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Transom length on a 1969 Ericson 26

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Since that model was designed/built with an OB well, I wonder why you would want to put it on the transom? Lots harder to keep the prop underwater, there. Harder to manipulate the motor controls, too.
Found a picture of one on the web, and the transom has a partial cutout for the motor to tilt up.
It's been 20 years, but I recall this on a friend's E-26-1, and his only lament was that it came with an Evenrude 15, which was really too heavy for the boat and twice the hp really needed... but it came with it... :)
It was a decent-sailing and cruising boat for a couple, tho.
 

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Calendrû

Member I
Hi Loren,

Thanks for your response. Yes, I have owned and sailed my Ericson 26 for 7 years. Sorry I used the wrong term. How long is whatever I attach the outboard to, outboard bay. I have a Mercury 9.8 in there now that is too unreliable.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Sailboat Data shows the displacement as 4400#. An 8 hp modern four stoke OB should be plenty of power, and I suspect that it was probably designed for a "long shaft" OB (but not the Extra Long shaft version).
If you wandered into a strong 6 hp, it might do pretty well also. After all, the E-26-1 has a modest 21.4' waterline, so it's going to cruise under power at around 5.5 kts, I would guess.

Our previous Niagara 26 sloop used a 10 hp 'high thrust' Yamaha, and with 20/20 hindsight an 8 hp would have been equally good. On a windless day we do have to cover 50 miles plus of river distance, so we sometimes did a lot of motoring...

Opinions offered, one penny each, BTW.........
Or free....
:)
 
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Calendrû

Member I
Yes, also what physical size. The Merc I have in there now is a very tight fit. I want to know what dimensions I should be looking for that will fit in the engine bay, reach the water, and still be able to tilt up.
 

gabriel

Live free or die hard
Yes, also what physical size. The Merc I have in there now is a very tight fit. I want to know what dimensions I should be looking for that will fit in the engine bay, reach the water, and still be able to tilt up.
The shaft lengths that will work: long and xtra long. The xtra long is probably better in steep waves but it might drag in the water a bit when tilted up. I use a cutout mounted long shaft on my e25 and haven't heard the prop come out of the water yet.

As far as size i dont know the size of your cutout but 8hp sounds about right. Keep in mind that the cutouts in these bosts were designed around smaller 2 stroke outboards so you may have to compromise when shopping for a 4 stroke becausw of dimension and weight.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
As far as size i dont know the size of your cutout but 8hp sounds about right. Keep in mind that the cutouts in these bosts were designed around smaller 2 stroke outboards so you may have to compromise when shopping for a 4 stroke becausw of dimension and weight.
Perhaps worthless trivia, but perhaps interesting/revealing: In the early 70's there was, as you know a sailboat building boom because of the gas shortage and rationing of purchase opportunities.
Johnson/Evenrude responded by building the "Sailmaster" OB. It was their 9.9 hp motor, with a very low cowel, and usually sold in a long shaft version to sailors.
It was likely developed for the small fishing skiff industry, where anglers loved the much lower profile on their transom which was more out of the way for fishing. These were all lightweight two strokes. The first widely-available Honda OB's came along in about '75 or '76, and while people liked the quiet and thrift, they were heavy in comparison.

Sailboat makers were putting these low-cowel designs lon all kinds of makes and models, and especially loved the way it could tuck down into a well at the back of the cockpit, with a lid or cover over the top and/or front. Almost tidy; this also put the motor controls handy for manipulation, and best of all moved the prop under the back of the boat which kept it submerged even in small waves. :)
In comparison, the bracket method of mounting put the prop way out back where it caveated easily, and tilting those engines was sometimes quite a reach. :(
OTOH, being inside the transom area a bit could put that two-stroke exhaust and noise close to the occupants of the boat.

Among many others, there was the E-26-1, Ranger 24, Columbia 22, Cal 20, Catalina 27, PSC 20....
Then there were the bracket-mounts, as used on the O'Day 25. Yikes.

Re-boarding our 'way back' machine to nowadays, 4-stroke OB's are all we have for sale new, and they get lighter every year, altho not as light weight as we would wish, or as we recall from ye olden days.
The newer 4-stroke engines, have and have always had, one other advantage: torque.
While HP is supposed to be calculated and true, I have found over the decades that my HP from my Honda and Yamaha outboards was a lot (!) more powerful than my older two-stroke outboards. I liken those horses to Clysdales compared to race horses.... :)
It's probably a combo of more honest advertising by the makers and the lower-rpm torque curve. It's real, tho, in actual use.

FWIW, our new Johnson 6, in 1977, was referred to as the "buzzer" because it produced more noise than motion on our 20 foot trailer sailor!
Friends with heavier Honda 6 engines could zip right by, in comparison.

So, measure that well carefully and if possible find a local engine dealer who will let you borrow a couple of engines for a trial fit.

And finally, do not be depressed by these sorts of challenges.... short story: couple of months ago I was talking, at a distance, with one of our few club members who owns a 29 foot V-8 'express cruiser' rather than a sailboat, and he said he's planning to change over to.... a sailboat. He's tired of spend so much for fuel, and really has no place he wants to go to in a hurry. Shocking!
:)

That Johnson model name was used for at least twenty years, and I found what resembles a 70's one, on the web.
 

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gabriel

Live free or die hard
Thats exactly what i have, a Johnson sailmaster that came with the boat. Its such a smooth and light workhorse but my only complaint is the fuel consumption...almost a gallon per hour!

If i ever need to replace it with a 4 stroke i’ll have to lose one piston and 2 hp in order to keep using the cutout. I’ll be willing to make that trade off as i agree that 4 strokes have a power band that is more suited to pushing around slow sailboats, though container ships are 2 stroke diesel

 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Perhaps some more research will produce some actual engine measurements, which will be more valuable than our positive opinions. :)

Around here, in the late 70's, there was local Catalina 27 with the factory OB well, just inside the stern section. The owner bought a new Honda 9.9, and when he found that the cowel was a little too tall to allow the motor to tilt all the way up and 'lock', he modified the cowling by sawing off the top/front section down a few inches, at a slant. He must have been comfortable doing metal work because he built/pounded out a copper piece that covered the internal parts fine but was low enough to barely allow the motor to tilt and miss the top of the cut-out in the transom. Looked unusual, but functioned just fine. The new "top" was pop riveted in place to the molded factory frp top.
 
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