Lets Learn About Sailing with Another Story

When I say "sail boat" what do YOU think about? Most power boaters will think that they are ridiculous little pests on the water that are always getting in the way.  Well, for the vast majority of my life, I would have agreed with them, until now.  Last year I had the opportunity to work with a local charter boat company that had two sail boats (S/V Seawolf, a 40 foot custom wood catamaran and S/V Bucket List, a Corsair F37 trimaran) and a power boat that measured in at about 52 feet.  When I first started working there, I was honest with the captain of the sail boat in that I had NEVER stepped foot on a sailing vessel while sailing.  I had looked at them at the boat show and boarded a few at the dock, but never sailed on one.  I had known the captain for a few years and saw him every day during my time at the marina, we both had a tendency to joke with each other about my "hatred" toward sail boats and how I always thought that they got in the way.

I was hired by the captain of the power boat as we had a past relationship from my time at the marina, but we agreed that I would work on any of the boats.  For the first few weeks of working I spend almost all of my time on the power boat, it was exactly what I was used to and felt comfortable when I took the controls.  When the time came that I docked the boat and did some maneuvering in tight quarters, I felt like I was in control the whole time and used everything that I learned in my life before.  According to the captain, I was ready to take over the boat, which we both knew was a joke, but none the less, its good to know that someone recognized my skills not relative to my age.  In fact, he said that I controlled that boat better than some that do that for a living.

When it came time for me to work on S/V Seawolf, I have to say, I was nervous.  I had talked to the captain almost every day but I didn't know if he was aware of just how little he knew about sailing.  For the first few runs, he did all of the sails and I drove, since according to some sailors, that's all power boat captains are good at. The first he had me set the sails, I had to quickly research on my phone the things that he was saying, soon, I figured it all out.

Toward the end of my time with the company, we aquired another sailboat, S/V Bucket List.  Like I said earlier, Bucket List was a Corsair F37 trimaran. If you were to do some research and look at some videos on YouTube, you will see that it is a very high performance boat and takes a special type of person to sail on it.  After about a week of owning, I got word that I would be one of the primary crew members on the boat apart from the captain's wife.  It turns out, that after a few months, I was the only one apart from the captain and his wife that had the knowledge to crew on the boat.  The captain of S/V Bucket List had a very strong relationship regardless of the fact that we had rarely seen each other in my previous time at the marina.  It was requested by that captain that I was the only one who would help sail the boat.  With our strong relationship and trust in each other, we felt that we could take on any task at hand, more on captain and crew relationships later though.

There was a lot to learn and more importantly, it all happened very fast.  Though we never did it with passengers aboard, it was not uncommon for that boat to reach double the speed of the wind, which in most cases is unheard of in the world of sailing, not to mention dangerous in some cases.  The boat is constructed with the use of lots of carbon fiber, thus making the boat both very strong and very light.  New, the boat can be optioned up to about $300,000.

Now, I dont want to say that I have switched over to the "dark side", but its good to change things up sometimes, at least I know how should the opportunity ever arise.  Like I have always said, "there is no replacement for displacement", meaning that you will never beat the feeling that you get when you pin the throttles and go from 0 to 50 in 10 seconds, and for those who have spend time on the water, it is a much different feeling doing 50 on the water than 50 on the road.

Recently I was given some new sailing books and have enjoyed the little that I have read in them.  Don't get disappointed if you see some posts about sailing, I think that everyone should know the basics.

Finally, trust me, I will NEVER be involved enough to solely sail, I will always keep my roots in power boating.

Here is a snap shot of S/V Bucket List during some of her sea-trials before passengers started coming aboard.  This was taken from the pilot house of Harbor Lights, the power boat.

Common Unit Conversions for Mariners

I was reading an article on the internet a few days ago and ran across this table that gave some of the most common unit conversions for mariners.  Generally, I don't really think about it as I generally keep everything in customary units while on the water even though it is not technically the right way to do things.

Here are some of the most common conversions that you will find while on the water.

1 Knot (kn) = 1.15 mph
1 Nautical mile (nm) = 1.15 statute miles
60 Nautical miles (nm) = 1 degree of latitude
1 Millibar (mb) mercury = .02953 inches of mercury - this pertains to atmospheric pressure
1 Fathom = 6 feet

How Much Power Do I Need?

With gas prices again on the rise, everybody is trying to get the most fuel efficient engine that they can when they look for a new boat.  All boats have a range of power options from a range of manufactures that the boat will be able to handle.  With outboard powered boats, its simple, somewhere inside the boat, usually near the helm will be a plaque that will show how large of an engine the boat is rated for.  With an inboard or I/O, you will have to either check the manufactures website or the spec sheet for the boat.  

For the purpose of this explanation, I am going to use an outboard powered boat since they are the easiest to determine how much power will be needed as well as their RPM range is easier to explain.  

Below are the most important thoughts as to why I believe that you should opt for bigger engines.  

• An engine will be much "happier" being run at 3500 RPM rather than 6000 RPM to achieve the same speed.  
• Though the engine will be bigger and have a larger displacement, it could actually be more fuel efficient.  Of course, the engine that is running at 3500 will be using less fuel than the engine that is running at 6000 while trying to achieve the same speed. 
• Once you buy the boat, you are stuck with it.  Many who buy boats with smaller engines will later wish that they had bought the bigger one.  You can't change the engine without having to bring significant money to the table because you now have a used engine.   

2 Stroke v. 4 Stroke

Ever wonder what the difference between a two stroke and a four stroke is?  There is a great difference between the two, both a completely different systems that most do not quite understand.  Most know that four stroke engines are the new craze, in fact, there are more four stroke engines on the market than two strokes.  Out of the major engine brands, there is only one manufacturer, Evinrude.

When you hear the phrase "two-stroke", most think of a smoke machine that requires the passengers to wear a gas mask to be comfortable.  Not by today's standards though, Evinrude has completely changed that perspective.  In fact, if your Evinrude is smoking, you may have a problem.

Before I start explaining the difference between the two engines, take a look at this video.  Though this video was created by Evinrude to advertise their engines, it does not seem to give the Evinrude any clear advantage over the competitor.  The test is showing what two stroke engines are known for, torque, along with many other things that I will cover later.

Here is another example of the torque that is produced by the Evinrude.

What Makes Them Different

• Well clearly from the video above something is different.  Apart from the wonderful sound that a two stroke makes, the point that the video is showing is the astonishing amount of torque that a two stroke has versus a four stroke.  
• Two stokes use oil.  Rather than using oil to circulate through the engine to lubricate it, the oil is mixed with the fuel before the engine to have the same effect.  
• Two strokes are often lighter.  As in the video above, the Yamaha weighs roughly 480 pounds, the Evinrude weighs about 425 pounds depending on the shaft length.  For a boat, you need to loose all the weight possible.  
• Evinrude requires no scheduled maintenance for 3 years or 300 hours, which ever comes first.  This can greatly lower the cost of ownership.  As for the Yamaha or any other four stroke, they require at least an oil change every year.  

How a 2-Stroke Works

There are three different types of oil that can be used with the Evinrude that each have their own special characteristics.  Check back later for a comparison.