motoring with mainsail up

Status
Not open for further replies.
Syversens

Syversens

.
Oct 29, 2006
388
Beneteau 381 Olympia, WA
Hey all, I have a question about motoring... We try to avoid it as much as possible but now and then we'll do an hour or two. Today we saw a boat with mainsail up and powering at full speed (about same a me at 6.5 knots) going on a nice tack angle according to my wind vane. Could I have saved a cup or two of diesel by having the main and/or jib up ? thanks ! Gaute
 
Mike B

Mike B

.
Apr 15, 2007
1,013
Beneteau 43 Baltimore, MD
Genny and iron genny

Gaute, using the genoa and the iron genny (aka the motor) will work very well. You could also use the main but the genny is easier to use and will develop more power for you. On long trips I frequently roll the genny out and also run the motor. I can pick up anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 knots which helps when you have an 8 hr run ahead of you. Try it you'll like it. Mike
 
Syversens

Syversens

.
Oct 29, 2006
388
Beneteau 381 Olympia, WA
I'll give that a try

Excellent, I'll also be able to cut down on the RPM I would imagine... You just use the wind indicator to trim the sail as if you were sailing ? I will definately try that next time...
 
L

larry w

.
Jun 16, 2005
476
- - long beach, CA
The main purpose

of powering with the main up is to stabalize the boat. The ride is much more comfortable if the boat is not rolling back and forth as happens a lot when a sailboat is under power. Put the main up, adjust the traveller to put a bit of breeze in it, a bit of a load, and you'll be amazed at how much more stable the motion is. I don't power with my genny up because it restricts visibility forward. Give it a try.
 
Mike B

Mike B

.
Apr 15, 2007
1,013
Beneteau 43 Baltimore, MD
Use the know meter

Gaute, I use the GPS speed more than the telltails or wind instruments. I give the genny the best shape I can and then tweak it until I get the max speed out of it. You can then back off on the throttle and enjoy a quieter ride and good speed. Or if you have a long way to go, stay on the throttle and enjoy some awesome speed. Due to some very nasty weather last summer we had to delay our return from Cape May NJ to our home port by a day. This left us one day to do the full 100 mile trip. Not something the wife was too keen on. We had 10-15kt winds off the port quarter so I set the genny and ran the motor at apx 2800 rpms. We ran in the 7.5 + kt range the whole trip and knocked off at least 30 mins of travel time. As Larry mentioned it will also settle the boat down and give you a nicer ride. Mike
 
M

medsailor

sails + engine

I was making an 80 nautical miles night trip the other day with my Beneteau 361. Wind was 10-12 knots, I had both sails up plus the engine running at around 1600rpm. Result was an average 6,7knots speed throughout the save journey and a consumption of around 20-25 litres of diesel.
 
Syversens

Syversens

.
Oct 29, 2006
388
Beneteau 381 Olympia, WA
sweet

Sounds like this is the way to go... we normally dont have a lot of waves here in the puget sound but often wind from odd angles not always perfect for sailing. now are there any headings that are bad for this or are the rules same as sailing, i'm assuming motoring straight into the wind (apparent) will not make it more efficient though may stop rolling ?? Gaute
 
Mike B

Mike B

.
Apr 15, 2007
1,013
Beneteau 43 Baltimore, MD
Don't bother into a headwind

Gaute, if you've got the wind on your nose don't bother to try and motor sail, you'll just have it flapping around on you. I generally use it when I have winds on my stern or if the winds across the beam are too light to drive me efficiently. Experiment for yourself to what it will do for you. Mike
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom