The motorsailer: Not good at anything or just a motorboat with sail?

Gee Richard, If you would like to sail straight across from the North Sea to Antigua...be my guest !!! For me Life's to short for this type of Masochism and remember what they say...Gentlemen dont sail upwind !.
Id prefer to work the frontal patterns, fetch Lands End....get something to eat, read the newspaper, perhaps buy a lottery ticket to accumulate additional fun tickets , then drive south in the westerlys till Sagres, once again..drop the hook, grab something to eat, pay my respects to Henery the Navigator, then sniff out the NE trades , lock into 110 to 125 awa and hustle across.
Im confident that despite the extra miles, Ill arrive first, with little foul weather gear damage, a decent sun tan, dry bunks and a freezer full of fish . I always plan an oceanic passage to be offwind. In more than a dozen Northern transatlantic Ive never sailed upwind, aside from the brief transition zones. Down south never, mind you Ive had to sail all the way to Cape Verde before to break free of the westerlies. In areas of variable weather I will happily sit in port, once again drinking cold beer, while checking out girls wearing tight tops, with an eye on the weather situation. When the weather gods direct the masthead windex aft of the beam.. its...Blast Off Time ! YEEEHAWWWWW. !!!!!!!
Obviously its best to be sailing a yacht that easily surfs waves because this multiplies the Yeeehaww factor by generating strong High Fives when the helmsman keeps her on the boil for a full wave set. .
As for thrusters...its an "accessory " that is very effective. As you know when maneuvering you must always keep "way on" or you will stall and drift sideways. Keeping way on in confined harbours or areas that you are not familiar with, will cause you to fetch up on the rocks at much to great a speed. I prefer to run aground and stubb my toe at dead slow speed. With a thruster you can stop the boat...no "way on".. dead slow...then carefully wiggle and pick you way in while watching the depth sounder. I am regularly using harbours with 10 cm under the keel. Im regularly hard aground using the thruster to pivot me off. Much easier with a thruster and since checking out cool places, drinking beer and looking at girls very important in life, the thruster yacht will get more of this good stuff.
Ahh..Beer, think I crack one right now...want one ?.

 

I prefer NOT to run aground, and by so far I did manage that quite well. As I said, get some experience, you need it.

Thanks for the beer offer, but I assume having the better Qualities aboard than you, as for the equipment.

Regards
Richard

 

Pilsner > Coronas.

On a more serious note though, i agree with "The reason you own any boat with a mast is the challenge and enjoyment of sailing." so if there is a situation that is a bl**dy pain to sail, why bother - especially when it's raining?

 

The best bow thruster on a small boat is a long pole, applied to whatever you are trying to miss. If there is nothing there that needs to be missed you don't need a bow thruster!

 

so, basically bow thrusters are for single handedly handling vessels?

 

Concur Terry, and:
The best bowhruster is the helmsman or skipper to start with.

When you are in command of a vessel of say 1000 tonnes, with nothing but your mouth*, to direct the helmsman and the engine room, you pretty much develop a sense of all the nasty little surprises while docking.
That was what I meant, and being not the only one who achieved these skills, I say, that is the proper way, not the thruster.

Regards
Richard
*one can say bigmouth if one likes, but not before having the same capabilities.

 

You could just as easily argue that if you have sails, you don't need an engine. Or that if you have oars you don't need either! No doubt an over-reliance on "assistance mechanisms", regardless of type is possibly going to end in eventual mishap... but like most aids they make the process of boating more pleasurable (and often much safer) and since recreational boating is meant to be pleasurable.... well... you know the rest...

I spent the 1st 35+ years of my boating life without thrusters and the last 10 or so with them.... whilst I am perfectly capable of operating boats without thrusters (and regularly do), I am always happy to have them available.

Michael - You still haven't answered the question.... why do you consider that motorsailers are for inshore use only?

 

To get more of the YEEEHAWWWWW. !!!!!!! moments I guess.........
Especially in the light, that there are more of those Bikini top creatures around than one can find offshore!

Of course you are right Will, having all the equipment at hand, we sail / motor more relaxed today than we did without them. But calling bow and stern thrusters mandatory on a inshore boat, is nuts in my eyes.

Regards
Richard

 

Well, in Michaels defense, if I had the choice between politley observing elegant examples of the fairer sex, or arguing with you and me, I'd probably opt for the former too!!!

And, of course I agree... everyone should learn to operate their boats (regardless of size) with a variety of systems 'offline', so that when the day comes that they don't work, then the fall-back position becomes second nature.

 

Also, at least in the stockholm archipelago, where bow thrusters aren't that common despite the cramped... ... archipelago, it is often forbidden (though not punishable i think) to use the bow thruster in harbours, since it makes such noise.

 

Thats because the Bikini top models in our homewaters don´t wear Bikini tops. Not even slips.

Who can concentrate on thrusters when the thrust is already at full power?

 

Hahahahaha

 

Careful Richard... you shall incur the wrath of Angelique again...

 

Hmm, ja, and there is Murielle, and Monica, but,

what I have seen by so far, our female members have shown far more tolerance and nice behaviour than our male! (me included)

 

Well, ahhh, you could use the other hand ... but maybe not in harbour