Alternatives in outboards

I have a 22ft sailboat. It has an outboard well. I am having difficulty explaining my hatred of this outboard well system without using expletives. There are many practical difficulties I am not going to detail.

I have been enjoying the benefits of inboards on other larger sailboats and always thought an outboard was the only option. However I have noticed a couple of other similar sized vessels with inboards.

There is plenty of information on the internet and numerous threads/heated discussions about this type of subject.

And to be honest I would may have started to plow ahead with a single cyclinder diesel conversion....if it was not for the benefit that with an outboard you can totally retract the propeller (as difficult as that may be for me).
I enjoy cruising in an area with big tides and it is typical to sneak into one of the many lagoons and dry up(wife loves it).
So prop shafts and saildrives would take away those options.

I have seen the sillette sonic 70. But really think this is a ridiculous fantasy that needs to be put to bed. Looking at crazy expensive bespoke systems such as that really is an indication that the reason why there is not a mainstream solution to what I am after is because you should just stick with an outboard....but I hate it so much.
I am afraid to consult local dealers, because of the absudity of my idea.
Well aware a cost and weight disadvantages and those get consideration.


Yes I have considered eDrives, but saw this post where some French guy was considering that...............sheesh never seen a such a venomous thread.

Your thoughts are welcome.

 

why don't you seal off the outboard well and fit an outboard bracket on the transom.

 

I had considered that. The transom is not really accessible. I am sure there is a nautical term but it is a reasonably high transom with a "hood" that is about 400mm wide. If it was possible it would be extremely awkward.
Currently Even with crew getting prop out of the water once sails are raised is very testing, but by myself............
Easy or easier, that is my aim.......but keeping the retracting function.
Maybe there is no feasible solution, then I can get on with my life and stop wondering.

 

Mercury has a new feature on their 9.9 Pro Kicker, which is a mini trim unit. On a transom, you just push button and up she comes. Conversely, I've rigged outboards in wells on a slide, so they can be retracted. This could be mechanized with some thought too. What boat are we talking about? Can you post a photo?

 

Hi thanks for that. I went to the shop and had a look at those mercurys, but the upper unit is too big to fit in the well. The physical dimensions on a replacement are are real issue for me. Upper unit can't be too bulky and there are all sorts of other issues like tillers. The merc 6hp tiller won't fold the right way the yamaha has this bug goofy one....etc. I have have been keeping a 1975 6hp envirude going solely because it is tiny and fits with some persuasion.
I really do not like the idea of transom as that hood is just too much of an impedance, the rudder is astern of the transom and I am a stubborn man.
I was thinking of cutting some out of the hood so the upper unit size was not such an issue, but still need to work on system of getting the thing tilted an out of the water. It used to be on a simple SS pole pivot with the mounts welded on. This broke last time I was out. I thought I maybe if I welded 50 mm length of pipe between the mount and pivot that could make life easier by keeping upper unit just a little bit higher off the floor than it used to be when fully tilted up.
I would be interested in the idea of a slide, but can't get too much vertical or it will end up in the in that hood or the tiller.

I could get you a photo over the weekend, but boat is in a restoration project and I have ripped out most of the cockpit and the floor to deal with rot...poked screwdriver through the side of the well....one thing lead to another....... I am putting it back together at the moment and starting to think about what to do now it is being reassembled. So I do have options a plenty to do something better because there is nothing but a shell in the cockpit at the moment.
Which is why I am daydreaming "if only I could have a diesel"......chug chug chug chug )

But that is probably no way to make that work so very interested in any suggestions about how to tilt and or lift just a couple of inches.
The boat is a noelex 22, but if you do google that I do not think you will find an example of my transom and hood

 

This link has a birds-eye diagram. It may not represent my unique high and hooded transom. But gives some perspective as to the amount of reaching over that would be needed to deal with a transom mounted outboard. It also demonstrates the cut-out I was thinking of making in the hood.
http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=6348

 

Any frustrations that you are having fitting an outboard are going to be 10 fold once you have stuffing boxes, exhaust, cooling water and fuel systems to fit. Not mention that chug chug chug gets pretty old once you smell it for a while. My guess is you could buy a pretty nice trailer cruiser for far less then the cost of installing an oil burner in the Noelex.

There are so many minty fresh water OBs out there that something will fit. If it was mine I'd drop a serviced seagull with wipac ignition in there and forget about it till it is due for it's 10 year spark plug change.

BTW I understand the attraction to a properly balanced one lunger amidships (In an OPEN boat) running at 900 RPM. Lots of time spent dreaming over on the Old Marine Engine site.

 

Is this the boat? Is yours the stepped roof version? A popular little sailor in your country.

I would consider a boat trailer jack mechanism, with the engine mounted on a track as a solution, though there are other options.

 

Ddoyle. Looks like you have found me out. I have really enjoyed tinkering with the evinrude to keep it going, which may go a long way to explain part of my impractical wish for a diesel.
But do not worry everyone, I have moved on and and stopped drooling over them.

SAR no not a stepped cabin there are not too many of those, yes very popular here, great seaboat, easy to handle with small sail area. And surprising quick.

The jockey wheel in combination with a track is an interesting idea, I had previously thought of doing something like that in the past, but shied away because I thought I would have to make a thread and bolt mechanism to lift it, never thought of using a jockey wheel before so start think about that again. I thought jamming could be a issue. I meet a guy in another noelex who had done something like that, but he was not too positive about it and he was fitter and turner. I do not recall how he was lifting it though. I would be interested in further ideas on that
I may have a hunt round the internet for some more ideas on that one.

What about trying to make a manual trim mounting mechanism with a small hydraulic pump piston. I really like that idea which is why I had already been to look at that 9.9 merc you mentioned. If the pivot of that mount was in a slot rather that a drilled hole. It could get all the tilt it needed and just the smidgen of height I need too. I saw a video of some guy on a cat with one of those sonics it looked very easy. I am surprised there are not devices like that on the market

 

I've had boats with reverse transom mounted tracks, where the outboard way clamped to a "car", which slide up and down the track. In most cases you could just reach over a yank the thing up, but I know some that used tackle. A length of all-thread, a couple of pillow blocks (bearings), a threaded coupler and a cordless drill could easily hoist one of these up too. I have a canting mast that uses this exact system, just horizontally.

How much height inside the well do you need to clear the engine's leg?