TOPIC: 20' moppie

Hi Fellow Mariners, I am new to this site and was looking for input and info. I have a 20' Bertram Moppie "POPPY'S MOPPIE" and with the price of fuel was wondering if anyone had tried to convert such a craft to sail power. The lines are quite sexy as I sure you all know, but with plenty of deck space and longitudal strakes of such magnitude the idea popped into my head of an assist sail for offshore trips. Being a old salt myself and have had plenty of brine blown on my face over the years, I am considering this and looking for some input. Thanx for any ideas

Great boat, but the sail conversion is not worth it. You have a planning hull and not a displacement hull. The whole underbody would have to be re-configured. Couple that with the expense of designing and adding a rig and you would be off the charts. And then once you got going faster than 5 knots, you would have little if any benefit. Buy an old Marshall Cat for your collection. Being a rag boater as well, leave the power to power and the sail to sail.

Welcome to the group and enjoy yourself. I have no experience with sails so I'm no help. We still like pics.

Another idea I was tossing around was a steam engine coupled to a stern drive, would be unique and quite nautical not to mention economical. Would be kinda neat with the captains hat cruising the river? Kinda feel like Bogart. Thanx for the welcome to the club post

OK my 2 bits....1st welcome of course.
2nd instead of sail or steam (which makes absolutely no sense on many levels from safety to engineering but that is just my opine) try either electric power or see if a rotary engine can be used. There is a company in Cali making the wankle rotary engine (or a version of it...mazda). They can burn anything HP to weight ratio should be good just need to be creative in converting the motor for marine use. There is a ski boat on the market that runs on electricity like a car and is fast for skiing. That could be another option.

One good idea is to get a smaller motor or don't shove the throttle all the way open. Steam is a very expensive form of propulsion in boats. 1 gal. of gas can go alot further than 1 gal of diesel fuel heating up water in a boiler on a small boat. Wieght is high for a steam engine and all you need to operate one. What kind of motor do you have now? Just my thoughts. Skip.

duckman4548,

WELCOME to the droup.

try thinking about a 1 or 2 cylinder "old school" (like a 1960s SAAB) marine diesel, which is REALLY cheap to operate, simple as a hammer & will last longer than you will.
i'm NOT a fan of rags.

yours, satx

Why would anyone want to turn a fishing machine that has a small cult following into anything but what it was designed for ? Having said that the only thing acceptable in my mind if fuel is your main concern [ if you own a boat and fuel is a issue it's time to sell and move on ] put a kicker bracket on and go with a small 4 stroke engine.No sail,no steam no retrofit, it is a Bertram please do not hack it up.