Outboard versus inboard

[Clive]

I'm considering buying a catalina 27. Lots of them locally- most seem to have an outboard and propane stove.Outboards on a sailboat are new for me-the idea of simplicity and no fuel in the people compartment is appealing.What's the downside to having an outboard rather than an inboard?I'd be grateful if owners could give me their expert opinion.....-Thanks

 

[Roger Noble]

we like ours

We've liked our C-27 with its Merc 9.8, but we're on a lake. That means that we're never confronted with rough seas. One of the problems I've been told of with an outboard is that it can be swamped by a good sized following sea. Still, if you look at the Practical Sailor owners survey/review of C-27's, inboard engines we're rated in the negative numbers for accessibility. The outboard is easily serviced and simple compared with an inboard - ours has no throttle or gear linkage, none have inboard tankage. Also, we can always pull start the beast, should we drain the batteries, and the 9.8 has more than enough power to push the boat.

 

[fireworks]

I'll take inboard

My Catalina 25 had a 9.9 hp longshaft outboard in heavy seas it was useless!! the prop would come out of the water constantly. Also control in docking was not that good. After a hair raising 12 hour passage from nantucket to Hyannis (usual time is 5-6 hrs)I traded up to my 27' which has a universal inboard diesel. Since then I have been in similar conditions the prop never comes out of the water allowing me to make headway! No more outboards for me. Also I am not sure you can kill a diesel! It does not take much to kill an outboard!

 

[Joe]

Better maneuverability with outboard

You will have much better maneuverability at slow speeds with an outboard, because you can turn the motor instead of relying only on the rudder.

 

[Bob Camarena]

Outboard

I had an outboard C-27 for several years and was very happy with it. It's much lighter and the boat sails faster with the prop tilted up, out of the water. Being able to sail a 27 foot boat to its maximum potential without dragging a prop through the water is great. It's also easier and cheaper to repair or replace. A 9.9 or 10 Hp outboard has plenty of power for the 27. The comments about rough and following seas being difficult are appropriate, but assuming that they aren't your typical sailing conditions, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Joe]

Outboard downside

If you have people using a swim ladder off the stern, the outboard can be in the way, particlularly if the boat is rocking. The problem is that people, especially children, tend to group around the ladder, and on one side of the ladder, the motor is right there.

 

[A.C. Whitlow]

I miss the outboard more than the boat

We sold our C27 outboard to a friend last year. We had a Honda 9.9 that ran like a champ. We had the 28" shaft and the prop never - NEVER - cleared the water. We did have a couple of installation problems with the Honda, and I understand a Yamaha is similar - the bonnet was difficult to remove due to the clearance and I had to notch the rudder (e-mail me if you want a pic of that at sailcat@erols.com) but the boat was manuverable and the engine was dependable. By the way, we never used the engine for steering - we kept it locked straight and used the tiller, but the control in reverse was much better than my current inboard because the prop wash flowed over the rudder. If my Perkins ( And I hope it doesn't!) dies I may consider adding a Honda to my current boat... who knows?