A cavalier attitude to having an emergency kicker engine...

“If the op wants an second engine then simple. Fit one !”

And there I think is the point. If you can fit a second engine which is reliable and powerful enough to get you out of trouble, why wouldn’t you?

Because it gets in the way, Is extra weight, Extra cost, bounces around all the time when going at any speed, Is something else to maintain, Probably has a separate fuel system or even different fuel that all has to be accommodated. Makes getting on and off the boat at the swim ladder almost impossible, oh and they look shite too. All of this and most likely wont start when and if you need it.

Are those enough reasons
 
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Because it gets in the way, Is extra weight, Extra cost, bounces around all the time when going at any speed, Is something else to maintain, Probably has a separate fuel system or even different fuel that all has to be accommodated. Makes getting on and off the boat at the swim ladder almost impossible, oh and they look shite too. All of this and most likely wont start when and if you need it.

Are those enough reasons

You do make me laugh.:D:eek:;)
 
Because it gets in the way, Is extra weight, Extra cost, bounces around all the time when going at any speed, Is something else to maintain, Probably has a separate fuel system or even different fuel that all has to be accommodated. Makes getting on and off the boat at the swim ladder almost impossible, oh and they look shite too. All of this and most likely wont start when and if you need it.

Are those enough reasons

Same fuel...its a 4 stroke and it weighs only 38 lbs. Why would anybody mount it on the ladder side??? Why wouldn't it start? Extra cost? Do you know how much it costs to get a tow from the marina?
 
Because it gets in the way, Is extra weight, Extra cost, bounces around all the time when going at any speed, Is something else to maintain, Probably has a separate fuel system or even different fuel that all has to be accommodated. Makes getting on and off the boat at the swim ladder almost impossible, oh and they look shite too. All of this and most likely wont start when and if you need it.

Are those enough reasons
Plenty of reasons.

They’re all wrong, but plenty of reasons.
 
It affects the resale value. Once you have an extra outboard mount fitted, any potential buyer will assume you have an unreliable engine
 
Insurance
Has this been researched ?
There may be an uplift on the premium ?
If so perhaps do some maths , cost of OB + fitting + maintenance-Vs uplift x guess usage rates 1 in 5 *years ? -Vs “ cost of tow in “

I mean even if it’s stowed in the boat supposedly out of sight a thief may have sussed that and damage the cabin lock to gsin entry etc .

* we are back to sensible maintenance if the anticipated useage is every season then that needs addressing .

Which lake are we talking about btw whereby with a tow in ,it kinda makes man maths sense to buy another engine ?
 
if you are faced with one main standard engine it's gotta make more sense to carry spares / maintain it as best as you can, rather than buy another one which is hardly used.
how many peeps would run their spare engine on a regular basis ?

when i last spoke to my boat yard Sales person re an extra engine he was quite happy to supply me, his answers was 'by all means we do a great trade in fixing those spare engines that are faulty due to lack of use / maintenance'
 
“If the op wants an second engine then simple. Fit one !”
And there I think is the point. If you can fit a second engine which is reliable and powerful enough to get you out of trouble, why wouldn’t you?
Careful there.
While it's impossible to disagree with the quote in your first line, the second is actually just a sweeping generalization.
It's so crystal clear from the OP posts that he feels safer with a second engine and he already decided to go for it, that I even wonder why he started this thread.
In fact, in his very first thread before this one, he went straight to the point, asking a suggestion about WHICH get home engine to fit in his boat - as opposed to IF to fit one.
Apropos, welcome to the madhouse! :rolleyes:

But when he says "no backup motor=reckless", he (together with anyone else who supported that concept) is calling reckless and/or "cavalier attitude" quite a lot of people.
Including not only myself (with my 4 lake boats, none of which had a backup engine), but also zillions of professional sailors.
And that's uncalled for, imho.
 
Same fuel...its a 4 stroke and it weighs only 38 lbs. Why would anybody mount it on the ladder side??? Why wouldn't it start? Extra cost? Do you know how much it costs to get a tow from the marina?

Costs nothing if it never happens
 
Is that because you skimped on servicing it ? :p

By servicing I assume you mean obsessively out of habit (with the inability to decide for ones self) replacing things and doing work every year that does not need doing generally to fill the pockets of others
 
Same fuel...its a 4 stroke and it weighs only 38 lbs. Why would anybody mount it on the ladder side??? Why wouldn't it start? Extra cost? Do you know how much it costs to get a tow from the marina?

If you have been boating with an outboard for any length of time you will see that there is only one side you can fit an aux motor to that makes any sense. Take a look at your boat and see if you can spot why.........

On a 16 foot boat there is very little space to fit one unless you want to hang it on the rear side sticking out like a sore thumb.

Have a look around any marina a see how many people have these fitted
 
Re: Emergency kicker engine Yay or Nay?

That's like going hunting without a winch imo. As BruceK mentioned it's not always engine failure that is the culprit. Not hard to run the kicker 15 minutes when you are out from time to time. If that's your boat in the picture good luck rowing that baby back to shore. :)

Anyway to each his own...I personally would rather have a backup and not need one than need one and not have one.

Been shooting many many times never felt the need for a winch. Do you have a camo peaked hat and a pickup truck by any chance
 
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But when he says "no backup motor=reckless", he (together with anyone else who supported that concept) is calling reckless and/or "cavalier attitude" quite a lot of people.
Including not only myself (with my 4 lake boats, none of which had a backup engine), but also zillions of professional sailors.
And that's uncalled for, imho.

I woould not dig too deep analysing the guy personally .
I,ll Chuck this in to your post ^^^ if I may ?
Consider Nordhavens / Elings and the like they have a 2 nd engine .Ok called a wing , but it’s usually a option closely considered by the 1 st owner .
Yes in theory all the blustering about diligent servicing etc etc applies ,arguably even worse as as we know diesels are more prone to fuel issues than 4 T petrols ,even if the stuff is stored in different tanks .

Yet those owners who spec a wing engine somehow are sensible .

Op from what I gather is just worried about the inconvenience and hassle .
As far a the maths adding up - who cares , blokes like toys big boys toys and let’s face it a Yam 2.5 is not gonna break the bank is it in the wider scheme?

If it does not start in anger ( despite many practice / running up ) so what ,he’s on a lake and can allways call a friend ( tow for aledged £££ ? ) Or is it $$$ and Grizelys waiting on the bank ?

Bit like speccing extras on a car or boat even the experienced a bit after del think “ hmm why did I spec that - waste of money “
Or worst still “ wish I had tick that box “

Boys toys mean different things to different blokes .

As it is we lack sufficient detail like which lake , climate etc to make a true best decision imho .
 
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Yet those owners who spec a wing engine somehow are sensible.
I never said they aren't - what I'm saying is that it's unfair to call reckless all others who don't have a wing engine. Which are the very large majority, btw.
Don't be mistaken: among all the single engine trawlers which are out there as we are debating, Nordhavns and the likes are a totally meaningless minority.
Most if not all the others have no get home engine at all.
 
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The question of a get home second engine is one that new boaters ask. They generally want a yes it is necessary answer cos they want to buy more stuff as they are just getting into the hobby. After a bit of experience you realise that one is not necessary and is just a pain in the bum
 
Is it not a case of the warm in the belly feeling of built in redundancy ?
We ( boaters ) seem to have vertical silos in the thought processes it feels reading some of the reply’s on here .
So it’s ok nobody’s slagging off twin on the fly diesel filtration , carrying umpteen spares inc impeller s , compares flares
All very sensible but when it comes to a spare tiny OB all hells broken loose .

I mean I got my spare head torch out the other day bulb blown , so I had two knackered head torches at once .

My geny impeller shredded , heard the change in note of the sans water ,turned it off .
Had two spare , yup goodie two shoes .Looked identical .1st one would not work , restripped the pump thinking air leak etc no draw , primed it all up with a hose connected at anchor to the shower out .
About 2 frustrating hours later checking every pipe for blockages i fitted the other spare impeller
It worked straight away .

So there —— are two spares are needed as how do you know you have not got a duff spare ?

I see no harm in redundancy planning with this engine example .
 
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