Auxiliary motors

[Guest]

It's p*ssing down at the moment, so here's some thoughts on auxilary outboards. There was a review of a 21 foot Hardy in one of the 'beardy' mags this month, in which the author opines that a 4hp outboard is sufficient for about 5 knots as a get-one-home measure. I had an ickle planing 16 footer years ago, and found that on the one occasion the main engine picked up a rope, that the 4hp Yam was absolutely useless against a four knot tide, and the boat lacked steerage or enough power to stem the Force 4 wind. These arrangements have worried me ever since.

Has anyone else managed to successfully use a small outboard as an auxilary in a windy tideway?

Best

Sue

 

[Guest]

Sue I use a 200 hp main engine with a 200hp auxilary and even that causes problems if one packs in. Now if I could just squeeze a 500 hp in between them That might get me home !!

 

[Guest]

Now Haydn, that's not what I meant at all!!!!

Sue

 

[Guest]

4hp ought to be OK in the sort of conditions the rig was designed for i.e. calmish.

I remember once crossing Torbay in no particular rush and stuck to aux on (4hp on 18 footer), mainly to use up the fuel which was getting a bit old and stale.

I learned a bit about leeway of a lightweight, flat bottomed planing hull in a stiff off-shore breeze that afternoon.

I would have thought it would have been as good as your anchor against a 4 knot current - good enough to hold your position, nothing better.

Problem with anything bigger on a small planing hull is the negative effect of the extra weight aft 99.9% of the time, versus it's effectiveness for the other 0.1%.

6hp might be better on 21 feet of relatively light built craft, 10hp for something like a Fairline 21.

OH and the beardy one waas wrong, they should stick with the bigger main engine and not downgrade to 50hp. There's no substitute for horsepower.

 

[Guest]

I carried a 5hp auxiliary motor around on the back of a 25ft bayliner for 2 years without using it in anger. One day with nothing to do on a calm broad with no current and little wind i decided to give the auxiliary a go. What a disaster the engine wouldnt even move the boat let alone give me steerage. Ever since i,ve not bothered with an auxiliary. Tim Bartlett is a well respected journo but i have to question his conclusion about engine power on the Hardy. Having been on a Hardy that was set up for cruising (extra fuel,tender,water etc)with 65hp engine and found that with 2 up it wouldnt get on the plane.I think a minimum would be a 75hp 4 stroke. (PS this isnt Hardy bashing- I like the boats a lot, they just need enough power for coastal cruising)

 

[Guest]

mmm, think I agree with you on this. Perhaps Haydns answer was apt - a couple of big engines gives a good safety margin. Lord knows where this leaves us single engine owners.

Best

Sue

 

[Guest]

I have a 17 foot planing fishing boat, normally powered by a 60 Suzuki, which decided to die on me a mile out of Dartmouth last year. My auxiliary (at the time a 1978 Mercury 4) got me back as far as the Gunfield without too much trouble, against the tide and the Dart. I've now got a 4hp Yamaha 4 stroke, which serves as the auxiliary and as a brilliant engine for my Tinker Tramp runabout.

 

[Guest]

It leaves us having to be meticulous about our servicing, fuel supply, spares and safety precautions. If we are careful I reckon we have less chance of getting into trouble than many of our twin engined cousins. Why are 99% of fishing boats single engined!

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the replies. It seems the only really answer is to suck it and see!

Best

Sue

 

[Guest]

Yamaha now do a 8hp high thrust, which would definatly do the job, trouble is the extra weight factor.

A friend of mine was recently grateful for the old Johnson sea horse (5hp i think) that he carried, it took him 2 hours to get home and he was barely moving at times, but without it, at best he would have had to call the coastguard and at worst.....well you can imagine!