Morgan OI with an Outboard

[johnar]

I would like to know if anyone has ever seen a Morgan O.I. 33' with a outboard and if so what size?

What I have right now is the perkins 4-108 that I got rebuilt some time back (maybe 2 years ago) I have put so much money into this thing and it never has run right.

Over the past 2 years I have had this motor worked on, removed reinstalled a number of times. the last time I took the boat out, Everything was going fine until a storm rolled in and I tried to make my way back in the MayPort FL Inlet went to start the motor and something happen. I got back to the dock and found that all the Flywheel bolts broke.

I now have all the bolts replaced the motor starts and runs but I can not trust this thing at all.

I would like to get the boat Home (Alton IL) from Jacksonville FL, what I am thinking is install a outboard as a backup but I have never seen a boat this size with a outboard.

I am sure people will say just pay to have this motor fixed here in Jacksonville, I do not want to do this because I want to get the boat home so I can save some money and buy a new Yanmar.

I was hoping I could put like a 9.9 or even a 20hp on it and play the tides and winds, I know it could ad to the travel time but time I have a lot of.

Well I guess I will see what people think.

[colemj]

If you have to buy that 20hp and a suitable lift/bracket, you are close $ to a new inboard engine for the boat. Even a 9.9 and mounts will cost a good portion of a rebuilt/used/new diesel.

No reason an outboard wouldn't work to drive the boat, but there may be a practical problem with being able to reach it and run it with the freeboard and stern arrangement.

Mark

[HappyMdRSailor]

I think a 150 or 200 might move her....

No way I would trust anything less than a 50hp though...

All kidding aside... It's a big drop down to the water... you would have to have some pretty creative engineering for a mount...

[johnar]

I have over $11K in this motor I will not put another dime into it. as for the cost of a outboard new 9.9 at West marine is around $2500. I may even be able to find a nice used outboard cheaper. The Mount is the easy part I have a Fab shop that I can use and make a very nice mount for free.

yes I know I got rip off on this motor but the problems keep coming up so please understand I am done with the Perkins.

I have one other choice, A friend has a Bass boat with a Merc 115 I can buy for $1K and Tow the Morgan but the bass boat has very little freeboard.

one other thing that comes into play here is the cost of living here and repairing the boat. As it stands I am able to save around $200 a month for repairs but if I had the boat back home I could save $500 a month easy.

[HappyMdRSailor]

You seem to have your mind made up...

Then buy the bass boat, strip the motor, and donate the boat...

NO WAY.... you are going to push 8 tons with a 10 horse, let alone upriver...

[boatman61]

Fitted an 8HP long shaft Suzuki OB to this 37ftr when the Westerbeake inboard was found to be useless... got her the 50+ miles down the river from Seville at an average of 5kts 2/3rd throttle.... came in handy again just after Lisbon when the wind died 120 miles from Fig da Foz.... managed 4.5 knots the whole way there.
Go for a 15 maybe as the Morgans a fat old dray horse compared to a thoroughbred like the Waquiez Chance...

[jstevens]

Johnar,
I'm sure you can make the outboard work given access to good machine shop to fabricate the mount and controls, but I would consider it a real ordeal for the voyage you have in front of you: Around Florida or through Okeechobee, across Gulf of Mex to New Orleans, up the Mississippi to Alton (I'm guessing that is your route). You will be fighting the current on the Mississippi all the way.
My guess is (I haven't ever priced it) you could truck that boat to Alton for a little more ($5K?) than this trip is going to cost you.

John

[colemj]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Fitted an 8HP long shaft Suzuki OB to this 37ftr when the Westerbeake inboard was found to be useless... got her the 50+ miles down the river from Seville at an average of 5kts 2/3rd throttle.... came in handy again just after Lisbon when the wind died 120 miles from Fig da Foz.... managed 4.5 knots the whole way there.
Go for a 15 maybe as the Morgans a fat old dray horse compared to a thoroughbred like the Waquiez Chance...

But the OP wants to go from Florida to Illinois (1,000 miles?) UP river. And a mighty big, strong river at that.

Mark

[johnar]

thank you all for the advice,

I think I will have this guy come in and get the perkins running as best I can but I will still put a outboard on the back just to make me feel better.

I have not started working out my route yet, Things that come into play would be if I had someone to go with me I would sail the east coast to keywest offshore as much as I could and then stop a week or so there, from Keywest to the Tombigbee. If I am alone I guess I would try to use the ICW as much as I could along with checking lake Okeechobee just not sure if my boat can do the Lake.

I would just be happy to make it as far as Tombigbee this year.

right now I just know I have to trust the motor or have some kind of back up.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by boatman61

the Morgans a fat old dray horse compared to a thoroughbred like the Waquiez Chance...

Maybe that's why some people have both a fat old dray... and a Wauquiez....

(The poet in me)...

[Benz]

I push my ten-ton cutter, 31-ft, with an 8-hp long-shaft High Thrust Yamaha. Yammie makes a 9.9 high-thrust longshaft. With some 2" structural aluminum angle stock, making a bracket is trivial. Mine was less than $100 in materials. The engine will run you about $3500. It is far preferable to an inboard, in my opinion, though I'd hate to go up the mississippi in anything other than an overpowered trawler.

[johnar]

I looked up the Flow rate of the Mississippi and the Tenn-Tom water way some time back and from what I remember even if the Perkins was new with my Hull speed 7 knots I could not go up the lower Mississippi or I could at a speed like 2 knots, but the Flow rate of the Tenn-Tom waterway is much less.

I am sure I would have to do more research and I do know that at some point I would have to take the Mississippi, if I remember right the last 100 miles but I had planned if I was able to make it that far I would have my brother who lives up there put his boat in and help tow that part.

I see this as a 3 part trip, Jacksonville to Key West unless I can do the Lake, either way after I am on the other side of FL head up to the Tenn-Tom. I will feel so much better after I make it to the Tenn-Tom and like I said the Perkins will run I just do not trust it and I would run it while inland. While offshore I would not have to depend on the motor as much.

I had a feeling that someone put a outboard on boats this size before I just never seen it before.

trust me I wish I had just got the new yanmar 3 years ago but my ex and I tried to save a buck and it back fired. in the end I spent more and have a motor I flat out do not trust.

[Celestialsailor]

I'll start my post off with...I am a blue collar person. I knew early on theat the only way I was going to have a decent cruising sailboat was to be handy with my hands and rebuild things myself. Like you, I had been disappointed numerous tmes with outside expensive (to me) labor. I recently rebuilt my Westerbeke W46. Total cost was around $2600. There was a little outside labor with machining and fitting. The only assembly they did was connecting rods and that sort of things. Even with that limited assembly they did, I found they forgot to put the caps on the ends of the valves...an obvious mistake. So I encourage you to get proactive and fix the damn thing yourself. It's not black magic. I hope all works out for you.

[builder dan]

Hi there it sounds like your 4108 not too flash I know of a few boats over here that have ran them for nearly 40 years with minimal drama and are still running well i would stick with it, they are originally british tractor motors so very simple engines and usually very reliable

[onthewateralot]

I'm a marine contractor who makes his living on the water. I also have a Islander 37 that I use to cruise in. For any boat on the water I have 3 words, Simplicity, Reliability and Plan b,c and d. My tug has pre-electronic injection systems, two engines and we carry a 10,000 pound anchor on the barge stowed vertically that we can push off the side by hand (saved my ass once). I have re-powered my sailboat first with a Perkins 4-107 (piece of junk) and now a Perkins 4-108 (better). I lost the engine (twice) with the 4-107 and was able to rig up my dinghy to push into port when the wind died. I now have a permanent bracket on the swim platform to use instead of dinghy if I have too. May not be pretty but it works. Downsides of outboards are cavitation if not designed correctly (talk to naval architect..prop size, diameter and reduction is voodoo science) and higher fuel consumption. However, as most hard core people who use outboards can attest in the carribean, you can replace it more easily and can easily flush after each use to get rid of the nasties, furthermore drag problem is eliminated with prop out of the water.