power and motor mount advice

Submitted by rob on Tue, 06/14/2005 - 22:50
I recently brought an older Customflex Scot from Ohio to the Chesapeake. It has no motor mount installed yet. I have to power it for a few hundred yards of shallow creek, and then I will be in the mid-Bay. I'm thinking I can go really minimal, here, but completely unpowered probably isn't a convenient option either. I have a large-ish trolling motor, a short-shaft 5hp, and a long-shaft 9.9, any of which could be fixed up and pressed into service. No tanks on the gas engines, though. If I want to try electric, is there a removeable side-mount bracket of some kind? Could I adapt a mount designed for a canoe, maybe, or just build one? I'd love to troll-motor out, then stash the trolling motor while sailing. If I need to go gas, what kind of mount do I get, and where is it placed? Do I have to drill holes through the boat for the gas line? Thanks for any advice! /// Rob
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Comments

A small, LIGHT, gas motor, don't put on too large a motor as it

Submitted by fs4491 on Thu, 06/16/2005 - 01:51.
A small, LIGHT, gas motor, don't put on too large a motor as it will just; unbalance the boat, be difficult to handle, use more fuel and not make the boat go any faster. I use a 2hp Johnson on an in-land lake and it's plenty. Some guys use electrics, but then you need to deal with a battery (solar charger?). One thing to remember is that if you want to take the motor off while under way (for racing as an example), the aft-deck makes it very awkward; the lighter, the better (here's where the electric would be good). Buy the mount from FS, it mounts on the transom and is partially removable (a low-profile white casting is bolted to the boat, the rest is removable). The small motors(<3.5HP)all have integral fuel tanks.

The problem with keeping the motor mounted while sailing is gett

Submitted by fssaeditor on Fri, 06/17/2005 - 09:56.
The problem with keeping the motor mounted while sailing is getting the mainsheet caught. Flying Scot Inc. now has an crusing option which leads the mainsheet to the centerboard cap. By doing so, you may leave the motor mounted on the stern. The one concern stated by FS Inc. is that you cannot sheet the main as close-hauled as normal, and you have to be aware of the load on the center of the boom. People have reported elsewhere in the forum that the arrangement works well. It's easy to shift the mainsheet attachment back and forth between the centerboard cap and the normal rudder-head. attachment. FSSA Forum editor