Message 9 of 10
Posted by member Mark Walton on Monday 29 June 2009

I would agree with the above if you are tidal then at least a 15hp I use a honda 15hp as my main and it struggles to get me anywhere fast in my H18 M/S. I am saving for a 50hp because I dare not risk the Menai Straits. The sails need plenty of wind and cannot be counted on to get you out of trouble.

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Message 7 of 10
Posted by member Andy Mcmullan on Saturday 13 June 2009

I fitted my saildrive prop to my 5hp 2-stroke motor and tried it out last night on my Pilot. The best speed I could get was about three knots. I played around with raising and lowering the motor and this seemed to make a big difference. With the bracket right down the motor revs varied alot with the throttle held wide open. There was a lot of water churning around the motor. Lifting the engine up let the motor rev out better and it seemed a bit happier. The revs still went up and down a bit and the max speed was still about 3 knots. Did the revs on your motor fluctuate like this Dominic? I was expecting a better result from the saildrive prop but I think it's better than the standard 8" pitch prop which was basically useless. I'm pretty satisfied that this engine will get me home if the tide and wind are favourable and it was definitely a wortwhile exercise testing the auxiliary engine out. Cheers, Andy

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Message 5 of 10
Posted by member Michael Herridge on Thursday 4 June 2009

I too would like to know more about the usefulness of auxiliary engines on a Pilot. Does anyone have any experience of using, say, 5hp in any sort of sea? I wonder too how easy it would be to steer... Michael

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Message 3 of 10
Posted by member Andy Mcmullan on Wednesday 27 May 2009

Richard I have a 5hp 2 stroke Mariner auxiliary on my Pilot. I tested the motor out a few days ago and the performance was very poor. I think it may be to do with the prop. These outboards have props as standard for light tenders and need a smaller pitch, say 6" instead of 8", to allow the engine to rev out and make decent power with the heavy boat. Well, that's the thoery anyway. I'm getting a 'sail drive' high thrust,low pitch prop for my engine and will report on the findings. It's also important to ensure that the aux motor can be deployed low enough to drive the boat properly and not come out of the water if it's choppy. These small single cylinder engines are a compromise between performance and weight. Ideally I would like a 9.9 Yamaha four stroke that I could actually get some decent use out of, rather that have the 5hp rotting on the bracket. That engine is pricey and pretty heavy. Most small tenders need a short shaft engine. You defo need a long shaft auxiliary on your Pilot. Not sure how well the long shaft would work on a tender, unless you could build your transom up or something. Whatever you do it would be an idea to test everything regularly to ensure it's ready to go in an emergency. I'm glad I deceided to try mine out. Cheers, Andy

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Message 1 of 10
Posted by member Roger Piper on Tuesday 26 May 2009

I have 20 MS and thought about doing as you propose , however, I decided that the long shaft would cause problems with using the dingy in shallow water unless you are very careful. Also, 4hp would probably not be man enough for the job in any sort of seaway. Would have thought is 5 hp minimum acceptable size.

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