Help on Motor-sailors please

JerryHawkins

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Joined
4 Sep 2001
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691
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Plymouth
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Not sure about specialised sites. Use one of the search engines and you'll get a long list. What is your budget? I have a 1990 Fisher 25 which I got for £27,000 (a good price I think, although it needs work!). At the bottom end of the price range I suppose Hardy are worth a look, then Colvic Watsons; possibly Cromarty but more expensive - about £100,000!

Have a look at www.northshore.co.uk for Fishers. Have a look round local boat yards, marinas and brokers and when you see any motor sailers, have a look and see what style/design suits you best.

Regards,

Jerry
 

gus

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Joined
16 May 2001
Messages
408
Location
Larkhall, South Lanarkshire
www.whysuffer.co.uk
A true motor-sailer is always going to be a compromise. There are many craft about that fall in between being a sailing yacht with a big engine and being a motor boat with a mast and sails. Then again do you want one mast or two? Do you want to have a good or a reasonable sailing performance? The main criteria in my humble opinion is comfort. A reasonable sailing performance across or downwind and a big enough engine to make reasonable speed straight into it. A heavy boat will be more comfortable, a long keel will make it steadier and good sized rudder will make manouvering easier. Fishers look good but forward access past the rear of the wheelhouse is usually very tricky. Finnsailer looks a bit boxy. Colvic slightly boxy but seem to have possibilities. Nauticat look quite good but the bigger ones have very high sides. Cromarty don't seem to sell well for some reason although looking good. Access very tight if you are a big chap. The Seastream 34 is one boat that I am impressed with and might be worth a look. Best to look at as many different types as you can and try and set your own criteria considering the type of boating that you do. As another example take a look at mine on http://www.geocities.com/abrazenall/ She's a bit blunt on the bow and as such punches a lot of water going into the waves and is thus not keen to sail to windward. But then you stick on the engine, and go straight into the 4 foot waves at 7 knots, still in your shirt sleeves. If you want to ask any other facts let me know and I'll try and help.
 

Chris_Robb

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15 Jun 2001
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8,044
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Haslemere/ Leros
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I own a Victory 40. These provide huge value for money, being a good design (Van de Stadt) and Tyler hull, with a masively strong construction and engine installation. Many have been in single ownership for many years and are generally very well look after. You should be able to get one for £50-60K.

They have very good sail performance onece the wind os over 12 -15 knts, and can motor direct into a gale. Only boat I know that you can almost guarantee time of arrival. Only motor sailor to have won the RSYC Cherbourg double race (in near gale!)

Hugley underated boat thus extremely good value.

If you want to know more e-mail me
 

LadyInBed

Well-known member
Joined
2 Sep 2001
Messages
15,227
Location
Me - Zumerzet Boat - Wareham
montymariner.co.uk
The Good Yacht Guide

When I was looking to change my M/S I used
"The Good Yacht Guide" - Motor Sailers 20 to 50 ft
ordered by phone £10.50 (1998) from
Marine Bureau, The Oast House, Wittersham. Tenterden, Kent TN30 7EA
Tel/Fax 01797 270181
Its a A4 ring bound book of about 34 pages giving details of price range, a description, line drawing(plan and elivation), measurments, berths and engine of about 150 classes of M/S.
It helped me narrow my choise no-end.
 

gunnarsilins

New member
Joined
16 May 2001
Messages
450
Location
Stockholm/Sweden
www.eilean.se
Remember one...

..thing. Traditional long keeled motorsailers like the old nice Nauticat 33 simply don´t sail to windward. And off the wind, well they sail, but so slow so it´s not fun. I´m quite sure the same applies more or less to Fishers, Watsons and the like. Believe me, I had one Nauticat for 10 years. A very nice yacht in many respects, but I had the engine running 95% of the time.
 
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