What is a motor sailer?

TQA said:
Compass for a Neco autopilot I think. I had one on my Ryton 38.

Come to think about it maybe that came close to being a motorsailor? I tended to sail it everywhere but everything passed us. Solid steel boat with humungous water tanks.
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I think you may be right about that thing, though I never took much notice of it.
 
Any reason why it shouldn't do both well? Give it a light displacement and a reasonable sail area, folding/feathering prop(s). A bit of shelter when motoring into mucky weather would help too.
 
There are degrees of everything.

I think of Fishers, Claymores and Halbarders as motorsailers.

My father calls his Espace a motorsailer, (35' 50Hp engine), but it sails quite well, OK it won't win races but you don't have to have the engine on to make way to windward, but it helps.

My Centaur has been labelled a motorsailer, it's more of a sailing boat, but it's better to go with the wind, but that makes sense in a racey boat too.
 
I'd say it's a sailing yacht where the sailing performance has been compromised to a significant degree by the desire to give it at least some of the characteristics of a motor yacht.

Throwing a big engine into a sailing yacht doesn't necessarily make it a motor-sailor, any more than putting a deck-house on it does.

When weight, windage, drag, etc. are significantly affected I'd call it a motor-sailor. So a Hunter Pilot 27 isn't really a motor-sailor to my mind nor an LM30. Fisher 25/30 or Nauticat 33 are though.

How does that sound?
 
I'm afraid we are all owners of motor sailors - its the way we choose to be. Jerome Fitzgerald refers to us as "powersailors" - "sailors" - to him - do not have engines in their boats.

"Sailing with Purpose" 2002 p.117
 
grumpy_o_g said:
I'd say it's a sailing yacht where the sailing performance has been compromised to a significant degree by the desire to give it at least some of the characteristics of a motor yacht.
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A very negative view but, it seems, typical. I would have said it is a boat which performs both sailing and motoring functions. If it sails well and motors well, what would you call it?
 
NOHOH said:
Perhaps the clue is in the name....Motor (is the prime source of motive power) Sail(er) (is the secondary source of motive power).....and the boat is designed around these parameters....Its got little to do with whether or not there is a wheelhouse, long keel, heavy displacement or how well it goes to windward under sail. If the sails/rig are obviously more powerful than the mechanical engine it is a sailing boat with an auxiliary motor.
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Not sure about this comment - having sailed (read sailed) Fisher's, in certain conditions they can sail extremely well - for instance a 34 sloop or 37 on a reach with 16 knots apparent or more can exceed 7 knots if sailed properly with a Brunton or similar feathering prop - the modern 37 has 4 sails up (cutter ketch with bowsprit - a lot of sail area). In these conditions it will sail faster than motor (unless flat out) but they are still classed as motorsailers.

A sloop rigged 25 is a surprisingly lovely boat under sail - and this comes from someone who has mainly raced! OK not fast or close winded but sprightlier than you might expend!
 
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I subscribe to the Dag Pike definition, i.e. a motorsailer is a boat that can make good progress, in adverse weather conditions, under either sail or motor.

This is our motorsailer:


IMG_0020.jpg



It sails OK and motors well, thanks to a 38hp engine and Bruntons autoprop.
 
Pescadou is a very nice piece of equipment to me, in both looks and function.

Also, it makes me think . . . . sailboats don't usually have bulwarks, unless well over average size, whatever that is.

No engine is a bit extreme, even Eric Hiscock said it was very difficult to manage without, because of the way yacht harbours are arranged from about 1960 on.

How about you are only a sail boat if your auxiliary (as EH would call it) has single digit horsepower?
 
OMG I looked at one site Google brought me.

Canting keel . . . . . I have heard that they only work with a motor running all the time to provide the hydraulic power. Gotta be a motor-sailer.

It has canards. My dictionary tells me that means "fabricated, sensational".

That says it for me.

BTW I will let 9.9hp slip in as single-digit.
 
snowleopard said:
A very negative view but, it seems, typical. I would have said it is a boat which performs both sailing and motoring functions. If it sails well and motors well, what would you call it?
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I'd just call it a sailing yacht. Wasn't meant to be negative - all designs are a compromise in some way surely (even catamarans:))?
 
I don't like motor-sailers.

Years ago we berthed alongside a Fisher motor-sailor in Plouer. The nice people in her invited us on board for drinks and her skipper's wife gave my Old Guvnor the guided tour. OG seemed very impressed, especially with the wheelhouse. "Can you really stay in here in the warm and steer?" etc.

I didn't like the way things were going so I made an excuse and we left.

We left Plouer and the River Rance next day and had a hard slog to windward in driving rain in our Twister.

My remark to the OG along the lines of "Now this is real sailing" wasn't well received. I can't think why. :confused:
 
motorsailor definition

I believe that the definition of a motorsailor is a boat in which the hp of the motor(s) exceeds the sail area (main and foresail) measured in sq metres

Wow- this could be the first ever thread that i've answered/solved/terminated by non-violent means. Maybe...
 
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