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Atomic 4 inboard vs outboard

5K views 27 replies 15 participants last post by  bljones 
#1 ·
I have a perfectly running original 1975 atomic 4 inboard. However, I was thinking about going with an outboard as a backup. For a 28ft boat, what size outboard should I purchase? I don't know much about inboard motors, but it's hard to get to the inboard for maintenance etc. I may pull it out. What are your thoughts here?
 
#3 ·
28' is a lot of boat to be pushing with an outboard, not that it can't be done. I'm willing to bet $5 if you made the switch, you'd be sorry you did. I've got a buddy who used to have a 26' with an outboard and he hated it. Absolutely loves having an inboard in his new, larger boat.
Just have your A4 serviced and keep on going. Don't bother with an outboard.
 
#7 ·
I want a backup to be on the safe side. I was going to have another mast, and sails but I don't have enough room ;) I was only toying with the notion of pulling the inboard out because its an older motor and it leaves me a little unnerved. I suppose a yearly service would settle that symptom. I do not know much about motors so the fear of having one die on me sticks in the back of my head whilst sailing.
 
#13 ·
2nd the Moyer Marine forum on the Atomic 4.
I have owned an A4 for over 10 years now. When I first got it I knew next to nothing about it but with the advice and help at the Moyer forum I have: replaced raw water pump, replaced fuel pump, replaced shaft, cutless bearing and shaft log hose, replaced the head gaskets.
You will feel much better about your A4 if you know your way around it. The tools you need to learn your way around are determination, a good ratchet wrench set and a can of PB Blaster or Kroil. Get the A4 manual and learn how to remove and clean the carburetor.
 
#14 ·
Thanks jones & chuck, I have the manual and I want to learn as much as I can from it. Becoming competent with the engine sounds like part of owning a boat. I will try the best I can lol I'm a medic, not a mechanic! I have a few friends I was stationed with that an also help.
 
#25 ·
I'm a medic, not a mechanic!
You'll find that the two jobs are very similar: Assess damage, perform aid, and evacuate to specialists when necessary. ;)

Seriously though, don't let it intimidate you. An engine is waaaay simpler than the human body, and they are usually much better patients. The parts are a lot cheaper and easier to get too.
 
#17 ·
Your atomic 4 won't fall off the transom, guaranteed. Seriously, take the above advice. The manual they're recommending isn't the original engine manual -- it's Moyer marines manual. Get it. I'll guaprantee the A4 will be easier to repair than an outboard.
Also, get the towing contract. <$100/ year and as long as you pay it you probably won't need it.
 
#18 ·


I can say with complete assurance a 4HP outboard will move and 8000 pound Cal 29 no problem at 4.5 knots because i did it for 18 miles when i rescued the boat to be refit



I can say with REALLY complete assurance that my 1970 atomic 4 is a vastly superior way to move the boat and after decades of abuse it required a valve job and some gaskets and seals
 
#19 · (Edited)
Give yourself some time to learn your A-4. A-4 owners think of themselves as A-4 owners as well as boat owners. When it is healthy it is a reliable friend, a source of personal satisfaction and pride. It is a significant component of your boat! Don't think of it as an accessory. Access can be tough on some boats. Modify the access rather than putting your power plant outside.

A medic is a mechanic! :D

Down
 
#20 ·
You all ready have a back up system -- it's called a sail! You apparently have a sailboat so learn to sail it. I sailed a 32 foot Alden sloop built in 1927 for three years after the Atomic 4 quit for good on me. I was puzzling over what to do with it and the cost of a new motor when a gnarled old mariner growled thru his pipe, "Just learn to sail the damn thing." So I did. Best sailing school I ever attended. As I gained confidence and skill and learned the idiosyncrasies of the old boat I ventured farther and farther off shore Maine coast, Canadian Maritimes, Grand Banks, Nantucket Sound and Long Island Sound until I fetched up on a lee shore in a howling gale and the sea smashed the boat to pieces -- but that's another story for another time.
 
#21 ·
I also have a 28 ft boat with an A4. The boat is from 1966, the engine has been rebuilt once that I know of. It still runs great. As others have said, the A4 is one of the most popular engines ever built for sailboats. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you (or if I were me, which I am).

 
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