Living on 64 Manhattan

I dont agree with those who tell you to choose trawler.

This boat is excellent for living aboard in the med, where most harbours are about 100 nm distance between them in the East about 50 nm in the West area.
As for the engines I have driven both 64 Manhattans with smaller 800 and 1050hp MAN engines, and to my surprise the small engine version rides a bit better. With 1050 engines the boats rides very bow high and is more nervous on speeds abou 25 knots. The boat also slams a bit more in anything over Beaufort force 4 1.5 meters plus of wave height.
You should top 32 to 34 knots with those 1050hp MAN this with a clean bump and good well maintained engines.
The 800hp MAN top about 30 knots. I think but I am not sure the 800 and 1050hp MAN have the same cc engine with difference in turbo and valves etc.

Range calculations

I don't believe that a 900 mile range in the M64 is possible using even 1 engine at a time, at 2 knots, with a following wind, a large sail, and an outboard mounted on the bathing platform, unless you're being towed by a trawler for most of the way.

ROFLMAO.
No, docking when there is a stiff current on your beam or a 60mph gust of wind hits you just off your bow is hard. Reading an inlet from the backside of the waves is deadly when misjudged. (You may have seen this the other day http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/g...augustine.html?highlight=St.+Augustine+Inlet) or this from not long ago http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/g...board.html?highlight=Captain+thrown+from+boat. Reading the waters on a cloudy, windy day to see where the bar has extended to since your chart was drawn is hard. I've had one client for many years now who loves to "drive" his boats, except when the s--- hits the fan. I could charge him tripple my rate at those times and he'd gladly pay it. Today I transported a 37' express for about 40 miles through our south shore bays. The owner had been thinking about doing it himself. He could now point out 4 distinct spots where he knows he would have been in major trouble were I not there. No, driving a boat is not hard. Gaining the experience to keep you alive and your boat floating is the hard part.

Remember the rule of thirds: 1/3 out, 1/3 in and 1/3 for emergency. You never want to go near the bottom of your tank. Nasty gremlins lurk there.

Although I was a bit hard on my post about the Manhattan's fuel mileage, I really was unaware that one could get that range even at that speed, so sorry for my ignorance.

Saying that, running at 8 knots in a Manhattan over long distances would not be many people's idea of fun. These boats are really designed for planing at 22+ knots, and are much more happy with that. There is little low down weight in them, and I imagine that they would not be handling any weather very well.

You're still doing it, and I'm still talking about it, so go for it.

Regards Tim

You mentioned the lack of ballast. Keep plenty of Bonine on board or plan to add stabilizers. Since it's a planing hull you're probably talking about gyro type which will add plenty of weight which will further degrade your fuel burn (and cost a pretty penny). The motors won't like that either. Yes, you can run them up every 8 hours, but that will also affect your fuel burn estimates. I'd generally consider the Manhattan a coastal cruiser, well suited for the med or for island hopping if you're prepared to pay the price. If you want an 8 kt boat, you should buy a boat designed for that. This is not a boat designed for economical cruising.

Yeah, under turbo boost the engines only run on 1/2 of the cylinders to save fuel. I'd run them up to cruise every 6hrs for 30 minutes. Travelling around the Carribbean and if living aboard, I think I'd tend to wait until you have good seas to move on down the road.

Also I agree with NYCAP, keep a 30% reserve for just in case.......However you still could do 600nm and be on the safe side.....I would think......

No, the 800hp 2848 LE403 is an 8-cylinder block while the 1050hp 2840 LE403is a 10-cylinder block... larger displacement and more torque...

As for using a Sunseeker 64 at trawling speeds, I honestly think there are better ideas. It's a planing hull which therefore achieves its optimal stability at planing speeds, 8 knots in anything other than flat seas will not be comfortable at all. Especially given the fact that Sunseekers are quite light in comparison to some other yachts of this type and have relatively small capacity fuel tanks. If I wanted a boat with a decent turn of speed but also some long-range capacity I would obviously look for a semi-displacement hull but that is not so easy to find in this size category. If as a result of this I had to resort to a planing hull, I would at least take a yacht which is a bit more heavily built and with bigger fuel capacity, like a Sanlorenzo or equivalent...

Also be careful with using these engines at trawling speeds, they are not designed for that and it's not good for them. As several have said, a periodic operation at 2000+ RPM is a must after hours of trawling.

Gyros would probably cost upwards of € 100 000 for a boat of this size, that is for equipment and installation. And assuming you don't have to change anything else like upgrade the generator which could be the case if you have only standard equipment on your Sunseeker which is usually only one genset with output which is already at the limit.

Sounds like a blast ... I wish I was heading off on an adventure like that at age 27!! The good news is ... play your cards right and you can adventure for the next 50 years! So be careful out there ... as there is lots of fun to be had.

I agree that you need to love the boat ... be passionate about the boat. This does not need to be your last boat. It sounds like you got a pretty good deal so no worries.

I chose the Bertram 54 and I have never caught a fish on the ocean in my life! Still haven't. Although, I do intend to do some fishing this summer!

Keep us posted on your progress.

Cruising in a Sunseeker

We have a 62 Sunseeker Manhattan. We have taken her, M/Y Pansea all over the Bahamas and Caribbean. I wish you all the best in your adventure.

You will have so much fun. Yes there are a lot of things to watch out for, but there is a lot of help, pretty much at any marina. Boater are just great people.

I agree on getting a water-maker. Spare Props are great too. We have an old set stowed under the floor forward in the main salon. They came off after we replaced with Nibril with a adjusted pitch. They keep weight forward also. Don't forget to have pulling gear for changing.

On running aground, always speak to locals and pay the local pilots to run you in and out tight places, like 'devils backbone'. Places are always named appropriately based on their danger!

I also agree on fuel management being a priority. We carry a lot of filters and electric socket wrench to replace filters fast. Have ear protection. Keep a lot of primary and also secondary filters.
Also leave the blowers on always for a good while after running the engines. The temp spikes on shutdown and can damage the ECM.
We have a simple fuel polishing system installed to run from the center tank to the Starboard or port thru a racor filter on a timer. Use fuel additives. Pour the fuel into a glass in the Bahamas at smaller marinas.

Don't feel unsure to run offshore. You have less chance of running into stuff there. Just make sure your comms are in good shape and you are clued up with the locals in and out. Boat US are a great resource.

Good luck,
Sean Connors

I am also a Lic. 100GT USCG which I obtained to help my proficiency.

This is a very old thread that I read many years ago.

How did the adventure go?

At the time I had no idea that I would now be living on an identical boat.

As Wakeseeker only posted from May 1 to May 12, 2011, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for an answer.

Perhaps you can assist others in posting some of your likes and dislikes, you did revive this discussion after all

A little update as requested.

It is interesting reading the advice given.

I love cruising at 25 knots and the fuel per mile isn't as bad as I expected, mainly because of the speed. Yes often we cruise at 10 knots, which is just above idle to keep the wash down, but letting the turbos kick in and the boat gettin up to speed is an awesome feeling that so many years later we still enjoy.

We do not travel long distances so fuel cost is not a major issue.

There is so much room on board, it is at least as comfortable as our house. With 6 reverse cycle air conditioners, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, 4 bathrooms, 5 televisions, a massive flybridge and a proper oven and 4 burner stove, we have no reason to go home, amd we don't very often.

The genset is too big and doesn't get loaded enough so a massive inverter and battery upgrade is currently being undertaken.

On upgrades, we are constantly modernising systems on board, not because we have to but because I enjoy projects. Just replaced the Man / Boning monitoring system with a Boning upgrade that links to NMEA but also gives us a lot more information. For example we now have EGT monitoring which I think is essential in older engines.

The Sunseeker build quality is very good and the access to most systems is very reasonable.

In my opinion if the servicing access is too hard, it probably will not get done properly. We looked at quite a few Princesses and in our market, they were not well maintained, I suspect for this reason.

As for driving the boat, in good weather I can run it myself. It is very manageable. The Admiral does not like to get involved in the operation of the boat and will only tie a line if I really need her to.

On the downside, it is a massive boat and hard to keep clean and maintained. There is a lot of time involved whether you do it yourself or pay someone.

Do I want a bigger boat? Absolutely not. Do I want a smaller boat? Absolutely not.

There is no way I would think of changing this boat.

Can you live on this boat full time. Well it depends on your expectations but in my world, definitely yes.