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MOTOR SAILERS:

The term MOTOR SAILER in times past meant a boat best described as a 50/50 that is 50% motor and 50% sail. Occasionally one would hear boats referred to as 60/40 or by a similar definition. Today this distinction has been blurred to such an extent that you will need to determine what you require from a boat and then configure (with our help) your own MOTOR SAILER. As it is a term you will encounter when you go out searching for your cruising boat we should decide what most people mean when they refer to a boat as a MOTOR SAILER.

My interpretation of the term MOTOR SAILER in its purest form is best expressed by the Pacific Coast Fisherman 40. The PCF 40 has a (full displacement trawler hull; , with a fishing boat heritage) that has been fitted with a modest but effective sail plan (one recently sailed from Australia to Ireland). Having mentioned these exploits of one PCF 40, I hasten to add that I would not recommend this type of boat as a long distance passage making vessel, but rather as one ideal for shorter ocean crossings and coastal cruising. Needless to say planing hull power boats are not suitable for conversion to motor sailers; this has been tried by some UK and US boat building companies that should have known better; the results were less than satisfactory.

More recently you are likely to hear the term MOTOR SAILER applied to a variety of sail boats equipped with a varying sizes of auxiliary power. Considering the term MOTOR SAILER in its more recent usage I would say that a boat fitted with an engine with a capacity of more than 2.5 horse power per 1,000 lbs displacement, (1.82 Kw per 454 kg) might be fairly called a MOTOR SAILER.

You should consider the hull form rather than the general terminology, when you are making your decision as to which hull is most suitable for your particular type of cruising. If you are considering cruising the canals of Europe with a foray into the Mediterranean, then a motor sailer in its true context could be the right choice for you.

Over the past 35 years we have discovered that the SPRAY hulls can be configured as comfortable MOTOR SAILERS. The hull shape allows the Sprays to perform well under power while still retaining their proven sailing characteristics. Several of our other sailboat designs are also suitable for configuration as MOTOR SAILERS.

Below is a selection of our designs that can be configured as MOTOR SAILERS; some may be entitled that designation to a greater extent than others but all are capable of fulfilling the MOTOR SAILER role to suit YOUR particular needs.