Seawind 1160 outboard handling in heavy seas?

[Dfauchier]

We’re looking at a Seawind 1160 lite for FT cruising and maybe the milk run. Outboards mean weight and storage advantages, but I worry that in heavy seas, when you might really need them, we’ll get a lot of cavitation and lose speed as the props sit pretty close to the surface (?). Does anyone have any direct experience with this?

[Tupaia]

I have owned a cat with outboard power and yes cavitation is an issue but in rough conditions there is usually (almost always) wind and having a cat that sails well more than compensates.

[Dfauchier]

Thanks Tupaia, was thinking of those (rare) times when you just need to power into the wind in heavy seas for whatever reason, and getting through difficult passes in bad weather.

[Dave_S]

Not a Seawind but we have outboards, have never had them draw air, that doesn't mean another boat doesn't. It just means that outboards don't necessarily draw air. Hopefully someone with the boat you ask about will answer.

Once up to speed we have no problems. Manoeuvring in a marina at low speed is a problem.

[tomcone]

I agree with Tupaia. I sailed the 1160 from Miami to West End Bahamas with 6' seas. Motored some of the time and yes it cavitated a bit but did not completely catch prop in air and it sailed well.

[Stewie12]

Ab outboard is less weight and the boat will perform even better if you can get the propellor out of the water or better still store the outboard in locker. Cavitation is not a big problem as others have mentioned.

[Smooth Cruiser]

Outboards mounted as they are on the Seawind will certainly cavitate to some degree. Running a single engine hard will cavitate more than running two engines at lower revs. Trying to push into a headwind on one motor is going to be sketchy - if you have two running then you should always be able to maintain forward way. I had an Easy 37 which has very similar outboard mounting. You want to have good fuel filters on them as a lot of water splashes around and can get drawn in the air breather son the tanks. All in all I think the outboards are a good way to go as there are a lot of very strong advantages, but the disadvantage is certainly a fair bit less grunt potentially at times when you need it most.

[jbinbi]

Sail on an 1190 frequently. Yes, you will get cavitation in large seas. Also, in high wind, twenty plus, or larger seas, expect three to four kts. It is way different motoring on this vs. my boat with twin 29 hp diesels/sail drives. But the boat also sails differently too!

The boat does not motor well into large seas or winds, but don’t let that stop you from getting this boat. Excellent boat.

Also, very small alternators vs diesels, so make sure you have lots of solar. Or low energy use. You cannot put many amps back in from the engines.

[double u]

just for the record:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavitation

[Morph]

I had twin honda 20s on my cat and never had a worry with them pushing in to a seaway. We always had power and could punch into 35 knots at 5-6 knots with power in reserve. Where they did cavitate was on a beam sea which was a bit annoying. however, I would always go for a well designed cat with outboards, I love being able to tilt them up, no drag, no anodes, no folding props, nothing to get fouled etc. yes they use more fuel, one engine at 4-5 knots was using 3-4 litres an hour. However the simplicity, cost and weight advantages make them great! As long as you have a good sailing boat....

[double u]

"...Where they did cavitate..."
NEVER! They might have sucked air...

[smj]

Originally Posted by double u

"...Where they did cavitate..."
NEVER! They might have sucked air...

Ah.....ventilate

[Dfauchier]

Thank you everyone, this is amazing.

And jbinbi - you're preaching to the choir

Any good setup recommendations for hot water? Think we can swing an electric heater in the shower offgrid with 1.2K solar and a big lithum bank? Feels dumb to gain all that space and weight then give it all back for a water tank when we'll be mostly tropical cruisers

[sailjumanji]

Our 1160 Lite has the dual Yamaha 25s. Ventilation of the props is rarely a problem. Was a problem with the Seawind 1000. In big seas we are typically sailing anyway, but do have some motoring time in them as well. I would never make the trade to diesels for the benefit of the very few occasions the outboards ventilate.

Our hot water system is Bosch on demand propane. We have 840 watts solar, 360 Ah lithium battery and no generator. Have plenty of power for the refrigerator, freezer and watermaker. When we do run both motors, they output about 15 amps at 3500 rpm. Usually we have to turn off the solar or find power users to avoid overcharging batteries.

Without the diesels, there is huge space for storage. And props are clear of water while sailing. Electric tilt.

[Sand crab]

Ju, do you have aircon?