Sail or Motor?

I think the conclusion I'm beginning to arrive at is, just buy a Mk2 Wayfarer (with outboard) and get on the water with the family. Which was my initial instinct before the what if's and man maths got in the way :)
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Its not a bad solution (personally I'd look more towards the drascombe end than the wayfarer because in my option they are nicer for the uses you desribe, beware either will be difficult for one adult to handle on land - so if your kids need supervised you may find launch / recovery is more faff than you think and gets in the way of using it. For this reason, and the simplicity of rigging I'd not ignore a Cat Ketch rigged Topper Cruz.

However you've mentioned what you want and perhaps what your son wants but not the second child or other adult. When we faced a similar dilemma (I already had a dinghy) we quickly decided that small RIB was the practical solution*. 16 years on we are now looking at yachts - the other adult never liked dinghy sailing but is enjoying real sailing, notably she is actually sailing not just a passenger - if you want to maximise use this is the solution.

*our view was that UK weather meant good dinghy sailing weather was not necessarily good family outdoors weather, and days that were ideal for family picnics etc were usually not good sailing.
 
I would go and have a look at Topsham Sailing club and their storage facilities.
It's very cheap for a sailing club and not having to rig/derig and road prep the boat every time will significantly improve your boating life.
In the spirit of getting on the water they can also store paddleboards and kayaks etc and they'll have club boats for the kids to sail by themselves.
Doing a bit of racing a the weekend gives you a reason to get out, they probably organise things like a cruise in company with other families and you'll get to see lots of other boat types up close.
 
Have a look at swallow yachts. Water ballasted day sailers making trailing easier. Designed for day sailing and easy launch and recovery
 
Well, step 1 complete, have a found a Wayfarer (which sounds like it's setup for cruising, including OB) locally for sale and hoping to view later today/tomorrow.

To answer an earlier question, we only have 1 child but I'm making the assumption he'll want to bring a buddy along at some point.

If I get the Wayfarer then it leaves enough budget for a small rib, or possibly another option being an ali floored SIB like the Honwave T35 which from some research would suit us for summer bay hopping and can tow a ringo etc. SIB to be kept on a trailer in summer and dismantled/deflated for winter storage in the garage.
 
Both seems the answer!
More generally it is my observation that those of us who want to be able to go somewhere will have a motor boat, people who sail don't seem so bothered about that but enjoy the act of sailing itself. The question to ask is why do you want to be on the water?
 
If you travel at sailing speed the fuel usage isn't much, it is a hobby, just spend the money. If I wanted to go fishing to one of my usual spots and the tide was coming in I couldn't go in a sail boat!
 
gordmac said:
If you travel at sailing speed the fuel usage isn't much, it is a hobby, just spend the money. If I wanted to go fishing to one of my usual spots and the tide was coming in I couldn't go in a sail boat!
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What is sailing speed ?
Chiara's slave is possibly around 10 knots whilst I sail at around 5 knots. Boating is a compromise.
 
I would say sail definitely. Motoring a small motor boat for any length if time I just find boring and no challenge. The difference between sail and motor, is sail is about the journey, and motor is about reaching the destination.

Have you considered a small cruiser and keeping it afloat? So much more convenient than having to tow the boat, put the mast up, launch it, park the car and trailer etc? A small cruiser can be bought for probably less than a day boat, and gives you the option of overnight stops.
 
Families and boats: Been there done that and got the two boats!
As my boys were growing up i had various dinghies and hobie cats and involved them in Sea scouts of which i was a leader. My wife was never keen on the dinghies at all. Ultimately I bought a 26 ft trailer yacht. My two boys grew up fairly indifferent to boating as in, take it or leave it. My wife does come out on picnic days but not racing.
The boys left home to make their own successful lives, but a few years ago both planned to be at home for a couple of weeks summer hols with partners and in one case grand daughters.
So I bought an 18 ft powerboat with 90 HP motor - as you do. We had so much family fun with waterskiing, biscuiting, picnics up the coast, fishing that i really wished i had bought the power boat when the boys were young!

With my yacht, I can rig and launch and be ready to sail off 45 minutes after arriving at launching ramp, but with the power boat its instant - assuming the bungs are in!
I still race and cruise the yacht and it is my first love, but just last weekend for example, we had a perfect sunny still and warm winters day here, and my wife and i took the power boat into the national park for a quick spur of the moment picnic. It really wouldn't have been practical with the yacht.
So my vote is both!
 
Just a few comments from down under... This is mostly a sailing boat forum. However around here there are huge numbers of mobos on trailer. One problem with sail boat is that you need one with ballast which means heavy for it's size for towing. A mobo might also be heavy if it has a large motor. A big motor means you can go very fast (home in a hurry) however big motor at high speed means lots of expensive petrol. Plus very often you just can't go fast because water is too rough or speed limits. As said a slow mobo can be very light on fuel. The other negative about a high speed mobo is that while the helmsman gets a lot of fun the passengers just hang on hoping to get "there" soon. In a sail boat every one can be involved in sailing the boat in a comfortable way.
Now in UK I would not want a boat without a cabin big enough to shelter in if it gets rough (wet) or rainy.
In the end as said the reason for buying a boat will also dictate what type you buy. ol'will
Funniest sight to me here on Swan River (8knot speed limit) is a great big cigar shaped 30ft open mobo with twin vee8 engines (obviouisly capable of breaking sound barrier) burbling along at 8kts. It is just a crazy contradiction. Yes if you do go hooning around it is only a matter of a short time before one of 2 agencies fine you. Water police or marine authority. and Sea rescue will dob you in.
 
I’d just like to point out that not all trailer sailer sailboats are ballasted. I thought small multis were common in Aus and NZ? Mine’s a bit big for the designation, though it is a trailable boat. There are quite a few multis from 18ft upwards, with a cuddy or more, that are light to trail and launch, good to sail, and easy to rig, well, relatively.
 
Boathook said:
What is sailing speed ?
Chiara's slave is possibly around 10 knots whilst I sail at around 5 knots. Boating is a compromise.
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Is Chiara's slave meant to mean anything? I am assuming some sort of sailboat and that at 10kn, regarded as a quick one? Is that an average speed in average conditions, say 80' in an eight hour day irrespective of wind and tide?
Dave seems to get it. A few years ago we went to Stkilda, two hours from N. Uist then four hours back to Mallaig. Yes a fair bit of fuel but we wanted to see the place. Speaking to sailing friends who have tried, and failed, to sail there I suggested they take one of the tourist boats but they wouldn't do that. Basically they want to sail there more than go there, we wanted to go there. That, to me, sums up the difference. Neither option is the correct answer for everyone, depends on the person.
 
My user name. That being Chiara in my avatar, the fairly quick sail boat. Obviously her speed is weather dependent, but she got the mention I daresay for being decidedly quicker than a full displacement motor boat, and pretty much any other monohull sail cruiser. Tris are not everyone’s cup of tea of course, but we love her, and would usually rather use her for a trip than our Ring 6.5 RIB
 
Praxinoscope said:
Don’t forget that when you have launched your boat you have to find somewhere to park your car and trailer, you need to establish that there is a useable slip or easy access to the water if intending to launch anything larger than a small dinghy.
If you are looking for something more substantial than a Wayfarer or similar, look at a Leisure 17 for towing around, it would be below the maximum towing weight of a Focus, it doesn’t take too long to set the mast and as long as there is a decent slip they are not too difficult to launch. We used to tow a 17 behind a Mk1 Cortina.
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I used to tow a Leisure 17 behind a Fiat Scudo van(1900cc). I wouldn't have fancied using anything smaller. Diesel is definitely better than petrol. A petrol- engined car will get a trailer moving just as well as a similar (engine) sized diesel one, but manoeuvering and reversing with a higher-revving petrol engine, especially where slopes , such as slipways, are encountered,. will soon burn out the clutch, (don't ask me how I know this?).
 
gordmac said:
Is Chiara's slave meant to mean anything? I am assuming some sort of sailboat and that at 10kn, regarded as a quick one? Is that an average speed in average conditions, say 80' in an eight hour day irrespective of wind and tide?
Dave seems to get it. A few years ago we went to Stkilda, two hours from N. Uist then four hours back to Mallaig. Yes a fair bit of fuel but we wanted to see the place. Speaking to sailing friends who have tried, and failed, to sail there I suggested they take one of the tourist boats but they wouldn't do that. Basically they want to sail there more than go there, we wanted to go there. That, to me, sums up the difference. Neither option is the correct answer for everyone, depends on the person.
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You have summed up the essence of what sailing(cruising) is about; it's more about the journey than the destination.
 
Chiara’s slave said:
My user name. That being Chiara in my avatar, the fairly quick sail boat. Obviously her speed is weather dependent, but she got the mention I daresay for being decidedly quicker than a full displacement motor boat, and pretty much any other monohull sail cruiser. Tris are not everyone’s cup of tea of course, but we love her, and would usually rather use her for a trip than our Ring 6.5 RIB
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Thanks for the explanation. I don't think it is reasonable to compare monohulls to multihulls in terms of speed though. A "displacement" motor cat would do 10kn all day in most reasonable conditions I would suggest. A planing or semi displacement boat can potter about at the 5 or 6kn as well as a displacement boat can but has the option of making progress if desired. Mind you 10kn wouldn't be a good speed for most of them, too slow!
 
Spirit (of Glenans) said:
You have summed up the essence of what sailing(cruising) is about; it's more about the journey than the destination.
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I am well aware of that. What I struggle with is why some sailing types struggle with any other viewpoint. I also enjoy pottering about at 6 or 7kn on a nice day just relaxing and enjoying the scenery. But I would see messing about with ropes and sails as a detrement to that enjoyment, each to their own.
 
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