This has been fascinating for me as the discussion has helped sort out my decision. I have done most of my sailing in Casco Bay, Maine and Jewel Island that Ray spoke about is truly a gem (no pun intended). Since I am on holiday when in Maine, I had all day and without a motor or oars, I just found enough wind to make it or just drifted for a while until I made my mooring on Peaks Island where I have a small cottage. Time was on my side.
In NZ where I live most of the time and is on the coast, I have an opportunity to fit in a few hours sailing and in some instances with a few adjustments to my back yard, sail from the estuary when the tide is near high. The few adjustments is to sort of bull doze a bit of the garden that my wife planted. She is okay and actually made the suggestion when Richard delivered Kokako.
So, when I bought the boat from Richard with the recess already built, I thought I would buy a motor for the first time in my life. The discussion here mirrored my ambivalence and the fact that I never really used a motor on small boats. So, I was back and forth about what to do especially when the motor I wanted that Wes has, didn