Auxiliary for cabin rib

[cgf10]

I've just purchased a Shearwater 860 set up with a 300 Verado - I plan to cruise fairly long coastal distances - I already own a long shaft 5hp 2 stroke Yamaha, is this going to be man enough to get me out of trouble as an auxiliary or should I look for something larger ?

[PeterM]

Nice one..only the best buy Shearwaters..:-).....

[Landlockedpirate]

I can compare pretty much like for like. I had a Bayliner 2655 (Hardboat ). When it was new I added a 5hp Mariner longshaft. The engine sat on the transom for years without ever having to use it. On one rainy and boring day on the broads I decided to give the auxiliary a try.

It was useless ! At full power the boat began to move forward after around 30 seconds, top speed was less than 1 knot. Reverse didnt work at all. it just couldnt get a 'grip' on the water and no where near enough grunt. Against wind or tide the boat wouldnt have moved, I think with your much deeper V hull you would be lucky to get any movement at all.

I swapped it for an 8hp extra longshaft saildrive Mercury. worked a lot better. Forward and slowly reating reverse, would do 5-6kts at WOT.Downside was weight, it was over twice as heavy as the Mariner and it required a whole new bracket the fabricated.

[willk]

Originally Posted by cgf10

Is this going to be man enough to get me out of trouble as an auxiliary or should I look for something larger ?

No, it certainly isn't big enough. On flat calm water with no tide or wind, it might be enough to push you into a marina if it was nearby, but I doubt it. Useless for coastal cruising.

What weight is your new boat (nice pick) when fully loaded with fuel and PAX? This will have a strong bearing on what you will need. My suspicion is that you would be lucky to get away with 10hp - you'll probably need 15.

If an aux can't be stowed and deployed easily and make 5kts, I would forget it and keep the main serviced and take great care with your fuel and batteries. Invest in good ground tackle and a decent VHF

[GordyP]

I'm with wiilk on this, you'll need a 10-15hp to push that at 5-6 knts.

[AMac]

I have a honda bf10 that I used as an aux on my 9.0m Ribcraft it was fine as an aux but the best thing is to keep your main engine in tip top condition
P.S. It's for sale if your interested :-)

[cgf10]

Thank you everyone for the helpful replys. The engine is/appears in tip top order and I intend to keep it that way, I have a VHF, plenty of anchor line and chain so most of the time between Poole and the IOW I'm comfortable but I have some longer cruises planned for next year and over the winter I'll look to buy a larger 8 to 10 hp for those longer trips.

[willk]

IIWY I'd get a loan of a 10hp and try it out in "real world" conditions - a bit of a chop with some wind in play. I think you'll be seriously underwhelmed.

[ShinyShoe]

And some 15HPs will weigh the same as a 10HP anyway so may as well up the game. The day you use it in anger you'll be glad of 50% more power and still probably be wishing you'd put a 25 on!!

[Portnahaven]

I have a 9.9 4 Tootsie extra longshaft 4 stroke aux. which gives me max. 3.5 to 4. A bit underpowered but had to compromise with weight.
I would think our overall weights would be similar. 15 hp would sound about right.