Motor Boat To Motor Sailer.???

[deisel]

Hi Guys, I Have A 32 ft 1961 wooden Motor Boat TSDY, It Has A Pine Mast, Would It Be Feisable To Turn This Into A Motor Sailer Without Putting To Much Ballast On The Frames, By The Way It Has Twin Diesels????????? /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[PCUK]

Does it have any sort of keel? If not, lee boards may be the answer.

 

[deisel]

It Has A Bilge Keel But There Very Short

 

[William_H]

Many motor boats of the displacement type use a sail primarily for making the boat more steady in a seaway.
Obviously you must have a rudder. No good with outboard or inboard outboard leg.
It is probably easiest to fit a jib to the mast in the first case. Fit a halyard and borrow a jib. A mainsail can be fitted either with a boom (preferable) or loose footed (sheeted like a jib)

Whether the whole exercise will be worth while will depend on your results and what you expect from the sails. It would probably take a fair bit of wind to much speed down wind or reaching. I would think the addition of ballast not worth while and not your main concern. If the boat heels too much reduce sail.

Ultimately with experience you may find either you don't use the sails or you use them a lot. Only trying it will tell. olewill