Outboard isn't low enough... Advice on rebuilding mount?

[Rich18826]

An additional item to consider. A Yamaha 2.5 HP has no reverse gear. You have to swivel the engine around backwards to go in reverse. This would be particularly difficult if you lowered the motor. It is, in fact way too small for your boat. I had one on a Compac 16 and it was ok but not for any larger displacement boat.

However, it is a very desirable motor for small sailboats, fishing boats, etc. It should be easy to sell or trade for an older 6 or 7.5 hp longshaft motor in good condition.

 

[Chief RA]

While a 2.5hp is not ideal for his boat and he knows it, he wants to make it do. It will get you in and out of harbor and will get you home if need be. I used a 4hp on a 26 when I first got it and it would push it to full hull speed. Just go ahead and do what you must do. Chief

 

[Sumner]

In my opinion it would be a mistake to relocate or modify the motor mount to latter find out that a 2.5HP is grossly inadequate to power a 24' boa..t.

I agree completely if you are planning on dealing with any tidal currents at all. On an inland lake you can get to and from the dock but even there if you had to get home in high wind conditions you would struggle.

Our Mac has a 9.8 HP so we could get electric start and the extra long shaft. The extra long shaft allowed us to raise it for easier access to the controls and still be in the water the same as a long shaft. 90% of the time we didn't need the HP/thrust but a couple times in cuts in Florida I was real happy we had it. An 8 HP would of done well also but Tohatsu doesn't make it in the extra long shaft.

The 6 HP sailpro or one of the 4-5 HP long shaft models would work if one was careful getting in and out of tidal cuts but the 2 1/2 could get you into real trouble real fast if you aren't super careful. You should be able to find a decent 4-6 HP Tohatsu/Nissan for under $600 used and sell what you have to pay for a lot of it. We found a nice 5 HP Nissan on craigs list for $600 a few years back.

Good luck,

Sumner

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[mitswerdna]

I don't want to be THAT guy, but what better way to learn how to sail than without a motor. You don't NEED to have a motor. Just make sure you have a good crew the first couple of times out until you have a good feel for the way the boat handles. My starter burned up a couple weeks ago and I had to sail my 42 foot boat into the marina! Talk about exciting!

 

[Chief RA]

mitswerdna: Excellent point! I would not really want to sail with a 2.5 kicker but from your example: 2.5hp is a wonderful thing compared to none! Thats my point, he can deal with it if he must! Are we sailors or sissies! Chief

 

[Sumner]

...Are we sailors or sissies! Chief

I like to think of myself more as a realist . I still have trouble sometimes getting to the dock with the motor. Sure I'm hoping to get better with time but you don't just start off good. If he stays on Lake Pontchartrain maybe but if he is dealing with tidal currents going in and out of the Gulf then I think it is foolish at this point in his sailing career to run that small motor,

Sumner

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[Picflight]

I agree, no better way to learn sailing than to sail without the motor.

 

[Joe]

Wow, it's a good thing the Pardeys are reading this. It's only a 24 foot boat... he could invest in a pair of sweeps and forget the motor entirely. http://www.solopublications.com/sailario.htm

 

[davidmhull]

I sailed my 40' dead rise for many years and it did not have a motor or any provision for one. It was built in the forties and was used for oyster dredging in the Chesapeake Bay. Today I would not want to maneuver a crowded marina without some kind of power. There is nothing more bewildering then to be in a calm with the tide running and being 15 feet from the slip. On my new to me boat I considered an electric trolling motor until I got the bugs worked out of my motor mount and to scrape together $1k for an appropriate outboard. All trolling motors by design are long shaft. Some of them ridiculously long in fact. I have a 65 lb. thrust trolling motor that while the battery would not last long I feel sure it would get me into a slip in a not too snarly situation.

 

[kloudie1]

Hooks would be better off with a gasoline engine since the bayous he will end up exploring are narrow (less than 100' wide in most places) and are winding, making sailing very difficult.
The tides in Lake Pontchartrain are only around 6 inches, so tidal currents are not generally a problem, but when fronts come by, the water can be blown up or down by 2-3 feet. There are many places where he'll be motoring up a placid bayou for several miles to get to a marina or anchorage.

 

[Hooks]

I'm just going to replace the motor if I can. Been looking online and have a few $200-350 options I can afford just need my car back from the shop to go check them out. Plan on getting all the info off my current motor and listing it on Craigslist and see where it goes.

I think I'll need to build a new wood mount though b/c the existing one just doesn't seem in very good shape.

Thanks everyone for your advice. I appreciate all the kindness in my quest for answers. I know I have a lot of questions but hopefully I can get a better handle on things soon.