Under-40' Cats with Outboards . . . Why Not More ?

[ArmyChief]

Originally Posted by Beach Cruiser

You may want to look closer at the Victory V35 for this type of cruising. It has a tremendous amount of living space for a 35' boat. It will sail well if you do not overload it and the Sonic Leg outdrive will raise while under sail. With practice you will find it very maneuverable with the single engine and with a 16' beam it will fit in many slips. My wife and I have been living aboard our Victory since 2004 and cruising full time since 2007. We cruise the East Coast US and Bahamas. If you have any questions, I will be happy to try to answer them.

Barry
s/v Beach Cruiser

Barry,

I have seen one on Yachtworld lately I believe. When i get back, i would love to entertain th ethgouht of looking at one. BTW, you can email or PM me..if you have Skype, I can talk from here. We are 7 hours ahead of EST.

Thanks,

Doug

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by smj

With the advance and price drop in solar and wind generators I find it ridiculous that anyone should have to run their diesel to charge their batteries, especially on a cat where there are many options for mounting solar.

Depends on your equipment level. With a washing machine, a dish washer and watermaker, not forgetting the microwave, and convection oven, the solar and wind chargers sometimes need a bit of help

BTW you forgot to add the mttp regulators, which are just as important to the improvement in what you recieve from solar and wind.

[ArmyChief]

Originally Posted by Talbot

Depends on your equipment level. With a washing machine, a dish washer and watermaker, not forgetting the microwave, and convection oven, the solar and wind chargers sometimes need a bit of help

BTW you forgot to add the mttp regulators, which are just as important to the improvement in what you recieve from solar and wind.

MPPT and I think I talked about them earlier in the thread.

Talbot..seems like you have ALL the comforts of home...so when the beer party?

[boatsmith]

We have our outboard mounted in the center of our cockpit on our Tiki 30. It has power tilt and a 25" leg. We have come close to cavitating but not quite. This is while going through the inlets around here where we have to sometimes pass though large steep waves. The center of the boat just doesn't move that far from the water. And there is some pitching when going over these waves. We have a 185 watt solar panel with 200 amp hours of battery. All of our lights are LEDs. We have small fans,stereo, chart plotter, GPS, computer, search lights, VHF. We have not plugged our boat in in a year and a half and have always had juice. I reckon that if we added another solar panel and 2 more batteries we could have a reefer unit. There is no better power to weight ratio than an outboard. They don't ever leak a drop of that gross black diesel oil inside your boat. We have insulated our engine box and the noise and vibration are not bad at all. Power tilt is wonderful. We also hit the keels before the prop. I personally think that a diesel motor is much more durable engine and delivers more power per gallon than gas, but this is only one part of the equation. The weight and cost of a complete diesel set up with shafts/sail drives, props, filters, mufflers is much larger than for outboards. Yes, gas is more explosive. But it is outside the hull in a vented compartment. You are also carrying gas for your outboard. The little 2000w Honda genset will run a small ac unit as well. For small cats, IMO, outboards are a very suitable choice.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Talbot

Depends on your equipment level. With a washing machine, a dish washer and watermaker, not forgetting the microwave, and convection oven, the solar and wind chargers sometimes need a bit of

BTW you forgot to add the mttp regulators, which are just as important to the improvement in what you recieve from solar and wind.

You're right, we have the Blue Skys mppt regulator.
Seems you would need a diesel generator to meet those loads, may as well live on land!

[ArmyChief]

David,

Unique looking boat. Appears to be like a Maine cat 30 layout with berths in the port/STB nacelles. Is that a wood hull?

May I ask what brand/HP outboard? The Yamaha 9.9 HT possibly?

Thanks,

Doug

[smj]

Originally Posted by Tropic Cat

2 cloudy days and you've got dead batteries when depending on panels, Unless you crank up a genset.

I prefer to charge batteries while motoring.

Charging batteries while motoring is a great option if you plan on moving that day. If not why put the wear and tear on your diesel when you could use a Honda 2000. To charge batteries I use 1 gallon about every 10 hours.

[smj]

Originally Posted by ArmyChief

SMJ,

Do you still have the Seawind? Just curious cause your profile has you with a Solaris.

Thanks for your feedback. I too agree about Solar Panels. matter of fact, wonder how many people truely realize the increase in efficiency the panels have come lately ALONG with the decrease in price.

Yes we still have our Seawind and our Solaris is up for sale, damn thing has diesels.

[Factor]

Originally Posted by Tropic Cat

2 cloudy days and you've got dead batteries when depending on panels, Unless you crank up a genset.

I prefer to charge batteries while motoring.

Nope - I can go a few more days than that on the capacity - when cloudy, but obviously I try and be careful, the not negotiable is the fridge freezer, they always stay on. Even cloudy days get me some power.

[sandy daugherty]

That is one Lovely Tiki, Boatsmith! Thank you for keeping craftsmanship alive!

Why is it that Pepsi drinkers feel so threatened when someone says they prefer Coke! You would think Pepsi was about to be outlawed by the EPA!

I'm talking about Diet Pepsi drinkers, Diesel Pepsi Drinkers, Rockna Pepsi Drinkers, Pirate Pepsi, 38 calibre Pepsi, and Tea Party Pepsi, not to mention one-can, two-can, and three-can Pepsi drinkers. Then there are the Chain smokers vs the hemp smokers, and I haven't even started on wood/steel/glass/bamboo/willow basket and empty-soda-bottle folk.

You would think that if they were that sensitive about what other people say, they would not spend so much time on a computer forum!

Of course, any person with any taste at all would stick to Dr. Pepper and ban anything else as unfit for human comsumption.

[ArmyChief]

O.k. Sandy, your cut-off of ANY caffeinated soft drinks. Your new drink will be Diet De-Caffeinated Dr. Pepper (DDCDP for now on!!)

[sandy daugherty]

Compounding the problem of outboards on coastal cruisers is the fact that only one manufacturer pays more that lip service to the speed range of our vessels, namely 8 knots +/-. All the rest produce their best power between 13 and 20 knots because of their gear ratios and props. They rarely change the proportions of the drive assemblies (some just bolt in an extension for longer shaft lengths) and as a result there's no room for a higher gear ratio or a larger diameter prop.

I doubt they are just ignorant, and blame it all on demand.

One final point: The idea that outboards are unreliable is outdated. Third world fishermen run their outboards all day and all night, fishing 30 to 80 miles off the coast of Africa, South America and Asia, in every conceivable weather condition. They might love to have a diesel, but it would cost them ten years wages, and then need to be replaced anyway.

Let's quit poo-pooing someone else's life style. I haven't seen a single third world fisherman here telling you you are wrong, silly, or ignorant for being able to own a diesel!

I'm thrilled with the sweet little Yanmars in Siesta, but the sailor in me wishes the props could come out of the water!

[ArmyChief]

O.k., I've seen some HT Mercrusier 25 HP Bigfoots, I belive someone mentioned Honda has a HT 20 HP sold in Austraila. I also have to think there are some machinist here and outdrive masters.

I would think (I'm just brainstroming at this point, since I have not fact of the matter), a proper length and geared lower unit could be fabricated from currently available parts with minimal additional fabrication. The powerhead of choice then could be fitted to that unit.

Yes/No?

[boatsmith]

Thanks Sandy, A Wharram Tiki 30. 2900 lbs ready to go. 26" draft. 9.9 Yamaha with power tilt and 25" shaft. We are Wharrams US builder.This boat is plywood/glass. We also build them in glass foam construction as well.

[bounty hunter]

Originally Posted by ArmyChief

O.k., I've seen some HT Mercrusier 25 HP Bigfoots, I belive someone mentioned Honda has a HT 20 HP sold in Austraila. I also have to think there are some machinist here and outdrive masters.

I would think (I'm just brainstroming at this point, since I have not fact of the matter), a proper length and geared lower unit could be fabricated from currently available parts with minimal additional fabrication. The powerhead of choice then could be fitted to that unit.

Yes/No?

yes honda australia can supply 20hp motors with 30" shaft and special 'work' props featuring diverted exhaust gasses for improved reverse thrust. i believe it is available with power tilt and start. ideal for cats.