Size matters...

Amen !

Amen & Halleluiah !

When I get some time later, I'll start a list of "Boating Trueisms and The Boating mistakes I have made" and you can add it it.

You'll need a lot of time.

Still Dreaming

Being Land Locked all my life, I zero knolege of anything larger than small motorboat. Even that is quite limited. My dream is to go all over the planet by water. If I were looking for a Power Yacht that would be capable of such a feat what would be the minimum fuel range for this type of trip? I have seen many boats advertized with what appear to be rediculously small fuel tanks for their size.

Hi,

The minimum fuel range should be enough to get you where you want to go with a bit left for unforseen emergencies and delays caused by bad weather etc.

The actual amount required in gallons will depend on where you want to go, the type of vessel, the power required to get it to the speed you wish to travel and it's SFC at that power setting.

There are many out there that can cross long distances no problem, those that can do a full lap of the planet under power non stop are not so common.

LandDreamer, thought you might find this link interesting. http://www.mywhalesong.com/ You may have read their 3 part story in one of the boating mags.

You should probably be looking at something with 4,000+ mile range. Obviously that's going to eliminate a lot of boats.

Our first boat was our Sea Spirit 63' trawler. Our only prior experience was lake sailing. Insurance, amazingly, wasn't a problem for me. Pantaenius was willing to write me insurance with no specific requirements. It seemed odd to me, but they were willing to do it. Of course, I'm a commercially licensed pilot, and I'm told that particular qualification counts for a lot in the mind of an insurer (speaks to respect for weather, mechanicals, accident avoidance, rules, etc.).

We spend 3 months with a full time captain in the Bahamas, and learned as much as we could. For the first month, we were falling all over each other making every mistake in the book. The second month saw us get the hang of things. By the start of the third month, our captain was basically an observer -- ready to step in, but never had to. This was just what we wanted -- a progression from "incompetent" to "competent within a narrow envelope of conditions".

From there, we felt comfortable planning our next trip to the Bahamas without a captain or crew, recognizing that our "envelope of competence" is fairly narrow still, and that there would likely be many times where we would choose to "wait it out" or "not go" when a more experienced captain/crew would not have been so timid. Once again, this is the progression we wanted -- from "limited competence" to "spending a lifetime expanding our competence".

It helps that we have a great boat (that you can read about on our blog), and that I'm mechanically inclined.

Even so, in the end we changed our minds about what kind of boating we want to do. As some know on this forum, we have bought a fractional share in a much larger boat (100'), which will be fully crewed. Too soon to tell how that will work out, but we have high hopes. Had the fractional opportunity not come along, or if we wanted to be "live-aboard" people rather than "use the boat for 5 - 10 weeks per year" people, we would happily have stayed with our own boat.

Bottom line: Inexperience need not be an issue. My wife and I worked hard to build a limited envelope of competence, and did so within about 6 weeks (preceded by about 6 months of studying at home).

Dan

I just had a similar experience with insurance. While I have been boating all my life, I have never owned anything above 37 feet, and I've never operated anything over 40 feet. I recently purchased 57' LOA boat. As part of my insurance application, I listed my private pilots license, a perfect driving record, and the fact that I have never made an insurance claim on anything that has a motor. I also indicated a willingness to hire a captain for some initial training. The insurer immediately agreed to insure me, at a reasonable rate, and without any requirement for initial training/experience.

I find that insurance companies that underwrite things like planes and yachts, take a good look at the individual circumstances, and make their decisions more on gut instinct, and less on some "formula" or "rule". That's a good thing, in my opinion.

Actually you did exactly what an experienced captain would do. He'd look at the circumstances and ask himself first, can I do this safely, and second will my passengers be happy I did it. We know it's called "pleasure" boating, not "get there" boating. (Transports are get there boating).
The pilots license is huge for the insurance companies, for all the reasons you stated and because you're used to dealing with drift & currents, navigation, electronics, keeping your systems working like your life depended on it, etc. And taking a captain on to help you learn is really all the insurance companies ask. Their thrilled to get a new boater who's already ahead on his education and experience.

LOL ScrumpyVixen

I need to use some of these quotes. All true...

There is real truth in the saying that "if it flys, floats or f####, hire it by the hour."

The most frightening times as a boater are not being out at sea with blue water hitting the flybridge clears, they are coming into fuel dock/berth/ etc with a strong cross wind, new boats eitherside of you, a crowd on the dock, and a family with tired kids on board. great entertainment if you are on the dock.

Oh, and never keep a track of the costs. Once you pay a bill, bin it.