Hi John: Yes, we’ve done a series of what we refer to as motorsailors–basically all of our boats since the 74′ Deerfoot ll (including all of the Sundeers). In our definition a motorsailor simply has a bit more horsepower and a more efficient prop than would otherwise be the case. There is also a slight difference in the distribution of volume in the hull. Since the Deerfoot/Sundeer types power very efficiently, this is not to hard on sailing performance–just a slight penalty in light air sailing speed when the engine is on anyway on a cruising boat.

Re BEOWULF, when we called her a motorsailor it was a bit tongue in cheek. However, she does power at 10 to 12 knots, depending on wind, sea state, fuel management, and how antsy we are to get to our destination. Our recent trip from Panama is a good example–13 days from Balboa to San Diego (plus a couple of days waiting out weather). We got in about a day and a half of sailing–the rest was a very pleasant power boat ride. Steve