First of all, thanks to everyone for your input. Much appreciated. I’ve not posted very often, but have lurked for years, and I respect the voices of the familiar.
I sail out of Vancouver, British Columbia, and most of the cruising we do is local, in the summer. We have islands right in our back yard (so, my home waters are totally protected), or we will cross Georgia Strait (20-25 nautical miles) to get to the very protected Gulf Islands on the east side of Vancouver Island. Last year we went north up Georgia Strait for 50 or 60 miles to Pender Harbour and crossed to Texada Island and back over 10 days or so. I’ve sailed and raced since I was a teen, and this part of the world, in the summer anyway, is usually pretty “Pacific”. In general, we’re looking for breeze in the summer, not trying to shelter from too much (although that can happen, of course, in which case you hole up for a day or three and conduct scientific experiments on the efficacy of various single malt whiskeys); I bought a North light air gennaker the year we bought the boat, and thank goodness I did, because it’s seen lots of use here in the Pacific SouthWest (as we Canadians refer to it); crossing the Strait is similar to coastal sailing where the C & C hull proves again and again it is very sea kindly. I have only used the engine because there is zero wind, hence little or no waves. When there is breeze, we sail! And of course, motoring into most slips is required. What led me to ask about outboards is that every year for the last 5, we have departed on summer vacations and ended up being stranded somewhere with Atomic 4 issues. Spinning around in circles at the whim of the tidal currents in zero wind with wife and kids aboard is not fun. I’ve sat at distant docks twice for several days trying to troubleshoot/ wait for a mechanic. I’m not a mechanic, and it is increasingly hard to find mechanics that are familiar with this older design. I guess I was thinking a 40+ year old engine, even one that is being regularly maintained, has more surprises up its sleeve than I am used to. If it wasn’t for the Moyer web site, I’d be completely in the dark. The issues around its ignition coil alone has mystified better men than me, as the long-as-your-arm threads on the Moyer Marine forum devoted just to this one issue would attest. I think I’m on coil # 5, and have plumbed the depths of 2 qualified mechanics over the years, and the problems just won’t get solved. Three years ago I had to rely on the goodwill of a fellow boater to tow us in after sitting 2 miles off our holiday destination as the sun was setting in zero wind. Two years ago after spending days with a mechanic, the engine died again, and I had to push my C & C home using my Avon with a 4 hp kicker. This year… well, notwithstanding tune-ups, mechanic time, etc., running it at the dock weekly, the engine lasted an hour into our first day before announcing it had had enough. Started again later, as it often does, but not quite the reliability I had in mind. We sailed onto our anchorage that afternoon, and the next day sailed off the hook, but I can’t sail into my home slip. I can see why a newly rebuilt engine has appeal, but we’re not wealthy, so spending up to 10 K on a new engine, installed, would be more than the boat is worth, and not something we can afford. The downsides of an outboard as I gather from your collective responses are: 1) cavitation in waves which means not sufficient oomph in a seaway if you have to get anywhere under engine. 2) not pretty 3) not in the original design 4) not cheap (just less expensive than the alternative) 5) can be annoying hanging over the transom raising/lowering the transom mounting bracket 6) might not supply enough electricity to run house lights/VHF/GPS etc needs (true? would this be an issue?) I have to admit, those are a lot of negatives. Food for thought for my wife and I. Again, your thoughts are much appreciated. -Paul
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