Fifty Bucks for a Tow

[Divecoz]

You could be in for a very rude surprise. I have talked with fellows down here, who had GREAT difficulty coming in through the ( Boca and Red Fish) passes with 9.9's on Catalina's and O'Day's WWP's and even a Hobie 33 with its too small diesel single. They all said they had to Raise Sail and fight for long periods of time , in adverse conditions, all the while those adverse conditions grew worse by the minute, all because they had motors to small to push their craft through/against wind and tide.
I had difficulty coming into a harbor ( North Point) on Lake Michigan running ahead of a storm, troubles all because of wind and the mess the water became with a dozen or soooooo 30'-65' power boats fighting and Jockeying to get in next..
I guess it all depends on where you intend to take your boat.

Almost any motor will move a boat . One year when the drought got so bad , and our marina got so shallow that I couldn't lower the foot on our Bayliner enough to pickup cooling water , I rigged up a 28lb thrust Minn-Kota on the swim platform . This Bayliner weighed 6,000 lbs . The electric motor pushed it along at 3mph , even in the river against the current .

Part of the conversion plan of our Mac X to trawler is to mount a 55lb Minn Kota saltwater trolling motor on her stern between rudder and main engine .

[mastreb]

Well, it's weather.

Any motor in still water will move any boat at a speed directly determined by the power/displacement ratio. But when you're fighting forces, you need overwhelming force. It's just a question of what do you expect your auxiliary power to be able to do.

When I was in the Navy, we made headway in Category 5 typhoon--with 116,000hp. Alternatively, I've been stranded in a simple tidal current with a 110 ft./lb. trolling motor unable to make headway.

One of the epic features of the MacGregor power sailers is the ability to mount FAR more hp than will ever be required to make headway in a storm.

[Catigale]

The only place I've ever run out of HP was the lower Niagara river. Considering there was a standing wave of three feet of water from the flow, that wasn't unreasonable. It's not called 'Devils Hole ' for no reason.

[mastreb]

I didn't run out of horsepower in the East River and going through Devil's Gate, but fighting an 8 knot current takes WOT, and hitting a massive standing wave where it meets the hudson is a surprise.

[dlandersson]

The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q= ... 9129,d.aWw

I didn't run out of horsepower in the East River and going through Devil's Gate, but fighting an 8 knot current takes WOT, and hitting a massive standing wave where it meets the hudson is a surprise.

[DaveB]

Just a few miles South in the Calosa river by Little shell Islands or Picnic Island few miles west you will find currents at 4knots or more.
Most I seen was a 5.5 knot at a full moon at little shell Island.
Hells Gate in NY , I been in 5knot currents and Woods Hole cut in Cape Cod been thru 7.2 knot current.
The MacX with 50 hp plows thru.
Best to wait the tides.
In the Carribean on West side of St. Thomas I was making 1/2 knot under full sail and full engine power. Exceeded 7 knots of current. Winds were 15 Knots rail down 15 degrees and 3/4 engine power just to make 1/2 knots.
This was after a 12 day trip from NC. in 40 ft. seas for 3-4 days of that trip.
When you are that close to landfall even 1/2 knot makes a difference.
Dave

You could be in for a very rude surprise. I have talked with fellows down here, who had GREAT difficulty coming in through the ( Boca and Red Fish) passes with 9.9's on Catalina's and O'Day's WWP's and even a Hobie 33 with its too small diesel single. They all said they had to Raise Sail and fight for long periods of time , in adverse conditions, all the while those adverse conditions grew worse by the minute, all because they had motors to small to push their craft through/against wind and tide.
I had difficulty coming into a harbor ( North Point) on Lake Michigan running ahead of a storm, troubles all because of wind and the mess the water became with a dozen or soooooo 30'-65' power boats fighting and Jockeying to get in next..
I guess it all depends on where you intend to take your boat.

Almost any motor will move a boat . One year when the drought got so bad , and our marina got so shallow that I couldn't lower the foot on our Bayliner enough to pickup cooling water , I rigged up a 28lb thrust Minn-Kota on the swim platform . This Bayliner weighed 6,000 lbs . The electric motor pushed it along at 3mph , even in the river against the current .

Part of the conversion plan of our Mac X to trawler is to mount a 55lb Minn Kota saltwater trolling motor on her stern between rudder and main engine .

[Herschel]

They all said they had to Raise Sail and fight for long periods of time , in adverse conditions, all the while those adverse conditions grew worse by the minute, all because they had motors to small to push their craft through/against wind and tide.

This may be pushing the "towing story" theme of this thread just a little. When reading the stories above about using power to offset strong currents, it brings to mind how critical having a reliable engine can be in those situations. The more the situation depends on the engine for maintaining safe passage, the more critical the engine actually works. I remember a couple of years ago when I was still using my old Merc and had just cleared a bridge opening going into Tampa Bay heading into 20 knot winds and rough seas under power alone. When I decided that returning to sheltered waters near Anna Marie Island was in my best interest, I had to run down right next to the bridge to pick up the channel to get out of the wind and tie up near a ramp. Had my engine failed I would have been into the now closed Anna Marie Island bridge in seconds or on the rocks of the causeway. As it turned out, the engine ran fine that day, but on one of the next outings (1st or 2nd) back in my home lake, it totally and irrevocably failed. I eventually traded it for a new engine. I vowed that day I wouldn't go into situations like that in the future without the anchor manned and at the ready. I hope I won't be too lulled by my excellent, and always reliable, new Yamaha to forget that lesson.