Outboard size for emergencies

I am almost invariably singlehanded.

When my engine lift pump broke, that is what I have done.. Put the Avon over the side, put the engine on and set it running, slightly angled into the boat. Steer from the boat

It works beautifully. the dinghy articulates in the swell and keeps the prop immersed. Watching it is quite mesmeric.

Less than one knot at times and got in at 2h, but you get there. Like you I have no wish to trouble the RNLI or anyone else
 
I've been caught by a string of pots a mile off Point Lynas. It wasn't a prop wrap, we were sailing, but the rope from the barely visible float got jammed in the slot between rudder and hull. The first problem was getting the boat free from the line, the second was getting the rope in stuck. We were a strong, well equipped crew but were unable to do either so called out the lads from Moelfre RNLI. They cut us free with a razor sharp cleaver on a pole then towed us to Amlech where we removed the rope in seconds once we were dried out.
I have no qualms about calling for assistance, the RNLI crews are always efficient, professional and non-judgemental.
 
dylanwinter said:
One the little rules in my head when buying a second hand boat with an inboard was to avoid boats that have outboard brackets on them because they are a sure sign of a boat with an unreliable engine

Now I have changed my mind entirely and regard the presence of a bracket as a sailor who recognises that the most likely cause of a failure in the mechanical propulsion system of the boat is not engine or gearbox failure but creel pot marker entrapment.

For me, an outboard bracket on the back of a boat with an inboard is a positive thing and I know that it will save me having to fit one

sadly, Centaur 2, has no bracket for the Tohastsu

last time I swapped some DVDs for one that was stout but seized

so I am open to suggestions about sourcing a stout one

there are few things in life more worrying than an under-engineered outboard bracket.

Very willing to swap free downloads that are already free

D
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Mine is a stainless steel version of this:http://www.mailspeedmarine.com/s-s-auxillary-outboard-bracket.html
It was on the boat when I bought her over 12 years ago and wasn't new then.

Bit of Fred Drift, but I need to replace the pad and I'd like to use plastic. Any ideas where to find something suitable?
 
fredrussell said:
Just out of interest, what would be the downsides or risks of using a long shaft OB on an inflatable? I realise I run the risk of OB bottoming out as I near land and the pin shearing (or worse), but are there more serious concerns?
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It tends to fold the dinghy in half above tickover, because thrust is a long way below the transom, putting a huge torque on it.
 
JumbleDuck said:
Seagull Silver Century.
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If you feel the need for an emergency engine a Seagull is about the best you can get: ignore those who think they are unreliable. I've used lots of outboards, and the two that always started easily first pull and ran totally reliably were a Seagull 40 and a 100. The 40 spent two tides underwater once, and I kept using it for years afterwards.

I am not advocating Seagulls for regular use though these days - too oily. But they move heavy stuff far better than supposedly similar powered modern engines.
 
fredrussell said:
I have a 3.5hp Tohatsu two-stroke that is a long shaft. It was given to me and it is my intention to have it as a spare on my Jaguar 23 and use it on the Avon inflatable as well. If running it 'deep' causes problems I'll extend the wooden o/b mount on flubber upwards some 6 or 8 inches. Not ideal I realise, but worth a go.
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We have a long shaft tohatsu 2 stroke 3.5 and use it on the inflatable without problems for the last ten years. It also pushes our 25 foot heavy fin keel yacht at about 4 knots .We did an 18 mile coastal passage with it once including locking into a marina and berthing it on a pontoon.
 
graham said:
We have a long shaft tohatsu 2 stroke 3.5 and use it on the inflatable without problems for the last ten years. It also pushes our 25 foot heavy fin keel yacht at about 4 knots .We did an 18 mile coastal passage with it once including locking into a marina and berthing it on a pontoon.
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Thats good to know Graham, cheers. I'll try it out at the weekend and see how it goes on the flubber. I must admit I found it hard to believe that dinghy would fold in half due to the torque from low prop - I hope I'm not proved wrong!
 
Ours has a plywood transom which prob makes it stiffer than a round tail one .just open throttle bit at a time see how it goes.

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I once tried 2.5hp 2 st stroke off a tender without gears on a 30ft catamaran to get out of a harbour to then go home under sail. It was only possible because it was flat calm and no tide where it mattered. Even then it did not work every well. It was not just the power available that was a the problem but also things like swamping risk, cavitation, fuel consumption. There was no way it would have got me back into Poole harbour at the other end. I sailed instead. So I would say a 6hp engine with a larger prop and longer shaft would be a different matter and would be fine if you can control it.
 
I reduced engine size from 9.9 high thrust, to a 5hp 4 stroke, quite easy to lift, this is on my Pandora 7m boat, I see no reason to go above this size if used as a spare, it will get me to France no problem.
 
Well, I've quite frequently pushed a 31' loa yacht, with a 3.5hp Tohatsu 2-stroke. Most time using dinghy but once, in an F7, mounted on the boarding ladder.
This summer I saw a 34' Beneteau being pushed around by a 5hp Yamaha 4-stroke. He was awaiting gearbox parts and had used it thus for about 2 weeks.
 
My 25ft has a up down auxillary outboard bracket. I intend to buy a 3.5hp tohatsu 2 stroke for it to keep weight down plus seen lots of good reviews on this engine. It will mainly live in the locker but just in case.
 
Well... The boat went out today (didn't see it) into Chichester harbour. He said he went to the beach.

Now I don't know which beach he meant, and he doesn't either (!!!), but I presume he means East Head. Done without chart or compass, using only the navionics app on his smart phone. I am working on him, honest, to at least get some charts and a compass!
 
ostell said:
I am working on him, honest, to at least get some charts and a compass!
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He's hardly likely to fall off the ends of the earth inside Chichester Harbour :). We didn't have any charts or a compass in our Wayfarer when we sailed around there, and the only mobile phone I'd ever seen was strapped to Anneka Rice.

If he doesn't have a centreboard to lift up when he hits the mud, worst case is being stuck till the tide comes back :)

Pete
 
But you weren't a 26 foot 1 metre draught bilge keeper! You could get out and push.

He has plans to go sailing round the Solent, possibly even further.

As I said he didn't know which beach it actually was !!
 
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