What size outboard for a 19ft Sailing boat?

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carl170

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I have a Norman S19 boat and would like a new outboard for her. She had an old Vire 6 inboard that I am hoping to overhaul, but in the meantime I would like an outboard for her. I will be mainly in inshore waters.

The norman is about 750 Kilo's. I guess with passengers and supplies, she may be nearer the 950 kg mark.

I am thinking of an engine about 6hp. I am thinking that an 8 may be too heavy hanging off a bracket and a 9.8hp may just have too much grunt!.

I would be interested in what size boat and outboard size you are currently using. As usual any opinions and views are also welcome!

Thanks in advance

Carl
 
IMHO.....A 4hp 4 stroke, with a sail drive prop, would be perfectly adequate for a 19 ft boat. Unless you want go water skiing of course!? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I would say use a super Jhonson 6hp! There good and reliable hope you get the vire fixed!Good light weight engine

Today a LOT of boats your size have 50 60hp and more fitted!This year while in Rochfort waiting for the port to open i saw a small 5 meter plastic with 6 people cramed into its cockpit with a 75hp pushing along with a tidal wake behind!!

The fule costs a fortune for bigger OBs 6hps fine! At 9hp the engine gets bigger and heavier at 8hp the transmission gets bigger.
 
Hi Carl,
I agree with the other suggestions of 6hp. I have a 6hp on a 19ft bilge keeler. IMHO anything larger will be unnecessary and unnecessarily heavy. If you will be sailing in calm conditions in an area where tidal streams are relativly weak then even a 4 hp will be adequate. Your profile is silent as to your location!

To keep the prop in the water in choppy conditions I would advise a long shaft model rather than a standard shaft.

Smithy100 is right to recommend a "sail" or high thrust prop if one is available for your chosen engine. It will have a smaller pitch and maybe a larger diameter than the standard prop making it more suitable for a displacement hull than the standard one which may be more suited to a small fast runabout. My 6hp Evinrude Yachtwin has a 23.5cm x 16.5cm prop while the ordinary 6hp Evinrude has a 21.6 x 22.9cm prop (diameter X pitch).

You might want to look at electrical power output as well. My Yachtwin has a 12v rectified ie DC output for battery charging. Depending on the models you are looking at you may find only an AC output that will need an (expensive) rectifier / charging lead for battery charging or you may find it has no electrical output at all.

I do not know the Norman S19 but at 750kilos is only a few kilos heavier than mine.

Good luck with the Vire. An inboard engine is nice but I was never too enthusiastic about the only Vire I sailed with. If it is going to cost loads of dosh to overhaul you might as well stick to the O/B once you have it. They are a lot easier to take home for maintenance purposes but do need a good padlock or two to hang onto.
 
I had a Honda 5hp 4 stroke on my Valiant 18 which was about 850 kgs and I have a Yamaha 4hp 4 stroke on my Foxcub 18 which weighs 550kgs. They both would achieve hull speed at low throttle openings. Winding the throttle up just gets more noise and vibration, but no more speed.
The arguments about hammering against tide and wind are bollocks. You can only do 5.5 knots. If the tidal stream is faster you are jerked. You cannot go faster than that through the water.
I wouldn't have a 2 stroke, they are noisy, smelly and thirsty. We're not talking about tenders and ribs here, when lots of people prefer 2 strokes. We are talking about small craft doing a steady speed for an hour or two. The relative quiet and virtually absence of vibration make 4 strokes much better. (Honda less vibration-free than Yamaha in my experience).

Oh yes. Vic is right to mention long shaft. I can get away with standard on mine, but is has a low freeboard. The Valiant needed a long shaft.
 
[ QUOTE ]
The arguments about hammering against tide and wind are bollocks. You can only do 5.5 knots

[/ QUOTE ] True you cannot exceed the hull speed through the water but if you are battling both a strong tide and a strong head wind you want to be sure you can actually achieve that or you get nowhere. Do not underestimate the power of the wind. Also every time you get stopped dead in the water by a wave you need enough power in hand to get you moving again before the next one hits.

My old engine was rated at 5hp measured at the engine (rather than at the prop as they are now) so was only equivalent to a modern 4.5hp. The extra 1.5 hp of the current engine is very reassuring. On any where as smooth and sheltered as the millpond known as Windy Mere I would agree with you though /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I have a an Etap 22i which is a nice slippery shape and weighs a little over 1000kg. The standard engine is a 6hp but I have pushed it along very well with a 4hp. I would say 6hp is the maximum you need and if it was me I would use a 4hp on your boat.
Allan
 
'The arguments about hammering against tide and wind are bollocks. You can only do 5.5 knots. If the tidal stream is faster you are jerked. You cannot go faster than that through the water.'

Disagree. The stopping power of short steep seas is great. Such a situation was one one the few times my 5hp motor driving a ballasted 17' sailing boat was given full power despite a well reefed down rig!

Previously 8ph on a 25' fin keeled yacht was adequate.

I agree with the general feeling that 6hp is right for the 19 footer - and there are some beauties about these days.
 
I use 4hp on the back of my Bradwell 18 (18'9" LOA). This is fine for maneuvering and for passage making when the wind dies. Against a strong tide (I'm on the Thames) headway is slower, but I get there.

Personally I'm happy with 4HP - it suits my style of sailing. Depends what you want to use the engine for & your sailing area.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I agree with the general feeling that 6hp is right for the 19 footer - and there are some beauties about these days.

[/ QUOTE ]

6 hp 2 STROKE would be ok if you are talking about a particularly heavy boat........

However, on the boat in question a 4hp 4 stroke, with a sail drive prop, will be more than adequate, because of the low down grunt the things have. A 6hp 4 stroke is very heavy, and will upset the trim of the boat, never mind the question of lugging the perishin' thing about, or the price difference! It's a wee sailboat for goodness sake! Not the Titanic.

It has sails, they are the boats main engine, I really do not understand, why people think you have to have large amounts of horsepower (relatively speaking) on the stern of wee boats. The outboard is just an auxhiliary, for manouvering and getting you home if the wind dies, why would you want to use it if there is plenty of wind?......I'll go to the bottom of our stairs!
 
[ QUOTE ]
The outboard is just an auxhiliary, for manouvering and getting you home if the wind dies, why would you want to use it if there is plenty of wind

[/ QUOTE ] Because sooner or later you get fed up with tacking against a brisk wind and then the tide turns against you because the tacking has extended the passage time so then you get nowhere or even start losing ground. Ideally you would change plans and stop somewhere short of your original intended destination but life is not always like that so on goes the motor. It is for times like those that I would rather have a engine a bit more powerful than necessary than one that is not quite powerful enough.

If you really want to take the extreme opposite point of view you can always follow Charles Stock's example and not have an engine at all!
 
You did state 'sailing boat', so why overpower?

I successfully used a Merc 2.5 on a similar sized boat.
Plenty of power as an auxiliary & weight was just right.
Would still push against tide without any probs.

Also easy to take home with you!
 
[ QUOTE ]
If you really want to take the extreme opposite point of view you can always follow Charles Stock's example and not have an engine at all!

[/ QUOTE ]

I have a lot of empathy with that point of view, however it is not what I was saying.....but then you know that.

I note you did not comment on my other points.........I repeat, it's a wee sailboat, it doesn't NEED a big heavy engine on the stern. A 4hp 4 stroke, with sail drive prop, will have more than enough power for it's needs, including wind and tide and acts of God, or any other might be that you might want to concoct.

I used to own a Corribee, and I had a Mariner 4hp 4 stroke with sail drive on the stern, and it was more than adequate, I also used to own a Martin Heard Tosher, that had a 4hp 2 stroke, and even that was man enough for the job, and a Tosher IS a heavy boat!

You have by all means what you would rather have, but I think the original poster was just looking for some practical and sensible advice.

That he has at least got from three of us.
 
[ QUOTE ]
You did state 'sailing boat', so why overpower?

I successfully used a Merc 2.5 on a similar sized boat.
Plenty of power as an auxiliary & weight was just right.
Would still push against tide without any probs.

Also easy to take home with you!

[/ QUOTE ]


Amen to that!................ /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Well at least now it's four of us! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
One other thing I would add to mine and everyone elses thoughts is that weight is a factor. I'm not sure if you are thinking of removing your present engine. Being able to lift the motor out of the water when sailing is a good thing. Also being able to move the motor around the boat to help you balance the boat when sailing can be a good thing. I would keep the motor weight to the minimum though.
Allan
 
I agree, I did already mention the trim thing, but I think Mr Vic is a Mobo Jockie /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Five! I have a 2hp Honda 4-stroke on my boat which is also 19 foot. Alas, we do not have tides up here, but for anything else it is enough. The boat does go faster under sail than with the motor though, but this I think is a feature as it encourages sailing even if there is only a wind for three or four knots for that is what I get with the motor as well. Under sail I get 5 or 6 knots at most. And the Honda uses virtually no fuel at all!

Also I know a guy in the US who has the same engine on a Vivacity which is a bit bigger and heavier. He still gets the same cruising speed as me, which must mean my motor is too big! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
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