Does anyone have some actual experience of sailing a Duck? On George's site there is a report from Diesel Duck of sailing well, but that is a fairly light aluminium boat.

I know Randal intends to write on here once he has sailed the beautiful Dora Mac, but I was wondering if anyone else has actually had a go with a 462?

Lack of get home options is my only major area of concern as I am not a diesel mechanic, just able to do preventative maintenance and change belts/filters, check valve clearances etc., not rebuld a broken gearbox at sea!

I am aware that George calls his get home rig Continental Sailing, as you are bound to run into one eventually, but I would really like some hard facts on the ability to sail. Will it only go literally downwind, or is there some ability to reach?

What difference will the balanced rig make, both to the sailing and positioning of the stabilisers?

Any help and advice appreciated.

Thanks, Colin

HI
I don't have a boat yet but I did spend 25 years in the Canadian Navy so I am a little familiar with things that float. My ideal boat will not have any sails. It will have a "wing engine" with it's own folding prop. With a set of sails on a DD you can't expect any more than 2 or 3 knots. I have been led to believe a 30 hp with a 18 prop should push a 46 footed at 6 knots. But the highest motivating factor for me is when you need auxiliary power it probably will not be a sunny afternoon with a breeze. A small wing engine will be available immediately.
Just a thought.

Mark in BC

I believe that Bill @ Seahorse can fill you in on his experience with wing engines. I don't recall his exact wording, but the gist of it was he was only able to get minimal response from the wing engine and a high priced prop in very moderate conditions.

I will go with a sail rig for get-home and extra stabilization, and have excellent anchors ready to go at ALL times.

Just my .02.

John

While I hope the sails will help, I have been wondering about the auxiliary BAT drive. It runs off a generator PTO driven hydraulic pump, and attaches to the shaft behind the transmission. It does require an upgrade to the larger 12kw generator to obtain the PTO. The bayview edison people say it will drive the sedan at 4 knots. Any thoughts?
John
SD 46203

The duck is a sailable boat, even with George Buehler's original sail plan. Not a mileagemaker, but it could get you there. The hull material does not really make the difference. Steel, aluminum, or glass, as long as the displacement and design stays the same. In our case it is aluminum, but the displacement is the same as the steel version. We made up the difference in adding more ballast, more fuel and a custom designed interior. The boat Colin has mentioned is ours. We are gunkholing in the Caribbean at the moment and had many occasions to sail our 41 DD. With the diesel fuel price these days going up and up, the sail rig helps to linder the pain in the wallet. Sailing is not an art. Anybody can learn to sail in a few hours. We opted for George's sail rig and have not regretted it. The mast is a wonderful equipment carrier and holds even a crowsnest. Costwise: let's face it, it is less than an extra get me home engine installation and stabilizing gear and a lot less technical to maintain. You will have enough to worry and to maintain with all your other gear. We really enjoy the stabilizing effect of the sail gear.
There are choices to be made and when your heart wants a "get me home engine" go for it.
Wishing everyone all the best in planning your Duck.
Benno & Marlene

RE: sailing home vs. wing engines

The idea of a wing engine has always puzzled me because it adds complexity and may not even work. From what I have observed most diesel engine failures at sea are fuel system related. (This is in contrast to gas fueled automobiles where most problems are electrical.) Unless you install a completely isolated separate fuel system for your wing engine AND maintain the fuel quality during long periods of non-use (no small trick), a fuel problem in the main engine will impact the wing engine.


Even if you go ahead and install a dedicated fuel system for the wing engine, the idea that a 30HP marine engine is going to push a 46 foot Duck 6 knots seems to me to be stark raving mad. I doubt that even a 100 HP engine running right up on its governor is going to handle one of these steel hulled Ducks in a seaway.

Rather than a wing engine, I'd rather see people stock up on spare fuel injectors, spare Racor primary fuel filters, engine OEM secondary fuel filters, cases of BioBor fuel conditioner, Lucas/CAV or Stanadyne fuel conditoner (depending upon if you have a Lucas/CAV or a Stanadyne injection system, various Tech Tips on how to bleed your fuel system, and invest in a great fuel filter system.