downsides to twin outboards...

I had twin 60 Mariners on an 18' Privateer glass boat. When the engines were synced up, sounded like a Cessna .
Same fuel supply. Came home on one engine more than once. Double upkeep. When you trash one prop it's usually both. Docking is a breeze with twins. trolling on one is another benefit. When these got tired, replaced them with a single 135 Merc. The only reason I went twins was I already had one 60 hp motor when I bought the Privateer so I just added another. I think I would do with one large and a kicker today. Maybe the kicker can be used on another boat too. I should add that if it were an offshore boat, I would definetly have twins and the max HP the boat was rated for.
 
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Makes sense Bob. I figured Tod would be using his duck boat in the winter and clamming in the summer and the Tolman for fishing offshore in the summer.

I've studied the Tolman and it's a light boat comparitavley. I wish I knew how to spell comparitavely.
 
A kicker on a big boat is IMO a waste of gas and weight... at worst it gives a false sense of security. I chuckle at the guys who say "I can do anything in any weather 'cuz I got my kicker!" usually in reference to a little 8 hp outboard. In ideal conditions that's fine, but in less than ideal conditions? Even a big kicker (like a 25 hp) isn't enough motor to keep the head up when things go bad, especially in the heavily loaded, icing conditions that are most likely to be accompanied by mechanical failure in the first place.

I've always relied on a very well maintained, reliably designed single (and prayer) but would give eye teeth for a 21' kingfisher or winnie with twin 60 or 70 2-strokes on it. It would have about all the gitchahome a duck boat could have without too much weight penalty, and they're simple motors...

My question is: How do twins do on jack plates? We (heart) the Bob's plates... and have had very good reliability from them -- but I think it would be tough to sync two of them perfectly. It probably doesn't matter that much -- but... Anyone else ever tried or seen such a setup?
 
Just a thought to muddle things up. A 25 or 30 kicker wouldn't be enough to safely run the boat in nasty weather as a kicker according to a couple that I defer too since I don't run those waters. So....what is the minimum that would be safe for a single motor? Then, wouldn't you have to get two of those?


PS, Tod what I meant for a kicker instead of the big one full of electrics is a basic pull start that you don't have any critical crap that won't start if your batteries or mother board fries.
 
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I will stir the pot and say that there is much talk about power being necessary to get thru the bad stuff. It is my strongly held opinion based on Huricane and winter storm salvage experience that getting home alive does not require a huge power plant, and that it does not take that much power to keep the head up. What big power does is cut the time to get home down. This alone may be worth it, but the loading generated on boat hulls from pushing big power in bad conditions is what takes FRP boats apart. Now, no one likes getting their A$$ handed to them for extended periods on the water, but I will bet that you get home with way less HP than you think you need, it will just take longer. Think Steel dragger going 6 to 8 knots max.
As for Todd's situation I stand by the two med size motors. In a breakdown one will easily get you home. In daily use they will manuver like a dream in ways no single can. For the power junkie they will pop the boat out of the hole like a shot.
I will concede to the single\ kicker guys that the system is more to maintain, but not by much if you want the kicker to be there for you when you need it.
I will also concede to the one big single guys that the system will cost less and will be less complicated to maintain. Just keep your towing card paid and be ready to wait this winter when the guy has to put his towboat in with a trailer cause it is home in the garage when you call.
As for Andrew and spelling I will defer all matters so related to my fourth grade teacher who said "I give up".
 
only one consideration that has not been mentioned and for some, read that again, for some is an issue, when you have two big motors on the transom you have less "fishablity" of the transom since you have less space to land fish etc. I realize a kicker will suck up most of the space, but I have some friends who do Lake Michigan all the time and they have stopped the twins for this issue.

I personally don't know if I buy that idea, but just throwing out one other thought.

Bob's point of minimal HP needed to truly get home is not to be understated however. Often, just keeping the bow pointed into the waves is the difference in a major blow. But come on, you should be off the water by then anyhow. LOL.

mid range twins would be my vote.

My question though Tod is weight.

The Tolman Jumbo which you lust after (so do I and Pete McMiller) has a listed weight of 500 on the transom. Depending on how big, you would be pushing that a bit and this is a rather light built boat, would you consider lengthening to 26' ? I am sure that would help in spreading the load.
 
Andrew. I got a big chuckle because I am the worlds worse speller.

So for you " comparatively " I am still smarting from a weed I have in the back yard called Horse Tails I gave the wrong Latin name. Steve Stutton jumped all over me. sob sob. Of course Steve was just passing it along. Some thing Green I think.

Todd, You need twins, reach deep down in the well and get it. Explain to the wife it's either that or more life insurance.

I could relate a story of some one who's $ss was saved because he had twins on the great inland sea but the stories to long.
 
All right Bob! I've been meaning to stir that pot too. Every time somebody posts that you need enough power to get out of trouble I cringe. I have spent a bunch of time in boats, own a few, been the only person on board through a hurricane. Been dismasted going into the second night of a race, had the Main halyard snap in a line squall with the anemometer pegged at 65 knots and lightning crashing down all around us. I’ve run home in the 20-ft Lund in NOAA reported 3 to 6 footers and spent a number of days in 2 to 4s and never once felt the urge in rough water to pour the power to her. In the 3 to 6s off Chatham Mass I simply ran home at 9 mph and she caught some spray but no green. If I don’t slow down even in the 2 to 4s, I slam the bow into the next wave and the whole hull feels like she’s compressing and flexing very unhappily. The only time I can think that more power is better is in tornado country where getting off the water before the storm hits is important. Once the storm hits and the seas are built I’m slowed way down. No reason to pound the snot out of your boat or yourself. As one friend called it “old man speed”.
Scott
 
Im better at math than spelling but I am by no means a 4 year grad in engineering let alone a masters holder in naval engineering like Donald Blount, but that guy can spin your head when he fires up his laptop and shows some of the logrithmic increases in hull stress as speed goes up in highspeed planning hulls. He designed and won the transatlantic cup winner which blew the weather call and pounded its way to victory thru a serious mid atlantic weather system. Turned around and ran home. All on GE turbine engines.
Some boat and some numbers.
Special forces units are now using the design ideas that came from this project to operate at speeds so fast special seats are required to prevent spinal fracture and compression from hitting big seas.
Now back to Todds boat.
A pair of these will not over load the 500lb # at 235 each.

http://www.defender.com/inflatables/outboard_project/evinrude/e60.htm

I bet I could get a 24' tolman out and back thru a lot with that setup.
Hondas would be quieter but weigh more.
An even toss on complexity as the 4 stroke is running a belt and valve train, and the E-tec is using electrical fuel delivery to get the clean burn.
Lots of ideas but in the end you will be the designer and test pilot and you will have to experiment some. Have you talked with other Tolman owners about power packages?

Scott, I bet it was exciting when that rig came down. Taken apart the mess after, but never been on one when it came apart. Was it reefed?

I don't think of the tolman as being built that lightly. Has anyone looked under the hatches at a regulator or a mako built in the last few years. With glass and resin at all time highs the builders are not putting the extra cloth in like the old days to "Just be sure." The materials cost just wont allow over engineering.
 
Keep in mind mounting width. I was trying to find some kind of info about how close together they can be mounted and not starve each other of water and keep from hitting each other in a sharp turn....begged off after a good while searching.I did see where the natives down in the Bahamas and Caribbean have been mounting twin mid size motors on their boats.
 
Todd
A call to the OEM might get you in touch with the right guy. I know they used to do testing with multiple motor setups and I am sure they have some experience on the set up and mounting. May take a few trips thru the company to find that person.

Lee
do you have a link to the bahamian twin setups you found? Thanks.
 
Bob, it was one of the 3,694,321 pages on Google under "dual outboards". There was a cool Utube deal on a dual motor RC boat. That thing was fast but porpoised like a Tolman with twin 50's.
 
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