Outboard mount / transom extention

[trswem]

Howdy folks. There are two 26Ds for sale in my area that have their outboards mounted on extensions off the transom. Is there an advantage? From what I can tell, they mount at the same height. I asked one of the sellers what the purpose was, and he didn't know, he bought it that way.


https://postimg.cc/kVrqKNqt

[Maraquita]

On my D, if you mount the outboard in the well, you really cannot turn the motor for steering. I have owned three motors in the 9 or 10 HP range and none of them had enough room to steer with. The Mercury had such a large head that you could not even tip the propeller all the way out of the water. I drive the boat like an inboard anyway, due to my misspent youth with Gray Marine engines, so it doesn't bother me, but for someone who wants the last bit of sail speed and to steer the boat with the motor thrust, the only real solution is to mount it on some sort of extension or a retractable engine bracket. If you do not have electric start, that does result in a long reach for the pull cord!

[trswem]

...On my D, if you mount the outboard in the well, you really cannot turn the motor for steering...

...If you do not have electric start, that does result in a long reach for the pull cord!...

Ah, that makes a lot of sense. I use my motor like you as well, steering with the rudder. However, I have noticed that when in the trickier parts of my marina and wanting some extra steerage, I have had an issue steering with the outboard. Probably not a big enough hassle for me to check up my setup, but I understand the purpose of the mount now! I already have a hard enough time with the pull start. Thank you!

[TrailerTrash]

The only two advantages I can think of are:

Depth: You can buy one of those drop-down mounts and get the prop further down in the water. Of course, you move it further from the fulcrum, so it swings up/down more the further you get from the center of the boat. The further you move it from the transom the harder it is to control the motor itself.

Turning: As pointed out above, the motor well isn't exactly large. If you have a traditional 9.9 HP 4-stroke, your motor is probably restricted in turning radius one way or another. You can still use the rudder but it is sometimes handy to use the motor in conjunction with the rudder when docking.

Of course, the negative is that the further you put weight aft/forward in a sailboat, the worse it performs when sailing. Performance sailers have always made efforts to keep weight near the center of mass of the boat to minimize rocking/motion. That rocking robs you of forward momentum.

For me, I'd rather keep it mounted on the transom and accept the limitations and I'd buy the correct motor rather than trying to retrofit something that isn't ideal for the boat.