[PNW_Steve]

Hey Everyone,

I have been boat shopping lately and, since my money tree died, I am on a budget.

My want was a 32'-38' sail boat. I have a list of features/accommodations that I am trying to meet. I am finding that sail boats, in reasonable condition & similar features, are significantly more expensive than power boats.

I broadened my search to include power boats and found some examples of displacement hull boats with small diesels that are relatively frugal on fuel.

The price difference between the sail and power boats that I am looking at will buy a LOT of diesel.

Here is my question:

If I go the power boat route, I will want to do what I can to maximize efficiency.

The first thing will be mode of travel. I will calculate hull speed as close as I can and keep my speed a bit below hull speed.

Another thought is to buy one of the boats that I have seen with a large, broken diesel and swap for a smaller, more efficient diesel. One I looked at has twin Perkins 6.354's. One of them is junk. Would it be worthwhile to sell the good motor and buy a pair of 40-50 hp turbocharged diesels. Probably marinized Kubotas. I could run hull speed easily on one engine and have the second for redundancy and the rare event that I really am in a hurry.

Along with that I am thinking that extending the stern in a tapered form to extend the waterline and provide a more efficient departure than the square transom.

What are your thoughts on these ideas? What else would you suggest?

Thank you.

S.

I have seen a couple of boats with large, broken diesel engines. Would swapping a smaller diesel?