CS 15 Outboard Recommendation

[W. Micawber]

I am a hair's breadth away from putting an outboard on my CS 15. Would I need a long or short shaft model? Also, since I know relatively little about outboards, can someone steer me in the direction of a reliable motor. Thanks.

[John Turpin]

All of the little outboards are pretty reliable. The Honda 2 is light and dependable, but loud and expensive. The Tohatsu/Nissan is heavier, quieter and cheaper. I have the Suzuki 2.5, which is even less expensive, pretty light and very quiet. Unless you're a good small-engine mechanic, I'd recommend finding a local service shop that you like and buy whatever they recommend and service.

Here's my little quiet Zuke running: 2 1/2 horses of raw power!

[DeeeCeee]

Hi, if you are going to use an o/b bracket you can use a short shaft motor, if you want to mount the o/b directly on the transom a long shaft will fit, with the transom as per the plan. You then have the powerhead sitting fairly high and have some issues with the powerhead fouling the mizzen sheeting.

I fitted a 2 hp Yamaha 2-stroke outboard (short shaft) directly to the transom and made a cutout in the transom of about 4 inches to get the motor low enough and minimize fouling of the sheeting. Seems to work fine and doesn't foul the rudder blade in the down position. I chose the 2-stroke Yamaha as it was the lightest o/b that I could find.

The attached pic shows the o/b before it was lowered the full 4 inches into the transom.

[W. Micawber]

John and DeeeCeee,

Thanks for your replies. I will mount the motor on the transom. I thought that somewhere here that someone developed an alternative sheeting arrangement that avoided the fouling of the sheet on the motor altogether. I can't seem to find the post, though.

[ricknriver]

Found a very little used 11 yr old Merc (Tohatsu/Yamma?) 2.5 short shaft, 2-stroke, pull-n-go for my similar BRS15 on Craigslist for $300 that's light, pretty quiet, and runs very sweet. Will prob cut down one side of my transom too to get it a bit deeper & clear of mizz sheet. 2-stroke nice and thin and lets me store it in any direction on-board. Plan to go electric in time though. R

[PinoyPiper]

Found a very little used 11 yr old Merc (Tohatsu/Yamma?) 2.5 short shaft...

I have the Tohatsu version of that motor, if you're into tinkering, you might be able up the power to 3.5hp by removing the constrictor plate behind the carb.

[MisterMoon]

John and DeeeCeee,

Thanks for your replies. I will mount the motor on the transom. I thought that somewhere here that someone developed an alternative sheeting arrangement that avoided the fouling of the sheet on the motor altogether. I can't seem to find the post, though.

When I got my CS17, it had the motor on the transom. The builder had solved the sheeting problem by mounting the sheet block mid-boom and to a bridle mounted about 18" forward of the transom. This worked after a fashion, but the sheet really interfered with the sail on one tack, especially downwind. In order to move the sheet back to end of the boom it was necessary to move the motor to a mounting bracket. It's much better this way, IMO.

My mizzen sheet is rigged differently than what's shown on the plans. Let me see if I can describe it: At the end of the boom, there is a becket block. The sheet starts on the becket then goes to a another block on a short bridle on the transom across the top of the tiller. It then goes back through the sheave on the boom and up to another block up at the snotter end of the boom. From there it goes down to a turning block on the mizzen thwart and to a cam cleat mounted on centerline. I really like this set up as it keeps the cleating point in front of the skipper, unlike the one shown on the plans where the mizzen cleats behind you. Neither my method or the double ended version shown in the plans will work with a motor on the transom.

[W. Micawber]

John, thank you for the description of your sheeting arrangement. If you think about it, could you post a pic? I am wondering how badly the downward tension of the sheet along the underside of the boom affects sail shape. It seems to me that it would distort the set of the sail to quite a degree. Has that been your experience?

[MisterMoon]

John, thank you for the description of your sheeting arrangement. If you think about it, could you post a pic? I am wondering how badly the downward tension of the sheet along the underside of the boom affects sail shape. It seems to me that it would distort the set of the sail to quite a degree. Has that been your experience?

The sheet runs parallel to the boom then parallel to the mast after it makes the turn. I've not noticed any effect on sail shape. The forces are not that high, anyway. I'd love to be able to show you a picture, but I'm recovering from some major surgery and I'm on a ten pound weight restriction, so I'm not allowed to go sailing until September.

Here is the only photo I've got where you can kind of see it:

You can see the block up by the snotter that leads the sheet down to the turning block on the thwart. And, yes I know my motor is too big. But it's brand new and it came with the boat so I don't see any reason to change it.

JB

[W. Micawber]

John, I am saddened to hear of your plight. Get well soon. Thanks for the pic. It is nearly what I pictured in my mind from your description.

[Peter HK]

You can also rig the mizzen sheet with a turning block on the mast and so overcome any downward tension on the boom. The 2 photos below show the aft and forward ends of the mizzen sprit boom (not shown in either is the fairlead for the sheet at about the halfway point to keep it tidy).

Cheers

Peter HK

[W. Micawber]

Thanks for the pics, Peter!

[ricknriver]

Thanks for the carb tip Pinoy, and to the others for the sheeting and rigging arrangements/alternatives that I'll be considering for my BRS15 that's still plan stock. Will probably leave it stock simple till after the NCUM though. Just make sure all is fastened well. R