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I am considering my first large boat-32-36 ft- that I would moor in the Seattle area and sail/motor to the San Juan islands. There are a lot of things that I like about sailboats. However I have reservations about somethings that I would appreciate hearing from the forum about. One thing to keep in mind is that my wife and daughters have never sailed and it is important that they want to go out on the boat on a regular basis. Also my sailing experience is limited to very small day sailers.
1. What I have learned is that in the Puget Sound area much of a sailboats time underway is on the engine not the sails.
2. Being in the cabin while underway can be claustrophobic with virtually no ability to enjoy the sights especially if the weather is wet or cold.
3. Being at the helm in cold wet weather is not fun.
4. Manning the sails for changing winds or direction can take a lot of time and make the time on the water much less fun and relaxing.
5. A sailboat is very uncomfortable when healed over.
6. Finally any further thoughts on a sailboat compared with a trawler would be appreciated.
If I was in your position, I would look at Chartering to learn what you want. I don't know what experence you have, but the tides and currents of the San Juans and Gulf Islands require planning and knowledge that you may not have. There are Sailing or Power boat schools that will train you, and you will have a great cruise while learning the PNW waters and what you want in a boat.
My main reason for boating is fishing. So as long as it's safe, i go--rain or shine.
many boaters love to boat when conditions are nice (little wind) and prefer to stay on the hard when conditions are poor (windy). If you are thus inclined as most are, then power boating is more suitable than sailing.
Before making a large investment for the family, try bare boat charters in both power and sail and determine what best fits your lifestyle. As kglinz mentioned, a cheap way to do bare boat charters is to join a school (sail or power) and thus thru the association you can charter boats for huge cost savings and get to learn from the school obviously too.
The more you find what floats your boat, the better you'll be in knowing what boat is the right investment for you.
PS, do not expect to be an expert right away, usually takes time, experience and having had owned various boats to gain that wisdom--so it's a process but we are to enjoy the process too.
You seem to have already identified many of the disadvantages of a sailboat in the often rainy PNW. The further north you get the more you'll appreciate staying warm and dry, and having good visibility in all directions. Good advice to charter first. My suggestion would be to start with a raised pilothouse trawler, Nordic Tug 32 or American Tug 34 - they'll spoil you.
__________________ Richard Cook
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Here is a 31' alloy monster with a Diesel below deck .
Take a look at www.coldwaterboats.com they are in your neck of the woods , just north of Seattle .
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If you consider working the lines when tacking to be a burden, or the heeling of the boat when under sail to be "uncomfortable" then sailing is not for you. It's unfortunate, because you've obviously completely missed the point of sailing and will never appreciate the sheer joy and exhiliration that sailing can bring you. But, hey, that's you, not me.
From a purely practical standpoint, trawlers make more sense in Puget Sound and the San Juans. However, I personally don't see the point of buying a trawler that can only go about as fast as a sailboat under power anyway. The primary disadvantage of a sailboat is speed under power. If you eliminate extra speed as an advantage of a powerboat, you don't have much left. The factors that do remain, such as an exposed cockpit, increased draft, etc, generally can be mitigated or are relatively unimportant in our cruising area.
pglein:
Instead of the minor insult in your second sentence perhaps you could enlighten me-someone with as I said little sailing experience- as to the point of sailing which I "completely missed." One thing that I have learned is that most experienced sailors are quite willing to share the "joy and exhilaration that sailing can bring" with those not yet so enlightened and for that reason I will probably be buying a cruising sailboat in the 34-36 foot range.
I did not mean any insult whatsoever. I'm merely providing you with my frank opinion based on the information you provided.
What I mean is that the experience of tacking and the heeling of the boat are two of the key elements that make sailing fun. If that doesn't appeal to you, then sailing isn't for you.
Most sailboats in the sound are under power while underway because the wind is too slow and current too fast to get anywhere. You have to wake up too early in the morning and sit outside in cockpit to hit the tides right to get anywhere and freeze your butt off while all the power boat folks are making breakfast and then burning past you. Up in the islands, the waterways are too constricted to maintain a tack for very long and then the current rips up as soon as you round a corner and the wind direction changes too quickly so youd need to be under power up there too. Last time I brought a sailboat down from Friday Harbor the only time we set sail was in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Sailboats are good for open oceans, not Puget Sound. It would be fun to have a little dinker for a 2nd boat to sail around if you fancy but you wont get very far and see much scenery in it.
If still interested look at the Rawson 30 pilothouse, Gulf 30 Pilothouse, Islander 40 pilothouse, etc Fisher 36 is a badass motorsailer...
__________________ Top Gun 1992 Donzi 22 Classic 454 King Cobra
Sailboats and trawlers are about the same speed (hull speed). Sailboats are great for long distances, when you actually sail, but for short distances you will probably power. If you are going to get a power boat, get a boat that will plane, going 15-25 mph will be a lot more fun and you can cover more ground in a given time, like a weekend.
Location: The Great NorthWest Where the Rain Falls Mainly on my Brain
Posts: 38
Quote:
Originally Posted by miike
Most sailboats in the sound are under power while underway because the wind is too slow and current too fast to get anywhere. You have to wake up too early in the morning and sit outside in cockpit to hit the tides right to get anywhere and freeze your butt off while all the power boat folks are making breakfast and then burning past you. Up in the islands, the waterways are too constricted to maintain a tack for very long and then the current rips up as soon as you round a corner and the wind direction changes too quickly so youd need to be under power up there too. Last time I brought a sailboat down from Friday Harbor the only time we set sail was in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Sailboats are good for open oceans, not Puget Sound. It would be fun to have a little dinker for a 2nd boat to sail around if you fancy but you wont get very far and see much scenery in it.
If still interested look at the Rawson 30 pilothouse, Gulf 30 Pilothouse, Islander 40 pilothouse, etc Fisher 36 is a badass motorsailer...
It's an old thread but I want to jump in here as well.
There is a reason so many power boats in the PNW have some sort of enclosure, and many sailboats have some sort of dodger system. I think it is well known why.
I run an 18' on lake washington to truck the kids around on a tube. I truly LUST after a 44' sailboat on YachtWorld, but would never buy it given the winds and currents around here. I would also never buy a trawler due to speed issues. If I want to go slow, I would buy the sailboat instead and have a dual use boat. In that case, I would definitely look at the suggested boats above, as well as an Islander Freeport 36.
Anything with some "speed" is probably the way to go in the PNW.
Now if I were in the Gulf, it would be a whole different story.
I'm prepared to use my boat most of three months of the year. The rest of the time she'll sit. If you want to have more fun that than, get a powered cabin and keep the family warm. My family would rather do other things when the weather turns to crap, so I save on mooring fees and keep the boat on a trailer in the driveway.
I don't know much about sail boats or your local cruising grounds but my wife and I went from a 21 Boston Whaler to a 34 foot Marine Trader Double Cabin trawler (cruise speed 8.5 knots with top 12) four years ago and LOVE it. We spend every weekend on it with two big dogs and our 1 year old son. We average about 125 hours cruising each year and go every where our friends go with faster boats. Actually we probably go a lot further than all of our friends combined. When we travel with them we just leave a lot earlier then they do. My son was born two summers ago in June and this summer he spent two weeks living on the boat. All the room on our boat is great for my family and it really comes in handy in bad weather or with the little guy when its too hot. Best part of going slow is my annual fuel bill, this year it was just over $800. I would love a bigger faster boat but with our budget our 34 is perfect and I love the space it provides. The bareboat idea is a good one. We never did that and I don't have any regrets but it would of been nice too see what we were getting into. We did join our local power squadron and both took seamanship and piloting classes, best thing we ever did. Its our boat and my wife is now very good at handling it, the only down side is I have too share the helm!
I don't know much about sail boats or your local cruising grounds but my wife and I went from a 21 Boston Whaler to a 34 foot Marine Trader Double Cabin trawler (cruise speed 8.5 knots with top 12) four years ago and LOVE it. We spend every weekend on it with two big dogs and our 1 year old son. We average about 125 hours cruising each year and go every where our friends go with faster boats. Actually we probably go a lot further than all of our friends combined. When we travel with them we just leave a lot earlier then they do. My son was born two summers ago in June and this summer he spent two weeks living on the boat. All the room on our boat is great for my family and it really comes in handy in bad weather or with the little guy when its too hot. Best part of going slow is my annual fuel bill, this year it was just over $800. I would love a bigger faster boat but with our budget our 34 is perfect and I love the space it provides. The bareboat idea is a good one. We never did that and I don't have any regrets but it would of been nice too see what we were getting into. We did join our local power squadron and both took seamanship and piloting classes, best thing we ever did. Its our boat and my wife is now very good at handling it, the only down side is I have too share the helm!
great to hear you enjoying the boat.
$800!!!???!!! That's what i spend on fuel on a single long weekend of fishing. I'm very envious of the fuel burn, but couldn't make the switch as i need the speed to get to the fishing grounds and back in a day. Now if someone just invented a way to power engines with seawater . . .
You wouldn't know it by looking at my boat, but I prefer a longer journey in slower boat. I can run to the islands in under two hours and it's fun but then there's nothing to do when I get there. The prettiest parts of the trip is going there, not being there, unless it's way far up in River's Inlet or Desolation. Also, getting there is less comfortable as speed increases. I believe that is why the slower boats travel further. People get tired of getting banged around for 8 hours a day but a nice slow trawl is rather enjoyable.
__________________ Top Gun 1992 Donzi 22 Classic 454 King Cobra
This is an issue that pops up on boating forms often. The physical differences between the two types and different ablities are easy to grasp. If you plan to cross an ocean the sail boat is the more realistic answer for lesser passages like coastal and intercoastal use either will do. If sailing is in your blood than the choice is easier but I being a hard core sailor will do my summer NW cruising on the dark side the rest of the year I am out single handed sailing. Since it sounds like the original post is not from a die hard sailor go with the efficent 7-8K trawler.
If I may,,, I am new to this forum, but not to boating. I have had 6 boats, inlcuding 2 sailboats, one of which was a liveaboard.
Sailing and motorboating are two very different things. Sailing is generally not for going from point A to point B. Sailing is a lot of fun, the the sport of sailing is just that...The fun is in the sailing itself. Lots of work, but very enjoyable.
Powerboating is dfferent. You can enjoy being out on the water, but if you have the intention of getting from here to there for some specific reaon, a sailboat is not the way to go. Even trawlers are slow, but still go in a straight line regardless of the wind.
Ask yourself and your family what you enjoy about being on the water.. I changed to power boats because I like getting on the water and going somewhere...to Long Beach for lunch, to Newport Harbor for Sunday brunch...This enjoyment would not be possible in a sailboat.
PNW Trawler v. Sailboat 
That's what i spend on fuel on a single long weekend of fishing. I'm very envious of the fuel burn, but couldn't make the switch as i need the speed to get to the fishing grounds and back in a day. Now if someone just invented a way to power engines with seawater . . . 
