Auxilliary Outboard yes or no?

[mitchc]

Of course you should have a auxillary engine fitted, if at all possible!
It's the same as you should an alternative means of navigation to the chartplotter and a back up h/h vhf...

Just one very quick example.
My 150 opti normally runs faultlessly, never had had an issue since I've owned it.
Had some friends out on the boat for some site seeing and diving recently and after a lot of running at tickover during the diving the bloody thing just wouldn't restart.
So I had to rely on the 8hp yammie to get us back to the slipway.
Fitted a new set of plugs and all was well again with the opti and has been ok since!

If the aux engine hadn't have been there it would have been a call to the coast guard and a tow in by the lifeboat.
You can just see the aux engine in the attached, it lives on a bracket on the transom that can be lowered into the water when needed.

Also agree with what others have said, if you do fit one make sure it works. I start and run mine up to temperatures every time I go out.

Keep safe out there,
Mitch

[Puffin]

Don't know what the exact problem was, but this was all kicking off when we were out Saturday afternoon, and I bet they wished they had an auxilliary on the back!

Argyll News: Oban lifeboat on a shout to a drifting RIB near the Corryvreckan | For Argyll

[BogMonster]

The thing about having an aux is that more or less regardless of what the wind or sea state is, you are better off having one than not having one. Yes you might have 5kt of tide yes there may be 30kt of wind but even if all you can do is hold your position or run with the wind/tide, in most cases that's a hell of a lot better than being a dead ship going only where nature decides to take you, and in more normal situations of moderate wind/current it means a breakdown is a minor inconvenience rather than an emergency, and surely a dead ship is pretty much always an emergency unless it is shallow enough to get out and walk?

Apart from lack of physical space I can't see an argument for not having one unless you can afford twins, but that would have added a lot to the cost of my boat to the extent I wouldn't have bought it.