On Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:06:30 -0400, Jeff wrote:

You get what you pay for. Is the Mac that much cheaper than a Hunter
25 or Catalina 250? It won't be any more "economical."

I'll check those out. I thought I had rejected them for one reason or
another, but maybe I'm just getting confused (-:

You're doing a real apples to oranges comparison here. Also, you seem
to have some misconception about fuel economy. There is no magic
bullet. If specify a length, weight, and speed, its very easy to
compute the required power and estimated fuel economy. There's
nothing inherently economical about a Mac, except that its very light.
And a Bayliner is only a "gas hog" because its much heavier, and
because its 220 HP engine is not going to be too happy running at 8
knots.

Good points. I really do want something very economical under power,
and gunkholing often means powering. Not interested in speed at all,
and sailing whenever possible fits slow and economy perfectly.
A small diesel seems best, but some interior space is lost.

Any small boat pushed well under hull speed by an 8 HP outboard is
going to be very economical.

That may be the best option in the end.

Thanks,

--Vic