Lack of Trust in my Outboard Motor

[FittsFly]

My old Suzuki 50 4 stroke has never failed me but it idles a bit rough (even though its been regularly serviced ) and it always gets me thinking as I sail or motor the lakes around me,(that are often sparse of other boats to help) what happens if it gives up the ghost during one of our sudden thunderstorms out on the lake and starts aimlessly drifting toward private docks or rocky shores? Maybe Im a worry wart but .... I have recently added 25' of 1/4" chain to my anchor along with 80 ft of line thinking thats one option to help me stay put until help arrives but does anyone have any other advice? Perhaps a small electric outboard that in calm water could motor me back to safe shores? Any thoughts?

[rsvpasap]

It is not particularly difficult to add an auxiliary motor mount to the stern of a 26x. I've done it twice.

Tahoe Jack provided an excellent description of the basic installation. I copied his method about 10 years ago and it worked very well. (See the photo of the boat in the hoist / travel lift.)
https://macgregorsailors.com/mods/index ... em&id=1001

I recently upgraded to a more heavy duty motor mount so I can carry a 9.9 as the auxiliary. I removed my Suzuki 60 HP and 6 hp and replaced them with a Suzuki 20 HP, a 9.9 hp and a 3 hp electric. I think this is going to better suit how I use the boat, long distance extended cruising in the PNW. (I still have the outboards I removed, as well as a few others, just in case I change my mind.)

For the more heavy duty setup, I used a Panther 4-stroke mount. It is a little bit too wide to fit perfectly on the stern of the 26x, so I made a small fiberglass plate to help with the alignment.

[OverEasy]

Hi FittsFly!

Rsvpasap has a good point!
Tailoring one’s engine size to match one’s needs.
There’s a lot to be said for the efficiency of going to a smaller main engine if one is interested in a more leisurely pace.

If/when the Admiral and I ever decide to get an auxiliary engine for Over Easy it would most likely be a simple electric outboard with a slaved steering link to the rudder brackets. No sense in having to lean off/over the stern to steer when a length of aluminum can make it seamless. That way I can concentrate more on getting to where I want than performing my impression of a Cirque du Soleil act!
I’d be adding a “carry-able” battery arrangement for it with leads run to the stern for the electric motor. This would also serve as our dinghy propulsion while on long distance cruising. While it’s not intended to ever break any speed records it would be a whole lot better than trying to row or paddle our Mac26X… at least to get to a more safe and secure location before dropping an anchor to await Tow Boat. Don’t underestimate the current crop of electric trolling motors or the (range) capacity of the LiFe carry-able batteries.

The arrangement that Rsvpasap has shown would work for either an electric or gas auxiliaries.

Best Regards
Over Easy

[FittsFly]

Thanks for the ideas RSVPASAP and OVEREASY! I really like the electric outboard idea. I actually keep a little Honda 2100 watt generator aboard for my air conditioning and future water heater (Ill eventually send posts of my Mods) , so battery charging for the electric outboard wouldnt be a problem. I found this chart for sizing an electric outboard but looks like it wants 24 volt battery power for our size boats. anyone have luck with a 12 volt electric motor?

[dustoff]

I'm not an engineer (electrical or structural) but the physics of the energy storage and usage impose severe range limits on electric boat engine systems. Especially if you are expecting to power at planing speeds. The youtube creator, S/V Delos is building a custom cat with an advanced hybrid electric drive system (worth the watch), and they still need to keep one main diesel engine to meet their overall energy and range requirements. Even with advanced Lithium Ion storage and wind/solar recharging, the energy storage/weight and cost constraints for a trailerable sailboat would impose some severe range restrictions compared to 24 gallons of petrol and an equivalent power IC outboard. Remember that most of the energy in internal combustion is harvested for free from the air. You could theoretically replace all the water ballast weight with LiOn cells in an M or an X, to get you equivalent power and range but the cost would be insanely prohibitive.
v/r

[OverEasy]

Hi DustOff!

You are entirely right about battery powered thrust to replace a 50 or 60 hp internal combustion engine (ICE) as the prime mover of a Mac26X or Mac26M … I fully agree with that although I think you underestimated the volume and weight of the batteries to provide the at power run time at planing speeds. It’s a whole lot more.

The objective here in this thread is not for an electric prime mover but as an auxiliary or ‘just in case’ back-up that could get you to shore or to a safer condition than just drifting. Many of the locales we frequent are 30 to well over 100 feet deep. ‘Dropping an anchor’ isn’t necessarily a valid option… just like rowing or paddling or sculling aren’t really viable for most folks. Lots of folks boat in relatively narrow confines and wind can be fickle so sailing with its attendant tacking is also often times not feasible either. Hence the interest in an electric auxiliary that can move a Mac26X or Mac26M at a mile or two or three per hour for thirty minutes to an hour could be a nice benefit. (As compared to drifting into a hazard such as a rocks or shoal or towards a beach with rolling surf.

It (an auxiliary) not expected to fight a strong current or winds directly but rather obliquely… the opportunity to have some additional time to find a better solution… to potentially avert a potential or at the very least provide a modicum of control or self rescue. I don’t know about others but I would sure appreciate a motorized (albeit limited) approach to and maneuvering within a marina or boat ramp vs nada or sail alone. I’d also like a quiet trolling option combined with a means to power a dinghy for a while.

It’s a matter of taste and perspectives.

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[dustoff]

All good points. As an emergency backup it certainly seems a lot more feasible, and assuming someone has already invested in some signficant amount of battery capacity/storage to run systems on their boat, applying that to a 5-10 hp equivalent electric motor for emergency purposes at hull speeds really only means investing in the electric motor and mounting system. It should be able to be set up to have a significant amount of energy/time to get out of danger at 6kts or less.

v/r
Rob

[Starscream]

https://1drv.ms/f/c/61fa2ece26d7300d/Ug ... eight=2268I documented the installation of my Honda BF2.3 on this forum, it's easily searchable.

After a few years with this setup, here are my observations:


With the 26X, it's very hard to get a mounting position where the foot is deep enough during use but also out of the wake of the big motor when going WOT. The way I have it, The foot is in the water well enough to push the boat at 4mph in calm conditions, but in rough conditions I feel like the prop would be out of the water way too much, so this setup requires me to make it back to protected waters under sail, then fire up the kicker. When turning using the rudder, the stern corner of the boat causes eddies that cause the prop to lose grip, so only long radius turns are really convenient...like 1/4 mile diameter turns.

With the BF2.3, the throttle is on the motor, of course, and the motor turns in its mount for additional steering. Reverse comes by spinning the motor 180 degrees so the prop is facing forward, but this causes the motor to buck in its mount and unless I can find a way to lock the mount down, I'll never use reverse. i just set the motor facing straight forward and steer with the rudders.

Docking with the kicker, with the throttle behind you, is very hard in any kind of crosswind. Now, not only do you have to steer the approach accurately, you have to reach down and control the throttle at the right time too. It's doable with the captain's seat lifted, but still requires a much higher skill level.

The fuel economy of the 2.3 is amazing. Using the new gauges on the DF90A, I saw fuel burns of 1.3 LPH at a speed of 10km/hr and a burn of 30L/hr at 27mph, but I would consider these preliminary as I wasn't concerned with wind or currents or accuracy, just based off of glances. But both of them are horrible compared to the 2.3, which I thought was almost empty but ran for a half hour anyway.

Refueling under power is complicated. A couple of days ago, I tried my system of pumping gas from the 2nd filter ouput through a primer bulb and spare fuel-drain line directly into the tank, as I was running under power. The primer bulb doesn't give a good flow, but it is possible to do because you only have to pump about a quarter gallon of gas. I wouldn't try it in any kind of sea state unless I was tethered in. Too hard to hang off the back of the X with the captain's seat up, trying not to spill the gas. The system is doable, but it's not easy. Right now I'm leaning towards storing a 1L 2-stroke mixing bottle on board, and filling the kicker motor using that bottle instead. Much easier to pump the bottle full from the filter drain line primer bulb, and then pour that into the tank, than to pump directly into the tank.