Choosing the Right Outboard

Two of the most indispensable items on board a cruising yacht are a dinghy and an outboard motor. At anchor or on a buoy, of course, they are your only means of getting ashore. They also have a thousand other uses. For example, they can allow you to motor across to friends’ boats, collect supplies, clean the hull, feed out a long line ashore or set a kedge anchor, just to name a few.

With this in mind, not only does the tender need to be tough and stable, its outboard motor must be as reliable as possible and powerful enough to drive it fully loaded, but not so heavy it can’t be handled on and off the boat easily and safely.

There is a large selection of portable outboards available, but first you need to decide which type would best suit your purposes.

SIZE AND WEIGHT

Clearly, the maximum size of outboard you can go with will depend primarily on the size and type of tender you choose. Many 35-45ft bluewater cruisers will have a 9-10ft inflatable or RIB for general purpose tender use. However, the specific make and model you buy can also depend on the size of yacht you have and your means of stowing it onboard.

A 10ft inflatable can usually support a 6-8hp outboard, whereas a similarly sized RIB can take a 10-15hp model, thereby enabling you to plane with a couple of adults on board. You won’t be able to water ski with either of these