Captain Tim Posted January 24, 2023 Report Posted January 24, 2023 If you had a choice between a Suzuki 2.5 HP DF2.5L4 Outboard Motor (long shaft 20") or a HONDA 2.3 HP BF2.3DHLCH Outboard (long shaft 20") which would you choose? The transom height is 17" and I didn't want to cut it down because I thought it could weaken the transom. Also I thought the prop would come out of the water when I go forward to set the sail. Both would be new. If you think a short shaft would work feel free to tell me. Thanks, Tim Quote
Peter HK Posted January 25, 2023 Report Posted January 25, 2023 I chose the Suzuki. Almost the same weight but the suz is quieter and I prefer the F/N gear box to the centrifugal clutch. cheers Peter HK Quote
Steve W Posted January 25, 2023 Report Posted January 25, 2023 I've owned both. Suzuki hands down. The honda is great, but loud. Drive ya nuts Quote
PadrePoint Posted January 25, 2023 Report Posted January 25, 2023 I have a Honda 2.3. Yes, it is likely louder as people say. It’s also likely lighter… and is air cooled. I’m guessing the motor would be used for short durations rather than a long run like 30-45 minutes. Quote
Steve W Posted January 25, 2023 Report Posted January 25, 2023 The Honda is 31 in the LS model, the Suzuki 2.5 is 30. The Suzuki has a superior F-N instead of that centrifigul clutch the Honda has. The only thing better about the Honda is there is no need to ever replace the impellar. Both motors have been very reliable. Quote
Aphers Posted February 19, 2023 Report Posted February 19, 2023 We use a short shaft (Mercury 3.5hp 2 stroke). No real problems with the prop coming out of the water or cavitating. Surely you wouldn't be worried about the prop coming out of the water when you go forward to set sail, because you'd have already removed the motor in order to fit the rudder? Just to slightly hijack the thread, I'm tempted to try a 5hp on my S11N. 19kg, so it's a bit more weight, but I reckon when we're carrying a decent load the extra power might be useful. Or it might just make the bow point at the sky... Quote
Captain Tim Posted February 19, 2023 Author Report Posted February 19, 2023 Aphers, Good point about moving the motor before putting the sail up. It sounds like you use your S11N as a tender as much if not more than a sailing dinghy. So do you leave the motor on the mother ship when sailing? We can't buy 2 strokes here in the states anymore. Quote
Aphers Posted February 19, 2023 Report Posted February 19, 2023 6 minutes ago, Captain Tim said: Aphers, Good point about moving the motor before putting the sail up. It sounds like you use your S11N as a tender as much if not more than a sailing dinghy. So do you leave the motor on the mother ship when sailing? We can't buy 2 strokes here in the states anymore. Yes it's my daily driver- we live on our yacht at anchor. It's a great load carrier, much more internal space than an equivalent sized RIB, and an absolute joy to row. We used just 10l of petrol in our first year as liveaboards! For sailing, we strip everything out of the dinghy: anchor, fuel can, outboard, fenders, etc. The oars stay, obviously. We haven't really found sailing the dinghy to be a very practical way of getting about, but it's a lot of fun. I'm hoping to upgrade the mast to a lighter one, which might let me keep it rigged whilst afloat. That would make trips to the beach etc much less stressful. Quote
Captain Tim Posted February 19, 2023 Author Report Posted February 19, 2023 Aphers, Sounds like you are using your S11n just like I plan to use my S11s. I have davits on my boat so no need of nesting quality. What length oars do you use? Do you have just one rowing station? Quote
Aphers Posted February 19, 2023 Report Posted February 19, 2023 16 minutes ago, Captain Tim said: Aphers, Sounds like you are using your S11n just like I plan to use my S11s. I have davits on my boat so no need of nesting quality. What length oars do you use? Do you have just one rowing station? Ours lives in davits most of the time, but it's good to be able to put it on deck as well. We just crossed the Atlantic with it on deck. From memory the oars are about 7ft. A little on the line side but the boat absolutely flies if you put in a bit of effort! Just one rowing station. We've tried sitting side by side with an oar each but it tends to lead to arguments Quote
Aphers Posted February 19, 2023 Report Posted February 19, 2023 The youngest crew member is enjoying the dinghy. Can't do this with a RIB Quote
Captain Tim Posted February 19, 2023 Author Report Posted February 19, 2023 Aphers, 7' seems short on the oars. I found a formular that shows I could use 8'6" oars. You are living the dream. Fast sailing dinghy, blue water and great crew. Quote
Hirilonde Posted February 19, 2023 Report Posted February 19, 2023 I carved 7' oars for my Spindrift 9. I find them just right. Pete Culler's book says I should make 10 footers for my Lapwing. I find them too long, I think 9' would have been better. Quote
Captain Tim Posted February 19, 2023 Author Report Posted February 19, 2023 Hirilonde, I think the bean on your Lapwing is 5' 6 1/2" and mine is 4' 7" so do you think 8' for me would be about right? Or your Spindrift 9' is 4'1" on the beam, 6" less than mine so I should go with 7'6"? Quote
Hirilonde Posted February 20, 2023 Report Posted February 20, 2023 2 hours ago, Captain Tim said: so I should go with 7'6"? That would be what I would go with based on my past experiences. Quote
Designer Posted February 21, 2023 Report Posted February 21, 2023 I created the Spindrift transom for a short shaft motor. I measured my Suzuki 2.5 at 17 1/2" to the cav plate. Of course with a small boat it is easy to get it out of trim. It is up to the skipper to arrange the crew or cargo for proper trim. 1 Quote
Dylan Tantuico Posted January 4, 2024 Report Posted January 4, 2024 Hi, I'm thinking of building a spindrift 11 to serve as tender for my sailboat. I have some questions regarding the spindrift. 1) can we add hard points for attaching ropes to connect to davits? 2) doest it plane when motoring? 3) can it carry 4 people while motoring? I intend to use this mainly as a tender from ship to shore and occasionally to go fishing and have fun sailing with my grand kids 1 Quote
Captain Tim Posted January 4, 2024 Author Report Posted January 4, 2024 Welcome aboard Dylan Tantuico, I think this link might be helpful Davit attachment points? I don't think the Spindrift was intended to be a planning hull. It sails well and rows well and a 2 1/2 hp will push it. In one discussion Aphers said he had 9 people on board. The spindrift is a lot of fun to build Quote
Steve W Posted January 4, 2024 Report Posted January 4, 2024 FWIW, here is a video with a Honda 2HP long shaft. Knowing my boys I'm sure that was wide open. I have a Suzuki 2.5 now and the performance is similar. Quote
Aphers Posted January 10, 2024 Report Posted January 10, 2024 On 1/3/2024 at 10:44 PM, Dylan Tantuico said: Hi, I'm thinking of building a spindrift 11 to serve as tender for my sailboat. I have some questions regarding the spindrift. 1) can we add hard points for attaching ropes to connect to davits? 2) doest it plane when motoring? 3) can it carry 4 people while motoring? I intend to use this mainly as a tender from ship to shore and occasionally to go fishing and have fun sailing with my grand kids Hi Dylan We've been using our S11N as our tender for nearly two and a half years now, full time. Absolutely love it. I'm very glad that I built the sailing version, and now that I've sorted out my rig and got a bit more confident, I almost always sail rather than rowing or motoring. Definitely a conversion starter at the dinghy dock. In answer to your questions: 1- I've added three hard points for lifting. I'll post some photos tomorrow. 2- the fastest I've gone is around 6.5kt, with a 3.5hp outboard and just me onboard. Under sail, I'm not sure. Once I hit about 5kt it's time to put my phone away somewhere safe. But in either case, no it's not really a planing boat. The design has quite a bit of rocker which makes it excellent to row but harder to get on the plane. I would be nervous about fitting a bigger and heavier outboard. I've given it a lot of thought and decided to stick with the little 12kg two stroke. 3- four people under motor is an absolute doddle. We've often carried six, and our record is nine. The other day we had four adults and two kids under sail, all carrying snorkel gear and packed lunches. FYI I recently had a little row around in a 10ft Spindrift and I was surprised how much smaller it felt. Still a good and stable boat, but not a load carrier like the 11. Quote
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