What outboard engine on Sun Cat?

[Joseph]

Hi Robert,

Sorry for not replying any sooner...

When having the boat on tow, I always remove the outboard from the stern bracket, as I fear that a pothole may cause it to get loose or break the bracket. Inside the back of the Jeep/truck I place the outboard on its side (port side down). I also remove it from the bracket when I store the boat for the winter (I store the boat outdoors in a yard under a large tarp and rely on the cold of the Canadian winter for keeping the mice away...) but I keep the outboard indoors hanging vertically from a bracket inside my garage. I can still handle it single-handed: to transport it vertically I place both my arms under its casing and for bringing it in and out of the car I grab it with the casing against my belly with the propeller forward. So far so good...

J.   

[Renae]

Though your potholes are legendary, that's an awful lot of work to do every time you take out a trailer sailer (for me 2-3 days per week) and pretty much exactly what the OP was apparently hoping to avoid.  The mounting bracket handles a lighter motor just fine.

[Cpy23ecl]

I have the 6hp sailpro on my eclipse and Hutchins was clear in saying the motor should always be removed when trailering.  I had hoped they would say that it was ok to leave it on the boat when trailering short distances.

Fred

[Joseph]

No need to get personal about each other's potholes, Renae, I was just answering the question that Robert T. addressed to me about what I do with the outboard while trailering.

If I was towing and launching the boat every second day I would likely consider to cautiously trailer the boat with the outboard on the bracket. However, even if the roads were as pristine as I am sure yours are, depending on the travelling distance, I would explore the possibility of securing the outboard to the trailer via some kind of "transom-saver".

I agree that 8 HP for a SunCat is an overkill. 2 HP is likely also suitable depending on the wind and wave conditions. However, 4-6 HP are likely best for my kind of sailing. A powerful-enough auxilliary may come handy in the event of coming aground (it happens to the best of us) or having to override the anchor (a useful manoeuvre when weighing anchor single-handed against head-winds and with a lee shore close aft).   

J.

[Christopher]

I always leave my 5hp Tohatsu installed on my Suncat while towing.  I use a ratchet strap and attach it to the aft right cleat.  Then I run the strap behind the motor shaft and over to the aft left cleat.  Then I tighten the strap which lifts and pushes the motor in close to the transom.  It helps carry the load and secures the motor in addition.  I have towed this way from Ohio to the southern tip of Florida and back as well as up into Canada and back without a problem and many more local trips.
 

[Christopher]

Getting the boat ready to go to the CLR next Monday.  The perfect time to take a pic.

[Robert T]

Thanks to all for responding.  Once I locate and purchase a Suncat, I?ll probably equip it with a Tohatsu 3.5 hp motor. I think it will provide adequate power at a reasonable weight. I?ll learn to live without the remote fuel tank.

[Christopher]

Robert T,
  I was at the CLR last week and a fellow Suncat owner told me that his 3.5HP motor doesn't have a reverse gear so he has to quickly rotate the engine around when he wants to go in reverse.  He said he regretted not going with a larger HP motor that has a reverse gear.  His initial requirement was for a light weight engine so that is why he selected that size engine at the time.  So beware of that when shopping for a motor.

[Renae]

Thanks to all for responding.  Once I locate and purchase a Suncat, I?ll probably equip it with a Tohatsu 3.5 hp motor. I think it will provide adequate power at a reasonable weight. I?ll learn to live without the remote fuel tank.

It will be great plenty unless you need to do long distance motoring.  If you want to cruise 30 miles down the ICW at a time, it isn't the right tool.  If you're pushing in and out of marina/boat ramp area, motor cruising for brief intervals and/or occasionally supplementing light winds, it's fine.  In fact, I would personally argue, better for comfort, reliability, weight and hassle factor.  All other things being equal, I would probably choose Torqeedo over eProp at this point, but my eProp is still a way, way better solution for me than my previous Tohatsu.  Bruce has tried both and may have some thoughts.

Though full throttle does no harm to an electric OB, try to throttle down a little as conditions permit.  You'll get much longer run times that way.  On the little lake I sail, since I'm never really far from the ramp, I actually do go full throttle much of the time, and usually have 80%+ of my battery life on reserve at the end of the day, unless, for whatever reason, I douse the sails when I'm a couple of miles out, in which case I've only once dropped below 50%, upwind and fouled with an explosion of weeds.

[bruce]

Going electric will get you a real reverse in a small OB. And, FWIW, spinning the motor around with a remote tank with gas or propane is even a bigger pain.

Both ePropulsion and Torqeedo have replaced their 3 hp equivalent OBs this year with the Spirit 1.0 Plus/Spirit 1.0 EVO, and the 1103/603 respectively. Useful upgrades in both lines, if you think electric would work for you.

This British dealer sells both, and compares them, I think fairly, in their product descriptions.
https://nestawayboats.com/shop/epropulsion-spirit-plus-1kw-electric-outboard/
https://nestawayboats.com/shop/torqeedo-travel-1003s-1103cs/

[Renae]

Bruce,

I don't know if you've seen my utility/throttle tray thread in the in DIY section.  I've moved the cup holders about halfway forward since then and I think it's about right.  I went for solid bolt down on the throttle remote, but it's only 4 wing nuts in the former gas tank cubby to get the whole tray off.

Said cubby is now where I toss bungies/lines (and a small trash bag) when I'm sailing.  I might do more with that space when the weather sours later this season.

Renae

[bruce]

Yeah, I saw it. Looks great!

I have come up with a couple of mods to 1, readily tighten the pivot so the motor better holds its course during maneuvering dockside, and 2, a means to routinely lock/unlock the pivot without removing the battery for straight-ahead motoring. I'll post them when I get a chance.

The newer models may have addressed this, I haven't heard.

[Robert T]

Thanks for the link to the UK dealer who sells both brands of electric motors. Seems like they have come a long way and are definitely worth considering.

[Renae]

I have come up with a couple of mods to 1, readily tighten the pivot so the motor better holds its course during maneuvering dockside, and 2, a means to routinely lock/unlock the pivot without removing the battery for straight-ahead motoring. I'll post them when I get a chance.

The first mod looks great, but so far I don't need it.  I'm able to get into my usual dock with the pin in, so I just set it and forget it.  In a tight marina, I'd look that one up (I think it's just in our emails back and forth), or just manually spin the motor then remove the battery and pin once I was clear.

The second mod interests/perplexes me and I would love to see it sometime.  There doesn't seem to be a system on our boats/motors that you haven't improved substantially.

[bruce]

Here you go, Renae. I'll send the mods separately so I can post enough photos.

Not many on the list have a Spirit, but the design of the Torqeedo outboards is similar, so this may be of interest for them as well. The issue is, there is no easy way to tighten the motor pivot. Too loose and the motor can spontaneously swing to the side and drive the boat in circles. Never a good idea. They do provide a locking pin that keeps the motor centerlined, but that requires removing the battery to access. No problem at a quiet lunch spot, but not something you want to do in heavy chop, traffic, or approaching or leaving the dock, when being able to steer with the motor is very useful.

Under a foiled cowling, attached to the fixed transom clamping assembly under the pivoting head, there is a clamp for tightening the pivot. Unfortunately, to access the clamp you must remove the cowling. Two problems here, the cowling captures the bushings that the motor pivots on, so the motor needs to be on a bench to safely remove the cowling. Not convenient. The second is they bed the heads of all fasteners with silicone caulk. Looks finished, and keeps them from vibrating loose, but is a pain to dig out to undo the fasteners.

The cowling on the Torqeedo 1003, and possibly others, is fastened with Torx-drive screws so you'll need that driver. But, the cowling is just decorative, and can be removed anytime without effecting the motor pivot bushings.

I removed the cowling and drilled a 3/4" hole at the appropriate spot to provide access for the port clamp screw. I had to further grind channels in the edges of the hole to provide clearance for a screwdriver. I used a panel plug to fill the hole. These are typically used with sheet metal, you might find one in a car door jam, and usually are limited to about 3/32" thickness. The Heyco C2066-P plug I used from McMaster-Carr can handle up to 1/4", has a plastic body and a rubber head so it conforms to the curved surface well, and has two stepped catches that are secure enough, but the plug can pried off for adjustments to the pivot clamp.

Hopefully the photos make sense.