing round the Med (Greek islands next stop!).
Thanks again for all your thoughts and advice.

Rather than a dedicated spare engine on a bracket, why not practise doing an alongside tow using your tender? You'll only ever need to do this in flat calm or within a harbour anyway. If it's rough and you're at sea, you'll be sailing- and if you weren't, your transom mounted outboard would be getting dunked by every wave and would last about five minutes. That's if you don't go MOB yourself attaching or attempting to control it.

 

[Pootsman]

Thanks all for your contributions.
Can't agree more re solar and as mentioned earlier I can just about keep pace with ships demands but this also includes anchoring breaks. Will be interested to see what the drain is when the autopilot has been running for 10 hours in a lumpy sea. Anyway I have decided to take the Sense to the Caribbean then make a decision to change at that point if she proves hard work or unreliable. Also planning to add a 10HP outboard to the inventory on a swing down bracket on the stern so if all fails I have an alternative means of propulsion before calling the engineers. This is my major concern with all controls run through wires and computers and a rotating 360 degree sail drive to select forward or reverse. The adoption of a back up engine I have seen on many power boats and can't see why this cant be applied to a sailing yacht. Need to work out what the impact will be with balance (if any). Planning to join the Arc next November (2018) and take it from there after a year sailing round the Med (Greek islands next stop!).
Thanks again for all your thoughts and advice.

Quite an old thread but just looking at the Sense 50's for sale. Did you ever make the crossing?