Outboard or diesel?

[petevic]

On Mirandis I had a 10 hp honda mounted in the well. I built a frame for it, sort of like a guillotine which worked very well. The outboard was mounted on the "blade" part of the guillotine. I could haul up the outboard or lower it at will so there was never any drag.

The main reason I am considering an inboard on a future top hat would be the ability to add a high output alternator as I am a bit of a gadget freak and plan to use a lot more electricity on my next boat.

The main disadvantages to a diesel inboard that I see would be:

Too much heat in a small cabin
Smell of diesel
Weight
Constant propellor drag
Difficulty in reversing

I'd really appreciate other peoples comments on my percieved problems with an inboard.

[ozzibod]

Hello Petevic

I have an outboard powered Mk 1 and I am quite happy with the boats performance, even in quite choppy water.
The motor is an 8hp extra long shaft Evinrude about a 1993 model and has a "rectifier" which is connected to the battery.
This provides all the power I require and probably more.
I presently run LED masthead nav lights (very low power consumption) deck lights, anchor light, cabin lights, depth sounder, chartplotter, VHF radio and a cigarette lighter socket to charge the mobile phone and also run a "Coleman" air pump which I use to pump up the inflatable dinghy. This only takes a few minutes.
Apart from the things that you have mentioned, my biggest bugbear with the diesel was the lack of access for repairs and maintenance. Even to change a cooling water impellor, I had to do a "Houdini" with much attendant cursing and muttering.
Some folks actually cut a hatchway into their cockpit floor which I think is a good solution to get around that problem but then with that and all the other orifices and skin fittings, stern glands, siphons, the risk of forgetting to turn on the cooling water tap etc etc, I have found the outboard motor a breath of fresh air as it has made everything simpler for me. The basic KISS principle
Maintenance? Just unbolt it when on the slip and let the outboard mechanic do his thing.
My main grumble with my outboard however, is its high fuel consumption. It is a two stroke model and would use about a litre per nautical mile on half revs in flat water.
Yours being a four stroke would no doubt have a much better fuel consumption I would imagine.
Cheerio for now
Austin

[petevic]

Thanks Austin, I guess that confirms my gut feeling. I did get good fuel consumption with the Honda, about 2 litres per hour.

I found the well a bit small so the motor just squeezed in and only left about 10 degrees steering port or starboard. This small swing still made reversing a breeze.

[storm petrel]

Hi Petevic,

I find my Inboard great. I just come aboard turn the key and I am away. It uses about 0.5 to 1 litre of diesel an hour and is easy to maintain. When it is pouring with rain, the swell is up and you are near a lee shore the diesel is pretty reassuring.
I guess it depends on what type of sailing you do and how much you need to use your engine.

Cheers,
Mark

[fullandby]

Hello Petevic,

When looking for a tophat I was attracted to the outboard option for the reasons mentioned. I found one last year with a pristine 20hp yanmar with low hours, the whole boat cost about what a diesel installation would have cost so I went for it.
There are advantages and disadvantages. It doesnt leak oil so far, doesn't smell, doesn't make the cabin hot and I get unlimited power at the turn of a switch.
But access for maintenance is very limited. If the geabox needed work, the whole motor would need to come out. To repack the stuffing box, I would have to hire a small orangutang. Reversing is interesting, basically it will only go straight or to starboard, but not necessarily in that order. This is surprising since the prop walk should take it to port. It has a 3 bladed prop which transmits the power effectively but has a fair bit of drag. Still, I can do over 6 knots to windward under sail in 15 -20 knots of wind.
All in all I am happy with the inboard, I would not relish the noise and the hassle of lifting an outboard out of the outboard well every time.

Regards,

Bart