(TAWill s/v Lucky Strike)
Date: 9/7/2004 11:16 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Message-id:

Jere Lull answers this question quite well from a cruising sailor's
viewpoint. My experience in offshore cruising sailboats 37 to 42 feet
in length yields fuel consumption of about 0.4 gallons per hour at
cruise.
T A Will

In article ,
(JAXAshby) wrote:

0.4 gallons of diesel fuel used per hours equals of about 6.4 hp. but who's
counting.


Your point being what?

We cruise comfortably at 5-7 hp. We can go a full knot and a half (about
20%) faster when we want to, but at 4 times the burn. Not worth it to us
most of the time.

Cruising is very different than storming around at full power for an
afternoon.

Hell, we don't fire up until our VMG is under about 2 knots unless we
feel like it.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

a 42 boat motoring using just 6 hp is rare indeed. **planning** on using no
more than 6 hp so one has enough fuel is not prudent seamanship. essentially,
one is engineless in a 42 foot boat with a 6 hp engine. Hell, a 32 foot boat
with 6 hp is damned near engineless.

Now, engineless isn't bad, as long as *you* understand you are engineless.

Jere Lull answers this question quite well from a cruising sailor's
viewpoint. My experience in offshore cruising sailboats 37 to 42 feet
in length yields fuel consumption of about 0.4 gallons per hour at
cruise.
T A Will

In article ,
(JAXAshby) wrote:

0.4 gallons of diesel fuel used per hours equals of about 6.4 hp. but
who's
counting.


Your point being what?

We cruise comfortably at 5-7 hp. We can go a full knot and a half (about
20%) faster when we want to, but at 4 times the burn. Not worth it to us
most of the time.

Cruising is very different than storming around at full power for an
afternoon.

Hell, we don't fire up until our VMG is under about 2 knots unless we
feel like it.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

thanks, gune, for looking that up. it will save me retyping.
unfortunately,
airplane mechanics usually don't have the native candle power to understand
the
basics, so it is lost on them.


So, that makes me the exception, right?


no. unless you have some command of the basics you have not shown in the past.

(JAXAshby) wrote in message ...
thanks, gune, for looking that up. it will save me retyping.
unfortunately,
airplane mechanics usually don't have the native candle power to understand
the
basics, so it is lost on them.


So, that makes me the exception, right?


no. unless you have some command of the basics you have not shown in the past.


I am glad some people found the idea amusing, however, it was a
serious question...in a theoretical sorta way. Not being able to get
out on the water recently makes me obsessive.
Now, what about Sterling engines on sailboats....

Not being able to get
out on the water recently makes me obsessive.

do as I do, sail a Sunfish (the classic model without the sissy footwell). No
worry about fuel. :-)

Well Jax,

You have got to tell us how you got a Sunfish without the footwell.

The only one ever build was a mismakenly built (too much beam) Sailfish.
It was plywood and so were all the Sunfish that he built to use the
Sailfish rig and other parts. Other people liked it, and still had
trouble staying on the board, so he built all the remainder with the
"cockpit" until Alcort bought the design from him and made them in plastic.

If it was made by Alcort, is plastic and has the less beam, then it is a
Sailfish (different class).

If it is plastic and has the 4'1" beam, then it is a knock-off made in
the mid ti late sixties by several comanies that are gone now.

Matt Colie (as a small boat sailor)
Lifelong Waterman, and Perpetual Sailor

JAXAshby wrote:
Not being able to get
out on the water recently makes me obsessive.


do as I do, sail a Sunfish (the classic model without the sissy footwell). No
worry about fuel. :-)

the original Sunfish had no sissy footwell. the footwell was incorporated to
accomadate the wishes of a pregnant sailor.

Well Jax,

You have got to tell us how you got a Sunfish without the footwell.

The only one ever build was a mismakenly built (too much beam) Sailfish.
It was plywood and so were all the Sunfish that he built to use the
Sailfish rig and other parts. Other people liked it, and still had
trouble staying on the board, so he built all the remainder with the
"cockpit" until Alcort bought the design from him and made them in plastic.

If it was made by Alcort, is plastic and has the less beam, then it is a
Sailfish (different class).

If it is plastic and has the 4'1" beam, then it is a knock-off made in
the mid ti late sixties by several comanies that are gone now.

Matt Colie (as a small boat sailor)
Lifelong Waterman, and Perpetual Sailor

JAXAshby wrote:
Not being able to get
out on the water recently makes me obsessive.


do as I do, sail a Sunfish (the classic model without the sissy footwell).
No
worry about fuel. :-)

(JAXAshby) wrote in message ...
Not being able to get
out on the water recently makes me obsessive.

do as I do, sail a Sunfish (the classic model without the sissy footwell). No
worry about fuel. :-)


JAX, I challenge you to a race, your Sunfish against my recently
completed Minicups. Or if you like, I actually built two minicups and
you can sail one of them. Unfortunately, till mid or late September,
the air is deathly still except during thunderstorms here.

In article ,
(Parallax) wrote:

I challenge you to a race, your Sunfish against my recently
completed Minicups. Or if you like, I actually built two minicups and
you can sail one of them. Unfortunately, till mid or late September,
the air is deathly still except during thunderstorms here.

Are you talking about the Stevenson Projects Minicup? That was *my*
first boat! Sailed rings around Sunfish!

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

Unfortunately, till mid or late September,
the air is deathly still except during thunderstorms here.


so, we don't sail unless thunderstorms are likely.