Outboard Puzzles

[Snowpetrel]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Mine's a Moody, not an Oyster, but both marques are oriented towards coastal cruising with many disadvantages for high latitude, long distance sailing.


Big electric davits (like my boat had when I bought her; since removed) are perfectly fine for coastal cruising, and will easily deal with a large wheel-steered RIB, like I used to have. That is why no one has bothered to design a good foredeck dinghy storage system, which would not be rocket science. A bit of a well, which I guess would eat a bit of headroom forward, with an overboard drain. Then you have to figure out how to lift it on and off, but I guess you could make a kind of crane with a carbon pole on the spin pole track. This would be really great. I wish I could carry a big RIB, even bigger than the one I used to have, with 30 - 40 hp.

There's an idea for the next boat, not just a garage, but decent ondeck space for a second dinghy as well. It doesn't need to be recessed, though it would be nice. Just flat and without escape hatches, dorades or ropes and the like in the way, and enough stout tiedown points to lash it down well. Bonus marks for having room for a small outboard to stay in place.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Snowpetrel

There's an idea for the next boat, not just a garage, but decent ondeck space for a second dinghy as well. It doesn't need to be recessed, though it would be nice. Just flat and without escape hatches, dorades or ropes and the like in the way, and enough stout tiedown points to lash it down well. Bonus marks for having room for a small outboard to stay in place.

Indeed. But a bit of a well to take the keel at least, would significantly lower the profile of the stored RIB.


I wouldn't even mind deflating the dinghy on passage. I have not found this to be a big deal in my situation, and it would be even easier with an electric inflator.


The next boat will also have some kind of davits for short passages in calm weather, like I have now. What I'm doing now -- foredeck for the ocean, davits for short, calm passages -- works really well -- I'm very pleased.


The other use of the davits is storage of the dinghy over the winter, so that the teak decks don't get manky underneath. But next boat will have rough aluminium decks so that won't matter, I guess,

[Kenomac]

Another name for an electric dinghy inflator is a mini shop vac.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Another name for an electric dinghy inflator is a mini shop vac.

Sure. There are lots of ways to do it. But I have been amazed that no one minds inflating or deflating our RIB even with just the foot pump. It's just not a big deal at all, much less than I expected.


So when I bought this folding RIB, I thought I would keep it in davits 90% of the time and only deflate it and stow it on the foredeck on long passages. In fact, I deflate and stow it most of the time because it is just no trouble -- I can even do it single handed without much trouble.



The only issue single handed is handling the outboard, which was quite tricky and unpleasant with the 27kg 8hp and rather better but still somewhat tricky with the 3.5hp one. The 8hp requires using the boom as a crane and then walking it back to the pushpit, and every time you put it down, the sharp end of the leg makes a little divot in the teak deck, which is not really even acceptable, so I'm not going to be doing that single handed any more. I can lift and carry the 3.5 with one arm, which is much, much better, but a Torqeedo would be even that much better still, in this respect.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Sure. There are lots of ways to do it. But I have been amazed that no one minds inflating or deflating our RIB even with just the foot pump. It's just not a big deal at all, much less than I expected.


So when I bought this folding RIB, I thought I would keep it in davits 90% of the time and only deflate it and stow it on the foredeck on long passages. In fact, I deflate and stow it most of the time because it is just no trouble -- I can even do it single handed without much trouble.



The only issue single handed is handling the outboard, which was quite tricky and unpleasant with the 27kg 8hp and rather better but still somewhat tricky with the 3.5hp one. The 8hp requires using the boom as a crane and then walking it back to the pushpit, and every time you put it down, the sharp end of the leg makes a little divot in the teak deck, which is not really even acceptable, so I'm not going to be doing that single handed any more. I can lift and carry the 3.5 with one arm, which is much, much better, but a Torqeedo would be even that much better still, in this respect.

The mini shop vac is also used to inflate the stowable fenders. Try this with your outboard: Use the davit tackle to lift it by the security ring, just so that it’s hanging off the stern a few feet above the water, then swing it up onto the deck while standing on your swim platform. Easy peasy, I do it all the time on the 62 with the 15hp Merc no lifting required.

On the 62 everything is heavy, so my wife and I use halyards and tackle for anything needing to be lifted. Pam or Tom usually come up with the ideas.

[Suijin]

I finally bought a 2.5 hp four stroke Yamaha this year after almost dropping my 8 hp two stroke in the drink wrestling it from the boat to the dinghy. I’m in love.

It’s light enough to swing around with one hand. It’s clean. It sips gas. No mixing. Will actually plane my dinghy with me and a tailwind on flat water. The 8 hp is now in a cockpit locker and only comes out for long trips.

Torqueedos are cool but I know too many people who have found themselves running out of juice a long row from their destination.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

But does not have a reverse gear.

Truth is, no reverse and full swivel of the motor makes it crazy maneuverable. Turn the motor backwards for reverse, sideways to spin the boat in place. It’s awesome.

[ctl411]

Originally Posted by Bean Counter

9.8Hp 2 stroke Tohatsu if they still make them, great power to weight.

Second on the 9.8, weight of my 6hp two stroke but 10 hp. Or Nissan same engine.

[Kenomac]

The Mercury 15hp 2 stroke in Italy had it’s starter motor poop the bed today. Second time in four years. Thankfully, it has a pull start. This motor is really ugly & beat up, but it just keeps going at 33 years old.

I wish I knew where to buy an almost new Mercury 25hp 2 stroke electric start short shaft somewhere near Massachusetts.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

The Mercury 15hp 2 stroke in Italy had it’s starter motor poop the bed today. Second time in four years. Thankfully, it has a pull start. This motor is really ugly & beat up, but it just keeps going at 33 years old.

I wish I knew where to buy an almost new Mercury 25hp 2 stroke electric start short shaft somewhere near Massachusetts.

Is it hard to start with the cord?


My previous Mariner 25hp two stroke had electric start, but I never used it -- that motor would start with half a pull on the starter cord. Two strokes are great for that, much easier to start, if the carburetion is properly set up, than four strokes.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Is it hard to start with the cord?


My previous Mariner 25hp two stroke had electric start, but I never used it -- that motor would start with half a pull on the starter cord. Two strokes are great for that, much easier to start, if the carburetion is properly set up, than four strokes.

Easy to start will a pull. I learned a trick from Tom to just keep pulling continuously 4-5 times if trouble starting, it’s much easier that giving one yank at a time.

[Colin A]

I prefer the two motor solution. I think a Torquedo will work fine for it. They have some competition now but considering they have been out more then a decade I'm amazed they don't have more. Small 4 strokes tend to have fuel issues when they sit or get bad fuel. In my experience this means anything much smaller then 10HP for outboards. If you are good about fuel they don't tend to have many other issues. My father got fed up with the gas thing and bought a little propane out board which works nicely.



If you go looking for a 2 stoke a 5hp Nissan/tohatsu/Mariner/Mercury weighs 45 lbs and are pretty reliable. On the 8Hp I find the 2 cylinder Johnson was a great motor and about 57 lbs.


On the small vs big out board. it's not so bad if you have a transom where you can get close to the water and the dinghy. If on the other hand you have an older boat that height of the freeboard can make it a real chore. On land I have no issue lugging around a 100 lbs motor. When standing in a 10' inflatable with a chop and wind trying to get it up on to a rail 5-6' in the air, well even with a crane that's annoying. Grab that little 3hp with one hand and it's a simple as can be i comparison.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Use the davit to crane up the outboard then swing it onboard... it’s easy, no lifting. If we can do it on the 62 without a problem, I should be even easier on your 54. Just attach the davit clip to the outboard lifting ring while the boats in the water, loosen the bolts then crank. Or in our case... push a button.

We are 58 feet. There is a motor crane to handle our 15 Merc 2-st from the motor bracket to the dinghy. Easy even for one person. Manual 4-part block.

I agree your dinghy should be able to rescue your yacht if necessary.

We anchor in places with long transits required. Speed is necessary. Fuel cost is among the least of the expenses.

If you really want fuel savings and are OK with slow then get a second, small motor. Keep the big one empty, clean and ready. I suspect the small motors and electric OB are also very low on the list when it comes to theft.

[manu_newport 41]

Not wistanding the other possible problem mentioned above

It seems like your fuel system is sucking air when you apply throuttle
I had a similar problem the egin would start run on iddle and die as soon a I tried to rev the engine

The fix was the bleed screew at the top of the fuel filter sideways on the left of you pic

Apparently the casing to the screew is made of soft metal and the fix is to change the filter casing comes with anew screew and coper washer

I hope this helps

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

In fact, I deflate and stow it most of the time because it is just no trouble -- I can even do it single handed without much trouble.

The only issue single handed is handling the outboard, which was quite tricky and unpleasant with the 27kg 8hp and rather better but still somewhat tricky with the 3.5hp one.

It can be easy, see below.

But first, congratulations on your decision to move away from a dingy carried on davits. More people will come to that conclusion after some blue water sailing with the windage and weight that far back and aloft. Just bad seamanship in my opinion.

We use a spinnaker halyard to lift the dingy motor, since we stow it midships (actually, below deck). We use the same halyard to lift the dingy to the foredeck, or the whole rig if we are in a hurry to get it on deck and get out of a harbor (two minutes elapsed time from coming along side to when the dingy is on deck). Our halyards can lead to the big primary winches, (maybe yours lead to an electric winch) and my 68yr old wife can do it easily while I guide it up and over the lifelines.

Get the motor off the stern.