Third Propulsion Option

jssailem · Dec 4, 2021

Hey Mark. Merry Christmas.
It is certainly possible to attach a motor mount to a Hunter 25. I would suspect the racer folk would look aghast a such a proposal. Extra weight means slower times. You could go with a fixed mount or one of the spring loaded adjustable units.

With the shape of the Hunter stern you likely will need a Long Shaft outboard. Setting it up for a marina access with a 2-4hp outboard should be relatively easy.

I am assuming your not considering a Chevy Big Block Outboard...

Ralph Johnstone · Dec 4, 2021

jssailem said:
I am assuming your not considering a Chevy Big Block Outboard...

And why not ? If a little bit's good, a whole lot has got to be better

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When on a long trip away from home, the dinghy motor is mounted on the pushpit railing, and I've often thought that it could be a life saver (with IB failure) when threading your way, all alone, through the thousands of little islands as we see along our coast. All you really need is an inconspicuous, at the water, mounting assembly on the transom. I've even thought if it would be possible to manually hold the little 2.5 HP Merc in the water if push came to shove. All those wasted years at the gym may not have been wasted after all.

BTW, there is almost no wind when you get amongst those packed islands, or even worse, from every direction at once.

Maybe worth considering if it could be made inconspicuous.

Tom J · Dec 4, 2021

Interesting idea, Mark. I think a lot of us would say, "Hey, it's a sailboat, you can always sail it home", except that doesn't always work. The one time I called Towboat US in the 30 years I have been a member was during a sail from Boston to Plymouth. Just off Duxbury Beach, the wind died, and the diesel wouldn't start. As we drifted slowly back towards Boston, I decided to call for a tow, and Towboat Plymouth came out to get us. No big deal, really, but it would have been nice to have the kicker handy.
Living in Hawaii puts a whole different spin on this issue, though. Here, if your motor dies, and you can't sail, it is a long way to the next landfall [about 2,500 miles in any direction], and there is no towing service available. I have never seen a power boat go into the water here without a second motor on the transom. I'd sure feel better as a sailer, here, if I had that kicker on my transom.

chip veres · Dec 4, 2021

I endorse the middle bracket posted by Jssailem. I use it on my Mac 22 and have for many years.
Chip V.

PaulK · Dec 4, 2021

It might be more useful to do what the engineless schooners in Maine do - use a dinghy as a "pusher". You get to take the dinghy when you need to zip in to the dock or shore and also have it available to push if the inboard dies. Towing a heavy sailboat behind a dinghy can be quite a tricky operation - especially in rough conditions, so the best option is to strap the dinghy alongside - perhaps near the stern - and have it push. If it's too rough for that, an outboard mounted on the transom is going to be out of the water so much it will overspeed and end up overheating and seizing.
Our inboard engines have tended to be a good bit more reliable than our outboards, though. We never untie the dinghy without oars in it.

Tedd · Dec 4, 2021

@Plymouth Sailor ,

Here in the Pacific northwest I see a lot of under-30-foot sailboats with a supplementary outboard on the back. The power-boaters call them "kickers" but I haven't heard that term used by sailors, much.

Ralph Johnstone said:
And why not ? If a little bit's good, a whole lot has got to be better .

The drag racers say, "Power is like sex and money: more is better and too much is just right."

jssailem · Dec 4, 2021

Paul... That is my plan. Lash up the dinghy to the side of the boat and off we go. Maybe not fast but this is not a race.

Our member @Ken Cross brought his Hunter 30 back to his marina in 2018 by lashing his dinghy to the side when his strut broke loose disabling his auxiliary power. 17 nm at 3 knots. That is perseverance.

capta · Dec 4, 2021

One of the problems that comes to mind is moving the motor from the rail, to the bracket on the stern, underway. Not a huge problem in calm water, but the difficulty of the action increases dramatically with the weight of the motor in rougher water.
Our third option is our inflatable, either hipped up or if in open water, towing.

Benny17441 · Dec 4, 2021

As a third method of propulsion, I have Tow Insurance. It provides an extra motor and don't have to carry it aboard. The most I have had to wait for service has been around one hour. It works best to assist you with groundings.

rgranger · Dec 4, 2021

Am I missing something? Is this what you are trying to do?

If so, go for it. The brackets are a few hunderd dollars and you can get a nice Tohatsu 6 sailpro with a 25" lower unit... and 6A alternator for a little under $2000.

I would through bolt something like what @jssailem listed in post #2 into your transom with a sturdy backing plate of SS. just get one with the longest arms you can find so you can lift it avove the aft sheer when not in use.. and that would allow you to tilt it up so you don't drag the prop when heeling hard.

Tom J · Dec 4, 2021

Tedd said:
The power-boaters call them "kickers" but I haven't heard that term used by sailors, much.

I resent the implication!

Actually, I've only been sailing about 30 years, and before that it was all about power boats. Although, I did have a nice 17' center console Aquasport for a while in Florida, not too long ago, that had a neat little kicker on the back.

Davidasailor26 · Dec 4, 2021

From a performance standpoint it’s not just about the extra weight - hanging that weight on the end of the boat is about the worst place for it. If you’re not worried about performance that’s less of an issue.

You’ll also need to keep a separate gas tank somewhere just for your contingency plan (unless you’re already doing that for a dinghy motor) which has its own risks (albeit low risk). Gas carburetors don’t do especially well sitting unused, so unless you’re diligent you might find the engine won’t run when you need it anyway.

dLj · Dec 4, 2021

Why not get a good sculling oar set up. On a 25 foot Hunter, that should work well....

dj

p.s. I thought there had been a whole thread some time ago on this:

Yuloh What I'm Talking About

Among the many many projects and modifications I have planned for Dragonfly, I am thinking of making a yuloh to use as a backup auxilery instead of paddles. This video shows a pretty good sized boat being driven along by a yuloh. This article gives a good overview of how they work and shows how...

forums.sailboatowners.com

Captain Larry-DH · Dec 6, 2021

My last boat came with a 6HP OB on a transom bracket that could raise and lower with spring-assist. It was a 40-foot boat and the outboard could push it at about 3k in calm conditions. I removed that bracket. It was too low and too slow to be practical for anything, and a difficult/awkward reach to take it on and off to use on the dinghy. The main aux engine was a 59HP diesel that never failed, and the boat sailed well in light air. It's one of those things the PO must have thought of before he bought the boat.

Project_Mayhem · Dec 6, 2021

Ralph Johnstone said:
I've even thought if it would be possible to manually hold the little 2.5 HP Merc in the water if push came to shove. All those wasted years at the gym may not have been wasted after all.

Motors get really really heavy when you're hanging upside down off the transom in 4ft waves. And that's when they aren't running!

I had a 36lbs trolling motor on the rail of my 19' sailboat. We only used it once when I forgot to check how much fuel we had before leaving the dock. It took about two minutes to swap the 4hp Tohatsu and trolling motor. We were in the harbor that night.
The last time my motor decided not to start I sailed back. It took 2.5 hours to go maybe 3 miles in almost zero wind but I made it. Get yourself a decent anchor, towing coverage and a reliable motor

LloydB · Dec 6, 2021

I sent you a PM by clicking on your avatar and choosing send private message. I think you will get a notification and you will be able to read it by clicking the envelope at the top right hand of your screen. btw what's Facebook?

Ken13559 · Dec 8, 2021

For boats with sugar scoop stern, perhaps this 3rd propulsion option mount could be use.

Third Propulsion Option

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