[Kalina-Lona]

Greetings All,

I know this question could of been posted else where, but I think it can be a general discussion.
1974 Catalina 27's were manufactured with an Atomic 4 gas inboard and with a standard outboard well. What is your experience please about the use and performance using a 9.9 Merc. outboard in the std. outboard well?

Also I was introduced to a new video series on You Tube called "Yacht Teleport" a young Australian couple sailing thru the Northwest passage and eventually returning home to Australia. One of the best video series I've watched.

Cheers,

 

[chall03]

Hey Kalina,

I have watched their videos as well. Like you said, they are pretty awesome.

 

[davidpm]

In my opinion the 9.9 merc is just about right for a Catalina 25.
The Catalina 27 is significantly heavier.

People have put the 9.9 on a bracket on a Catalina 30 however.

It really depends on how much pain you are willing to endure and what kind of sailing you are going to do and how often.

If you have 2 knots of current and a head wind and some chop I don't think the 9.9 will push the 27 against it.

If it is dead calm a 2 HP will slide you along at two or three knots.

If you only need the motor for 5 min to get on and off a mooring and day sail you may be fine.

If however you have a slip on a river you may find you can never leave and return safely.

Then their are an infinite number of scenarios in between.

 

[Yorksailor]

I had a 9.9 regular shaft on a 30 ft boat. Things improved dramatically when I went to a 15 hp long shaft! I could actually go where I wanted when I wanted.

Phil

 

[rugosa]

We sail those waters and it seems that each year we get caught out there at least once when we are SO glad to have inboard diesel to get us home. We've towed Kirby 25's twice that lost their rudders, always in the worst weather. There are no moorings, only docks. If you tie up at Port Dalhousie Pier Marina you will avoid the 3-6 knot river current at DYC. As Welland Canal increases/decreases the outflow it's not just the current speed that changes, the current pattern changes too. There is almost always a counter current near shore that makes docking a challenge. In light air and the best of conditions the outboard will likely fit your needs, but it's the worst conditions that require greater reliability of the inboard.

I have no handling experience with any Catalina but when the builders of the day got to 27 feet inboard engines sold boats, outboards didn't. CS built 27' with standard Yanmar diesel, many local competitors followed by switching from Atomic 4 or offering diesel option. When you go to resell that will affect your ability to sell. There is a CS 27 ashore at PDPM the marina owner has for sale in the open lot along with about 10 other boats they are selling that were abandoned by owners. They all say $2000.00 on them except the Shark at $1,500, but the price sign on the CS blew away.

 

[Faster]

One of the (few) perceived advantages of an outboard over an inboard can be the ability to 'assist steer' by turning the outboard. The C27s standard transom cutout mount doesn't appear to really accommodate that very well, and the engine is in a lazarette so not necessarily even easily reachable..

So with that ability lost, combined with the ever-present risk of cavitation in a seaway (when you need power the most) and the loss of aesthetics (any boat looks better without an outboard hung on the transom) I think this choice is hands-down to the inboard, of which ever type.

 

[djodenda]

I had a C27 (78, I think) with a single cylinder 6 HP Petter Diesel in it. It actually was plenty of power for Southern California, although the weather conditions there are generally pretty benign. I repowered with a 12 hp Universal Diesel.

I agree with Faster that the problem with outboards comes when they aren't in the water when conditions are rough. How often that happens depends on the motor shaft length and how it's mounted. I would think that having it in the cutout on a C27 would be better than on an outboard bracket

 

[djodenda]

You know... I agree with Faster a lot... Weird...

 

[Faster]

Thanks David... btw - we've met so please feel free to call me by name!!

btw II.... was talking with your PO the other day, Dennis said to say hello.

 

[djodenda]

Will do, Ron.. Please reciprocate to Dennis. We're taking good care of his boat, and hope to head north this summer..

 

[Faster]

To the OP.. sorry about the drift.. back on subject:

Another advantage of the outboard, of course, is the ability to 'take it to the shop' for repairs. Sure beats the labour costs and hassle of pulling a recalcitrant inboard.. But overall I still think the 'prop in the water all the time' trumps all.

 

[djodenda]

Drifting back too:

After getting caught in a storm, in choppy seas, on a Newport 27 with an outboard, I promised myself that I would always have an inboard on any boat I had that was in exposed waters.

The outboard was out of the water as much as it was in the water, exactly at the time I needed it most.

We abandoned our attempts to get upwind that day, and had a miserable run back home, through most of the night.

So for me, and outboard is out of the question, which is why I went with the inboard Diesel on my 27..

That being said, it cost me a lot of money to replace that diesel, and having an outboard certainly was cheaper.

Sorry I have no conclusion for you, just varying opinions

 

[Kalina-Lona]

Thanks for the replies and comments. I've always thought the inboard was the better option but because this model was designed with the outboard well, I wondered if the negatives were addressed in the design?

Cheers,

 

[chachere]

I know this question could of been posted else where, but I think it can be a general discussion. 1974 Catalina 27's were manufactured with an Atomic 4 gas inboard and with a standard outboard well. What is your experience please about the use and performance using a 9.9 Merc. outboard in the std. outboard well?

We used to own a C27 that came with a 9.9 outboard (of which I was initially skeptical as being large enough). It was a long shaft model (don't recall brand), mounted on an adjustable bracket on the stern (there wasn't adequate space in the lazarette well, and it freed up some space there to boot). Didn't find we lacked for power to get up to (or close to) hull speed, even in headwinds and seas. Some pluses and minuses:

Pluses:
1) It freed up a huge amount of storage under the cockpit where an inboard would have been -- and given that storage on a C27 is very scarce, that was no small benefit. We kept a deflated dingy there, along with oars, boards for a convertible bed, and lots of other stuff when cruising.

2) I've heard that engine access on C27s with inboards is worse than terrible (I can only imagine -- it was scary crawling back there even without an engine); servicing an outboard was easy.

3) My own view is that if I had to a gasoline engine on a sailboat, I'd much prefer it being outboard than down below, for safety reasons.

Negatives:
Compared to our present diesel powered C36 (with twice the displacement), slow speed maneuverability on our old outboard powered C27 was awful, and reversing in close quarters was either scary or impossible.