Would 4hp outboard push 36' monohull?

[Tayana42]

er9, I mean no disrespect with my comment but I'm concerned that you may have limited experience and not realize what you are up against.

The trip from San Diego to Marina Del Rey is not to be taken lightly in a new to you boat of uncertain condition and without a reliable motor. Yes, you can and many people have sailed this coast without an engine. But be aware you are looking at bashing up wind and up current that will add time to your planed travel time. In the best conditions you are looking at more than 24 hours and you can never count on the best conditions. There is usually no wind or too much and it is on the nose going north here.

You will want to stay well off shore because there is often a nasty swell that gets worse in the shallower water nearer shore. The coastal water is deep, 700 -1000 ft but near shore in slopes quickly to 50-70 ft building the height of the swell dramatically. That will make headway into the wind even more difficult.

There isn't anyplace to drop the hook and wait for the wind. Even in a dead calm its too deep to anchor outside. Don't try Oceanside without power. You could go into Dana Point or Newport Beach. If conditions are light (but then you wouldn't need to go inside) You could anchor inside the breakwater at Long Beach behind Island White.

Think this through carefully. Be sure your boat is up to the task. Above all watch the weather. Take someone more experienced. And arrange for a tow out of San Diego and another into Marina Del Rey.



S/V B'Shert

[ozskipper]

hmm.. Just rethinking this. Rather than mounting an outboard bracket on the transom of the boat. Tying the tender alongside will also give the same result.
Or, you could simply do this..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX9jJ1RIJwQ

[er9]

Originally Posted by Tayana42

er9, I mean no disrespect with my comment but I'm concerned that you may have limited experience and not realize what you are up against.

The trip from San Diego to Marina Del Rey is not to be taken lightly in a new to you boat of uncertain condition and without a reliable motor. Yes, you can and many people have sailed this coast without an engine. But be aware you are looking at bashing up wind and up current that will add time to your planed travel time. In the best conditions you are looking at more than 24 hours and you can never count on the best conditions. There is usually no wind or too much and it is on the nose going north here.

You will want to stay well off shore because there is often a nasty swell that gets worse in the shallower water nearer shore. The coastal water is deep, 700 -1000 ft but near shore in slopes quickly to 50-70 ft building the height of the swell dramatically. That will make headway into the wind even more difficult.

There isn't anyplace to drop the hook and wait for the wind. Even in a dead calm its too deep to anchor outside. Don't try Oceanside without power. You could go into Dana Point or Newport Beach. If conditions are light (but then you wouldn't need to go inside) You could anchor inside the breakwater at Long Beach behind Island White.

Think this through carefully. Be sure your boat is up to the task. Above all watch the weather. Take someone more experienced. And arrange for a tow out of San Diego and another into Marina Del Rey.



S/V B'Shert

i dont know how i missed this reply but much thanks.

i have a 10hp to be mounted and will test it next weekend, see how well it powers my boat in light conditions.

i appreciate your description of the coast it answered some questions i had. i think the boat is up to the task for sure except for the engine problem and a couple lights that need fixing.

i have paid for year subscription to sea tow and will consider using them for tows out and in if necessary. marina del rey is an easy sail in...oceanside and possibly long beach though i wasn't sure.

i do have a co-worker who has done the sail may ask him to come along.

i did notice waters look shallow (under 70') out to about three miles. i'm definately going to shoot for oceanside on first overnight. probably long beach on second.

[jrbogie]

Originally Posted by er9

i dont know how i missed this reply but much thanks.

i have a 10hp to be mounted and will test it next weekend, see how well it powers my boat in light conditions.

i appreciate your description of the coast it answered some questions i had. i think the boat is up to the task for sure except for the engine problem and a couple lights that need fixing.

i have paid for year subscription to sea tow and will consider using them for tows out and in if necessary. marina del rey is an easy sail in...oceanside and possibly long beach though i wasn't sure.

i do have a co-worker who has done the sail may ask him to come along.

i did notice waters look shallow (under 70') out to about three miles. i'm definately going to shoot for oceanside on first overnight. probably long beach on second.

a ten hp outboard will burn about a gallon an hour. hope you have room for a lot of gas cans.

[er9]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

did anyone read the part where he just needs to move the boat from a distant to nearby marina whereupon he can address the engine issue definitively?

thank you!

it seems some people on the forum forget not all of us have the luxury of unlimited resources at our disposal and have to make due with whats available.

coming to these forums and getting advice helps the process and ferrets out the options. iv'e always thought thats an intelligent, good way of going about things. seems to apply for sailing and owning a sailboat equally well.

dont know why jrbogie got all offended. i guess he seems i ignored his advice and took it personally. i'm simply trying to take it all in and make the best decisions based on the advice, my circumstances and with what i have.

dont see the problem with that approach.

think he might be confusing me with another poster. dont remember asking for any advice on what size sailboat to buy...36' or larger was always the goal since i cant afford to do this twice.

[jrbogie]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

did anyone read the part where he just needs to move the boat from a distant to nearby marina whereupon he can address the engine issue definitively?

i'm sure several of us did read that part along with other threads where he was advised by many experienced sailors here before he even bought the boat that he was getting in way over his head financially and skill wise. now he's bought an even bigger boat defying all logical suggestions to think small in the beginning.

[jrbogie]

Originally Posted by er9

thank you!

it seems some people on the forum forget not all of us have the luxury of unlimited resources at our disposal and have to make due with whats available.

coming to these forums and getting advice helps the process and ferrets out the options. iv'e always thought thats an intelligent, good way of going about things. seems to apply for sailing and owning a sailboat equally well.

dont know why jrbogie got all offended. i guess he seems i ignored his advice and took it personally. i'm simply trying to take it all in and make the best decisions based on the advice, my circumstances and with what i have.

dont see the problem with that approach.

think he might be confusing me with another poster. dont remember asking for any advice on what size sailboat to buy...36' or larger was always the goal since i cant afford to do this twice.

not in the least offended. are you?

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by er9

i have paid for year subscription to sea tow and will consider using them for tows out and in if necessary.

Sea Tow is intended as an emergency towing service. They aren't going to tow you out, unless you are willing to pay them WAAAAY more than the usual subscription. And if you call them every day for a tow in, my guess is that they are going to find a way to charge you more for that, also.

You say you can't afford to do this twice. I would assume that means that you also cannot afford to do this wrong, and have to do the whole thing over again. Think about that before you get in a rush to cut corners.

Good luck to you.

EDIT:

So, I just decided to take a quick look at the SeaTow website. Yep, I was right. Their service is very specifically for towing of a disabled vessel. They aren't going to just routinely tow you in and out of the marina so you can go sailing.

[Scout 30]

The most important thing to remember here is don't have a schedule. You need to watch the weather & don't get in a hurry to go. The 10hp outboard will push your boat fine when it's relatively calm but if it gets choppy you'll have a hard time keeping the prop in the water. Also remember, land is your enemy. Novices feel safer close to land but the opposite is true.

[MaxwellIns]

4hp sounds a little on the small side. I would recommend a 2-Stroke 9.9 if cost is an issue.

[er9]

Originally Posted by jrbogie

a ten hp outboard will burn about a gallon an hour. hope you have room for a lot of gas cans.

well actually it didn't. 12 gallons took me 140 miles, three 14 hour days with motor running half throttle almost entire day, 12 gallons of gas, 42 hours, worked beautifully. engine was a new mercury 9.9. not only did it work well docking and undocking it pushed me at a steady 3-4 knots against the wind (10ish knots+ wind) and the current heading against me ( well with jib sail helping out, no main). and it took me out of san diego harbour and oceanside harbour in 6-8ft swells.

the shortcomings of doing this i learned were that in 2'+ chop the prop was coming out of the water a lot, to be expected and when the winds and waves picked up past 15 knots it was very difficult going, so much so i ended up using the main engine no matter the consequences. fortunately it worked well. it would also be dicey if there were strong cross winds when trying to dock but thats even challenging with the inboard. it will definately get you to docking speed in the crosswinds though.

the mercury 9.9 i chose because the tiller handlee can be rotated to put it in gear but also to increase throttle. with a tiller extension i was able to control the motor without moving from my place at the helm. definately a feature to look for if you ever decide on an outboard as an emergency backup.

not to resurect an old post but if anyone comes across this searching in the future it is a viable option but does have obvious limitation. these were my real world experiences actually doing it. it has become my emergency backup motor with a permanetly mounted low profile transom mount and engine secured to the rail. also doubles as a dinghy outboard.

to help with the math my boat is 36' and 20,000 lbs.

[a64pilot]

You got her done, congratulations, over three hours per gallon of gas is fantastic, that is up there with Diesel efficiency, you must have found it's sweet spot.
Amazing really at how little power it takes to push a sailboat isn't it?

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Amazing really at how little power it takes to push a sailboat isn't it?

When nothing is trying to stop it, like the wind or waves, yes.

[CC45]

Hi, i had an islander 30 with a Honda 9.9. In very little wind and waves and almost no current, she did fine. with 5 mph, 3kts of wind and going against the current, i had some what of a very slow travel. Stopping, well another problem, it takes longer than my friends, he had the same boat, with a inboard, 30hp. so i just started to slow way before i wanted to and it turned out ok. I live in the PNW. If the weather started to get bad, i wouldn't' take it out. I didn't want to know i couldn't get back in nor continue against the weather. If possible, try for some thing over a 15hp.

[CC45]

sweet, glad it went all ok. As an emergency motor, i would but i'll go up to a 10 0r even 15hp. Ocean can become your friend or enemy and i sure would like to get a step up for the latter. Congrats on your test. good luck on further adventures..