Harry wrote:
On 2/8/10 11:01 AM, Frogwatch wrote:
On Feb 7, 11:50 pm, wrote:
That's what you get with a blowboat. Seriously, you knew that
though, right?

--Mike

wrote in message

...


Yes, sailing is fun but for getting anywhere it is really slow.
Seriously, only 50 miles in a 10 hour day is slow. After this cruise,
I may try cruising some other way. Maybe I'll build a larger Tolman
for cruising. That way, I will never pay slip fees either. I have
found that fuel cost is a small part of the cost of boat ownership and
with a Tolman getting 6 mpg and able to go 30 mph, cruising becomes
practical. She won't cross oceans but would get to the Bahamas and
Dry Tortugas.

For me, the appeal of a sailboat, was the ability to go long distances
somewhat inexpensively. However, as it turns out, time is money and
so slowly actually turns out to be MORE expensive than a powerboat if
one is trying to cruise and work. When one factors in slip fees and
the inability to get a heavy non-trailerable boat to various places,
then a trailerable powerboat gets to be more economical than a
sailboat for going places. This is particularly true for an efficient
boat like the Tolman that gets 5-6 mpg.
However, the sailboat has range that the Tolman does not have. Can
you imagine running an outboard for 24 hours to go 250 miles? This is
rarely a factor but it is a reason to have a sailboat instead of
power.
My 20' Tolman Standard weighs under 1000 lbs and is a great boat for
most inshore stuff. However, I want to get to the Bahamas too and
maybe even further so maybe I should build the 24' Jumbo Tolman.
Whereas my 20' Tolman weighs just under 1000 lbs, the 24' Jumbo
probably weighs about 1800 lbs (not loaded). Is a 24' boat much more
difficult to launch and retrieve than a 20' boat? I happen to think
that launching/retrieving the Tolman is far easier than getting the
sailboat ready or put away before/after a trip.



I used to launch and retrieve my 25' Parker single-handedly. Depends
on the ramp. Boat weighed more than 7000 pounds and I did not use a
roller trailer.

I never thought it was a difficult task. Of course, I had a really
good trailer, not a trailer on which I tried to save a buck.

My current Parker weighs 3000 pounds plus. No problems launching or
retrieving.

If you want to move faster, you want a powerboat with a bottom a bit
more aggressive than that on a tolman.


I never launched any of my boats single-handedly. I've always had at
least one friend (or spouse) joining me for the trip who could also help
with the launch and retrieve. I wouldn't want to do it solo but it's
never been an issue.