Engine position for Tiki 26

[patrick lennon]

I would like to ask what are the advantages and disadvantages of and outboard mounted off the the aft beam vs one located at the back of the cockpit . My plans specify these 2 options and I can't decide. We are into month 4 and hope to have her finished by end of Nov in time for the North East Monsoon . Cheers Pat

[boatsmith]

Another reason to move the motor forward is lots of Wharrams tend to drag their butts and moving weight aft makes this worse.

[patrick lennon]

One would think the weight of the engine could be easily be offset by moving some ballast forward or perhaps this would cause the boat to hobby horse .

I like the idea of a clear cockpit and I would think it would be less noise having the engine off the aft beam, although if one were to place a box over the engine this may solve the noise problem problem... excuse me for thinking out loud.  Thank you for the varied opinions and experiences. Cheers Pat

[Kenneth Gorman]

Keeping the weight out the ends is normal practice as it reduces the hobby horsing effect.

[kim whitmyre]

A judicial weight will likely ease the "hobby horsing." A 4-stroke motor will be seriously quieter than a comparable 2-stroke motor: my old 2-stroke was deafening compare to my current 4-stroke motor.. The main difficulty with an aft-beam mounting is when manuveoring in close quarters if using the motor's tiller: you have to reach the motor's tiller while also using the boat's tiller. I only need to do this when entering my slip at very slow speed. In open water, the motor is centered and I am using the boat's tiller for steering.

[kim whitmyre]

A judicial weight (meaning the 55 'lb weight of the motor)will likely ease the "hobby horsing." A 4-stroke motor will be seriously quieter than a comparable 2-stroke motor: my old 2-stroke was deafening compare to my current 4-stroke motor.. The main difficulty with an aft-beam mounting is when manuveoring in close quarters if using the motor's tiller: you have to reach the motor's tiller while also using the boat's tiller. I only need to do this when entering my slip at very slow speed. In open water, the motor is centered and I am using the boat's tiller for steering.

[patrick lennon]

Hi Kim. Yes It is along way to reachthe engine , I have a similar "problem" with my present boat, , however the use of both tiller and engine makes the boat very maneuverable in tight spaces. This is a difficult decision to make as it is rare that one person has had the opportunity to try both setups and form an opinion.  Cheers Pat