Sven
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[Also posted on the Sailnet list]
One lock bar across the engine mount screws.
One massive cable lock around the backstay.
Still, our 5-month-new Mercury 4-stroke, 6 HP, longshaft is history. Someone stole it in the very busy Dolphin Marina in Marina Del Rey.
A very down weekend as we spent the day in the boat in the slip instead of being out sailing.
Yes, it is insured and we did report it to the local waterborne sheriff as well as the marina and anyone else who would listen. Apparently we were unusual in that we had the serial number, so it _might_ be recovered according to the sheriff, but not likely. If you don't have your serial number noted, do so, it gets passed around to the local pawn shops and other dealers.
On to the positive side of the story;
1st, Karl who has a boat a few slips down from us offered to lend us his outboard for the weekend. We barely know Karl and doubt that he knows us any better, but he offered right off the bat - we were really touched.
2nd, we'll get to buy a new outboard and can take a week to chose the new one.
So, on to the question of the replacement ...
We are not at all unhappy with the Merc, but wonder what the collective wisdom is regarding reliability of the various brands ? If it was a motorcycle I'd go for a Suzuki or Honda, but what about outboards ?
The Merc was a long shaft, should we try for an extra long shaft ? The bracket (suspended transom) is only 17" above the water when flat, but as we noted on the Catalina trip we cavitated badly when going head on into 4-5' steep seas.
Which outboards offer alternative props ? The one real complaint about the Merc was the lack of bite in reverse. I'd be willing to give up a bit of forward efficiency for a better bite in both forward and reverse, but especially reverse.
Is an alternator worth the extra cost as an option ? I assume the output is pretty low and the engine hours will probably be low too, so is an alternator likely to pay off ?
Finally, I'm toying with the idea of getting a smaller outboard, maybe 4 or 5 hp, and use it both for La Petite and the 7 to 8 foot inflatable we're planning on. Right now it is just idle contemplation, but I'm wondering if anyone else on this list uses an outboard for both purposes like that ?
Thanks for any insights and advice and don't forget to write down your serial numbers !
-Sven
One lock bar across the engine mount screws.
One massive cable lock around the backstay.
Still, our 5-month-new Mercury 4-stroke, 6 HP, longshaft is history. Someone stole it in the very busy Dolphin Marina in Marina Del Rey.
A very down weekend as we spent the day in the boat in the slip instead of being out sailing.
Yes, it is insured and we did report it to the local waterborne sheriff as well as the marina and anyone else who would listen. Apparently we were unusual in that we had the serial number, so it _might_ be recovered according to the sheriff, but not likely. If you don't have your serial number noted, do so, it gets passed around to the local pawn shops and other dealers.
On to the positive side of the story;
1st, Karl who has a boat a few slips down from us offered to lend us his outboard for the weekend. We barely know Karl and doubt that he knows us any better, but he offered right off the bat - we were really touched.
2nd, we'll get to buy a new outboard and can take a week to chose the new one.
So, on to the question of the replacement ...
We are not at all unhappy with the Merc, but wonder what the collective wisdom is regarding reliability of the various brands ? If it was a motorcycle I'd go for a Suzuki or Honda, but what about outboards ?
The Merc was a long shaft, should we try for an extra long shaft ? The bracket (suspended transom) is only 17" above the water when flat, but as we noted on the Catalina trip we cavitated badly when going head on into 4-5' steep seas.
Which outboards offer alternative props ? The one real complaint about the Merc was the lack of bite in reverse. I'd be willing to give up a bit of forward efficiency for a better bite in both forward and reverse, but especially reverse.
Is an alternator worth the extra cost as an option ? I assume the output is pretty low and the engine hours will probably be low too, so is an alternator likely to pay off ?
Finally, I'm toying with the idea of getting a smaller outboard, maybe 4 or 5 hp, and use it both for La Petite and the 7 to 8 foot inflatable we're planning on. Right now it is just idle contemplation, but I'm wondering if anyone else on this list uses an outboard for both purposes like that ?
Thanks for any insights and advice and don't forget to write down your serial numbers !
-Sven
