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Stolen outboard advice ?

Sven

Seglare
[Also posted on the Sailnet list]

One lock bar across the engine mount screws.

One massive cable lock around the backstay.

Still, our 5-month-new Mercury 4-stroke, 6 HP, longshaft is history. Someone stole it in the very busy Dolphin Marina in Marina Del Rey.

A very down weekend as we spent the day in the boat in the slip instead of being out sailing.

Yes, it is insured and we did report it to the local waterborne sheriff as well as the marina and anyone else who would listen. Apparently we were unusual in that we had the serial number, so it _might_ be recovered according to the sheriff, but not likely. If you don't have your serial number noted, do so, it gets passed around to the local pawn shops and other dealers.

On to the positive side of the story;

1st, Karl who has a boat a few slips down from us offered to lend us his outboard for the weekend. We barely know Karl and doubt that he knows us any better, but he offered right off the bat - we were really touched.

2nd, we'll get to buy a new outboard and can take a week to chose the new one.

So, on to the question of the replacement ...

We are not at all unhappy with the Merc, but wonder what the collective wisdom is regarding reliability of the various brands ? If it was a motorcycle I'd go for a Suzuki or Honda, but what about outboards ?

The Merc was a long shaft, should we try for an extra long shaft ? The bracket (suspended transom) is only 17" above the water when flat, but as we noted on the Catalina trip we cavitated badly when going head on into 4-5' steep seas.

Which outboards offer alternative props ? The one real complaint about the Merc was the lack of bite in reverse. I'd be willing to give up a bit of forward efficiency for a better bite in both forward and reverse, but especially reverse.

Is an alternator worth the extra cost as an option ? I assume the output is pretty low and the engine hours will probably be low too, so is an alternator likely to pay off ?

Finally, I'm toying with the idea of getting a smaller outboard, maybe 4 or 5 hp, and use it both for La Petite and the 7 to 8 foot inflatable we're planning on. Right now it is just idle contemplation, but I'm wondering if anyone else on this list uses an outboard for both purposes like that ?

Thanks for any insights and advice and don't forget to write down your serial numbers !




-Sven
 

Jeff Asbury

Principal Partner
There's some real scum bags at the docks!!

Personally I prefer the Yamaha. I used to have a 1 ton swing keel 22 foot boat and I bought a 4 hp 4 stroke Yamaha long shaft it pushed it just fine at hull speed of six knots. No alternator on a OB that small though. What's the weight of a E-23?

I now use it for my 8 foot Achilles tender and I can get up and plane with just one person. The more people I have talked to prefer the Yamaha's. Just make sure you go through the proper break it process. Mine runs like a champ. I always flush it with fresh water after I use it. Sorry about your loss. There's some real scum bags at the docks!!

Jeff
 

mdgann

'76 E23
Sven, I would stick with the 6hp. I have a merc 4.5 on Stargazer (E23) and I have had occasion to wish I had alittle more. In 40 Knot winds and 6-8 foot seas I could barely keep the bow into the wind. I was just using the outboard until I could get the storms'l up, but it was pretty scary. I would have paid alot of money for 2 more hp at the time. Another factor is that at full throttle I can only get about 5.5 knots which is not quite hull speed. Granted the 4.5 is old and may not be at it's peak, but it runs great and is very reliable. You don't want to always run your motor at full throttle either, so again the little extra hp would come in handy. Just my personal experience. M.Gann
 
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