Engine size advice

[bigmac91]

Hi all, looking for advice on the Bukh 8hp engine, is this engine suitable for North East coast Tyne area, looking at a Pegasus 800 and unsure on the capability of this size engine.

thanks

 

[Spuddy]

For what it's worth, I've got a 9.5hp yanmar in a 27' boat. All fine in flat water, no headwind but down to 2 knots in F4 on the nose - so it's an auxiliary engine. A chum has just bought an Elizabethan 33 with your engine in! Mind you he's much more of a purist sailing man than me and will need to be.

 

[Burnham Bob]

I had a yanmar 1GM10 in a 23 footer and that was fine. So a 26 footer would be underpowered by an 8 hp diesel. It would get you on and off the mooring, but as Spuddy says, you'd get stopped dead motoring into waves. My Trapper 500 is 28 feet (ish) and I have the beta 14 in which is about right. Maybe a 1GM10 would be okay but for the kind of sailing we all do these days (have to be back to go to work!) sometimes you need to motor to where you are going rather than wait for the wind and tide.

 

[Twister_Ken]

I had a Bukh 10 in my Twister (28', 4 tonnes design weight) which always seemed perfectly adequate to me. The new owner, though, replaced it with a 20 hp. Maybe he plans on water skiing!

 

[bigmac91]

engine size

thanks for the advice, I was unsure as the Pegasus is 4408lbs displacement and only claims to have a waterline length of 21' . Is there a calculation using this information that would provide an optimum engine size.

thanks

 

[KenMcCulloch]

4hp per tonne displacement seems a common recommendation and works well for me, so an 8-10 hp engine should be OK up to a couple of tonnes or so. I think the whole heavy weather thing can be a bit overstated, a smaller lighter boat will be more easily stopped by big steep waves and having more engine power will not necessarily make a difference. We have 36hp for 8.5 tonnes and we punch through the waves pretty well but that's much more to do with the momentum of a bigger boat than what's pushing her.

 

[Geoff Enigma]

A mate of mine was using a 8hp outboard on a Westerly Centaur (26 foot) sailing out of Royal Quays on the Tyne and managed ok. Mind you we got caught in a bit of a blow and struggled to make way against the wind and tide which was not something I would like to repeat he also spent 2 tides trying to get on to a mooring at Holy Island. He has now fitted a 3 cylinder beta inboard so draw your own conclustions. I think it depends what sort of conditions you intend to sail in and it's also nice to have that bit of extra power to get you out of trouble.

Geoff

 

[little shack]

Hi I sail out of royal quays and have a motor sailer 4.5 tonnes with a 30 hp engine and all is ok.But even with 30 against the tide it can be slow going if it's running at it's peak. saying that there are a lot of people use a smaller engine and they seem happy.

 

[bigmac91]

Thanks again.all good advice and being new to Cruiser sailing I think a bigger engine may be where I should be going . . . . .I will have to add this to my wish list along with 6' headroom !