tophatyachts.com

hi all. owner of topknot here.my 10hp yanmar decided to drop all engine and gearbox oil into the bilge,with a lot of persuasion cursing and destroyed engine mounts i now have the engine out.i noticed all four bolts to the shaft were all very loose i dont know if that would be the culprit.anyway,has anyone put an outboard on the transom with a kicker?would you get a lot of cavitation?what im thinking is putting say a 10 or 15 horse yammie on the transom and putting a genset where the yanmar was any suggestions on the topic would be much appreciated.price of a new yanmar is about 8 grand compaired to 2600 for a new yamaha.this is the second boat ive owned that has had diesel engine problems and am getting fed up with a sore back and oil and sht everywhere.............cheers brian

what about a electric motor/solar panel/ a few more batteries,
the up sides are no maintinance, lower noise, use the sun light FREE
BUT may be can't motor at night
one of set up cost only ,$$$unknow
let us know what you think
8philip8

G'Day Brian,

Yes, I have an outboard on the transom on a kicker, it works well, except if you have someone forward when it gets rough. You occasionally get some cavitation, but in most conditions it's perfectly fine.

You WILL need to strengthen the transom to take the mount and the weight. When I bought our boat, this set up was already there and there were some small cracks in the gel coat and the flat area of the stern flexed when under way.

Here is a photo

I don't have anything inside, sorry.

The operation is reasonably easy, there is a 6mm rope attached at the bottom clip, routed in such a way that when you pull the rope it releases the clip allowing you to raise or lower the engine. A gearshift extension is added to aid in reaching the gear shift and the tiller mounted throttle is easy to access from the back of the seat. Starting is a little tricky because you need to pull through the pushpit.

If you added your outboard with an electric charging kit, as well as remote controls from the old diesel control box it would make it much easier, especially if you had an electric start. Then all you would need is to lower the engine manually, all other controls would be remote.

Cheers

Michael

Brian,

Every Top Hat owner I know with an outboard would love to have an inboard!

The Yanmar 10 has a great reputation and can be rebuilt, if indeed it does have a problem.

Bolts coming loose suggests a vibration problem and it is unlikely that both the engine and gearbox oils have both emptied as they are separate units.

Have you had the engine/gearbox looked by a mechanic?

Cheers,

Tom

I've contacked with the TORQEEDO SHOP owner Chris Baker a Pittwater, Newport, Crystal bay his email is chris@currentsunshine.com
he said he can replace the diesel motor to a electric one (not Torqedo), but he 'll custom design the system for you
by the way where is your T.H. located?
let us know how you get on
8philip8

I would get some feedback from others about how the motors hold up in the long term in the marine environment first. I was keen on this new technology also but I have read a couple of reports from OS that concerned me. Perhaps it would be better to wait until they have sorted out the bugs?????

I disagree with you Tom.

I much prefer an outboard. More room inside. Easier and cheaper to buy and get serviced.

Vote 1- inboard for me. I think if you had a nice new turn-key diesel under your steps Diana, you would not miss the little bit of space it takes up too much and you would have more space to entertain in the cockpit......

Cheers,
Mark

I'll second that Mark.
Greg.

storm petrel wrote:Vote 1- inboard for me. I think if you had a nice new turn-key diesel under your steps Diana, you would not miss the little bit of space it takes up too much and you would have more space to entertain in the cockpit......

Cheers,
Mark

Unless it was transom hung like ours. We have the cockpit AND the cabin space free.

Let's face it, each has it's merits. Outboards are relatively cheap and easy to maintain, although they may cavitate a little under some circumstances, and they may be a little more difficult to manage if you remove them from the well each time you sail.

The Diesel is out of sight out of mind, and if well kept will give many years of trouble free turn key service. It's only when they're not well kept, because they're out of sight and out of mind that the trouble starts.

However, if you had a new boat with no engine and you didn't have $10k for a diesel, there is little choice than to get an outboard or an electric engine.

Michael