iinboard or outboard
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- deckhand
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2005 8:20 am
iinboard or outboard
I am in the begining stages of shopping for a capella. we plan on moving aboard and doing some cruising. we all know the dirty little secret of cruising is doing alot of motoring, unfortunately. My biggest concern is using outboards to do this. Do they perform well enough?
I've had a Capella LRC for 6 years and still have mixed feelings. In our case we knew we would do a lot of powering, including a year long ICW trip, so the diesels were probably the best way to go. We have a large 12V freezer as well as the fridge, and it takes about 100 Amp-hours daily. (In retrospect, I wish we had put in twin Danfoss based systems, so the freezer could be shut down easily.) If we didn't have the diesel, then we would need a genset and so the weight issue gets small.
The diesels have much better economy and range, and will push the boat at close to 8 knots (9 in a pinch). And they're a lot quieter - this was the final decider!
If you're a snowbird, and are planning on 500 engines hours a year, the diesels make sense. If you you use the engines only to get out of the marina the outboards are great. Unfortunately, most of us fall in between these extremes, and its a harder decision.
The diesels have much better economy and range, and will push the boat at close to 8 knots (9 in a pinch). And they're a lot quieter - this was the final decider!
If you're a snowbird, and are planning on 500 engines hours a year, the diesels make sense. If you you use the engines only to get out of the marina the outboards are great. Unfortunately, most of us fall in between these extremes, and its a harder decision.
My 2 cents worth
Loki has some good points. We had a choice between the two PDQ's sitting side by side when we bought ours. One was diesels and the other was outboards.
Initially, I thought we wanted the diesels, but after thinking it through we opted for the outboards. We've been living aboard for 5 years and cruising for the last 2 and we are glad we have the outboards.
On the positive side:
The outboards are easy to maintain and if the worse happens, $2600 buys a replacement and 30 minutes later the job is done.
Your right about the diesels sitting lower in the water, they are about 350 lbs heavier overall. We have found are PDQ's sailing ability is inversely proportional to her weight.
The outboards retract under sail. This adds almost 3/4 a knot to boat speed, which depending on where and how you sail, can really add up.
The outboards are outside the living space. Running them doesn't heat up the interior and you never smell exhaust or gas fumes inside.
On the downside:
The outboards will only push you at 7 knots max. At least that how ours behave.
The outboards are also noisier than hell.
Forget using your motors to maintain your on board electrical consumption. Ours put out a combined 8 amps at full throttle. We ended up putting a wind gen and 350 watts of solar panels to combat this problem.
I guess in the end it comes down to your own comfort level. In the last 5 years we have traveled 15,000 miles and 14,000 of them have been under sail. We love the outboards and wouldn't trade if we could.
Just my opinion....
Initially, I thought we wanted the diesels, but after thinking it through we opted for the outboards. We've been living aboard for 5 years and cruising for the last 2 and we are glad we have the outboards.
On the positive side:
The outboards are easy to maintain and if the worse happens, $2600 buys a replacement and 30 minutes later the job is done.
Your right about the diesels sitting lower in the water, they are about 350 lbs heavier overall. We have found are PDQ's sailing ability is inversely proportional to her weight.
The outboards retract under sail. This adds almost 3/4 a knot to boat speed, which depending on where and how you sail, can really add up.
The outboards are outside the living space. Running them doesn't heat up the interior and you never smell exhaust or gas fumes inside.
On the downside:
The outboards will only push you at 7 knots max. At least that how ours behave.
The outboards are also noisier than hell.
Forget using your motors to maintain your on board electrical consumption. Ours put out a combined 8 amps at full throttle. We ended up putting a wind gen and 350 watts of solar panels to combat this problem.
I guess in the end it comes down to your own comfort level. In the last 5 years we have traveled 15,000 miles and 14,000 of them have been under sail. We love the outboards and wouldn't trade if we could.
Just my opinion....
Allezcat is on its 3rd set of Yamaha outboards. They have reliably taken us up the East Coast twice, through the Great Lakes, and 7 times to the Bahama Islands.
The boat was designed with outboards and the diesels definitely compromise sailing performance, both from a weight and drag standpoint. The lack of DC power generation is solved by the Honda EU200i. It provides fuel efficient battery recharging and 120AC for everything other than air conditioning.
The boat will motor at 7.5Kts but seems most happy at 6.5 - 7.1Kts at acceptable engine noise levels.
The choice is yours of course!
The boat was designed with outboards and the diesels definitely compromise sailing performance, both from a weight and drag standpoint. The lack of DC power generation is solved by the Honda EU200i. It provides fuel efficient battery recharging and 120AC for everything other than air conditioning.
The boat will motor at 7.5Kts but seems most happy at 6.5 - 7.1Kts at acceptable engine noise levels.
The choice is yours of course!
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- deckhand
- Posts: 24
- Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 10:07 am
- Location: EDENTON, NC
OB vs DIESEL
"Forget the AC underway."
I groaned when my wife informed me that if I wanted her to sail with me in North Carolina in the summer we would need AC, yes, underway. I bit the bullet, installed the Entec genset and Westerbeke 17000 AC-heater. My brothers who helped me sail the boat from Ft. Lauderdale to NC chided me about the AC, but one day later were taking AC "breaks" in the cabin. I probably have the most heavily laden 36 on the planet. But our choice is for creature comfort, not speed. I need one fuel source, and diesel is safer. We motor a lot, and the diesels are much more conversation friendly. Our boat also has two heads. I love the boat. My wife loves the boat. Compatibility with wife and boat...priceless. Alex Kehayes Half Moon 36073.
I groaned when my wife informed me that if I wanted her to sail with me in North Carolina in the summer we would need AC, yes, underway. I bit the bullet, installed the Entec genset and Westerbeke 17000 AC-heater. My brothers who helped me sail the boat from Ft. Lauderdale to NC chided me about the AC, but one day later were taking AC "breaks" in the cabin. I probably have the most heavily laden 36 on the planet. But our choice is for creature comfort, not speed. I need one fuel source, and diesel is safer. We motor a lot, and the diesels are much more conversation friendly. Our boat also has two heads. I love the boat. My wife loves the boat. Compatibility with wife and boat...priceless. Alex Kehayes Half Moon 36073.
I thought I had the heaviest, but you probably have us beat! One more thing about the LRC I forgot to mention - the rudders are hung on a skeg rather than being unprotected balanced spade rudders. There are advantages to each, but its nice having a rudder that won't get bent if we hit something. It almost makes up for have a prop that will snag lobsta pots. Almost.
Jeff Morris, Loki 36072
Jeff Morris, Loki 36072
I've been cruising a Capella for 6 New England summers (and one Florida winter) and I have trouble remembering a single night at anchor that was unbearably hot. With two large hatches scooping the air the forward cabins are more often than not chilly. (The same can not be said for the aft cabin.) We have a wind scoop that we rig on occasion, but its most often used when we're tied up to a dock. More typically, we're surprsed to find out the the folks a few hundred yards away on shore thnk there's a heat wave happpening.
Were I you, I would just wait a year. When you get the slip, then you'll need AC.
Were I you, I would just wait a year. When you get the slip, then you'll need AC.
Some great responses. It strikes me that this boat was made to have outboards, then diesels were put in some.
I have been told that with a normal load that 36 lrc can actually have a step awash and have back chainplates immersed in water. A step I could handle, but the chainplate is bad.
Does this truly happen? If so, why is no one concerned that their boat is way overloaded?
I have been told that with a normal load that 36 lrc can actually have a step awash and have back chainplates immersed in water. A step I could handle, but the chainplate is bad.
Does this truly happen? If so, why is no one concerned that their boat is way overloaded?