how much power?

hey guys ,,I got 32ft length ,,25 l.o.w,,boat weight is 10,500lb 3.300 lead ballest ,,am considering placing 1 or 2 small 4stroke outboards in the well..?how much horsepower do you think I need ?

 

To do what?

15-20 HP will push her to S/L 1.2 or better.

 

to get out of the slip ,,maybe some river cruising ,,would like to get 4 or 5 knots for cruising,, was thinking 2 for enough control.

 

Ahh.... I was thinking you wanted to show up some of those Hallett rocketships down on Havasu
Single 20 would be typical of boats that size around here, who use it for similar purposes as you suggest... if your heart is set on twins, I guess a pair of 9.9s would do, I figure you'd want the widest prop and biggest gear reduction you can find for a heavy boat like that.

 

marshmat,,that raises another question,,iv been told that she is light for her size,,and I know with 2 engines ill have more drag,,,but I got almost 500 sqaure ft of sail ,,and Im a novice,,not intending to set any records ,,just some sailing and fishing .besides at 55 knots I start screaming for my momma

 

Perhaps for her size she's light... but the question is, what'll a 300 cc outboard think of her? You're certainly familiar with how high-strung kicker motors can be... what they really like is flying along on a little fishing skiff, so if you can find a really steep reduction and swing a really wide prop, that'll make the little brutes a lot happier on what they will see as a big slow boat.

 

A 32 foot sailboat with no engine? That's pretty rare.

For years, the Universal Atomic 4 was the power for boats in that size range. Although rated at 30HP, most installations do not allow the engine to run fast enough to get full HP. 12-18HP Diesels were common repower options.

I'll assume that the boat has some sort of fixed keel, you won't gain much in manoeuvrability with two engines. One of the high thrust OBs from Honda or Yamaha would do ok. 15-20 HP.

If the boat had inboard power and you are thinking about putting an OB on it instead of replacing the inboard ... my your soul rest in piece ... I've never seen a sailboat designed for inboard power "improved" by the substitution of an OB. The boat will be cursed.

 

3hp per ton does just fine , 5 hp per ton is as much as most sailboats can ever use.

IF much engine time is contemplated a "high thrust " option and an engine with a somewhat larger alternator would be 1st choice.

FAST FRED

 

thanks for your input guys ,,,longliner,,still dont know what Ill do,,as of yet