Motor Sailers?

[FrancisRutter]

Francis Rutter

Suggest a Coaster 33. I had one, but traded down in size for reasons of age and lack of crew. It is a ketch, motor sailor, very comfortable to live in. Sails reasonably well. Like all long keel boats she rolls in a beam sea. Depending on the engine reasonably gentle on the fuel, and about 1k less to buy than a nauticat.
I took ours from Calais to Rheims and Epernee and down to Paris and home through Dunkerque. Left the main mast at home and had the mizzen on deck over the wheelhouse where it was out of the way. There is a Coaster website.

 

[boatmike]

I had in fact considered that a somewhat smaller Prout would be a way to go and indeed a pram hood that folds down would be better than my present fixed doghouse. I also have a stainless steel arch carrying a bimini on PEREGRINE that is too high to go under bridges which would need modification if I were to keep her too but the real clincher is "parking" her somewhere in the canals and coming home. With a boat of modest beam this is possible at lots of places at a modest cost, but not with a cat I fear. No, what I need is a boat that is like GTUSON's Roamer which has modest draught, height and a single hull. Steel would also be good for canal work with the inevitable knocks and scrapes..... My ideal so far is the Cromarty 36 but they do hold their price well and all dimensions are maximum. To answer other points, with such a boat the ketch rig masts can be carried alongside the wheelhouse avoiding adding to height and wont overhang too much, and there is outside seating and cockpit for sunny days retaining the wheelhouse for the majority of the time when it ain't..... But I often say on this forum "There is no such thing as a perfect boat" All of life is a compromise, it's just that I am considering a rather different boating life style in future with lots of canal work but the odd trip down in the med perhaps.... that calls for a different sort of compromise.....

 

[boatmike]

Definitely a contender Francis. You have the idea OK. Is the aft cabin as small as I think though? Ideally I would retrofit the aft cabin as a double but it looks too short? The passagemaker option looks better with a full wheelhouse saloon but there aren't too many of them about I think.....

 

[FrancisRutter]

Francis Rutter

The Coaster stern cabin is adequate, two full length berths, one each side. a small hanging locker stbd, and a locker to port, which in my case was usedup with the eberspacher. Removable step down [which made a tool box] and when removed gave access to the stern gland. It slept six easily. Depending on the composition of the crew I would either sleep in the aft cabin, or in the focs'l , which I preferred.
My problem was that it was a good step up to get on deck from the wheelhouse and with two bad hips I found that difficult.