Hello All, Having spent 10 years full time on a sailboat and now into our 9th year of trawlering I would like to note that there is a big difference between driving a sailboat 7 knots and driving a trawler at 7 knots while doing ocean passages. We find that sailboats require quite a bit attention while passage making.  Wind conditions are rarely constant, squalls really mess things up, and you are outside most of time in weather.  So... watch keeping is fairly disruptive while passage making under sail. Power boats on the other hand pretty much take care of them selves and... you are under cover out of weather in much more comfortable surroundings.  This is especially true when in higher latitudes where you often deal with fog and cold rainy conditions. Bottom line is that we find passage making much more pleasurable in our 40' pilot house trawler than on our 40' open cockpit sailboat.  10+ hour passages for us are quite common and really not a big deal.  Start the engine, raise the anchor, and off go... much much simpler than making a sailboat go. Having said that everything that dave mentions below is essential.  Wx plays an important role since trawlers in general are not as sea worthy as sailboats.  I second the notion that active and passive stabilization of ocean going power boats is essential not only for comfort but also for safety.  I will add that we will never own a power boat without stabilizers.  On Bliss we have an active Gyro stabilizer in addition to passive bilge keels.  This combo has proven to be very effective at dampening (or eliminating roll) while making a huge difference in comfort.  Comfort is key... Long passage are much more pleasurable if you are comfortable.  Bottom line... we find that traveling at 7 knots is just not a issue....  Fuel savings at 7 knots (SL 1.2) is a 1 gal an hour on our 31000 lbs boat... a considerable savings... and the engine purrs quietly in the background.... we have an 85Hp Beta marine so... not much different than an engine you would find on a comparable size sailboat. Take care. --luis On 8/15/21 11:03 AM, trawlers-request@lists.trawlering.com wrote: > Message: 1 > Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2021 08:25:54 -0400 > From: "Dave Skolnick (S/V Auspicious)" <boat@skolnick.org> > Subject: T&T: Re: Transition to Power > To: trawlers <trawlers@lists.trawlering.com> > Message-ID: > <CAL9t0LMmYU-Jcy-H32zeEoSuW8SoXOUSeYJ-QZ90FppU0j7w5A@mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > >> From: Russell Davignon <svascension@yahoo.com> >> > >> That said I have practical concerns and need your opinions.1) Wondering if >> this class of powerboat is going to be very noisy and limit conversation >> between me and the admiral. I'm pretty deaf already and my sailboat's >> engine is, of course, down below and I'm up top driving, engine noise is >> barely audible at the helm.2) Although fuel range will dictate my route, >> wondering how an Express will handle a sea voyage as far as Grenada, island >> hopping from the East Coast of Florida.3) I've always been on a full keel >> sailboat and trashing through whatever was never a problem. Not sure the >> ride or the seakeeping ability of a keel-less "planing" powerboat will be a >> good idea for such a trip >> > I have not driven a Huckins. I have delivered a lot of boats including twin > engine planing boats. I don't remember any that allowed conversation other > than yelling anywhere on the boat when planing. You might consider noise > canceling headsets - real ones like pilots use. > > Without some kind of roll damping, active or passive, life will be > unpleasant in any kind of a beam see. You'll be more sensitive to weather > windows than you are used to and spend more time looking at wave and swell > synoptics than you are probably used to. I'd look hard at passive anti-roll > tanks ("Flume" tanks). I'm not a fan of active fins (more noise, failure > modes). You'll need a real naval architect with experience (I am a naval > architect, I'm not your guy for this niche technology but I can point you > in the right direction). > > You're going to make more fuel stops. Off the top of my (head four times as > much fuel, ten times the burn rate), two-and-a-half times as often. > > Little things (ha! see next) make a difference. Rudders on planing boats > are often quite small and you need a lot of water flow (speed) in order to > steer effectively. With twin engines a 1 kt approach to a fuel dock is no > big deal. 4 kts in a crowded channel is exercise. On some boats even 6 kts > can be a steering challenge. I'd want to know what boat speed is in smooth > water at idle-idle. I'd want to be sure there is enough rudder area to > control the boat on one engine (either for fuel economy or due to a > failure). I'd want to be sure the autopilot can steer on one engine. I'd > like to know if I can get up on plane on two engines and then shut one > down. I'd pay a lot of attention to fuel tankage and be able to run both > engines off either tank and/or have fuel transfer. > > Not in any way unique to Huckins or fast cruisers, newer boats often have a > lot of technology for its own sake. I delivered a big cat that required TWO > iPads to fuel - one for gauges and one to control the transfer pump (two > big fuel tanks, one fuel fill). Manual control meant taking part of the > boat apart, crawling into a hole, and a flashlight. That boat really needed > a second fuel fill and a bigger fuel transfer pump. The fancy dimming light > switches are electrically noisy and result in radio interference impacting > VHF and AIS and definitely HF/SSB performance. Don't let the manufacturer > blow you off by saying "no one complains." > > Electric toilets are wonderful. > > Hope this helps. > > sail fast and eat well, dave > AuspiciousWorks > > ------------------------------ > > *******************************************************