Adding mast?

[mtwaterguy]

I am looking at purchasing a 43' Hatteras motoryacht. It has all the comforts, but no sails. is it possible to add a mast and enjoy the benefits of sailing?

[the1much]

i,ve never seen it done,,hehe,,or heard of it,,but it doesnt sound impossible,,the only hard thing is if you would need a "keel" to match your new sails,,and with the hatteras,,placement would be a hard one,,it would almost have to go through your cabins,,right about ,,,in front of ya couch hehe,,,then the sails would have to be pretty "high",,,,,but thats jus thinking out loud,,,good luck

[PAR]

You could erect a downwind rig to motorsail with the wind abeam or further free, without the need for an appendage under your boat. It's likely you have a skeg(s) which may provide sufficient lateral plane to allow slight advances with the wind forward of the beam (with increasing amounts of leeward skid of course).

Do you have out of water images of your boat? These would help tremendously in determining the suitability of your motoryacht. To be honest, it's not going to be a very good sailer, but helping out the engine(s), with fuel costs the way they'll likely continue, is always welcome.

It would take a fair number of hours (fuel savings) to amortize the costs of a sailing addition to this type of hull, unless you do a lot of massagemaking, especially in the trades.

[the1much]

why do you sound so smart Par?,,you read alot dont you
listen to this guy waterdude

[alan white]

There is an enormous difference between a sailing hull and a motoring hull. A sailing hull is designed to be most efficient at very slow speeds while the motorboat hull (at least that of your Hatteras) is least efficient at very slow speeds. There are in fact motor-driven hulls which are very good candidates for sail conversion, but those are quite rare these days.
Good candidates would be very low-powered, somewhere in the 30 hp maximum range for a 43 footer, and they would reach about 8.5 knots going flat out. Obviously a fraction of the kind of power needed to get the Hatteras up to planing speeds.
All of this ought to tell you that in addition to PAR's comment that you will only sail with the wind at your back (normal sailers can sail to every direction save within 45 degrees of the wind), what sailing you do accomplish will be sluggish except when the wind is strong, at which point one alteration to your yacht will be vitally important---- the addition of a large rudder---- which will hang from your wide transom.
It should be understood that this isn't a riding sail (a rear mounted steadying sail), but a real driving sail of sufficient dimension that it pays its way.
It will be expensive to set up, and while someone with some experience in design could do the job, 10 thousand dollars would be a bargain to make the conversion.
The best type of sail would carry the greatest amount of area on the shortest mast, so a square rigger (boomless or "yardless") at the bottom) is likely the best choice. That, and a new rudder, would allow you to sail at least within maybe 40% of the compass rose, maybe a bit more.
So yes, it can be done, but is it worth it?

Alan

[Kaptin-Jer]

Besides the obvious design limitations I have a real aesthetic issue with the concept. A 43' Hatteras trying to look like a viking ship? Somehow it doesn't make it...

[yipster]

dont know but think you could hoist sails on the fishing tower and hope rudders steer

[mtwaterguy]

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like I'd better rethink this idea. I'm not trying to change the looks of the Hatteras, just want to combine the best of both styles.