adding outboard to cat

Hi all,
I have a 16' cobra cat that i would like to add an outboard to. This is the
same as a mosquito. The outboard itself is a honda BF2D, two horsepower 4
stroke. We mainly sail on a lake, and the outboard would be handy to get
back when our finnicky winds die out, but the real reason for adding it is
because of an upcoming holiday to the whitsundays. I will need an outboard
for both convenience and safety.

I've had a look at various ways of mounting it to the back of the cat,
possibly in the same way as it is on a caper cat. I had a caper cat last
year and had a lot of trouble with this arrangement though; hanging off the
back there, it gets pretty wet and is hard to manage. It is nice being able
to steer and fiddle with the outboard at the same time though.

I had considered briefly mounting it off to one side, or even right off the
side of the cat. Would this work? It has a lot of downsides though, will
unballance the boat etc... What I really want to do is et it away from the
stern.... It's always going to be in the way of the traveller/mainsheet
arrangement and causes problems with the rudder setup.

One thing I had considered was adding it to the center of the boat. I would
make a hole in the tramp just behind the mast, just large to fit the prop
through. I would fabricate a bracket of sorts that would allow me to
raise/lower the outboard at will. There are many benefits to having it
here; it is in the center of the boat where it will disturb ballance least,
I can work on it easily if need be, earier to add gas etc... This outboard
has no reverse gear, it spins 360 degrees. It is possible to have it facing
forwards and locked in this direction, with the controls facing backwards.
One downside to this setup is there will be no allowance for 'kickback'
should I strike something. I'm not too concerned about steerage from the
outboard, or about reverse, but will I get as good of a 'drive' with the
outboard here as if it were stern mounted?

Any other suggestions? I have aluminum and wood fabrication available, as
well as good access to machining services.

Thanks,
Shaun

> Hanging a swing up mount on a cat will be -uhm- interesting (yeah,
> interesting - that's the word!).
> You might hang it off the back spreader tube, but how to brace that for
> the thrust and vibration?
>
> Four stroke engines have an oil sump - so swinging it up sideways may be a
> problem. Oil leaking in the water will get you more attention than you
> may want. And the slick points straight at the offender.
>
> I wonder if that little light weight cat would move well with a trolling
> motor? Sure would be easier to install.
>
>
> Richard

Hi Richard,
i was thinking more a 'lift up mount' than a swing up mount. While that may
sound funny, the basic idea I guess would be some kind of track up the mast,
maybe even with a block to help lift it. It would drop down onto some kind
of mount at the base of the mast. You are right about the oil... There are
only two positions that it can be stored in without leaking oil everywhere.

I had thought about the trolling motor last year, but gave it up to get a
new outboard. While the many advantages of the trolling motor are nice (no
sound, no smoke, no 'starting problems' etc) they are outweighed by the lack
of available fuel. Also, storing batteries isnt the easiest thing on a
beach cat

I made up a bracket this afternoon mounted off the stern amidships. Like
most of my projects, it was done to a deadline, not a standard I made
it up out of some old decking, some caulk, and some screws. Galvanised
bolts to attach to frame. Total cost; about $4 plus 30 minutes work. Will
let you know if it goes any good.

Shaun