On Wednesday 25 August 2004 12:26 am in rec.boats.cruising Parallax wrote:

A related issue is that most sailboats have a fairly small engine
intended only to get the boat up to hull speed in calm water. Putting
in a larger engine would be considered wasteful because then the boat
would have to always carry around that heavier engine even when it
wasnt needed. Is it possible to temporarily increase the power
outpuit of a small engine by some means, perhaps a blower, a turbo or
even using NOS? This might give the sailboat the ability to better
motor off a lee shore in strong winds, motor against a strong running
tide, etc. I am primarily interested in times when it is a safety
issue, not for convenience so potential engine damage might be
acceptable.

If the hull is not designed for planing under power you
will not be able exceed the hull speed, so more power is
a waste.

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