Pro/Con of outboard for blue water cruising

[Don C L]

A couple months ago I helped a buddy move his larger, heavier, engineless boat over to the yard to load the engine. I tied off to his stern, backed him out, rafted up and was able to pivot and push his boat into the yard's slip with my boat. It was easy since I was able to turn the engine so far from side to side. And there was a bit of a breeze blowing too. Could I have done it if I had an inboard with the wash pushing against the rudder to turn us both? Maybe, but I would not have tried it. I would have gone to look for a RIB to borrow.

[Sailmonkey]

[IMG][/IMG]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Some designs lend themselves well to outboards done right, I think James baldwin of atom voyages does outboards right as a conversion. Boats like pdq cats that were built for outboards do them right.

But taking a 35' boat, slapping a bracket on the back and expecting it to anything well is foolish, IMHO.

There are examples of this all over the net, looking on yachtworld will reveal at least one mahe 36 with outboards done wrong!!

Edit:: I've looked and can't find the mahe, but it's out there somewhere!!


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Ok, I found the boat I was referring to. Not a Mahe, but a Tobago. And this is a simply awful thing to do to a boat.



http://newimages.yachtworld.com/resi...=1433108487000

1994 Fountaine Pajot Tobago 35 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

[thomm225]

Outboards for Blue Water?

Not a problem on a SAIL-boat.

They sail out and test the drogue in gale force winds. The boat is outboard powered

Btw, that boat is 53 years old if I read the website correctly!

http://atomvoyages.com/atom.html

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

[Don C L]

Let's hear it for older guys in older (54 year old) sail boats!

[thomm225]

Looking over his updates on Atom which I believe he sailed twice RTW:

The 3.5 HP Tohatsu outboard that was sometimes used as Atom's auxiliary engine or on the dinghy was changed to 6HP Tohatsu Sailpro in 2014)

Aries windvane self-steering added in 1983 was replaced in 1992 with Monitor windvane that was replaced with smaller Norvane windvane in 2014

Plus he added that inner stay for the storm jib in the video above

Atom's Specifications:
LOA: 28'6" LWL: 21'
Beam: 8'3" Draft: 4'3"
Displ: 8,000 lbs. (approx.) empty. Ballast: 3,019 lbs internal lead
Sail Area: 371 sq. ft.
Rig: Masthead sloop
Keel: full with cutaway forefoot. Keel-hung rudder.
Integral water tanks - Forward: 43 gal. Aft: 22 gal

Engine: After sailing years without an engine, went from a 3.5 to a 6 hp Tohatsu outboard on adjustable bracket. The motor was moved to an outboard well in lazarette in 2014 refit. The stepped cabin house has about 6' headroom in main salon.

Atom Voyages - The Sailboat Atom

[vjm]

I actually like outboards in wells that were thoughtfully designed and function well. Not a fan on the transom of smaller boats. Too much weight in the wrong place. Boats like the Bristol 24 or Pearson Ariel that have wells are fine by me, and in that size the space it frees up is very helpful.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by vjm

I actually like outboards in wells that were thoughtfully designed and function well. Not a fan on the transom of smaller boats. Too much weight in the wrong place. Boats like the Bristol 24 or Pearson Ariel that have wells are fine by me, and in that size the space it frees up is very helpful.

I guess you would need to remember that a transom mounted outboard is not a permanent fixture.

If you were actually cruising long distance (and worried about weight in the wrong place), you could easily relocate your transom mounted engine below say where your diesel used to be.

My engine weight is 59 lbs. It's just not that hard to relocate after leaving the slip and getting clear of the main channel and out into the bay

Many of us leave them mounted because we aren't cruising yet............at least no more than 50-100 miles and in that case it isn't worth relocating I don't believe

Also, you need to remember that on boats similar to mine, the Skipper is sitting by the companion way door not at the far aft end of the boat with the wheel

And let's not forget that in the case of a transom mounted outboard, you are not making new holes in the boat like with a well mounted outboard

[dagranger]

59 pounds on the transom for your boat is not worth the hassle of moving, boat is still faster than one with the weight of a diesel and shaft and prop in the water..

[Don C L]

When my boat, Columbia 29, was built, the standard model (mine) had a tiny well meant for a Seagull engine. The idea was to just get it in and out of a harbor, then lift out the engine, put in the insert in the well to seal it and lay the engine down in the lazarette. At the same time however, Columbia was building the 24 and 26 (MK1) with a well in the lazarette as well that was bigger. I wish I had a few shots of my 24 because it only needed the slot cut in the transom to allow for tilting the 9.9hp engine up. If I had had to get a 4 stoke I would have needed to build a higher hatch lid. For that and many other reasons, if you are considering an Ariel or Bristol 24, don't let a good Columbia 24 or 26 MK1 get by you without a good look! Great little pocket cruisers.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by dagranger

59 pounds on the transom for your boat is not worth the hassle of moving, boat is still faster than one with the weight of a diesel and shaft and prop in the water..

I wouldn't think so either but many have mentioned the engine getting swamped by a large wave etc.

The biggest problem is getting the engine up and secured

Let's say you motor out while getting the sails up. Once you get clear of the creek, you will want to raise the engine.

Now the sails are set, boat is on autopilot. Winds are 16-20. Boat is at maybe a 25 degree heel.

On my boat, you have to go back on top of the aft lazarette, balance on the stern railing, raise the bracket to the top position then raise the engine and tie it off in the up position

Mine does not tilt up enough for the uplock on the engine

So you need to have some agility

One positive is that I have usually been running on the integral engine fuel tank and have no control cables to worry about.

Another option is to secure the engine in calmer water then sail out if you don't need the engine to help get you out (against a possible current, strong head wind, and/or waves)

[hsi88]

Suzuki DF9.9BTL - Light weight, 20" shaft (also have 25"), EFI, power tilt, remote steering, shift and throttle, 12 Amp alternator, all for less than $3K new. A nice motor for boats set up for outboards. Eliminates a lot of the issues people normally have with outboards on sailboats.

[Scaramanga F25]

If you are heeling that much in stronger winds leave the engine down won't change your speed much if at all.

[Crealock37]

An outboard would be great if it was (1) waterproof (could run underwater) and (2) didn't require you to carry much gasoline (that is, ran on diesel). In other words, get an inboard diesel.

--
Pacific Seacraft 37 (Crealock 37) looking for a new home.
Information here: pacificseacraft37.com

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Crealock37

An outboard would be great if it was (1) waterproof (could run underwater) and (2) didn't require you to carry much gasoline (that is, ran on diesel). In other words, get an inboard diesel.

--
Pacific Seacraft 37 (Crealock 37) looking for a new home.
Information here: pacificseacraft37.com

Sure, I love the heat and smell of diesel in a hot tropical cabin (not).

PS: When did they start making diesels that run under water?

[rgscpat]

On a few boats, mostly smaller cruisers or race boats, there are motor wells that help keep the top of the engine out of the water and the prop in the water.

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