Great Bargain on a Sea Sailer

[Scott Rosen]

Designed by Wirth Munroe, this is a sister to my Patience. I can strongly recommend the design and construction. This one has had a lot of updating and looks to be in pretty good shape.

http://www.broadfootpublishing.com/TomsBoats.html

http://www.broadfootpublishing.com/EncoreFullSail.jpg http://www.broadfootpublishing.com/EncoreFullSail001.jpg http://www.broadfootpublishing.com/EK-Main.jpeg http://www.broadfootpublishing.com/ek_3.jpg http://www.broadfootpublishing.com/ek_1.jpg

[Donn]

"Jimmy Buffet CD’s (2)" Well equipped!

[John Bell]

Saw it on the CP&P website a while back. I wondered if it was the same as your boat, Scott. The price has come down a lot since it was first listed, now asking less the $60K. If I only lived in place where such a boat made sense, 'cuz thats my kind of boat! Mama wants a houseboat, tho...

[dan-marques]

Pretty!

(At the risk of sounding ignorant...)

What exactly is a motor sailer anyway? Is it more powerboat or sailboat? Do you use the engine while the sails are up, or do you switch off? How does it handle under sail? etc. etc.

Thanks

Dan

[Jack Heinlen]

Dan,

It's a compromise hull. Some sail better than others depending on what direction the compromise leaned in. They have a larger motor than a typical auxiliary. Sometimes you just sail, sometimes just motor, and sometimes both.

I've never been fond of the look of a pilothouse on a boat this small, but it sure would be nice this time of year up here in Maine. Looks reasonably priced, considering all the recent work and the equipment list.

[John Bell]

Pilot houses: Cruising in the cold rain in the Thousand Islands last summer convinced me that I never want a boat without an inside helm. Watching the guys in pure sailboats sitting outside in their oilskins as I motored by, warm and dry with a cup of fresh hot coffee at my side had me sold instantly. Maybe you can get away without it in some tropical locale, but for any latitudes higher than about 30 degrees, give me the option of a helm with a roof over my head.

[Donn]

She's a beauty, to my eye. If I ever own a larger sailboat, it'll be one like that. Unfortunately, her mast won't make it into my boathouse.

[Scott Rosen]

The more you cruise, the more you see the beauty of the pilothouse.

What is a motorsailer?

A lot has been written on this. Today, just about every auxiliary made is a motorsailer. However, in the early 20th Century, engines were bigger, heavier and noisier than today's engines. The first auxiliaries were basically boats designed with sail as their only source of power, to which someone added an engine as an afterthought. Because of limitations of space, weight, etc., these first auxiliaries could only accomodate low-powered engines. The typical auxiliary was under-powered, and couldn't make hull speed under power alone, except in the calmest conditions.

In those days, it was difficult, if not impossible, to design a boat that could sail well AND accommodate the size of engine needed to move it along under power. Hence, the motorsailer was born. The early motorsailers sacrificed sailing qualities for speed under power.

A couple of things happened along the way. First, engines became more efficient, smaller and lighter. Second, the consumer demanded more comfort in a sailboat. Today, especially with the ability to mold any shape out of fiberglass, builders are making auxiliaries more comfortable, installing more powerful engines, and retaining some decent sailing ability. The popular Catalinas are a good example of a motorsailer that is not called a motorsailer.

The early designers did not have pilothouses on their smaller motorsailers. Interestingly, most of the Catalinas and similar boats that I see today have canvas pilothouses that the owners have installed after-market. These canvas contraptions combine a dodger, bimini and curtains to create a semi-enclosed steering station. The problem is that they are vastly inferior to a permanent structure, in that they are cold and wet and can't withstand gales. They give you some shade and keep you dry in a light rain, but that's about it.

If you look at the picture of the underwater profile and the lines of the Sea Sailer, you'll see that it's 100% sailboat. The high cabin and the pilothouse give it an open, roomy feel below, and give it a motorsailer look. The rig is relatively small, which is consistent with a lot of cruising auxilliaries of those days. Designers just assumed that crusiers wanted less sail and less work, and racers wanted to press their boats to the limit. It's a transitional design from 1962, just before the fiberglass explosion, but designed by a guy who was known for his ocean racers and who didn't want to compromise the sailing ability.

Like me, Sea Sailer owners are a loyal bunch who love their boats.

[ 09-07-2004, 05:48 PM: Message edited by: Scott Rosen ]

[Scott Rosen]

P.S. Thanks for letting me brag on my boat.

[Donn]

Pardon what is probably a dumb question, but can the mast on such a boat be mounted in a <strike>tabernackle</strike> <strike>tabernachel</strike> <strike>tabernachle</strike> hinge?

[Jack Heinlen]

I rarely see or read about a tabernacle on a rig this size these days, but it could be done. If I'm not mistaken Irving and Flicka Johnson's last boat, a steel ketch considerably larger than this, had a marconi rig in a tabernacle so they could negotiate the European canal system. It may have been gaff rigged, my memory is fuzzy.

The short answer is yes, it could be done, but it, almost surely, isn't something you want to deal with every time you put a boat this size in its berth, or take her sailing, at least not in any conformation I'm aware of. It's a fair amount of work.

Chapelle's Boatbuilding has a pretty good primer on how such is traditionally rigged.

P.S. It's good to hear your stories of Patience, Scott.

[ 09-07-2004, 06:47 PM: Message edited by: Jack Heinlen ]

[Donn]

It's a fair amount of work. That was my next question. Not practical for pulling her in and out of a boathouse, in other words.

[Ross M]

I love this boat!

Ross

[TimH]

Originally posted by Donn:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />"Jimmy Buffet CD’s (2)" Well equipped!</font>[/QUOTE]2 Jimmy Buffet CD's is well equiped? I beg to differ my fine man! :rolleyes:

[Donn]

None of my boats came with any CD's. :D

Ross, me too. I may have to truck on up to CT and check out Scott's boat. When we sell this house, and Loon, that's the kind of boat I want...maybe a tad larger.

[Scott Rosen]

Donn,

The mast is about 35' long. It would be a real challenge to design a folding rig that would work with the pilothouse, but if they can put a man on the moon . . . .

My mast, unlike the one in the picture, is the original wooden one. It's very heavy, and really can't be handled without a crane. You could build a high-tech carbon fiber one that might be a more manageable weight.

It would probably be easier to modify your boathouse. ;)