I've got 45 days of sailing in so far this year
and it seems the summer weather is here
along with the light winds. Several times
winds have died to nothing and I've had to
resort to turning on the engine--including
today.

The "engine" in these cases was a 12 Volt
trolling motor attached via a fiberglass tube
though the rear deck adjacent to the transom
and projecting, when lowered, into the water.
The exit port in the hull is above the waterline
when the boat is upright. We hoist the engine
up to reduce drag while sailing--a one handed
operation.

When I first saw these miserable looking
motors, I was shocked. I thought, "What
a joke!"

After several years of using these motors,
I've found them to be very reliable, with the
principal failure point being the on/off
switch--which is an easy repair.

The will drive these boats [23' Ensigns] against
our typical winds. Only in extreme conditions
do they find difficulty motoring against the
wind.

The will run for more than two hours on two
group 27 deep cycle batteries. They charge
quickly with a low budget battery charger.

Electric motors have the advantage
of not running out of power, but tapering off
rather than quitting completely.

As lame as they look, I've come to the
conclusion that electric motors are the
way to go for me also.

On my Etchells, I've occassionaly been
becalmed and struggled against the current
of the river in the extremely light winds I
often encounter in the summer in the late
afternoon on LIS.

When I bought the boat, I was provided with
a seized up Seagull outboard, and an odd
looking outboard motor bracket that attaches
to the port side of the boat--which means
the motor must be detached whenever I
want to sail.

The net result is I've never used it. The
Seagull outboard is still sitting in the
basement--I probably should remember to
toss it out. I never attached the mount, and
I've been patient to sail, at times, several
hours into ebb currents the short mile up
the river to my boat club.

My Etchells will move on a breath of wind
but my crews have threatened mutiny if
the horsefly's are out in these conditions!

I need a better solution!

My old mount would be very handy for a
small lightweight trolling motor. My plan is
to install just one deep cycle battery, and
use that to drive a few electronics, and a
light-weight trolling motor. I feel one battery
will be enough to drive my sexy slim Etchells.

I heartily recommend electric motors. In
many days running corporate events, teaching
sailing, and running small charters on these
electric motor equipped boats, the hassles
have been far fewer than gasoline powered
outboards I've used.