motor time

[steveo7772004]

Hello sorry if I am asking a question in the wrong forum. I am looking at buying a catalina 25 with a 9.8 horse nissan. My problem is that i would need to motor about 150 miles up the florida intercoastal to get to my marina. Any idea if that is possible to do in 2 or 3 days?
And is it asking to much of a small outboard motor? Am assuming full throttle is not an option for a long time
Thank you
Steve Dunn

 

[MoonSailer]

Maybe 6 miles per hour so 150 divided by 6 would give you 25 hours of motoring. I'd figure on 30 so figure 3 10 hour days.

 

[steveo7772004]

Thank you I m in for a long trip I guess

 

[Tim R.]

Why not sail part of the way?

 

[Ross]

Even motor sailing is better than plain motoring. let the sails do some of the work.

 

[alexco38]

Apparant wind

Sail move the boat by apparant wind not true wind. When you motor you generate apparant wind which in turn enable the sail to move the boat faster up to hull speed. In any case, you are looking at 2-1/2 to 3 days hard sailing. If C25 is trailable, why not go by the interstate?

 

[Manny]

I did an 82 nm mile trip last spring with a bigger boat and a smaller outboard. I motor sailed as much as possible and covered the distance in about 23 hours (thats including stopping for dinner and a few hours of sleep).

Manny

 

[Steve Dion]

When we had our '78 Hunter 25 we would motor for 8-12 hours at a time when necessary. These motors can go like the "ever-ready bunny". Be sure to do some fuel planning. I assume you have a 4 stroke, which should get you some better mileage. You should also carry a couple of extra cans of fuel. Plan for the worst and hope for the best. I would figure you will do about 5k/hr at the best.

I would also suggest that you try sailing and/or motor sailing.

 

[BobM]

Its certainly doable, but plan for three days at least. I did a 180 mile trip in a 30 footer that could cruise at about 5.5 knots. We made 50-80 miles per day and the 80 mile day was 13 hours. Be sure that you have a friend who is able to reef and steer aboard. This is not a solo trip if you are trying to do it as fast as possible. The constant droning of the engine in combination with sun / heat will take their toll on you and you will need some relief at the helm.

 

[Benny]

Yes, plan for three days as in the ICW you will have plenty of bridge waits or locks in the okeechobe waterway. Some sections are not easily traversed at night. The engine if in fair to good condition will make it. These outboards are made to run at high RPMs and can do it all day long. A 9.8 Nissan two stroke will burn about a gallon of gasoline per hour and on the average you should require around 30 gallons for that whole trip so plan your fuel stops accordingly. You may motor sail in some sections but being protected winds may be light and perhaps coming from the wrong direction. I have done similar trips in the ICW even in smaller boats than yours and consider that 50nm a day is a good day's work. Leave early and tie up by sundown to enjoy a meal and some rest.

 

[Chuckbear]

A few things that have not been mentioned. Your distance will be determined by 2 things. The number of hours of daylight and where your next evening stop will be. You don't say from where to where so to give you a good answer is difficult. There are some stretches where there are no anchorages or marinas to stop. There are others with plenty of choices. You can not and should not run the ICW at night, especially if this is your first time. A plan of 50 miles per day is a good estimate but it will be determined by what speed the boat can realistically average. You can not plan on sailing any part of the trip although motorsailing sometimes will help. For planning porposes figure on having to motor the trip and also plan for fuel. We have done about 12 trips on the ICW from the Chesapeake to as far as Houston with most between the Bay and the Keys.

 

[sailaway78]

50 miles per day

I never plan on more than 50 miles per day in the ICW, and try to have an alternate anchoring site a little bit less than 50, just in case. You can increasy your speed some by motor sailing, and if you get lucky can just sail. I don't know where in Fl. you are, but a C 25 will have no problems with any of the fixed bridges that I am aware of. Lowest that I can think of the the RR bridge in the Okeechobee waterway, and it has 49' when up. Just about everything else is 50'. Get yourself a waterway guide, as it will give you lots of useful info, such as bridge schedules and clearances, good places to anchor, shallow places and much more.

 

[Chuckbear]

There are indeed lots of bridges less than 50 feet and most with restricted opening schedules.It would be helpful in making suggestions if the original poster let us in on where he needs to transit. Otherwise it is just kind of speculation.

 

[jibes138]

Catalina 25

I sailed a Catalina 25 for ten years. It originally had a 9.8 Mercury and i later sold that and bought an 8HP. The 9.8 is more power than the boat needs as it gets up to hull speed far below full throttle. Two strokes like to run at higher RPM's than 4 strokes anyway. With a 9.8 you will never be at wide open throttle.
I found the outboard somewhat annoying as in boat wakes and heavy chop the prop tends to come out of the water and over rev the engine. I did many voyages out to Nantucket (from Mystic Ct) Marthas Vineyard, Newport, Block Island, with most being less than 50 miles a day. Fatigue is a concern with engine noise. Take your time and enjoy the ICW. Watch the wildlife along the way. 50 mile days sounds about right but they will be long days.

 

[sailingdog]

Just remember, your actual progress will depend a lot on the current, if any, and whether you're going with or against it. At five knots, a two-knot current will either drop your progress to three knots SOG or up it to seven knots SOG....a difference of over 100%. So, check the current tables carefully, and make sure you spend as much time going with a fair current as possible.

 

[MacMikey]

Based on your homeport being Lake-O, I would guess that you are looking to be heading from around Key Largo area. Meaning you would be traveling in a very busy area with very little room to sail only, but motor sail for part of the trip would be in order till you reached Miami.

If time is of the essence, I would suggest you borrow, rent or steal a trailer and hit the open road to get her back to Lake-O.

Good Luck and Fair Winds