[Rhodes22-list] Call for Advice

[Mary Lou Troy]

Hi Frank,
Welcome to the list. You got a really good detailed answer from 
Cowie. I'll give you some additional points for consideration.

>a)       What engine should I buy-what size and what kind?  Note that the
>detachable throttle and gear shift that appear on the boat-show boat are no
>longer offered by the manufacturer.  I am particularly interested in getting
>an engine that is strong enough to easily reach hull speed while pulling a
>very small dinghy.  I am also concerned that the engine allow easy control
>when entering and leaving a marina.  Any suggestions appreciated.

As others have said 8 hp is more than enough under most conditions. 
The dinghy will most likely slow you down no matter what unless it's 
a hard dinghy. We have a lightweight plastic inflatable dinghy which 
we usually only inflate when we need it. We have towed it and found 
it towed best with the bow tied up on the stern rail with only the 
aft end of the dink in the water. A real inflatable might tow better 
than our little toy but it might just be more of a drag. We have a 
Yamaha 8 HT (high thrust) and like it a lot. One consideration if you 
will be sailing the Bay or anywhere else there is salt water is to 
make sure your outboard is easily flushable. Our old Honda 8 died 
from salt water corrosion. We keep the boat in a slip and it was not 
practical to flush the Honda with the boat in the water. The Yamaha 
has a port with a hose connection for fresh water flushing. As far as 
controls, we had cockpit controls for our old Honda. We had them 
mounted to the table leg in the cockpit but other folks have mounted 
them on the gunnels or below the seats. When we switched to the 
Yamaha the Yamaha tech was able to reuse the Honda controls. Yamaha 
also makes a control that can be mounted in the cockpit. A lot of 
folks have the outboard to rudder connector for better steerage under 
power. It seems to work very well but the boat is pretty maneuverable 
without it.

>b)       What instruments do I need?  At this point I am planning to use my
>handheld Garmin Oregon 400C for charts and compass.  The one instrument that
>I really would like is a large-screen, fixed, depth sounder that I can put
>on the cabin and see from the stern of the cockpit.  I would like to have
>one that is "in-hull" mounted, rather than "through-hull."  If anyone has
>experience with the options, I would appreciate help.

We use an old handheld GPS. It provides a "track" - where you've been 
and a "bearing" - the direction to a mark but it does not provide a 
true compass to steer by. Not sure about the capabilities of the 
Oregon but a fixed compass (or semi-fixed - ours is mounted on a 
board that fits in the companionway) seems like a good idea in a sailboat.

I would also plan on having some sort of paper charts on board. We 
use a chartbook that is updated every two years.

We have a fishfinder with a depth readout. The lazarette seems to be 
the place to mount the transducer but we were never able get ours to 
give a reliable reading from there. Other folks have. We use the 
depth to tell when we are in or out of a channel, when navigating to 
follow a contour line on a chart and when anchoring so we know how 
much rode to let out.

If you are going to be sailing on the Bay, I would recommend a radio 
with a mast mounted antenna. We used to use a handheld and it worked 
well communicating with other sailboats but not as well communicated 
with dockmasters and others who were using handhelds. We still have 
the handheld and consider it a back up. We did not get a remote mic 
because there is almost always two of us aboard but would consider it 
if we were singlehanding. We did put a weatherproof remote speaker in 
the cockpit so we could hear what is going on without having the 
radio turned up so loud.

Best wishes and good luck with your new boat!

Mary Lou
1991 R22  Fretless
Rock Hall, MD