Advice please, head's spinning...

**jac** · 04-04-12, 00:27

Virtually every sailing boat built in the last 30-40 years will have a more than adequate engine to allow you to motor anywhere that you want + generate all the battery power etc that is required. In additiona - as a sailing boat you will be able to unfurl the sails ( or hoist if more labour intensive) and enjoy the peace!!

Most MOBOs seem to be built on the assumption that you want planing speed and by definition will cost a lot. 2 engines are twice the servicing of 1, MOBOs of the liveaboard size seem to have engines 100hp + a sailing boat will be 40hp - maybe 50. Thats less maintenance and less fuel.

As others have said - if you have no experience , charter first - or at least see if you can cadge an experience trip on other peoples boats, then spend your money

**tomcourtney** · 04-04-12, 14:27

The consensus so far is pointing me towards sail and I can't fault the logic in that.
Motor yachts seem to be a reasonable compromise so I have joined the Colvic Watson yahoo group to learn about them and will schedule a trip or two to have a look. Any other motor sailers out there worth considering or yachts with a motor capable of extended use?

My preference is motor...
Surely there is a cat B or a robust cat C motor cruiser out there which will give a 4 mpg or better consumption at cruising speeds in average Aegean / med sea conditions.
Any suggestions.

**Imperial One** · 04-04-12, 14:49

Hi Tomcourtney,
We have just a bit of knowledge on Dutch Cruisers as this is our main sphere of operation. There are some of them that are good for inland and coastal use but not too great at sea on a regular basis. If this is your chosen coure be careful what you opt for, an absolute minimum of Cat B for sure. Please call for a chat and of course lots of free advice and/or look at our website and that of our colleagues at YachtGallery.com where you will find many boats that might suit.

**Tranona** · 04-04-12, 15:08

Originally Posted by tomcourtney

The consensus so far is pointing me towards sail and I can't fault the logic in that.
Motor yachts seem to be a reasonable compromise so I have joined the Colvic Watson yahoo group to learn about them and will schedule a trip or two to have a look. Any other motor sailers out there worth considering or yachts with a motor capable of extended use?

My preference is motor...
Surely there is a cat B or a robust cat C motor cruiser out there which will give a 4 mpg or better consumption at cruising speeds in average Aegean / med sea conditions.
Any suggestions.

There are certainly displacement or SD cruisers built that would be suitable - trouble is they are either not available in your price bracket or more importantly rarely available in Greece. However you slice it, you will spend a min £10k moving a boat from Northern Europe to Greece, which is a big chunk out of your £50k, plus significant expenditure on gear to make it suitable for the environment. People do it, both sail and motor, but usually because their project (often retirement dream) is a slow passage either through the canals or round the outside, ending up in Greece/Turkey 3 or 4 years later. You will find Motor sailers of the Watson type are sometimes used because they have good accommodation for the size and crucially have shallower draft for the canals. However, they are not necessarily ideal for hot weather living, having been based on North Sea fishing boats where the requirements are very different. You will, however, find those or similar types of boats for sale out there when people have finished their "dream" and don't want, or can't afford to bring the boat back. These can be good buys, but can also be well past their use by date.

90%+ of your time will be spent at anchor or tied up to a quay. Moving from one island to another is no more difficult in a modern sailboat than a displacement motor boat when you are not bound by a schedule.

Give it a try!

**neale** · 04-04-12, 17:21

Originally Posted by tomcourtney

My preference is motor...
Surely there is a cat B or a robust cat C motor cruiser out there which will give a 4 mpg or better consumption at cruising speeds in average Aegean / med sea conditions.
Any suggestions.

If 4mpg is your benchmark then you could get a fast, smallish (sub 30ft) sportscruiser with a single diesel and an outdrive. I average about 5mpg, poss 5.5mpg in my Bayliner from memory.

**Nautorius** · 05-04-12, 10:43

Originally Posted by tomcourtney

The consensus so far is pointing me towards sail and I can't fault the logic in that.
Motor yachts seem to be a reasonable compromise so I have joined the Colvic Watson yahoo group to learn about them and will schedule a trip or two to have a look. Any other motor sailers out there worth considering or yachts with a motor capable of extended use?

My preference is motor...
Surely there is a cat B or a robust cat C motor cruiser out there which will give a 4 mpg or better consumption at cruising speeds in average Aegean / med sea conditions.
Any suggestions.

Not Sure about the MPG, But ticking over this kind of Old Princess/Fairline will handle the seas well and has good space on board and could squeeze in a 12m berth as well.....

There is a deal to be done and it sure is a lot of quality boat for the money...

http://www.boatshed.com/princess_415-boat-135742.html

No Connection, just sat in my Marina...

Paul

**LittleShip** · 05-04-12, 11:28

PM sent.

Tom

**tomcourtney** · 28-04-12, 01:48

Sorry I've been missing for a few weeks, family things to sort, Mother's 80th and Daughter's wedding.
I appreciate all the advice I've had and I'm a lot closer to gameplan now.
I will post and research the Liveaboard forum as well as take a sailing holiday. I will also plan a trip to Holland to get a feel for my favourite at this time - Dutch Steel Cruisers.
I will also post a thread to beg some experience anywhere I can by swabbing decks and assisting with fuel costs.

Roundup -

Greg2, Tranona, jac
Sailing holiday is a must, you're correct it would be silly to make a decision without some sail experience. Dutch steel cruisers exciting me though.
barryalan
Where in Greece are you, beautiful boat.
Mikef, Imperial One
I'm on the case, excited about the dutch steel cruisers, bit nervous of a single engine with no backup though.
DavidJ
Been lurking on the Liveaboard Forum and will be posting soon, thanks.
stillwaters
Thanks for the link, you're correct in that I have no recent experience and will be doing the course first when we arrive next Spring. Will probably wait to purchase till next year now (if I'm sensible)
neale
Cat B sports cruisers could do the job but I'd more comfortable with a Vital Spark (google may be necessary)
Nautorius
I haven't discounted an older Princess or Fairline but I think it would be better to run smaller engines at cruising speeds than tickover the larger engines generally found in these boats.
neale, LittleShip
We all have different tastes, I find some sports cruisers a bit too 'Peter Stringfellow' and the trawler style a bit too utilitarian.
Hope I'm not upsetting anyone