DavidInWilmNC
Seaman
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2009
- Messages
- 50
I do my best to ensure the reliability of my boat, as I'm sure most of us do. I still have a concern about motor issues causing us to be stranded. I think it'd be a lot 'safer' to have some sort of backup power. My boat is a 17' Sunbird Neptune with a '96 Johnson 90. A few years ago, my dad gave me an old (mid 60's maybe) Johnson Seahorse 5 or 6 HP. It has no spark and is a bit rough, and no local shops will touch it. I may make a winter project out of it. In the mean time, I think something like an 8 or 9.9 HP would be better for our needs. We go up the Cape Fear River and in the ICWW... no ocean trips for us.
I don't see a real way to mount an outboard on this boat. There is a splashwell where the motor is mounted but just about 18-20" on each side of that. Is it standard to just mount a kicker bracket here and attach the motor to it? I'm thinking I need a long-shaft motor for this. My current motor has oil injection, so I'd have to take a portable tank with premix for the kicker. I wonder how long one would run on a 3 gallon tank. What speed would I get out of a small motor like this? I'm thinking it would be something a bit like idle with the main motor. Thanks for any input!
I don't see a real way to mount an outboard on this boat. There is a splashwell where the motor is mounted but just about 18-20" on each side of that. Is it standard to just mount a kicker bracket here and attach the motor to it? I'm thinking I need a long-shaft motor for this. My current motor has oil injection, so I'd have to take a portable tank with premix for the kicker. I wonder how long one would run on a 3 gallon tank. What speed would I get out of a small motor like this? I'm thinking it would be something a bit like idle with the main motor. Thanks for any input!