a $2k propulsion system

Of course they were lying (their lips were moving), some risk adverse business, and yet another reason to avoid Florida these days…

It’s fairly easy to push a boat on the water. Thomas Colvin’s 1HP per ton makes sense. In fact, I’ve lost track of how many big boats I’ve seen with tiny outboards. A forty-foot boat powered by a dinghy with a 2HP engine is not an unusual situation. It might not be fast but it does the job.

That said, outboards on sail boats at best are a somewhat problematic means of propulsion. On the other hand, one can put together a system pretty easily for $1K or less, if you can find an affordable used outboard.

My personal choice for our Islander 36 outboard is the same Nissan/Tohatsu 6HP Sail Pro which worked great on our CAL 34.

Such a beast goes for around $2K and change but they can be found used for a lot less. The best price I’m seeing these days for new is from Defender at $1,788.00.

Kevin Boothby has a 3.5 HP. His Southern Cross 31 has a displacement of 13,600 pounds and he finds 3 knots is doable. For comparison, our Islander has a displacement of 13,450 pounds.

So for me at least, I find the outboard sailboat propulsion sweet spot to be five or six HP. I am well aware that most folk think you need at least a 9.9 or 15HP. Which, in my opinion are both too heavy and expensive. My experience with the 9.9 motors is they lose horsepower to cavitation when the prop hits higher RPMs.

The downsides of an outboard is the fuel and hassle factor. Gasoline is just nasty and, for the foreseeable future, expensive. The hassle pulling your starter cord is at best inelegant and too often inducement to foul language.

That said, a used 2-stroke outboard makes a lot of sense and can easily be sorted out for reasonable money. A new engine on sale would fit the under $2k propulsion goal.

Next up, we’ll see about an affordable electric propulsion possibility…