Has any Badger been equipped with a stern-quarter mounted, long-shaft, retractable, outboard motor, that can be lowered into the water when needed. I have heard it works well on 30 ft boats. Not in all conditions of course but for coastal cruising? A friend of mine who used one for cruising for many years on his 30-footer said this setup has an undeserved bad name. Perhaps 34 ft is just too big.

You can certainly replace a diesel motor with an outboard. On Footprints, a 10 meter boat that weighed 5000kg we had a 9.9hp high thrust Yamaha 4 stroke outboard. It was very successful and did everything a small diesel engine would have done, except provide high output battery charging from an alternator. We used solar panels and a wind generator instead for battery charging. We used Footprints both for local coastal cruising, and for offshore sailing. BUT the outboard would need to be in an external well not open to the accommodation. This is for reasons of noise, fumes from the exhaust, and of course the explosion risk of petrol. You would also need a vented storage space to store the fuel. Ideally you would have some way of raising the motor out of the water when not using the boat and when sailing. On Footprints we could raise the motor vertically far enough to get the lower part of the drive leg above the bottom of the hull. Having had a lot of experience with outboard auxiliaries I think the Yamaha 9.9hp high thrust motor is the best motor for the job, and should be plenty big enough for your Benford yacht. 

Hi All,

Has anyone experience of fitting an outboard motor inboard in a yacht instead of an inboard diesel?

Our boat is a 6 ton 34' Badger JR schooner. Plywood, flat bottom, with  a long keel and an outside rudder.

We have problems with our 20hp Nanni diesel / Sail-drive combo which may make replacement necessary, and I am wondering if a 20hp outboard motor through the same hole in the bottom of the boat, or even a bit further aft, is a possible economical alternative?! In my ignorance I think it may be quieter than the diesel, take up less space, be a bit lighter and make less smell when running. But is petrol really any nicer than diesel?! (My family have a hatred of diesel fumes). I'm not crazy about the flammability of petrol but think this option needs to be considered. We have ruled out electric power due to cost, as we don't go into marinas or alongside unless we really have to, and we do too many deadlines currently, meaning frequent motorsailing.

I envisage building a "well" around the outboard so that, should the arrangement leak, the leak will only drown the motor. Even that possibility could be reduced with a submersible pump in the well.

I have room to move the motor aft a bit, another potential advantage of the arrangement over the current diesel.

All suggestions would be gratefully received.

Pol.