John Stone wrote:
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And there are some places I wanted to go just this year which I shied away from because good judgment demanded it. I wanted to sail into Marsh Harbor (down wind, unmarked narrow channel, following seas) on the way home this past June but not having been there before I was not confident I could get back out without high risk. So I didn’t go. I wanted to go up into Buck Island off St Croix for some world class snorkeling but the channel into the National Park designated anchorage is very narrow directly into the trades and swell and the outboard would have gotten swamped. So, I didn’t go. It annoyed me. Stuff like that.
I think about getting through some of the narrow breakwaters in Europe which I have been considering. Sailing in those unfamiliar restricted heavily trafficked waters, often singlehanding, engineless is probably more limiting than I want.
So my head says put the engine in and keep it a simple streamlined sailing centric arrangement and my heart says naaahhh. Refine the outboard bracket a little more and keep using the sculling oar when you can.
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Great photo of you "contemplating" the boat!
I can see how cruising Europe would be an incentive to motorize, with all the man-made basins and Med-mooring required. That would be tough to do under sail, or even on a boat with an offset prop where you don't have prop wash to help you turn and pivot. You might wind up using the dinghy as a tug just to enhance maneuverability, but that's not something you could do single-handed.
I recall reading somewhere that the Pardeys were never shy about accepting tows from passing boats, and that's another possible tool to add to your bag of tricks, though it doesn't fit very well with the whole "self sufficient sailor" ideology, and adds its own set of challenges and dangers.
Looking at your questions in reverse order,
>>5. If I install the engine can I do it in a practical professional manner that is clever, thoughtful, simple, reliable, and effective.
Looking at what you have already done with Far Reach, I think there is little doubt that you would do an excellent job, far better than "professionals" would do when charged with the task. If you do your homework, as you seem to always do, I'm sure any engine installation that you do will be a marvel.
>>4. Am I prepared to do the work?
Sorry, this is one you have to answer yourself. Examine the resources of time, money, and motivation that are at your disposal.
>>3. Will it make the boat more capable or less capable?
An engine is a tool, and I always like to have the right tool to the right job. An engine will clearly make the boat more capable of maneuvering and traveling, and less capable of storing things because of the space you give up. Which of these is more important for what you want to do with the boat?
>>2. Will it support me doing things I might not otherwise do and is that a positive?
I remember when we had the engine replaced on our 35-foot steel cutter. The new engine was more reliable, had more horsepower, and was coupled with a bigger, more appropriately pitched prop. We were amazed at what we could do with the engine and we did it: one day we found ourselves motoring straight upwind against 25-35 knot winds through Muscle Ridge Channel in Maine, and still punching through the seas and making good progress. But in two days of motoring with the new engine we caught 2 lobster buoys on the prop, which disabled the engine each time. We hadn't caught 2 lobster buoys in the previous 2 years of cruising Maine, and here we had done it in two days. The second time we wound up having to short-tack up a narrow, rock-strewn channel against 35 knots of wind under triple-reefed main and staysail to a harbor big enough to anchor under sail so we could get into the water and clear the foul without getting bashed by the waves into the hull. What had changed was that we were using the motor in conditions where we couldn't see and avoid the lobster buoys, conditions we never would have attempted with our old engine. We were learning that just because you
can do something (like motor dead upwind in a narrow channel in snotty conditions) doesn't mean that you
should. If you add a motor to Far Reach, you will eventually adapt to the new symbiosis between your skills and the boat's capabilities.
>>1. Will adding the engine enhance my sailing experience or detract from it? If so, how?
I think you have already realized that an engine will both enhance and detract from your sailing experiences. It will clearly increase the number and variety of places you can go, and the ease with which you can get to the same places you already go. The flip side is that, (for you, at least, though this is probably not true of most people) it will also detract from the sense of satisfaction that you derive from doing things without an engine.
This is the crux of the matter, and is probably why you are having such a tough time deciding what to do, because it boils down to one very hard-to-answer question: Why do you sail?
Many people sail as a means to take them places they couldn't otherwise travel to. For these people it is all about the destination rather than the journey, and for such people a question like "should I have an engine" is a no-brainer. An engine gets you to more places than you get to under sail alone, or makes getting to the same places easier than under sail alone.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, there are those for whom sailing is the whole reason they do it. These people will gladly circle the globe non-stop under sail without seeing a single port along the way. For these people an engine is, at best, a way to generate electricity along the way, and at worst, a bunch of extra weight to carry around. As Robert Frost once said about writing poetry without rhyme, it's like playing tennis without a net. For those who sail for sport, using an engine is cheating, plain and simple.
Those are the extremes, and obviously most of us are somewhere in the middle. So where do you fall on the spectrum? If you can answer that, then I think you will have your answer.
One final thought: So many people buy and equip their boat based on what they want to do someday rather than what their most immediate use is. I think this is a mistake. My suggestion is to think about what your likely use of the boat will be in the next 1-2 years and do what is appropriate for that use alone. If you plan on crossing the Atlantic to Europe next year and you want to do the French canals, or tie up in the little harbors of the Med, you may very well want an engine; if you want to cruise Maine and return to NC, and Europe is several years down the pike, perhaps you want to wait a bit and revisit installing the engine at a later date.
Smooth sailing,
Jim
