Pacific Business Daily

What type of power boat is required to cross the Atlantic of the Pacific?

I know you can sail across the Atlantic or Pacific in a 30-40foot sailboat and many people have done it in much smaller craft. My Question is: How about a power boat? What length of boat would you need to attempt a trans-Atlantic crossing? Obviously, fuel would be the primary concern. How much fuel capacity would this boat require? Also, I would just like to throw in there: What price range are we looking at for a boat of this type?

Public Comments

1. a very big boat.. unless u wanna die
2. Last person to try it in a 45' boat left 3 years ago and had almost 1000 gallons of fuel. we will miss him. You are smoking some good shit if you think you can do this in a small power boat. Sail boats are designed for rough water, power boats are not
3. Most Ocean going boats, are in the 90' or larger range with at least 5,000 gal. fuel capacity. Often much more. While smaller boats have made the crossing with extra fuel on deck etc. it's not something you would want to try. Most yachts are fine for say 1500 mile trips. Something like a Hatteras or sun seeker, once your going to England,even with refueling in Nova Scotia, you need a 3500 mile range min. to cross safely. Most of these boats start in the multimillion range. Say $5 million. There are "rust buckets" cheaper, but you really need to stay away from them. In fact a 40' sail boat is far safer and you don' loose that much speed. The power boats cruise at 12-18 Knots.
4. You don't necessarily need a big boat.... An oceanic crossing can/could be done safely with a variety of power vessels assuming some common sense, proper safety equipment including access to up-to-date weather forecasting, and a seaworthy vessel. (An idea of what you are doing helps also) Your primary need is a vessel with displacement/semi-displacement hull in order to get decent "mileage". Typically these boats will have (relatively) low horsepower diesel engines, pushing them along at a leisurely 6-10 knots. Check out boats such as the Marlow Explorers, Grand Banks, Nordic Tug, etc. A few examples so you get an idea of what you are looking for; http://www.marlowexplorer.com/ http://www.nordictugs.com/42_specs.cfm?showNav=models http://www.grandbanks.com/yachts/heritage/index.cfm Many of these boats have ranges in the 1500-2000 nautical mile range, so some extra fuel will be necessary, but most people would plan a stop on the crossing for provisions, etc, anyway. (The Azores is/are a popular stop on an Atlantic crossing for repairs, provisions, R&R, etc) Do your own research on pricing; costs will vary WIDELY depending on electronics, engine, condition, etc...asking how much a boat costs is the EXACT same as coming up to a realtor and asking "how much does a big house cost?"...there is no intelligent answer to the question; there are "big houses" out there for $50,000 and some for $15,000,000. Obviously, a larger boat gives you more of a comfort level from a safety standpoint, but foolish is the man who is not prepared for the seas...no matter HOW big of a boat. P.S. You obviously are asking because you don't have experience in any type of "bluewater cruising"...I'm not suggesting or encouraging any type of attempt on your part to make a crossing in an ill-equipped 47 foot boat...I'm only adding to the other posters by saying it is possible and in fact, is done frequently by experienced yachtsmen.
5. here is what you need !! worked on that awesome boat when she was in Charleston, SC, before her first attempt to break the world record, all I con say is wow. http://www.earthrace.net/
6. It is possible and very practical to cross Oceans in moderate sized power boats. A good reference on this subject is "Voyaging under Power", byt Captain Robert P. Beebe, whichin its third or fourth edition. Basically you need a very seaworthy displacement hull, with a slow turning diesel engine and a large fuel capacity. There are a number of off-the-shelf boats being built today that can cross the Atlantic without modification, some can even cross the Pacific easily. Foremost among them are the Nordhavn boats. The 40, 45, and 46 are about the smallest craft that can safely and reliably do this sort of thing. They all have slow turning diesels, like the lugger (a brand), and generally have only a single screw. For a backup, there may be a smaller yanmar diesel with sailboat style folding propeller. These boats can go 3 or 4,000 miles on a single tank of fuel at 7 - 9 knots continuously, which is a lot better than any sailboat in this size range. A Nordhave 46, which is my favorite, can be found used, in good condition, well equiped for under $500,000. - in this market, maybe a lot under. Good luck