Where should i spend my summer?

[Reggiemiah]

For me the noise and vibration would be unbearable for that B&S outboard. Think snow blower. The typical outboard uses the water not only to cool but to also help quiet the exhaust. My advice is to look at this in a slightly different way. Not as an emergency backup that you may not use but as a motor for the dinghy that you will use on a regular basis. That will be it's primary purpose so it needs to be weight and size appropriate. If you can leave the motor on the dinghy while towing it you may be able to get something a bit larger....say 4-5 hp. If you have to carry the motor clamped to the stern rail you may need something smaller...2-3 hp. The type of dinghy will also determine what size motor you can go with. If you do have any main engine problems then you can lash the dinghy to the stern quarter and use it as a push boat...that may be the most effective way since it will probably be a short shaft motor. It does not need to be big enough to push you upstream for 50 miles...just enough to get you out of the way of an oncoming barge or to the next town, lock, or suitable anchorage to effect repairs.

That's pretty much what I'm thinking. Although I'm not too worried about the noise sense I'm not planning on using it much. The low price and reliability is what's catching my eye. The Guy said he'd sell it for 350. If i can find a good dingy i would like to go that route. However, i haven't found anything yet. Maybe something will turn up in the next few months. If not I'll go without. Maybe just bring a small kayak. It all depends on what i can find.

 

[Pat]

spend the summer at Cheney Reservoir in Wichita, Kansas....Ninnescah Y.C. (Google) We will treat you well and we almost guarantee a fine time. This summer we celebrate our 50th Anniversary....

 

[M-Captain]

We ended up buying a Beneteau 32 a couple of years ago instead of the trailerables we were considering. While looking for our boat we did sail on the Mississippi...up stream and down. It's slow going with tacking every minute or so even with a wind behind us we had to take broad reaches in order to sidestep the current and make progress. We keep our boat on the Great Lakes. Your GL route would be a trip of a lifetime. There are many 25 foot boats on the GL. You just need to pick your days like everyone else.

Very exciting trip. Let us know what you decide.