Inboard vs Inboard

[Arohanui]

Hi Troppo, i hope you have your boat "Windchaser" sorted. Ive noticed your TH M1 doesnt have a locker on the SB side of the cockpit. Do you have the quarter birth inside instead??

Looks like with the OB in the well you get the prop down really nice n low. Not sure if the transom bracket, like what i have would be as efficient

[Arohanui]

Thanks Guys. Appreciate the humour in this time of sharemarket dizziness but, could I please have a response to my post about leaving the OB leg in the water?

My boat has the OB 8hp merc on the transom bracket. I bought one of those OB locks to deter thieves. THeyre great. good security. With the transom bracket up and folded up, the OB is clear out of the water. I also have a cover on the OB. I leave the fuel hose connected. Im off sailing within about 15 minutes - or after ive filled the fridge with beer. Never leave the leg in the water. THat'll kill it in no time.
I really love the OB, however im a bit nervous of using it for long trips, but im sure it will be fine. I also have a 25hp which i may use for my trip north next year.

Troppo how do you find the 50kg weight on the stern?? Do you notice it?

[Troppo]

Hi Troppo, i hope you have your boat "Windchaser" sorted. Ive noticed your TH M1 doesnt have a locker on the SB side of the cockpit. Do you have the quarter birth inside instead??

Looks like with the OB in the well you get the prop down really nice n low. Not sure if the transom bracket, like what i have would be as efficient

Hi Arohanui, Windchaser is actually a MkII and does have the quarter berth on the starboard side. I use it for (a) accessing the very stern of the boat and (b) storage space.

Louis

[Troppo]

. . . . .

Troppo how do you find the 50kg weight on the stern?? Do you notice it?

I don't think it makes much difference. What I do notice is when I have the 2 x 20 litre fuel tanks sitting each side of the motor, several fuel drums sitting in the cockpit locker, several containers of fuel and water (not in the same container) sitting on the starboard quarterberth basically under the cockpit. With all that weight at the rear, she sits down a little bit, but not enough to concern me. If I get some chop hitting the back of the boat then a tiny bit comes in the rear cockpit drain holes but hardly any at all. Obviously I don't carry this amount all the time.

troppo

[woodsy]

Dont know the best way to describe what I saw recently in an English Yachting mag. .....
A CHAP welded a metal bracket that appears to hinge at the bottom when the outboard is raised in the outboard well . The entire outboard leans forward onto the floor so that the propeller end is raised up & back to also sit on the cockpit floor. The prop is right back against the aft end.
Takes up cockpit space obviously but is an option.
I can forward the mag name & date in the near future but have had no luck in the past posting photos to this site.

[Phillip]

Hope all Top Hatters are surviving this storm. We are certainly being blow apart here at Laurieton + 100 mm rain at noon today and counting.

I have found that when I get Seaka going at over 4 knots the stern squats down a bit so that the transom is almost in the water.

As this also means we are heeling a bit, as all Top Hats do, then I get water in through the cockpit drains so we have about 4" of water on the down side.

Now that's not a problem as I'm sure all Mk 1'ers wear sea boots when sailing, unless its really warm.

Why is it so and not on Mk 2 & 3s, well I've just discovered that apart from dropping their cabin roof and the cabin floor about 4" on Mk 2 and more on Mk 3s

Formit ALSO raised the cockpit floor by, yes you're guessed it, 4". Hence unless really sailing hard they don't get much water in the cockpit through the drains.

Just thought I'd drop this here seeing we are talking about the stern dropping while underway.

[Troppo]

Phillip, that is most interesting about cockpit floor height.

Also, with the out-of-season flood and winds we had in Rockhampton a few weeks ago doing some damage, I am certainly thinking of your guys with the storm thingo you are having.

Louis

[Shaun]

I suppose when you think about it, it makes sense & raising the cockpit floor was probably needed, with the change in design of the outboard well.
Which on the 2's & 3's can act as a bit of a scoop, so the extra height probably added to negate that.
cheers

[Miker]

With a clean bum and smooth water I get just over 6 knots with my Tophatsu 8. I get some water back through the drains, more so with 4 in the cockpit.

I saw an ingenious design for an outboard bracket on a Grainger trimaran called Big Bird. It's also got a slide that slides the outboard along the aft deck out of the way. It may work on a Top Hat, but you would need to have a break in the pushpit. It would then be in the middle of the cockpit in the tilted position, but fully inside the boat. Not that practical whilst under way, but probably more secure when moored.

[woodsy]

English mag. Practical boat owner. Summer Edition no.589 2015. Page 46 shows a swing up outboard bracket for a well.
I posted a low grade photo to the Top Hat Facebook page to assist finding the right article.
Cheers.