Sail vs motor...Aargh!

[SCUBASailor]

I'm thinking of committing the ultimate sacrilege for a sailor, trading in my sailboat for an offshore powerboat. Where we are, we have to go out 50 miles into the gulf to get good dives in. My sailboat's top speed is 7.5 knots, so it takes forever to get there. Diving has really torn me in two. I can't bear to part with my sailboat, but I can't stand not being able to dive from her. Besides, with a powerboat, I can do some fishing, too. I've been fretting over this for months. Two passions that I can not reconcile!

 

[vladimir]

When I lived in NYC I joined a sailing club, so I was able to sail regularly without owning a boat.

 

[Hank49]

Seems like an easy choice to me. But for me a boat is just a means of transportation to the dive/fishing sites. Riding a boat isn't that big a thrill to me....motor or sailing.
If I'm going to be on the water for 15 hours. I"d rather spend 10-12 IN the water than 4.

 

[Md Spear]

Blasting to the remote can be fun

we made the 24 miles from Key West to the edge of the Marquesas in 26 minutes. Not another dive boat in site and surface air vis was about 8 miles. Did 4 drops and back in KW before the dive shop closed for fills.

we picked up this old 30 Scarab CC about 9 years ago for 18K. of course, that was just the begining

 

[sambolino44]

Multihulls sail fast.

 

[SCUBASailor]

Multihulls sail fast.

Yes, I've thought about cats as a possible solution. Multihulls are faster, but a good sailing day (high winds) typically makes a bad diving day. Multihulls are wide. There is no slip in our marina wide enough for a large cat. Finally, even a fast cat will max out at around 15 knots under perfect conditions, which are not that common here. I don't think it would be fast enough to do a day trip 50 miles out.

So, call me Mr. depressed.

 

[SCUBASailor]

For a sailor, the voyage is every bit as important as the destination. On a sailboat, getting away from everything noisy and brutally powerful is as relaxing as being underwater. Not that I discount the diving, it's just hard to give up the sailing. To be able to do both would be perfect.

 

[Amphiprion]

Totally understand. I like diving more than sailing and sailing more than powerboats. My suggestion would be to charter a center cockpit sailboat in the virgin islands with some tanks and an air compressor near the stern.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I have a simple solution, keep the sail boat and buy a motor boat. If you do some fancy math, you can show your wife how keeping the sail boats will save gas money. Then show her how the motor boat will save you time (so you can spend more time with her). Making this arguments sound logical of course best done after a bottle of wine or 2.

 

[SCUBASailor]

I have a simple solution, keep the sail boat and buy a motor boat. If you do some fancy math, you can show your wife how keeping the sail boats will save gas money. Then show her how the motor boat will save you time (so you can spend more time with her). Making this arguments sound logical of course best done after a bottle of wine or 2.

I knew someone on SB would come up with the perfect solution!