What size motor on your weekender?

[cs]

Now that I have a big sailboat that would almost certainly need a kicker motor I've been thinking about getting one that would work for both the Weekender and the Balboa 20. But as I feared and is being debeated at the WBF one big enough for the Balboa 20 would be too heavy for the weekender.

So what I'm wondering is what size (horsepower and weight) do you currently hang of the transom of your weekender?

It seems that the smallest horsepower recomended for the Balboa is a 4 hp.

Chad

[capt jake]

I have a 2 stroke, 2 cyl 4 hp on my Weekender. Plenty of power. I could probably do with 2-3hp, but the 4 was the right price. With the currents around here, it is nice to have the extra power anyway.

[cs]

About how much does it weigh and how does it affect the trim?

Chad

[capt jake]

Uh, about this much! I don't know, #25-#30 maybe. Doesn't effect the trim too much, but I do notice it slightly; not enough to effect performance though.

[cs]

So maybe if I find the right 4 hp motor I can use it on both.

Chad

[capt jake]

I don't see why not. Mine is a Johnson Sailmaster, which is slightly longer than a standard long shaft motor. That made mounting and actually being able to reach it on the Weekender easy.

[umop_apisdn]

I just put a 3.5 hp on mine. It replaced the 8hp monster that came with my boat. It works very well. At about half throttle it pushes the boat along at 3 miles an hour. I don't run it faster than that because it is air cooled, and I'm not in a hurry.

It's almost as big as the motor in my Suzuki!

I still have to fill in the holes left from the old bracket.

And clean up that ugly glue.

It turns out even all the way up, the tip still drags in the water.

So when sailing I tilt it as well.

Noel

[John Weigandt]

I have a mercury 3.3 (same as Nissan/ tohatsu) 2 stroke. It pushes the weekender as fast as it wants to be pushed.

As to reserve power... there's plenty... I actually towed a Catalina 22 with the weekender and the 3.3 for about 4 miles or so on Kentucky lake at the PIKL cruise.

We clipped along on still water at about 4 mph at 3/4 throttle.

I think the 3.3 would probably work for the 20 foot boat as well :-)

John

[umop_apisdn]

I think more important than the HP, will be the propeller pitch. A 3 hp with a "sailboat" prop will out perform a 5 or 6 hp with a normal prop.

For example, the prop on my motor is 7.8", which is wrong (I'm looking for the right one, but it is an old motor).

7.8" (pitch) X 4000rpm (estimated WOT speed) divided by 2 (for the gearcase) is 15,600 inches/min or 14.7 mph.

There is no way in hades the Weekender will go 14 mph - And if it does, I don't want to be in it! At half throttle, the boat goes 3 mph and the prop is already slipping pretty badly. Full throttle only gets me to 4.5 mph because the prop just can't get a grip in the water. (I TOLD you Lake Washington had slippery water!)

If I had a prop with half the pitch of this one, the WOT speed would be 7mph, and the motor would probably actually push the boat to hull speed. (and run slower, quieter, and use less fuel)

So, my advice would be go ahead and get a 4hp for both boats, but make sure you have the right prop for it. With a sailboat prop, it will push the Balboa easily. With the wrong prop, it will still push the boat, but it will slip a lot, and churn a lot of water around uselessly.

Noel

[Bud_Wilson]

cs I have a 4hp johnson 2 stroke and it weight is 37 lbs. At least that what ups charged me to ship it. Bud.

[cs]

Thanks guys. That helps a lot. I have a line on a 5 hp Marinier that probably weighs about 45 lbs. If it is too heavy for the weekender no big deal, I will just use it on the Balboa.

Chad

[Dave R1]

I've got a 47 lb thrust trolling motor. It's got plenty of oomph to push the boat into some pretty strong headwind. It's quiet and not smelly at all.

[Tim Diebert]

Hey CS.

I have used a 6 hp Johnson on mine for a long time with no ill effects.

Like Ray I used what I had.

The extra power has been handy.

I have towed rafted sailboats without motors to where the wind is.

I have towed broken MOTOR boats back to the dock.

I have motored into wicked seas and wind and survived.

And I pull stumps for fun and profit.

Downside....it looks funny.

[PAR]

With about 20 HP, a Weekender will plane off. Her run suggests she will squat a bit more then is comfortable, but this could be mostly trimmed out. She has enough bearing area aft, to be pretty stable on plane and the keel would keep her tracking like a freight train. I wouldn't do it with the rig erected, but it may be a fun thing to do with a partially completed project. You can push a Nimitz class aircraft carrier with a 5 HP outboard on a dinghy, though quite slowly.