Better Offshore Motor Boats

Let’s compare a cruising sailboat under power to a typical trawler. After all, we sailors don’t want to take a step backward in efficiency and speed as we transition to power.

What’s it really like to make a passage on a trawler? John and Phyllis report on a crossing of the Gulf of Maine in a Nordhavn 55.

We discuss what Phyllis and I have learned about motorboats and particularly our impressions as filtered through our experience of tens of thousands of offshore miles in sailboats.

We look at seaworthiness, fuel burn and my thinking on the related environmental issues, and then finish up with what all of this means to Phyllis and me personally.

Offshore motorboats could be safer, faster, and much, much, more fuel efficient. John looks at how, and some innovative boats that are making that happen.

When designing an offshore motorboat one of the first decisions we must make is what we intend to do if the main engine fails far from land or help. John takes a deep dive into this complex issue.

There are benefits and drawbacks to all get-home backup power options for offshore motorboats, which makes this vital decision surprisingly difficult. John shines a bright light on the tradeoffs of each option.

In the last two articles we looked at whether we even need a get-home option for an offshore motorboat and concluded we do, so we looked at six options. In this chapter John reveals his winner, and why.