Inboard versus outboard - psychology

[BobPrell]

I have had both , both can be good both can be bad.

Both my boats have outboards . On both I had thought to change to inboards but after use I have changed my mind and have not regretted doing so. Note I have been out in both in F8 with heavy seas . I have no problems with cavitation on either.

In that case I would be interested to see how your outboards are arranged. I had a look at your signature link but did not find anything.

I have had an outboard on a 24ft yacht and bad cavitation.

I have had a 21ft trailer-sailer with outboard in a well. This was definitely the best for propulsion but the well closing system was a problem. It had to be part closed under power or water sloshed in. Changing over from sailing to power mode was always a hassle.

 

[sighmoon]

apart from the releif of the financialstress - did you miss the inboard?

Not really. I tried not to use it much anyway. If you have to go into a short chop, sailing is much more comfortable than motoring.

Motoring through a calm is a little noisier, but no slower.

Some people are mechanically confident and for them, the inboard makes sense. But if you've got to pay someone else to do your dirty work, you'll probably lose more time (not to mention the money) waiting for things to be fixed, than you would waiting for the tide to turn and take the lumps out of your channel if sailing is not an option.

For charging the camera batteries, pubs etc don't normally have a problem with plugging in a charger.

Don't underestimate the relief from financial stress. This won't be the beasts last tantrum.

By the way, the inboard I had removed was a petrol one. I couldn't do it myself, so paid a one armed man to do it, which gives me a bit of confidence when I think of it 'If he could do that with one arm, I must be able to do this with two.'

 

[fergie_mac66]

In that case I would be interested to see how your outboards are arranged. I had a look at your signature link but did not find anything.

I have had an outboard on a 24ft yacht and bad cavitation.

I have had a 21ft trailer-sailer with outboard in a well. This was definitely the best for propulsion but the well closing system was a problem. It had to be part closed under power or water sloshed in. Changing over from sailing to power mode was always a hassle.

the westerly 22 has a half well , Half way down the transom, self draining, on the back of the transom . The rudder shaft is through the hull so nearly4 foot in forward of the stern so allows the the prop to be tucked well under the stern its an ex long shaft so very deep in the water, 3 bladed big pitch prop , had a tach on the engine only gets up to 2500 rpm but in normal use rarely goes above 1800 rpm (about 5 knots) against a big head wind sea speed drops to about 3 knots (honda 8) normal fuel use around 1/3 to 1/2 gall an hour but goes up towards a gall in a headwind/sea using full revs


On the cat It has a 13 by 17 inch pitch prop its about 3 foot forward of the 2 transoms so well under the the back .(ex long shaft) but in addition the 2 in between hull bow waves meet towards the stern put the prop into right in the middle of the wave . we do about 7 knots at 2500 rpm on the tacho but usually run at 1800 fuel about 3/4 gall an hour . the engine maxs out at 3500 (7.9knots) If we are pushing but fuel is then 1 1/2 gall an hour we dont(try) not to need to use it much though

Both have locker tanks

 

[Searush]

F-M66
Those are both unusual & excellent set-ups. They are almost petrol saildrives rather than normal outboards. I had a Westerly 25 for many years with a 9.9 Johnson stored horizontally on w wheeled cradle in a locker at the stern, when I needed the engine I had to remove the rear gate, slide the cradle & motor into position & then start it. There was a 5 gall tank in a side locker & remote throttle/ gear controls & tiller steering.

I liked the lack of holes in the hull - it was bone dry, always! I liked the lack of prop trailing in the water, but sliding it in & out over the stern was so dodgy I fitted a pushpit to save me going over the stern with it. Also priming it, setting the choke & starting it at the stern was 'orrible in short steep seas & there were a few situations where the prop came clear out of the water revving like mad & then plunging deep in under heavy load. Not nice to listen to when having to punch thro overfalls.

One of the many reasons for buying a bigger boat was the reliablity & ease of use of an inboard - plus the fact that I would no longer need to take my batteries home for recharge every week. However I did manage to extend this to 2 weeks with a charging lead & a solar panel.

 

[cimota]

I don't even have a boat but I am looking for one with an inboard. Reason being that my brain says an inboard does more than just move the boat around. It charges batteries, provides central ballast and keeps a small closet very warm.

 

[fergie_mac66]

F-M66
Those are both unusual & excellent set-ups. They are almost petrol saildrives rather than normal outboards. I had a Westerly 25 for many years with a 9.9 Johnson stored horizontally on w wheeled cradle in a locker at the stern, when I needed the engine I had to remove the rear gate, slide the cradle & motor into position & then start it. There was a 5 gall tank in a side locker & remote throttle/ gear controls & tiller steering.

I liked the lack of holes in the hull - it was bone dry, always! I liked the lack of prop trailing in the water, but sliding it in & out over the stern was so dodgy I fitted a pushpit to save me going over the stern with it. Also priming it, setting the choke & starting it at the stern was 'orrible in short steep seas & there were a few situations where the prop came clear out of the water revving like mad & then plunging deep in under heavy load. Not nice to listen to when having to punch thro overfalls.

One of the many reasons for buying a bigger boat was the reliablity & ease of use of an inboard - plus the fact that I would no longer need to take my batteries home for recharge every week. However I did manage to extend this to 2 weeks with a charging lead & a solar panel.

No floor boards in the westerly just 2 rubber mats to collect sand (with a bit of help from a dustpan )! so we have 5 Foot 10 headroom.Using the outboard in combo with the tiller we can do a 180º going down tide inside 1 and a quarter boat lengths either forwards or reverse better than a bowthruster .

 

[fergie_mac66]

The cat can do a 360 on the spot using forwards and reverse which is really useful

 

[fergie_mac66]

F-M66
Those are both unusual & excellent set-ups. They are almost petrol saildrives rather than normal outboards. I had a Westerly 25 for many years with a 9.9 Johnson stored horizontally on w wheeled cradle in a locker at the stern, when I needed the engine I had to remove the rear gate, slide the cradle & motor into position & then start it. There was a 5 gall tank in a side locker & remote throttle/ gear controls & tiller steering.

I liked the lack of holes in the hull - it was bone dry, always! I liked the lack of prop trailing in the water, but sliding it in & out over the stern was so dodgy I fitted a pushpit to save me going over the stern with it. Also priming it, setting the choke & starting it at the stern was 'orrible in short steep seas & there were a few situations where the prop came clear out of the water revving like mad & then plunging deep in under heavy load. Not nice to listen to when having to punch thro overfalls.

One of the many reasons for buying a bigger boat was the reliablity & ease of use of an inboard - plus the fact that I would no longer need to take my batteries home for recharge every week. However I did manage to extend this to 2 weeks with a charging lead & a solar panel.

The westerly 22 really were well designed .

 

[dylanwinter]

cat and outboard

The cat can do a 360 on the spot using forwards and reverse which is really useful

take a look at this

pretty impressive when the cat arrives

http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/scuttlebutt/scuttlebutt-99-wainfleet/

 

[aslabend]

Don't know about anyone else but my 4hp 2 stroke outboard uses an outrageous amount of fuel per hour of running and that's just on a tender. Dylan, I'm sure it would cost more in fuel to run an outboard on the slug than the cost of fixing your inboard.

 

[dylanwinter]

good point

Don't know about anyone else but my 4hp 2 stroke outboard uses an outrageous amount of fuel per hour of running and that's just on a tender. Dylan, I'm sure it would cost more in fuel to run an outboard on the slug than the cost of fixing your inboard.

the beast seems to use almost no fuel

despite the amount of work it gets - seldom have to top up the tanks more than onece every couple of months - and then usually only a couple of gallons

6 gallons total capacity

so fuel economy is a classic

Dylan

 

[fergie_mac66]

wainfleet

take a look at this

pretty impressive when the cat arrives

http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/scuttlebutt/scuttlebutt-99-wainfleet/

Nice film , specially the speed the tide comes in , would never have know you've speeded it up !

We really like wainfleet.At dusk, a big barn owl used to hunt over the salt marches could sit and watch it for ages . Ready for a visit haven't been for a couple of years. The club house is great, never could get the showers to run hot though!

Did something stupid there once anchored and went up the channel in the dink , no life jacket or compass (Saw some baby shelducks looked like they had Mohicans).Tide had come in with a 18 inch breaking swell and night time when I went back ,No lights on boat a mile and a half out over tide. It was as black as a black thing. I would have been still looking for BF now if'twern't for a fishing boat who shone a spot on to it! Its nice they have put lights on the first 2 bouys now !

 

[maxcampbell]

30 MPG

Don't know about anyone else but my 4hp 2 stroke outboard uses an outrageous amount of fuel per hour of running and that's just on a tender. Dylan, I'm sure it would cost more in fuel to run an outboard on the slug than the cost of fixing your inboard.

Our 2 stroke Mariner 4HP (an excellent reliable unit) pushes our 650Kg weekender at 4 to 5 mph (inland waters, so not knots) at about 30MPG - ie about the same as a 2 litre car doing 80 mph

 

[Madhatter]

It looks like Dylan is checking out old inboards on ebay
So there is hope for him

 

[Lakesailor]

I find my 4HP 4 stroke Mariner (£350) uses just over half a litre per hour, if I don't go over 4 knots.
So capital cost and running costs are for nothing.
OK I don't have swell to contend with so rarely (never) get a the prop out of the water, but that apart I can't see the point of the mess and bulk and constant expense of the inboard.
I could have bought my motor and a spare and a couple of year's fuel for what Dylan has spent already on the slug, not counting this latest episode.
The space where his lump used to sit could store a suitcase generator for occasional battery topping up (but used on deck, to dissipate petrol fumes).

As already mentioned, it's swings and roundabouts. The maneuvering ability with a transom-mounted outboard using it's own tiller is remarkable.

 

[Behome]

When I've had a boat with an inboard I've cursed it and wished it were an outboard; next boat had outboard, cursed that and wished it were an inboard. Latest one has inboard...........it's only a matter of time before the cursing begins.
Still, when we had a boat with a Vire we fitted an outboard too because of its habit of cutting out at the vital moment, although it did (mostly) get us through the canals to the Med and back.

 

[KristiferColumbus]

Is there a psychological difference between inboard and outboard people?



There was obviously a massive split between the outboard people and those who think that a boat without an inboard is not quite a proper yacht.

I'd argue that those with an inboard engine are the ones without a proper yacht.
Sailing is about connecting with the elements romance & adventure not having one of those nasty smelly oily monsters down in the bilges!

 

[Seajet]

I find my 4HP 4 stroke Mariner (£350) uses just over half a litre per hour, if I don't go over 4 knots.
So capital cost and running costs are for nothing.
OK I don't have swell to contend with so rarely (never) get a the prop out of the water, but that apart I can't see the point of the mess and bulk and constant expense of the inboard.
I could have bought my motor and a spare and a couple of year's fuel for what Dylan has spent already on the slug, not counting this latest episode.
The space where his lump used to sit could store a suitcase generator for occasional battery topping up (but used on deck, to dissipate petrol fumes).

As already mentioned, it's swings and roundabouts. The maneuvering ability with a transom-mounted outboard using it's own tiller is remarkable.

For 'normal' sailing I would say an outboard in a well is the best compromise, with the engine out and fairing plug in, one has a pure sailing boat; plus one can lift the engine and administer the old bread knife if caught by a lobster pot.

My other boat, a Carter 30, had a Volvo & saildrive; it cost me an arm and a leg for spares !

However once one gets a boat above 25' ish, outboards become a pain, too heavy to lift.

For the type of voyaging Dylan does, I think the inboard is the best bet; after all the boat is designed to use it as ballast, and it also provides heat, and electrical power for the cameras.

As mentioned though, I would think a prop' cutter essential.

 

[northwind]

I think it does heavily depend on where you intend on sailing..

Having read Sam Steeles book She cites the availability of Petrol as a big problem for many places en-route round the coast.

I have an outboard in a well, its a long legged engine, mounted centrally so no problems with offset or the prop loosing water. I could convert the boat to an inboard, but for the area I intend on sailing it (South coast / solent) I don't see the need. However I don't feel this would be an ideal setup for channel hopping, due to the rules and regs in france for carrying Petrol.

Daniel