On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 19:20:46 +0000, engsol wrote:

If this has been beat to death before, my apology.

I'm looking for a boat to enjoy upon retirement this May. Being poor, I'll have
to settle for an older boat, 30-32 feet. I've seen a number of boats in my price
range on my list, but have rejected the ones with an OB. But then I got to
wondering...should I do so?

The advantage of an OB is cost, doesn't take up interior room, at least
semi-reliable these days. But then I wonder about enough power in a seaway. The
area I plan to sail (San Juan Islands) is quite sheltered.... wind chop, but
seldom any significant swells. A safe haven is rarely more than 4 - 5 hours
away.

So what am I missing, or haven't thought of, as regards to OB power?


Well, most of my points have already been covered, but I'll add them anyway...

The only advantage I can think of with an outboard is cost: I just dropped $10K
CDN on a 26hp inboard diesel, and you can buy a 25hp 4-stroke outboard for about
1/3 of that. Then again, my old engine was 20 years old and had about 4000 hrs on
it...

Disadvantages?
- Prop leaves the water when in waves. This includes wakes from larger boats
such as ferries or tugs, and is worse the larger the boat is (one reason you
don't see many OBs on larger boats)
- Access for repairs, etc. when at sea is hazardous at best.
- Doesn't charge batteries well (My new engine has 71 Amp alternator)
- Is raw-water cooled, so even if you flush it after each use, it's not good for
more than 5 years or so in salt water.
- You can't heat domestic water with it
- not available in diesel

I don't think the swamping issue is significant in San Juans, although you might
get a rogue wave or wake that would temporarily swamp it.

So unless you're using the boat as a glorified day-sailor (A friend use to call
them "sammich-anna-sixpack sailors"), I'd say the inboard is a better bet.

Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36