Pearson 26 outboard recommendations?

[FoggyBottom]

Recently bought a P26 with an 10+ year old, 8hp Nissan. It has a gear/throttle remote control box in the engine well. No tiller control on the engine, it's locked in a single position so we can't use it for steering. We can only steer using the boat's tiller.
Looking to upgrade to 9.8hp (at least) but didn't know if this set-up was better than a standard outboard with a tiller control (gear and throttle on tiller) with the ability to steer using the motor rather than having the motor locked down and steering only with the rudder.

Any suggestions or comments?

[JimsCAL]

Had a P26 for 10 years. One of the best things I did was install an extra long shaft (25 inch) "sail" outboard. The prop stayed in the water when powering in larger waves and the added thrust from the 8hp engine actually powered the boat better than the 9.9 it replaced. The engine could be turned if necessary but I rarely needed to do that.

[dabnis]

Foggy,

Although not the same exact boat, here is some
info related to your request. Kind of long but covers
just about everything:

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-m...d-install.html

Dabnis

[sailingfool]

If you are going to steer by engine, which is a nice feature to use, do so only at low throttle settings and be sure the engine is rigidly screwed on, through-bolting would remove the risk of losing the engine....

[deniseO30]

There's a P-26 in my YC and it has a 10 hp on it. The worst thing about an outboard on a sail boat is having to reach over the transom to change gears.

[dabnis]

Foggy,

Had a Coronado 25 with a well. It worked fine, but not so good
trying to steer with the motor. Long story short, had a 6hp which was marginal for San Francisco Bay. went to a 15hp, same size as the 9.9,
and it really got the job done. If I was to do it over, controls in the
cockpit and electric start would be good. Suggest you get the strongest
motor with the longest shaft that will fit in the well.

Dabnis

[carl762]

The worst thing about an outboard on a sail boat is having to reach over the transom to change gears.

I'm a noob here, and I hate it. I want to install some kind of extension on the shifter lever. Think I saw a plan in one of the boat mags. Having to reach back over the transom to hit the kill switch is not much fun either.

[cspaniel]

To avoid this I installed a Uflex B85 control in my Catalina 27 cockpit (Mercury 9.9, long shaft), on the port side.
I cant believe I didnt install this before. Although a bit expensive, its a DIY job. I completely recommend this type of remote control.
-Abraham

[FoggyBottom]

Thanks for all the great advice-glad I found this forum!!

[Slofut]

Originally Posted by JimsCAL

Had a P26 for 10 years. One of the best things I did was install an extra long shaft (25 inch) "sail" outboard. The prop stayed in the water when powering in larger waves and the added thrust from the 8hp engine actually powered the boat better than the 9.9 it replaced. The engine could be turned if necessary but I rarely needed to do that.

Jim,
Was yours an evinrude "sail" motor? Ours has a long shaft Sail 9.9 and the prop comes out even in 3ft seas. Not to mention the infamous spark plug/missing cylinder issue. Would like to change it to something longer that runs on both cylinders.
Bill