On 11-Jul-14 5:30 PM, Larry Yake wrote: Larry, We now are into the realm of philosophy. How much HP is needed and how much is enough to do the job? Years ago, when I first got my M-15 there was a man down at the Connecticut shore that had an M-17. I called him and asked if I could come down and have a look; never having seen an M-17 before. I drove to his house: inspected the M-17; and weeks later, he was recalled back into the Coast Guard. He called me, to ask if I could bring down my HONDA 2 HP engine, to lend a hand. He had to get his M-17 on a trailer and get it off his Coast Guard mooring in front of the Coast Guard Station in New London, C, T so that he could sell it. We met at the small boat docks in downtown New London, CT. I hung my 2 HP HONDA on the stern of his M-17. The objective was to take his boat about a mile upstream on the Thames River to the launch ramp, where he could put this boat on the trailer. On board his M-17 were four grown men, all weighing about 170 lbs each; equaling about 680 lb of load, that was going to be moved upstream against the mid-point of the out going tide flow. I fire up the HONDA 2 HP. We cast off. We made good progress going upstream against the outgoing tide. We moved the M-17 along at about 4 knots at 3/4 throttle. Could we have towed a water skier? No. But we made it very nicely to the launch ramp and hadn't the slightest problem doing it with 2 HP. So the problem becomes how much power do you really need to move the boat; and that is dependent on the area you are sailing in. If it is a lake, with calm waters, 2 HP is more than enough to get you home when the wind dies. On an ocean, you have tides, but even here, if there is wind, you can sail; if it is a flat calm and you need your motor to get home, unless the tidal flows are very strong, 2 HP should get you home again - maybe a bit slower than with 4 HP - but you get home none the less. If you are on a river with a lot of current, then you probably need the 4 HP to go upstream against the flow. My thought is that in 80% of the cases the 2 HP will suffice to get you home when he wind dies. Then you don't have to strain your back with the weight of the 4 HP engine. Connie
One of the benefits of the M15, Connie! Those little 2hp motors are light!
On Fri, Jul 11, 2014 at 3:28 PM, Larry Yake <larryyake@gmail.com> wrote:
I had some plywood fiberglassed to the inside of the transom. The top half already had plywood, but I added it to the lower half to strengthen the whole area. Personally, I would have no problem leaving the rudder attached along with the motor. I wish I could. My Ida Sailor is the first one they made for an M17 and it doesn't swing up beyond horizontal so I have to remove it for trailering. Again, there are those who will disagree and they have some good arguments, such as why risk damage to your transom? In my opinion, the risk is small if you have reinforced it. By making launching and retrieving as easy as possible you are more likely to take the boat out. There is some risk every time you sail. What good is a perfect boat if you're afraid to use it, or it is too much hassle to launch? Minimize the risks as much as you can, then get out there and sail!
On Fri, Jul 11, 2014 at 2:11 PM, Henry Rodriguez <heinzir@gmail.com> wrote:
What did you do to reinforce the transom? I plan to get an Idasailor rudder and leave it on the transom while trailering. Would leaving a 4hp motor on as well be too much for it?
Henry
-----Original Message----- From: "Larry Yake" <larryyake@gmail.com> Sent: 7/11/2014 3:09 PM To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" < montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Subject: Re: M_Boats: Outboard motor placement
Tom, there are many who would say ALWAYS remove the outboard before trailering. I don't go that route. I have back issues that make lifting the motor on and off out of the question. My 6hp Suzuki rides in the cutout all the time. Just to be prudent, I did a little reinforcing of the transom to insure there would be no problems. An ob motor bracket is another story. More bounce and torque involved. A friend of mine leaves his on the bracket and ties it up with ropes to stop the bouncing, but it's not as good an arrangement as using the cutout.
Larry Y, M17 #200 CornDog
On Fri, Jul 11, 2014 at 12:57 PM, Thomas Buzzi <thomaspbuzzi@gmail.com> wrote:
After seeing the dilemma that Henry is facing I want to make double sure I don't inadvertently duplicate the conditions with my ob. Can the ob be left in the cutout in the transom while traveling down the road? Can it be left on an ob motor bracket that is properly through bolted on the transom? I bought a 6hp tohatsu ob for the boat but found I could not handle the 60 pound weight with my bad shoulders trying to lift it onto the ob motor bracket and it just fit in the transom cut out but would require all steering done with the rudder. I am looking for a smaller motor now. Thanks for any info forwarded. Tom B, Mont. 17 #258, 1978