by GreenLake » Thu Jun 27, 2013 5:17 pm
The propane motors avoid all the usual gasoline smell / exhaust smell that really has no place on a boat like the DS.
Trolling motors work fine for, say, up to a few miles radius of getting home in a calm. They will not work well in current as the top speed will end up less than 3kts. Also good if you say need to make it for a short stretch to get out of the docks or under a bridge.
There are some 2.5hp outboards out there, they would probably already be powerful enough.
Weight at the transom is going to be an issue for the DS as "squatting" will slow you down when sailing. A trolling motor has most of the weigh in the batteries and they can be mounted near the mast step.
I often leave the trolling motor home, esp. when sailing for shorter times on smaller lakes. Just not worth the hassle. I also have had better results docking under sail than with motors - for one, not all motors have a reverse so you can't arrest them and steer with the main tiller.
I sail in tidal areas with currents, and my usual is to wait for wind, rather than try to motor. If motoring, when currents are at their peak, I mostly try to get out of the channel to cut down on drift, rather then trying to motor home against the current. Most summer days, wind will show up eventually, and the DS is faster under sail compared to trolling motors even in light winds.
Maintenance for trolling motors is essentially zero - battery recharge and monthly topping off in the winter.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~