Quote:
Originally Posted by GBurton
I have to make the decision on whether to install the engine or not.
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You’re on your own with that one. I don’t know what type of person you are and besides you don’t even know how you want to sail. Some people are content to do without an engine entirely and others want a motorsailor with lots of power. Your engine is small compared to what the average owner has on the average boat and that’s the only fact in the equation. Everything else is an opinion.
I elected to only put 20 horsepower in my Tartan 34C and by today’s standard that’s underpowered and your boat is much heaver then mine. I sail my boats and only have an engine to move in the marinas and crowded harbors. In fact I have owned unpowered boats most of my life and have crossed oceans on unpowered boats. I take pride in the fact I can sail and don’t need to keep to a schedule. The only advice I can give is to point out that by selecting an average size engine you will be among the averaged group of owners with an average boat and you will be just as happy as the average owner. If you install a small engine you will reduce the value of the boat when you sell her and put your self into a situation where skill and planning must replace muscle and brute force.
By the way, a turbocharger adds power at the top end of the RPM’s and to push a sailboat you are better to have the necessary power at a lower point in the power curve. A turbocharger is better suited to a powerboat where the engine is run at a higher RPM. On a sailboat a slower turning larger diameter
propeller is better then a smaller faster turning
propeller.
Good luck and all the best,
Robert Gainer