[PCW] Outboards

[L&S Kubis]

I live in Australia, on the Gold Coast and currently have a 2004, 40 ft 
Ozzycat ( ex-Cougar Power Cat ) with a pair of new 250 HP Suzuki's with 
extended shafts on her and just love them!! Prior to this Cat I had a 
similar sized Noosa Cat powered by a pair of Turbo-charged 350 HP Yanmars.

I must say I like the Suzuki's much better at this point in time. They are 
quieter, much smoother, offer more maneuverability on a narrow beam Cat, no 
fouling of the props, far more responsive to the throttle than the diesels, 
(a feature appreciated by all the fisherman when crossing the numerous 
bars), outboards just pop up should one hit a mud bank whereas the fixed 
prop is damaged or pulled out of the boat, boat beaches easily, etc!!

Regarding use of Diesel fuel vs Gas --as was pointed out to me many times --  
there are more pleasure craft powered by gasoline engines than diesels and 
they seem to do well!!

The electrical output of the Suzuki's alternators is down a bit from the 
Yanmars but I have had no problem keeping my generator-less boat going 
fitted out with inverters, a very extensive electronics suite  and a battery 
bank of almost 1000 AMP/Hrs.

Re- hotwater, I use an on-demand type propane heater which provides endless 
amounts of hot water quietly!! My friend has had one of these heaters on his 
sailboat for 15 years without problems and he has cruised extensively!!

Most of the Power Cats in Australia below the mid 30's in length are powered 
by outboards for these reasons, particularly those used for fishing and 
rescue purposes !!!

The niggly part of using the outboards is that need to be flushed out after 
using them and tying up the boat for a while!!

Nevertheless the new Suzuki's are great and many people are switching to 
them because of their reliability and performance.
BTW -- I have no connection to Suzuki -- I'm just a happy user!!

Cheers!
Lloyd


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Kupps" <n6bk@yahoo.com>
To: "Power Catamaran List" <power-catamaran@lists.samurai.com>
Sent: Friday, October 06, 2006 11:58 PM
Subject: Re: [PCW] Outboards


> Hello I had a 46' Wharram sailing cat with two four stroke 25hp hi thrust 
> OBs.
>
>  In addition to the advantages mentioned I would add lighter total 
> machinery weight including the drive gear and fuel/parts compatible with 
> dinghy motor.
>
>  Much more significant disadvantages to the real ones already listed, IMO 
> are:
>
>  1) Total useful load for the same cruising performance would be difficult 
> or impossible to safely carry.
>  2) Reduced reliability
>  3) Fumes are a real hazard that must be dealt with some vigilance.
>  4) By far the most important problem will likely be prop cavitation. Even 
> mounted on boxes which hinged down from under the cockpit seats, I 
> frequently had to slow down to rediculously slow speeds when motoring into 
> steep seas to avoid prop cavitation and the constant throttle handling 
> (and noise) can get tiresome quickly even with an autopilot.
>
>  Naturally depending on one's intended use, and the pitching 
> characteristics of a particular hull form,  these may be more or less 
> significant
>
>
> Gary Stavrou <gstavrou@bigpond.net.au> wrote:
>  May I invite your general opinions on the subject of outboard engines.
> It seems to me that for a light displacement cat of about 9-10.5m in
> length that a couple of outboard motors in the 60-90 HP range would
> be hard to beat.
> The obvious advantages are:
> 1. Lower initial purchase and installation costs.
> 2. Cheaper maintenance.
> 3. Keeping fumes and vibration out of the hull proper.
> 4. Having more usable space in the hulls.
> 5. Better manoeverability at slower speeds.
> 6. Lifting the leg out of the water when moored.
> 7. Less risk of propeller damage.
> 8. Smoother, though higher revving, motors.
>
> Other than having hot water without a gas setup, better electric
> power generation and that satisfying throb of a low-revving diesel I
> cant see why the outboards wouldn't be the sensible choice.
> Gary
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