Mounting an outboard

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by hsi88

Marinetech (Panther) 55-0416 Marine 4 - Stroke Bracket. Paid $300 on Amazon and this thing is a beast. People in the product reviews use it with 20 HP motors without issue.

Will mention that the outboard you select can make your motoring much more pleasant. I suggest one with remote controls. Not needing to reach down to the motor for throttle and shift controls is golden!

I guess it all depends on what you want in a sailboat.

Coming from simple sailboats (beach cats 4X), I tried to keep my boat as simple as possible.

I have no remote controls because, to me, it's just more clutter on the boat

I actually sit or squat down on the edge of the aft lazarette (on the edge because my solar panel is on top of it) when coming and going from the dock and I use both the motor's tiller and the boat's

If it's long distance motoring or motorsailing, I have the autopilot on.

To jump up and squat back there, you need to be in pretty good shape and have flexibility, but you won't earn any points for being cool since it looks sort of ridiculous for a 60 plus year old to be doing such things.

(But) I think it's good for old folks to do this type stuff.....

Btw, my outboard weighs around 57lbs which I value more than the extra power since that is provided by the sails

[Connemara]

Water in the lower cylinder is a common issue with the OMC saildrive, usually as a result of damage or wear to the gasket between the head and the lower unit. You might still be able to have the thing rebuilt; a lot of the parts are still available, although if the head itself is damaged, it could be expensive. The gaskets are available from Klaus Marine in Toronto.

OTOH, having the original motor type in place and working seems to me to be a better solution than the outboard plan -- at least that's the route I took when it happened to me.

Best of luck either way.

Connemara