A motorsailer is a type of motor-powered

sailing vessel A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships ...

, typically a

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

, that can derive power from its sails or engine, independently from each other during moderate seas or winds. A motorsailer may have a sail-to-engine power ratio in the range 30/70 to 70/30 (percent sail power/percent engine power).

Characteristics

Most motorsailers are yachts, with motors that can drive them at near

hull speed Hull speed or displacement speed is the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel's bow wave is equal to the waterline length of the vessel. As boat speed increases from rest, the wavelength of the bow wave increases, and usually its crest-to-tro ...

in moderate seas, and sails that can provide power in moderate breezes without needing to use the engine. They normally have a sheltered steering station, which is likely to be a

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. The emphasis of such craft is typically comfort at sea and the ability to cruise long distances. The comparative capabilities of the engine and sails are often described as a ratio of sail-to-engine capabilities: * 30/70 has a relatively small sail plan and a large engine; * 50/50 derives equal power capability from sails and engine for a seaworthy, passage-making yacht; * 70/30 has an underbody and distribution of ballast that allows a powerful rig under sail, despite the tankage for water and fuel that such a vessel carries for passage-making. Motorsailers generally have variable-pitch propellers, necessary to mitigate the drag that derives from their large diameter needed to transmit power to the water. While a sailing yacht will often be rigged as a

Bermuda rig A Bermuda rig, Bermudian rig, or Marconi rig is a configuration of Mast (sailing), mast and rigging for a type of sailboat and is the typical configuration for most modern sailboats. This configuration was developed in Bermuda in the 1600s; the t ...

ged-

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

or cutter (both types having a single mast), the motorsailer will more likely have a multi-masted split-rig sail-plan, such as a

ketch A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch fr ...

yawl A yawl is a type of boat. The term has several meanings. It can apply to the rig (or sailplan), to the hull type or to the use which the vessel is put. As a rig, a yawl is a two masted, fore and aft rigged sailing vessel with the mizzen mast p ...

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

, to provide ease of sail handling and better balance of forces in heavy weather. Motorsailers offer the following advantages over conventional auxiliary sailboats: * Interior space * Comfort and amenities * Reliable passage-making * Ease of short-handed sailing

References

{{Authority control Ship types

Characteristics

See also

References