Setting:
24' x 5' sharpie cat-ketch with leeboards, about 700 pounds unladen.
Looking for auxiliary
power.
Bought off an estate. Previous
power and mounting system loooong gone before I saw the
boat.
I am currently west of Chicago, meaning the
boat may see lakes in this area or Wisconsin. Long-term, boat will probably hit the Eastern estuaries and sounds of
North Carolina.
Pics from the past show both
electric trolling motors and small gas outboards. Both mounted on brackets off the starboard stern, about 2.5 to 4 feet forward of the transom. Neither has to turn to steer, as being a sailboat, there's a
rudder. I'm thinking it would be best if the motor/engine would just rotate downward and drop into running position, and then stay at a fixed position side to side.
Choice:
2 to 5 Hp
outboard
vs
60 to 80 pound thrust
electric (4
batteries?)
Motor does not need to pivot L/R to steer, only up and down for in or out of the
water.
Mainly need as backup for harbor maneuvers, and for
emergency drop-sails-and-run panic attacks. Either must have the capacity for at least an hour of running against a bad chop.
Gas has the advantage of better portability. But the issues of gas on board, in a tilting set-up for an
engine. Electric means instant-on, and I'd already have a better DC system on board for lights and
radio, but need shore or portable PV
charging capacity. BIG PLUS with electric is silent running when what I want to do is tool around the land's edge wetlands.
What would you pick, and why?