DS with inboard sail drive

[adam aunins]

saw this on ebay gives lenght of 19' and also 16'9" so don't know if it's a DS. Looks kind of neat but also looks like someone screwed up a good sail boat. I would have to think that would put the brakes on a boat this size. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/19-ODay- ... dZViewItem

[algonquin]

It does appear to be a DS. Would have to classify it under "what were they thinking" or "were they thinking". Can't imagine it would sail very well with all that weight and obstruction hanging aft below the waterline.

But at the right price just pull the engine and with a little fiberglass work you could have a decent DS with gear and trailer cheap.

[Adrift]

But at the right price just pull the engine and with a little fiberglass work you could have a decent DS with gear and trailer cheap.

... and an engine to use or sell.

Poor boat.

[SUNBIRD]

The seller had this boat listed as a 1985, but she is more likely a 1975 (maybe 1973-4). My concern is that the engine is rather exposed to the weather and would be drowned if you take any water over the leeward side while sailing. This would not (if properly done!) be a bad idea for a daysailing Day Sailer, but I'd hate to be dragging even that small prop and lower-unit. I don't see any exhaust plumbing either, so Carbon monoxide may build up in the cockpit......of course the engine might choke on the fumes before the crew. Weight wise, those air-cooled lawnmower engines don't weigh all that much, a deep-cycle battery for and electric outboard would weigh as much or more.

I think I'd rather stick with the 4-Hp outboard clamped to the transom.

[adam aunins]

My idea of a good time on the water has nothing to do with sitting next to a running lawn mower engine. You wouldn't be able to muffle it enough for me! Plus it looks like it took up a fair amount of room in the cock pit.

[Roger]

On a larger yacht ( by whatever your definition of that) it may be more appropriate to have an inboard, especially when powering a generator etc, but on a small boat, say under 24' I think it is wise to have the versatility of an outboard. Cheaper, easier to maintain, more room in/on the boat, and I suspect signicantly ligher.

At least for me that is how I see it, and cannot see the advantages of an inboard, (any inboard, diesel or gas) for a small boat. Can anyone identify the advantages of an inboard for a boat say in the 24 to 30' range? I'd like to know.

[Peter McMinn]

The DaySailer has never been so defiled.

Tear out the damn thing and sail what is otherwise a fine boat!

[jpclowes]

Roger
I think the advantage of an inboard on a larger boat is that you don't have to pull the @#$#%$ thing off the transom. By the time you get a motor large enough to push the boat through the water, you are talking about some serious weight. Also, the more central placement of that weight helps with sailing, and the lower placement, at or below the waterline, helps with righting etc.

When I was growing up, my parents had a C&C 29 with an inboard. The thing weighted over 6000lbs. You would need a large outboard to push that safely through any tides and waves. I'm sure there are boats about the same length that have outboards (J-29 comes to mind) but I bet they displace a lot less.

On a small boat like this DS, an inboard engine is like putting a doorbell on an outhouse. Totally unnecessary, and out of place.

[Adrift]

Can anyone identify the advantages of an inboard for a boat say in the 24 to 30' range? I'd like to know.

Yes: Keeping the prop in the water in rough weather.

As you describe, there are tradeoffs such as consumption of interior space, ease of maintenance, and overall weight. But if you ever come to spend time on a 25-28 foot boat, with outboard prop screaming and spinning in air as much as in the water as the boat is pitching up and down while trying to come home against a tall sea, you will envy the guy passing you with his little diesel inboard putt-putting away.

With respect to the boats CG (thus the point it is pitching around) the more central location of the prop of an inboard (rather than at the far end of a long lever arm) limits vertical motion and keeps the prop down in the water where it can do its work. The prop also tends to be deeper by nature and shielded by the hull.

[Roger]

nm