Bruce in Bangkok wrote:
On Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:19:32 -0500, cavelamb
wrote:


For what it's worth, I'd rather live in my boat than in my car...

Unless you've got a BIG car :-)

Yes, I was curious about installing a diesel.

It may make an interesting winter project some time, but I'm not in a big hurry.
Once I get the boat down to the coast it will be more do-able. Up here it's all
long distance.

I've always had outboards (part of being too poor for really expensive toys) and
I'm comfortable with that - as long as I can make the boat do what I want it to do.

But to me that means being able to vector the thrust of the motor for
directional control below steerage speeds.

So while the most common advice was "keep 1 to 2 knots for steering" (which is
not always possible - like when backing out of the slip?), my personal solution
is to steer the motor.

A mate has a cat with a inboard engine with steerable leg (not sure
what it is called) but you can apply thrust at 90 degrees to the hull
while it is stationary. He really likes it for going in and out of
marinas.

If you do much cruising I suspect that you will wish you had an
inboard though. Or a bigger fuel tank. An outboard surely burns a lot
of fuel..

I hear people talking about being "sailors" and sailing, but most
times you do have a schedule. Your wife is going to have a baby, the
Boss expects you back, you want to see your sweety, something! So you
make your plans and you are right on schedule and the last morning you
wake up and..... No Wind.. and it's fifty miles to get home.


I've heard that very same thing several times before. Must be true.
I'm retired. No job - no boss.
The kids are all grown and have kids of their own.
Sweetie is is on the boat - cooking up something in the galley.

But the wind part - that's hard to get control of.

With this motor, 12 gallons gives 24 hours cruise at 5 knots (no wind).
100 miles - with a small reserve - makes me fairly comfortable.
(that's rough, but ought to be pretty close)


In the final cut, you either go with what you can afford, or stay home
and watch TV.



I've not attacked that in detail yet (need to find or make a tiller for it), but
it turns out it's only a single bolt that locks the motor in place.

Pulling that bolt frees the motor, bit THEN you need a way to lock it down
again! (It just goes to show Rozann Rozadanna, if it's not one thing, it's
always something else).

The real conniptions I have watched are the guys with the outboard
that they can't reach easily trying to get in or out of a marina when
the current is running strong, trying to juggle throttle, rudder,
engine tiller, shift.........


My previous boat was a smaller Capri.
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~cavelamb/c18.htm
The motor turned freely (all by itself!). With the tiller in one hand, the motor
in the other and the sheets in your teeth, a sailor could use prehensel toes.

I made a lock link for it that could be popped loose when needed.
But that boat was so small everything was easily in reach.



I've never tried it but I'd guess that with a few bits and pieces one
could put a long tiller, with a shift and throttle, on an outboard
that would reach the cockpit.

If everything could be where you can lay your hand on it when you need
to it would be much handier.

Absolutely.

What I'm fantasizing about is a tiller that I can lift up to unlock the
lock-down, and turn (30 or 45 degrees would be ok - remote cables limit),
then drop back into a detent to lock it back down for straight ahead (which
is slightly off center to compensate for the engine being off of the center
line of the boat).

It would only be needed when below steerageway speeds - like backing out of the
slip, or trying to get going in limited spaces.

From a dead stop, an off center outboard (and few are centered) will impart a
turning moment on the boat that can be really exciting!




Cheers,

Bruce in Bangkok
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)