[PUP] Motor/sailing Vessels

[Patrick Gerety]

My trawler is relativey skinny as far as trawlers go.  My LOA is 40'-6" with a
13'-8" beam.  It has a very fine entry with a canoe stern.  The hull exhibits
the characteristics of a sailboat more so than any other production trawler on
the market.  Consequently the hull is very efficient and seakindly for a
trawler.  I get between 4 and 5 nmpg (depending on sea conditions) at 7.5
knot, which seems to be the "sweet spot" for my boat.  The downside is that my
interior space is more confined than most production trawlers on the market
today.

Although my boat is a 100% trawler, I do carry a downwind genoa that I
hank on whenever the mood strikes me.  Since I have essentially a sailboat
hull, it is easily driven by a sail and benefits most from the addition of a
sail.  This downwind genoa increases my range (which is already 3000+ miles
without the sail), provides some stabilization, is my emergency "get
somewhere" system, and is just plain "fun" for an old time rag bagger like me.
The genoa I have now is a bit small but is good in heavier wind.  I will be
getting a larger genoa in a lighter sailcloth for those conditions less than
say, 20 knots of wind.  My boat is really not a motorsailer, but I treat it as
if it were.  I think I have the best of both worlds.

With regards to
catamarans, I am fascinated by them.  I envy their large saloons and
"potential" for speed.  But then again, my boat is more than big enough for
the two of us and four people in a pinch.  And besides, I am not in a hurry to
get anywhere.  One complaint that hear from my catamaran colleagues here in
the marina is the cost of berthing for a cat.  The marina here in La Paz is
charging USD$ 12.75 a foot for a 40 foot monohull boat.  A catamaran takes up
two berths and therefore pays double the price.....$25.50 per foot. That rate
eats up a cruising kitty pretty fast!

 I will never own a catamaran - not
because I don't like them - but because the boat I have now will be my last
one.  We're off the the South Pacific next year in our slow but comfortable
trawler.

Boats.....I love them all!

Patrick
Willard 40PH
ALOHA
La Paz, MX