Hey all, I have a Day Sailer clone, an Annapolis Discoverer 18. I believe it's 100 pounds heavier and possibly as much as 12" longer than a DS. But let's pretend it's a DS for the sake of discussion.
The big question is: will a 65 pound outboard be way too much weight hanging off the stern? My boat came with a mount that adds another 6" of horizontal distance (and lever arm) off the transom.
Context:
I am 99% sure that I want a motor. Primarily as a backup plan including times when the weather doesn't coincide with our trailering schedule (e.g. we're going camping on an island for a few days with a dock and you can only get there by boat). We've only sailed on our local lake so far (Quannapowitt in Wakefield MA), but want to trailer it to try and sail near family places (Upper Frenchman's Bay, North of Mount Desert Island and around Stonington CT). I'm going to be sailing with my little kids and my wife doesn't love only having paddles. Im mostly convinced she's right.
I would love to avoid gas. It feels so antithetical to the point of sailing, but I see the argument for it all the same. The EP Carry sounds great, but I think it sounds underpowered for potential wind/current woes and maybe a little less margin on the battery capacity than I'd like. For reasons I can't remember I've written off trawling motors.
I stumbled across propane outboards today, via references to the now-apparently-defunct Lehr. I think the Mercury/Tohatsu 5HP propane outboard long (20") or ultra-long (25") shaft sounds like it hits the sweet spot of reliability and being moderately more eco-conscious than a gas motor.
Thanks in advance for your brain bandwidth!