Dinghy/Outboard Questions Please

[TSAKUS]

Hello,
My wife and I are pretty new to sailing and we purchased a 1984 Newport 33 this last year. The previous owners installed dinghy davits off the stern. We recently purchased a 9'6" inflatable and a 9.9 hp Mercury 4 stroke. My questions are;

1. Is it always necessary/smart to remove the outboard from the inflatable when stowing the inflatable on the dinghy davits, or can it be left mounted to the inflatable? When moored/When underway?

2. What would be the best way to stow the outboard on the sailboat when not using.

Thanks

[SVPrairieRose]

Being that it is a four stroke it must be stored a certain way to prevent oil passing through the valves, likely tiller side down and the head must stay higher than the leg. I store mine upright on a block I mounted to the rail. I have a crane as I have high freeboard and it's a very, very heavy motor. To answer whether or not to sail with it no the dingy I would say that as long as everything is strong enough to support the weight why not. I am assuming that it is a vertical lift to the davits and not a setup that flips the boat onto it's side, as mentioned above a four stroke should not be stored that way. Enjoy the new toy!

[chef2sail]

If you are just using it on weekends and leave it in the davits make sure they are secure and that the drain plug is open (rain water by the gallon is very heavy). My wife sewed a custom cover (you can by them) with slits we put over ours on the davits with a beach ball from the dollar store underit to give it some slope so the rain sloughs off. For our most of the summer weekend cruising we leave the engine on the dinghy.

For trips we susually go from the Chesapeake to NE ebery yeat) we lift it off and put it on the stern rail on a block. Oour Gargauer radar pole on the stern has a 2 pin detachable engine hoists ( 6:1) which came with it and we put a bridal on the engine and just lift it off ( 5 minutes).

Make sure you have a good bar lock on the engi8ne when on the dingy as well as a good cable keeping it attached to the dinghy in case of accident. Even though a determined theif will still fins a waty to steal the engine, it easier to find a dinghy with one not locked. Also buy a long 30 ft cable you can lock when you take you dinghy into a town, dock etc. It seems to have become an epidemic anmongst teeneages to steal them

You have a nice set up with a 9.9 hp. 4 strokes require good gas to dont let it get to old and get a good additive so it doesnt build varnish in the pin hole injectors.

have fun...we enjoy having ours on davits immensely which means we use it all the time as it only requires 5 minutes to lauch.

Dave

[dacap06]

Is anyone else besides me a little taken aback at putting a 10 HP motor on an inflatable dinghy???? That seems way too big, even for a 10' inflatable. At my old sailing club we drove 25 foot Catalinas with 9.9 HP motors and they had plenty of reserve horsepower. A lighter, smaller motor would make the OP's life much easier so I think discussing this subject would be benefit him.

While I have almost no experience with an inflatable dinghy (mine is a folding boat) I'm thinking 4 - 6 HP sounds about right. What do others experienced with inflatables have to say on the subject?

Tom

[Minnewaska]

You can't compare a sailboat's displacement hull with the drag of an inflatable. 10 hp on a 10 ft inflatable is reasonable.

[dhays]

Originally Posted by dacap06

Is anyone else besides me a little taken aback at putting a 10 HP motor on an inflatable dinghy???? That seems way too big, even for a 10' inflatable. At my old sailing club we drove 25 foot Catalinas with 9.9 HP motors and they had plenty of reserve horsepower. A lighter, smaller motor would make the OP's life much easier so I think discussing this subject would be benefit him.

A 10hp motor will get the inflatable up on a plane with a couple adults. Anything less won't. This is important for some folks in certain situations.

Dave

[MarkSF]

If it's just from the anchorage to shore do you care if it takes 10s instead of 30s?

A 2hp will push that boat along at 6 knots.

[fallard]

I've used 4, 6, and 10 hp motors on inflatables in the 9 to 10+ ft range over a number of years. The 4 and 6 were used on an Avon roll-up. The 6 hp could get up on a plane with one person and a tail wind, but that motor was awkward to lift onto the stern pulpit bracket (and that was a 2-stroke!) I downsized to the 4 hp, which--at 29 lbs--was half the weight of the 6, but had to deal with the slower speed. This wasn't a showstopper, but was inconvenient in some of the larger harbors and was marginal when you had to go through a cut against the current. I remember going into Menemsha at about 1/2 kt over the ground and being grateful the current hadn't peaked.

I got the 10 hp (4 stroke) motor when I stepped up to a larger RIB. That boat/motor combination weighed in at 250 lbs, dry and empty. I considered 6 hp to be marginal and, since the 8 and 10 hp motors were about the same weight, I went for the 10. I bought peace of mind for the tidal situation and consider that the dinghy can act as a tugboat for the mother ship, if necessary. The downside is that I tow it behind the sailboat, as I am reluctant to put davits on the sailboat.

Bottom line: The larger motor is more convenient for multiple trips in the larger harbors and provides reserve for bucking wind and current. I'd say the difference is measured in tens of minutes rather than tens of seconds.

[dhays]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

If it's just from the anchorage to shore do you care if it takes 10s instead of 30s?

A 2hp will push that boat along at 6 knots.

I agree. However, not everyone uses their dinghy as I do and I doubt that everyone uses their dinghy as you do. Someone asked why a 10hp motor on an inflatable, and I explained the most common reason.

I've got a 9.9hp engine on an inflatable. I acquired both from my father. I'm seriously looking at getting rid of the gas powered motor and getting an electric to use for the dinghy. I don't need to plane as I don't generally have to go very far in the dinghy. For me, the electric would work great. However, there are a lot of folks who do need to travel quite a ways in their dinghy when out cruising. Their needs are a lot different than mine.

Dave

[SeaFever2000]

Great discussion and very timely for me. Thanks for some of your comments Dave.

I just acquired a 11 ft Achilles and have been looking into motors for the same. The SD -11's plate suggests max hp as 20 hp but I think that would be overkill. I think you'll will agree.

I have been thinking about and looking up the Minn Kota Riptide series and was thinking about the 45 lb thrust with 36" shaft length. Great deal at $309 plus tax! I have never had a dinghy and therefore never moored. I just day sail in SF bay. I plan to expand my sailing to the delta hence the dinghy will be handy. we do get a good chop in SF Bay but not in the anchorages. Perhaps in the delta I might need to go longer distances than at Angel's island which would be from the mooring to shore.

Given the above do you'll think a 45lb thrust electric motor is going to suffice? I think so but want some feedback from people who have actually used the same. Thanks.