JeffM

Thanks!

Thanks, Tim. So even though I'll seldom go past half-throttle, going briefly wide-open occasionally will take care of it?

Cross-posting here after no replies in Main Forum after 3 days: First trip last week with my shiny new Suzuki 2.5 motor (and only the second with my new CS20 rig). Motor performed well -- and saved my bacon when my mizzen sheet mysteriously came loose. The morning after returning, I ran it a bit in freshwater then shut it down briefly to change the setting on my tachometer (which had my idle rpm at twice what it should be). Then, only a few minutes after shutting it down, I tried to restart it to see my new rpm reading. Starter didn't disengage, but yanked the cord our of my hand leaving a gash and serious bruise. This continued (sans injury) for several more tries. Then I walked away and came back a few hours later and it started normally. I had the same problem repeatedly the first time I tried to start the the new motor in late winter. I took the recoil starter off looking for a problem, but found none. Then a couple days later it started without incident, and today (after a couple dozen starts) is the first recurrence. I can't find anything about this online. Anyone seen it before? Know what to do about? It would have been pretty catastrophic if it had occurred when I really needed it! Unrelated motor question: the 2.5 moves the boat way better than I expected, and the boat moves at near hull speed in calm conditions at less than half throttle. So now a propeller pitch question: the manual says a properly-pitched propeller should allow the engine to run at full throttle at the given rpm under a light load. Suzi really likes full throttle and is meant to run at full bore most of the time, it says. I'm guessing I need a propeller with less pitch so the motor can run at higher rpm without the boat going crazy. Opinions?

First trip with my shiny new Suzuki 2.5 motor (and only the second with my new CS20 rig). Motor performed well -- and saved my bacon when my mizzen sheet mysteriously came loose. This morning I ran it a bit in freshwater, then shut it down briefly to change the setting on my tachometer (which had my idle rpm at twice what it should be). Then, only a few minutes after shutting it down, I tried to restart it to see my new rpm reading. Starter didn't disengage, but yanked the cord our of my hand leaving a gash and serious bruise. This continued (sans injury) for several more tries. Then I walked away and came back a few hours later and it started normally. I had the same problem when I first bought the motor in later winter. I took the recoil starter off looking for a problem, but found none. Then a couple days later it started without incident, and today is the first recurrence. I can't find anything about this online. Anyone seen it before? Know what to do about? It would have been pretty catastrophic if it had occurred when I really needed it! Unrelated motor question: the 2.5 moves the boat way better than I expected, and the boat moves at hull speed nowhere close to full throttle. So now a propeller pitch question: the manual says a properly-pitched propeller should allow the engine to run at full throttle at the given rpm under a light load. Suzi really likes full throttle and is meant to run at full bore most of the time, it says. I'm guessing I need a propeller with less pitch so the motor can run at higher rpm without the boat going crazy. Opinions?

Thanks, R. I'm going to poke around and see if I can find a Fulton. I'm glad to hear one of these things can work. Reacher, I'm thinking seriously if building my own lifting bracket. (What could possibly go wrong?) Instead of the 14" of travel it would take to get the lower end clear of the water, 7" would get it high enough to tilt fully.

Thanks, Reacher. I think you've finally talked me out of an adjusting bracket. My motor only weighs about 30lb. Thanks for the suggestions! I need to think some more.

Thanks, Steve. I'm not willing to cut up my transom and aft deck, so I'll likely go with a spring "adjustable." I agree I don't want the weight farther back than I can manage. But I can't imagine the raised motor on a spring bracket making much difference to the CG of my heavy boat. I'm curious why Graham recommended it on the starboard side of the transom. I had planned to put it to port, but I could be talked out of it. R Jones, what brand/model of bracket do you have? I'm confused by the specs of the brackets I see when they set limits on 2 vs 4 stroke, or have a minimum hp (like 6hp) and why that would matter. I also find them insanely expensive, but... Thanks in advance!

I have just become the proud owner of a Suzuki 2.5hp short shaft motor for my CS20. (Short shaft in hope I could also use it on a Michalak Piccup Pram.) When hung on my old Duckworks tripod mount, the motor can't be raised more than about 45 degrees before it hits the top edge of the transom. (It has 7 inches between the front of the pad and the transom and needs at least 3 inches more just for the skeg to clear the water, and much more to lock it in the raised position.) I think I'd prefer an adjusting (lifting) bracket -- I can picture myself getting in trouble around docks with my lower end sticking way back from the transom -- but nearly all of these these are heavy, made for much bigger motors (or only 2-strokes for some reason) and all are very pricey. Any experience or opinions welcome!

Thanks, Captain Tim. Now I see. Paul, that's the answer I was hoping for: this motor can tip up when mounted on a tripod mount well below the top of the transom. Thank you again!

Captain Tim, that is exactly my mount! That 14" is roughly what I got looking at photos. Is yours a long shaft? I can't imagine the CS17 would have a transom much shorter than mine, but it looks like your powerhead is mostly above the transom. Paul, you had that tripod mount? Could you raise the motor? The gudgeon idea is very good! (The lower leg has a pin already.) I was more worried about the thin ply of the transom than the mount itself, so have a framing stick for the lower leg (under pressure) and ply doublers for the upper (under tension). Thank you both for taking the time and trouble to do the measurements! Jeff Michals-Brown

A highly-specific question maybe one in a thousand here might be able to answer: My CS20 has a removable mount from Duckworks, a sort of tripod thingy you'd know immediately. (No: I looked and they appear to be extinct.) Long ago and briefly I had an antique 5hp short shaft motor, for the sake of which I installed this mount. Despite the power head being below the top of the transom, I'm pretty sure I had no trouble raising the motor out of the water without the cowling hitting the transom. Now I want to see if I can get away with buying a new Suzuki 2.5hp short shaft to hang on the same bracket. As I stare at images of this motor on a computer screen, ruler in hand, I can't see how this could work. But I'm hoping someone with the same motor can tell me how much horizontal room the power heat takes up when a Suzuki 2.5hp is raised compared to when it is down. (The inside top edge of the mount hangs 7" away from the transom, so that's all I have to play with.) In short, should I buy the short shaft Suzuki 2.5 (which could theoretically also be used on my little Michalak pram), or should I remount the bracket 4-5" higher and buy the long shaft?

New question for all the Susuki 2.5-ers out there. The current motor mount on my CS20 is positioned for a short shaft motor (15"). I either need to move the mount to buy a long shaft, or make sure a short shaft motor will fit. I'm lazy, and the mod would not be inconsequential. Also, I might consider using the motor on a smaller boat as well. If I bought a short shaft, I can imagine I would have to keep the tiller about straight up (since the three legs of the mount hold it only 7" off the transom). I don't recall having a problem with this with antique I once had. I also don't recall having trouble tipping the old motor out of the water, but that would be an important factor if there wasn't room to raise the Suzu without hitting the transom. Anyone else have issues like these?

Paul, that's beautiful. Very nice job on the build. Looks like full sitting headroom under dodger. The dodger is very high: it doesn't interfere with the main? It's hard to believe the speeds you're getting out of that little motor. I'm definitely buying a Suzu 2.5 long shaft. (I don't know the model, but I'll find out.) I'd be delighted with half your speeds in salt water with a bigger, heavier boat.

Priceless information, Paul, thank you! for comparison, about how fast would that motor push your CS20 in fairly calm conditions? Are you using the prop that came with the motor? (I'm wondering about prop pitch for motors designed for the high speeds of planing boats as compared to the few Kts we want.) Thanks, Andy! I went through half-a-dozen attempts at a shelter before i build the permanent hardtop. It's a wet boat, so blocking spray while underway makes it a nicer ride and keeps gear dry. But getting to the foredeck around a cloth tent or dodger -- with nothing solid to hold on to -- proved too risky. (I nearly always go out at least overnight, so anchoring is important.) My last attempt before the real cabin was a sort of popup cabin that had a ply roof and cloth sides. It worked pretty well but took forever to set up at the ramp. The current cabin was as high as I could make it and still have the foot of the main and end of the sprit clear. It's high enough that I (at 6'2") can just see over it from the cushioned seat. (This is with my original sleeved sail rig, which I've just replaced with the common track sails.)

Just grabbed a couple of shots I took while test-fitting my most bizarre addition ever: a companion shelter that will allow me, at anchor, to sit upright inside even in the rain. It folds up and rests uneasily on the forward seat when not in use. But you can see the cabin pretty well. The main hatch slides, while the fore hatch drops into place. The forward window comes out of its slot so that I can more easily access the foredeck through the cabin. In practice, though, I nearly always go forward on the side deck, holding on the the edge of the main hatchway. Lack of headroom is tied with another big problem with my cabin: when I sleep on the starboard side (the footwell on that side is filled with an insert), my knees are trapped under the edge of the forward coaming. This makes it impossible to roll over, for instance, without fully waking up. I just realized that I could lay diagonally (across the CB trunk) more easily, and I'll be trying that out probably in a May trip. Unfortunately, the Mark III came out well after I built, or I'd have a much more elegant boat!

Thanks, Reacher! Power to weight is nice, but two strokes are dirty, and I think not legal anymore here. Long shaft for sure! Jonathan, cost and range are the reasons I wouldn't go electric. I'm typically out for several days at a time. Nice and clean, though! Amos & Paul, it's nice to get up-votes on the Suzuki 2.5. Great to here it has power enough for a CS20. (Mine is likely on the heavy side with more wind resistance, since I added a high trunk cabin to my mark 1, though.) I think I can live with spinning the motor for reverse as long as I can idle. Paul, I do indeed want to know any quirks! I'm going to have to study to learn how to use and maintain it. Thanks, all!

Thanks, Andy, Peter. I'm going to post it on B&B, and not specify 4hp.

Not sailed since before Covid, but getting Beatrice Ann back into the water with her new rig this year. I'd always sailed engineless -- not as purist, but just cheapskate. Being a lousy sailor, I've often gotten into kinds of trouble that I'm getting too old to get out of reliably anymore. So I'm counting on a motor to help out. I am no mechanic, so decided to go new. (I briefly owned an antique 5hp that would only start when I didn't need it too badly. I specify light-weight because my Core Sound's stern gets depressed easily. (Therapy hasn't helped.) Cheaper is of course better, as long as motor is reliable, but I do think neutral would be nice to have. I don't know how many horses I need, but surely no more than 4. Suggestions and experiences welcome!

Not sailed since before Covid, but getting Beatrice Ann back into the water with her new rig this year. I'd always sailed engineless -- not as purist, but just cheapskate. Being a lousy sailor, I've often gotten into kinds of trouble that I'm getting too old to get out of reliably anymore. So I'm counting on a motor to help out. I am no mechanic, so decided to go new. (I briefly owned an antique 5hp that would only start when I didn't need it too badly. I specified light-weight and 4hp because my Core Sound's stern gets depressed easily. (Therapy hasn't helped.) Cheaper is of course better, as long as motor is reliable, but I do think neutral would be nice to have. Suggestions and experiences welcome!

Don, I have no motor, so must raise sails at the dock. At anchor it would certainly be easier. When I tried to reef the main, I moved the sprit to the first reef loop, without considering the mess the lower part of the sail would make until tied off. (My main sprit simply pokes into the loop at the clew.). I wonder if I could leave the lowest loop on the sprit and simply put the reef loop over it? Then the sail would be neater-- as the mizzen was when reefed with reefing line and downhaul as in the cs20.3 plan. Another issue I'm trying to figure out is how to keep my rolled sails from rolling overboard as I raise them. Maybe a line tied to the clew and run aft? And one more: should my sails be rolled and tied loosely so as to avoid unnecessary wrinkles? I'm trying to store them neatly and not consume too much space, but have them ready to go without a lot of futzing with battens. I'm chewing my fingernails over the wrinkles I see in my bundled -- and very expensive -- sails.

Figured I'd report after a couple shakedowns, but I think a couple hours on the water a month ago in light/moderate air will have to do for this year. First surprise was how hard sails went up with the wind less than 45° off the nose. Assumed raising sails sails at the dock would be much easier. Main snotter was also very hard to tension -- even with 3 part purchase (upgraded from 2 part on my sleeve luff sails), but my run needs a little improvement. Mizzen sprit, which is longer than plan at 10 feet, still seemed marginal for tensioning mizzen adequately. (Vertical crease in the sail emphasized by the battens never completely went away.). Reefing will take some fiddling, but I'll get the hang of it. Now the good news: this rig is noticeably more weatherly than the old. Not enough experience yet to talk tacking angles, but going to weather felt more*expansive* than ever before. When I get things better tuned...

Don, do you have the main sprit clew reefing directly on the sprit, or the fancier version of Carlita? Thanks, Steve. Very detailed reply! I'm used to anticipating the need to reef, since in the past I moved the mast to accomplish this; can only be done at anchor or even on the trailer. Also, I have no engine. I've now ordered hardware to do most reefing from the cockpit with clew reefing on the sprits. We'll see how it goes. If I'm very lucky, I'll be doing sea trials this season.

Thanks, Don. It seems as though the reef downhaul is rigged through the appropriate cringle with the same kind of hook as the regular downhaul. (So they're the same thing.) That was one of my questions. The clew reefing seems way complicated, so I'll likely simply handle that directly on the sprit.

Paul, I hope your trip went well! I hope to get in the water a few times this year for "sea trials," then more ambitious sailing next year. Now I'm trying to decide how to rig the boat for reefing. I want to be able to make the first reef from the cockpit. Can anyone who does this tell me how your reefing is rigged, and the order of operations when you reef?

Thanks, Paul. That's a pretty deck! My trunk cabin is the reason for my custom rig. But now I'm unexpectedly finding the mizzen a bit short. When I hung the new mizzensail from the new mast it didn't clear my head by as much as I'm used to, and came pretty low over the cabin entrance. Hmmm...