Should I put a 9.9 HP outboard on my 32' Catalina?

[Captain Larry-DH]

My Yanmar 3GM30 has 4000 hours ( 20 years old) on it. I'm thinking with an outboard too I'd have a lot of security, both in terms of propulsion and steering, plus the outboard could double as a dingy motor if I ever get a dingy solid enough for it. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Your ”spare” outboard will not be reliable if you don’t run and maintain it regularly. Your diesel will be more reliable if you run and maintain it regularly, and more reliable than an OB if they both sit idle (diesel fuel is far more stable and far less volatile).
Save your money or put it into maintaining your diesel. 4k hours is no big deal - it can last 10k+ hours if maintained properly. After 20 years you may need to change some parts, especially rubber hoses and seals, or corroded parts.
If your engine dies, sail. If you can’t sail, use your anchor and call for assistance".. If you can’t sail into your slip, sail into the harbor then call for docking assistance when near. A Towboat US or Seatow membership is pretty cheap.

 

[Urban Hermit]

Footnote to my last: I assumed any outboard intended for emergency service would be electric start. Points taken, however, about lowering it and it being reluctant to start if not started and run briefly at regular intervals.

Anchoring: that point taken, too, but if the diesel quits and the boat's 50' off the weather side of riprap and the water's 10 feet deep trying to anchor, with enough scope for it to hold (how often do we get a set on the first try?) much less no backward motion to set it, is magical thinking.

 

[smokey73]

How often do you expect this particular scenario to present itself (50 feet from a hazard when the diesel suddenly stops with no warning) with a reliable diesel? Electric start only changes the way it is started, not whether or not it actually starts FIRST TIME, EVERY TIME! How many times have you sat at the marina or the launch ramp and listened to the "stink potter" crank and crank on his gas powered outboard? Why do you suppose you are any better at maintaining your gas powered engine than he is? My diesel with nearly 2000 hours starts first time instantly. I actually roll it over with the shutdown cable pulled out for about 10 seconds to get a little pre-lubrication going before I start it.

Do you have a reason to believe your 4000 hour diesel is unreliable other than the hours? It seems like you've made the decision that you MUST have a backup engine. So be it, YBYC. Mono-hull sailboats, just about forever, have had only sails or sails and an auxiliary inboard or oars like the Vikings. Considering a new 9.9 HP+ is $1000 or more, plus the hardware and labor to install could well be spent on a professional checkout of your diesel or a "refresh/rebuild" which would be the better choice imho. Throw in the reduction in value of your boat when you choose to sell it (yes it will be less with that mod) and it seems a lot of money for little gain.

You seem to be trying to convince all of us here on this forum that a backup to your auxiliary power source (diesel) is a must have. I guess we should all be trembling with fear in our hearts that our diesel will fail at the worst possible time and we should all go out and install some sort of secondary fuel powered propulsion source, just in case. Sorry, just don't see it. BUT YBYC (Your boat, your choice).

 

[smokey73]

@Urban Hermit Sorry, I see you are not the original poster and just providing prospective, so disregard the comment that you are trying to "convince all of us" since it is not YBYC for you. Still, I'm not convinced it provides the highest level of "risk reduction" considering the cost and where else the boat bucks could be used to reduce the risk.

 

[william24424]

I asked AI to make fit an outboard engine into the stern of a sailboat....

 

[Scott T-Bird]

@Ted10028 was last seen almost a year ago and he did have a lot to talk about with his Catalina 320 for almost a year. I am curious if he followed up with this idea (bad as I thought it was).