Am I being cheap and/or stupid?

[Schrewsburyduo]

If you're going for outboard I would suggest a used evinrude or Johnson sail master extra long 25" shaft will do the trick. It's old school 2 stroke. 10 amp alternator. Can pick up cheap on eBay. 10 and 15 hp are the same inside with a small mod you can make a 10 into a 15 hp. You can also get a remote for the controls. Easy to fix and less prone to stopping in the middle of docking the way new 4 stroke models seem to do just as you go through idle to put it into reverse, all due to the way ethanol screws up the idle. I have seen it on several boats where we watched the "show" as they were trying to dock. One more thing. Talk to a good prop guy. The stock props for outboards are rigged for high thrust and not for large displacement. If you get a good prop on an outboard it could make a huge difference. You want to move a large amount of water, so large prop and lower pitch. (Did I get this right?)

I would still prefer a diesel inboard any day.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Yogiyo42

Wow. Cruisersforum comes through again. I love this site. Thanks for all the replies. This has been helpful.

I think I am going to buy a new model outboard with a high gear ratio (2.4 or above?), alternator, and remote. The transom is big so controlling the outboard while singlehanded using the tiller would be challenging to say the least.

Still researching my solar and wind options. Ice would be nice but I will have to make due.

Work to do but thanks to you guys I'm headed in a better direction.

I mentioned of the lack of rudder steerage. I got ( think I was Boat US at the time) to get me a steering cable for the OB to tie into the rudder tiller cable.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Schrewsburyduo

If you're going for outboard I would suggest a used evinrude or Johnson sail master extra long 25" shaft will do the trick. It's old school 2 stroke. 10 amp alternator. Can pick up cheap on eBay. 10 and 15 hp are the same inside with a small mod you can make a 10 into a 15 hp. You can also get a remote for the controls. Easy to fix and less prone to stopping in the middle of docking the way new 4 stroke models seem to do just as you go through idle to put it into reverse, all due to the way ethanol screws up the idle. I have seen it on several boats where we watched the "show" as they were trying to dock. One more thing. Talk to a good prop guy. The stock props for outboards are rigged for high thrust and not for large displacement. If you get a good prop on an outboard it could make a huge difference. You want to move a large amount of water, so large prop and lower pitch. (Did I get this right?)

I would still prefer a diesel inboard any day.

The new 4 strokes are much more efficient than the old smoky, smelly 2 strokes, and they are more powerful. I'd say my 5hp is equivalent to around an 8 hp 2 stroke.

I have a 2011 Mercury 5 HP Extra Long 25" Shaft 4 Stroke Outboard pushing around 7,000 lbs and have had no problems with it cutting off ever. During the winter, I will treat the ethanol fuel with stabilizer or if I think it won't get used for a month or two.

Another thing, docking for an old full keel boat with an outboard is much easier since you can turn the outboard 90 degrees or more in both directions plus use the tiller.

After you are in you slip, you can more the boat laterally with the outboard of needed also.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Schrewsburyduo

If you're going for outboard I would suggest a used evinrude or Johnson sail master extra long 25" shaft will do the trick. It's old school 2 stroke. 10 amp alternator. Can pick up cheap on eBay. 10 and 15 hp are the same inside with a small mod you can make a 10 into a 15 hp. You can also get a remote for the controls. Easy to fix and less prone to stopping in the middle of docking the way new 4 stroke models seem to do just as you go through idle to put it into reverse, all due to the way ethanol screws up the idle. I have seen it on several boats where we watched the "show" as they were trying to dock. One more thing. Talk to a good prop guy. The stock props for outboards are rigged for high thrust and not for large displacement. If you get a good prop on an outboard it could make a huge difference. You want to move a large amount of water, so large prop and lower pitch. (Did I get this right?)

I would still prefer a diesel inboard any day.

You got it right. Big wheel. I doubt a sail boat will be jumping out of the hole on a plane.
The cavitation plate generally limits the prop. dia.. I would not swear to it but the lower unit is probably the difference on the long shaft OBs, gear ratio and plate clearance? Not sure about OMC, I think they have gone the way of the Dodo bird. At one time I thought they where tops.

[cofc]

People that use outboards on their boats, do you find that you have enough power to set your anchor well?


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[boatman61]

Originally Posted by cofc

People that use outboards on their boats, do you find that you have enough power to set your anchor well?


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

Always let the boat do the work.. so can't say..

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by cofc

People that use outboards on their boats, do you find that you have enough power to set your anchor well?


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

Same here, I've never used the engine (my 5 hp outboard) to help set the anchor.

[denverd0n]

I don't think anyone else has addressed this issue, so I will...

Resale value. Were I looking to buy a boat that was designed to have an inboard engine, I would want one with an inboard engine. Yes, you'll save a lot of money by mounting an outboard right now, but you will also lose a lot of money when the time comes to sell the boat.

That may not matter right now, but it is something to be aware of.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Yogiyo42

I recently bought a Pearson 323 without an inboard engine. I have read extensively about the drawbacks of having an outboard engine on a sailboat. However, money is tight and I cannot afford the $6k-$10k to install an inboard engine.

I am in Palm Beach trying to prep my boat for an open ended (probably a year) sail around the Caribbean. I am considering buying a new(ish) 9.9 hp outboard to mount on the transom. I understand that this makes things more difficult without having an engine to charge my batteries.

My idea is to use the outboard only to navigate in and out of marinas. Time is not an issue so I don't think I need to be concerned about beating into the wind for extensive periods of time.

I am considering wind and solar to supply my meager battery requirements. I really only need power for running lights, vhf, charging electronics (phone, handheld vhf, etc.) I don't have a refrigerator, windlass, autopilot, or any other power suckers.

Am I being cheap and/or stupid? Any thoughts, advice or musings are appreciated. Thanks.

Thought:

The time to ask the questions would have been before you spent your money on the boat, not after.

If you had bought a boat "ready to run", you would have been able to test it to see if it met your needs. Replacing the missing (I assume) engine with a similar engine would put it back to its original performance and handling characteristics.

Hanging an outboard on the stern of a boat not designed for an outboard is a gamble. You will spend $2K or more and it may meet your needs or it may not and may get you into trouble.

It's a little late now but my suggestion would have been to buy a complete boat that you can afford and know what you are getting from the beginning.

[a64pilot]

Ref tiller steering and an outboard.

Silly question, but would it be that hard to have a tie rod between the two, so that you steered the tiller and outboard together?

[boatman61]

Personally as a semi permanent solution I'd mount the O/B.. make sure your backing is thick/wide and tough.. not just a few washers.
However.. I find the electric motor idea very interesting indeed and would research that for a time my finances pick up again.. sell on the O/B to help costs.. but keep the sliding bracket.
But in the meantime.. I'm mobile and independent.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Ref tiller steering and an outboard.

Silly question, but would it be that hard to have a tie rod between the two, so that you steered the tiller and outboard together?

The good thing about an outboard, on my boat at least, is that you can rotated it through about 190 degrees so if you want, you can just center the rudder and do your docking with the outboard alone.

I use both the tiller and the outboard though but they aren't linked.

Also, unless I'm motoring a long distance like returning across the 18 miles at the mouth of the Chesapeake in the AM, I use only the fuel in the internal tank. It will last about an hour or so which is good enough for coming and going from the dock usually.

[roland stockham]

Couple of people talk about fuel economy. That is a big difference. All gas engines drink fuel compared to diesel - about 3x as much.
Setting anchors etc. Any small prop will have problems with high loads, setting anchor, high wind, big waves. Jest not enough 'grip' on the water. Small on a 30-35ft is anything less than 12" and O/B run TINY props at very high speeds

[perchance]

Evinrude made a model called Sailmaster for that very reason. As far as using the tiller handle on the OB to steer, the problem is generally the clearance between the out board tiller handle and the transom. You can use the OB to set the anchor but the motor usually has a rpm limiter in reverse so available power is low but it does work. My 9.9 is lock dead ahead and learned to steer using the boats tiller. With some practice it becomes quite easy but you need enough way on for the rudder to be effective. Because the prop is behind the rudder you lose the effect of prop wash over the rudder. I wouldn't turn my nose up at a decent boat powered by an OB.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by roland stockham

Couple of people talk about fuel economy. That is a big difference. All gas engines drink fuel compared to diesel - about 3x as much.
Setting anchors etc. Any small prop will have problems with high loads, setting anchor, high wind, big waves. Jest not enough 'grip' on the water. Small on a 30-35ft is anything less than 12" and O/B run TINY props at very high speeds

The 4 stroke outboards are very fuel efficient. I can cross the 18 miles of lower bay with less than a gallon of gas at speeds of 4-6 knots depending on the tide.

If it's windy, I sail of course.

I actually got to use my boat for a while with it's original 10 HP Bukh Diesel. The performance is about the same but the outboard is much more clean running since it's a 2011 model.

As far as setting the anchor, the boat, wind, and tide take care of that.

It always seem strange when I come in and anchor without using the engine, then right after another guy comes in and revs the crap out of his engine to do the same thing.

My anchor is nothing special but has about 40' of heavy chain attached to it.

He's a picture with the engine all the way down which it would be when crossing the bay. It's all the way up when maneuvering about the dock. The bracket has a range of 14"