Selecting an outboard - blasphemy, I know

[Cheechako]

I would go with a good folding bracket. You can always use this later to store your dingy engine anyway. 10-15 HP should do it for the motor on the ICW fine. It doesn't take much in flat water to move the boat actually. One of those modern high thrust 8hp-10hp would likely be fine too.
Is there much current in your area? Watch out under bridges, the current can sweep you right through some...even with a working diesel... so be ready for that possibility.

[Chuck Hawley]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I think I would tie my dinghy alongside before I'd try to build some sort of scaffold to hold an OB.
Or buy an older skiff with the idea of selling it once you get there, and I'd only plan on 25 or so miles a day.

This was going to be my solution. I can imagine reasonable performance with a 10-11' RIB alongside with a 10HP four-stroke engine. The key is to put the RIB or skiff as far aft as possible, while still having enough contact with the hull of the mothership to snug alongside it. Yes, it would be a long trip, but the entire proposition is sort of a stretch, isn't it?

(I am not sure if you would ever get enough confidence to leave the dink and have it on "auto-power", but if you were to rig a long kill switch lanyard to the mothership, you'd have a way to kill the engine quickly...)

Incidentally, I like the idea of a yawl-rigged Tartan. I am not familiar with the boat, but I love my 38' yawl, and I have always thought that Tartans were a cut above most production boats.

When it comes time for an engine, I don't think you can beat the conventional Yanmar 2GM and 3GM models, perhaps second hand. I am less familiar with the modern versions with better pollution controls.

Cheers,

Chuck
"Surprise", an Alerion Express 38 Yawl

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by CamWrenRoo

We need to travel about 140 miles north on the ICW to get it to the marina we plan to dry dock at.

Some of the 140 miles can be in protected water, some not.

Where are you starting from and where are you going would be the very first thing to let us know.

[Cheechako]

A soft dingy alongside works well, but 140 miles with someone in the dingy is a long haul. Maybe you could work it out to happen with none in the dingy... not too sure about that though... Going that distance with an OB on a bracket is not a stretch at all. That's the only propulsion many people have actually.

[scareygary]

I would like to throw in another opinion....it's not the HORSEPOWER of the outboard that should be your main concern, imho, but its THRUST. For the use you are intending, whether you go with a stern mount (preferable) or a side tied dinghy (not the best), I'd put in a strong vote that you look at a Yamaha 10 hp. high thrust 4 stroke with a 25" shaft. They've been making that engine since the 80s and they have prop as big as some 30 hp obs. Not meant for SPEED, but POWER. That 10 hp would, I'm pretty sure, push your Tartan at close to hull speed.... I had one on a 25' Catalina that was WAY more power than I needed except in extreme conditions.... 2/3 throttle would be hull speed.

BTW: Once moved a friend's 30' Willard sailboat (16,000 pounds) a couple of hundred miles from Canada to Everett, WA with a tender alongside with a 2 hp Nissan ob. What a JOKE! Any current at all and we were screwed....it'd do about 1 knot in flat water and no current. Any cross wind at all, and the boat would not stay on course. We got there safely after several days, but thank God we got a little breeze and sailed most all the way..... whew!

[Brewgyver]

For a one-time move, the inflatable on the hip of the mothership is probably the simplest solution. I had to push my Catalina 30 for about 14 miles back to harbor on a very windless fourth of July a couple of years ago. Got in the 11' avon and pushed, with a 7.5 hp merc 2 stroke. The motor was old enough that it didn't have a lanyard-type kill switch, so I stayed in the dink for the duration. Averaged about 4 knots.

If you go for transom mounting, do it right: use a mount designed for the purpose, and get an outboard with remote throttle and shift. I see both offered on Craigslist all the time. Trying to cobble together a mount to hang off the top of the transom, and then use sticks or poles for throttle and shifting, is a recipe for disaster. At best, you'll have the mount break and the motor drop to the bottom. At worst, it could be the cause of a serious collision, for which you would be 100% liable. And don't expect an insurance company to pay any claims under those conditions, either.

Simplest solution might be to pay somebody to tow it! Good luck with the move, and congrats on your new-to-you boat!

[Franst8]

The man I bought my Pearson 365 from had a folding bracket mounted on the stern to hold a Yamaha 9.9 that was used as the dinghy motor. He said he put the motor on the bracket a few times when the inboard diesel developed problems and had no trouble moving the boat in San Francisco Bay. I thought it a great idea and wouldn't think of removing that bracket.

[Getweh]

I had a 9.9 4 stroke Mercury outboard which had the gear shift as alternate directions on the throttle/tiller - a tiller extension worked fine to keep it close at hand in the cockpit of my Morgan 27.

[CamWrenRoo]

Excellent recommendations!! Thank you all so much for the warm welcome and helpful ideas!
We have decided to travel from Sneads Ferry - where the boat is now, to Morehead City, which seems to be fairly well protected, and a whole heck of a lot closer than New Bern. Better employment opportunities, too.
We will use a traditional bracket for mounting a high thrust outboard, and take a few test runs in the bay before we depart, just to be sure that it's powerful enough. If that does not work, we will use our dinghy to tow.
If at all possible, we will plan out trip with favorable wind so we can rely less on the motor. The boat is a bit rough, but mostly on the interior due to neglect. But with some rigging adjustment, it should be fine to sail, at least in light conditions... (Knock on wood)
If anyone is in the Morehead area, we look forward to meeting you!