Fuel cost too high, thinking of trading to Sailboat for diving?

[Peter_C]

would you/do you take a 14' Zodiac 3-4 miles offshore?

All the time to go whale watching. I know guys who run out to Catalina in their inflatable SIB's which is 22 miles.

My point was more about if you want fuel economy you have to downsize, and it can be a huge savings. What is more important?

 

[Mike]

I have been diving a long time, and for the first 20 years or so, diving overlapped with sailing. My Dad had a 30 footer. Trust me in this, they don't go together. It sounds like you haven't done much sailing, so let me itemize a few problems with sailboats for diving. (And don't get me wrong, I love sailing, just not for diving.)

Sailboats are: slow, rarely able to go directly to where you want to go, covered in wires and ropes and cleats and all sorts of trip hazards, lack any sort of open space unless you are 40' plus, difficult to trailer (even a small one) so you're range is limited, and have high freeboard (with fences!) Sailboats suck for diving.

From a purely financial perspective, the money you lose selling your stink-pot and buying a sailboat, would cover your fuel for a decade. Also, if the boat is big enough to dive from, you won't be able to pull it around on a trailer easily (keel boats are VERY heavy, tall, and require dismasting to trail) so you'll have to leave it at a marina which will cost a fortune. I assume you put your little bow-rider on a trailer and away you go..

So my (good) advice is to upgrade to a four-stroke if you haven't already, drive a bit slower if you must, and stick with what you have.

I use my boat a lot (20' Zodiac Hurricane RIB) and it burns about a litre a mile (call it a US quart for you 'Mericans) which sucks, but the reality is, I don't really go very far most of the time. Most of the time, I am heading out 3 or 4 miles and back... say 8 litres or 2 US gallons. Big deal. In a typical dive season (April to December) I average about $350 - $500 in gas, which in Canada, is a lot more than you would pay. And I dive almost every weekend. (My boat lives on the trailer, so I fill up at gas stations as a rule, not marinas). If you get a good sized sailboat, your booze tab with be way more than that. Believe me, sailors are a thirsty lot and they love to sit around on their boats and TALK about sailing with (your) booze in hand, even more than sailing itself. Sailors make divers look like Baptists!

So sail if you like sailing, but leave the dive gear at home... or take up free-diving.

You're welcome.

Ditto on everything he said.

I love to sail, I love to dive, I would combine the two only if it was a last resort such as either do that or don't dive at all ever again.

Plus one more thing, a sail boat of any size is a continuous maintenance issue. If you think your boat takes some time and money you haven't seen anything when it comes to a sail boat, and the bigger they get everything grows geometrically. When was the last time you spent $1500 replacing the lines on your boat? Those are the lines, not the standing rigging, just the running lines.

 

[Divescape]

With my 4.5m rib a five hour day on the water is 12l. As to weather I would not want to dive I weather I would not choose to dive in weather my boat can,t manage. 4 stroke is the absolute answer!

 

[Stoo]

would you/do you take a 14' Zodiac 3-4 miles offshore?

You want to check the weather, but absolutely. My first boat was a 12' Zodiac with a 25 hp on it. We took that thing all over the Great Lakes and often went 25 miles offshore. It also travelled to Cape Ann, north of Boston and the Florida Keys on a regular basis. I upgraded after a few years to a 14 footer with a 40 and it was pure luxury. We got beat up now and again, wet and cold, but we could dive our faces off all weekend on 5 gallons of gas.

My last two boats have been RIBs, my current one being a 20' Zodiac Hurricane with a 150 hp 4 stroke. It sucks gas for sure, but gets us ANYWHERE and back easily and safely. It's fitted out with dual VHFs, GPS plotter, O2, self-righting gear and is bombproof.. But it's still small enough that I can trailer it easily (with a Tahoe). Yup, lot's of gas, but total flexibility with when and where I want to dive... Other than when I am on vacation, I haven't paid for a charter in decades.

 

[rhwestfall]

... Yup, lot's of gas...

LMAO - I run a 25' Sport Boat, 460 Cu-In, 330 HP V-8. A day of "there and back" for diving is easily 80 gallons of fuel..... Boat #2 is a 38' race boat with twin Blown 700 HP v-8's. Its not a dive boat..... I wouldn't run 40-50 miles in a RIB.....Charters are a dream....

 

[Stoo]

LMAO - I run a 25' Sport Boat, 460 Cu-In, 330 HP V-8. A day of "there and back" for diving is easily 80 gallons of fuel..... Boat #2 is a 38' race boat with twin Blown 700 HP v-8's. Its not a dive boat..... I wouldn't run 40-50 miles in a RIB.....Charters are a dream....

LOL... Ya, I know. By comparison, mine's nothing! Most of the time, we take pretty short trips. My favorite wreck is 3 miles from my front door...

My boat is very capable. It's the same make as what the Coasties use here (and in the US to a large extent), just a slightly smaller version. We routinely take it right across Georgian Bay (55 miles typically) but in fairness, there are islands scattered along the way.. although they're uninhabited. We sometimes head about 35 miles in Lake Erie, but once we're at our destination, we're only about 8 miles from the end of Long Point... which is also uninhabited. So while we go a long way, it isn't like we're heading straight out 50 miles into the ocean and 50 miles back. These lakes do get lumpy though, with very short frequency waves, so it can be very unpleasant.

 

[mala]

lol....

you cant dive of my boat but you can dive off the tender

 

[rhwestfall]

I'm on Erie (east end).... its a long run from home to the wrecks...

LOL... Ya, I know. By comparison, mine's nothing! Most of the time, we take pretty short trips. My favorite wreck is 3 miles from my front door...

My boat is very capable. It's the same make as what the Coasties use here (and in the US to a large extent), just a slightly smaller version. We routinely take it right across Georgian Bay (55 miles typically) but in fairness, there are islands scattered along the way.. although they're uninhabited. We sometimes head about 35 miles in Lake Erie, but once we're at our destination, we're only about 8 miles from the end of Long Point... which is also uninhabited. So while we go a long way, it isn't like we're heading straight out 50 miles into the ocean and 50 miles back. These lakes do get lumpy though, with very short frequency waves, so it can be very unpleasant.

 

[Hank49]

Seems a sailboat would be good if you had a month or two off and didn't have to get anywhere fast. But for one day trips...power.

BTW, nice boat Mala. You suck.

 

[Stoo]

I'm on Erie (east end).... its a long run from home to the wrecks...

You have a bunch of lumps of wood down around Pelee don't you? I've never dove there mind you!