One hull, ten outboards - such is our disposable world

10:32 AM Sun 9 Oct 2011 GMT

Andrew Short Marine Click Here to view large photo

My father has owned the same 18ft fibreglass trailer sailer for 42 years. It has had two mainsails, one new spinnaker and one new genoa . but is about to get its tenth auxiliary outboard.

The first Seagull outboard was followed by another, which had a user-friendly clutch. Then came an air-cooled Mariner 5, which should've come with earplugs. The Chrysler 15 was a dog that didn't deserve to be fed - it lasted about six months.

The Evinrude 6s, by comparison, were great motors that gave quite a few years good service. We bought the Yamaha 8 to share with another boat, only to have to share it with thieves.

The Johnson 4 was chosen for its light weight when Dad began to advance in years - a grandchild destroyed the gearbox by revving the motor before engaging the gear. It was replaced by another 4 that ran perfectly for six years, only to start proving unreliable last summer.

I'm just about to order a Honda 5 to replace it - we're going 4-stroke for the first time.

I'm reminded of two things. One is the marvel of fibreglass, the hull remaining as solid as the day it was born. Second, is the fact we live in a truly disposable world.

With small motors - like whitegoods - the cost of parts and servicing soon outweighs the point of keeping it. Unless you're a tinkerer, often you're better off just buying a new motor with warranty.

It's a shame, but what price do you put on reliability?

by Mark Rothfield

Newsfeed supplied by

#News #Cruising

Cruising

The Bar Crossing: Wait for Slack Water

Cross on slack or the first of the flood.

Cruising

Night Watch: Stay Useful After Dark

Watch stints, handovers and sleep that holds up

Nearby
Bendigo Airport, VIC	10 kn S	10°
Redesdale, VIC	5 kn SE	10°
Puckapunyal West (Defence), VIC	12 kn SSE	9°
Windiest in Australia
Wattamolla, NSW	33 kn S
Most Windless in Australia
Warrnambool, VIC	Calm	10°
Hottest in Australia
Cloncurry Airport, QLD	9 kn SE	30°
Coldest in Australia
Mount Hotham, VIC	17 kn SE	-4°
Wettest in Australia
Canterbury, NSW	87.2 mm

One hull, ten outboards - such is our disposable world

The Bar Crossing: Wait for Slack Water

Night Watch: Stay Useful After Dark

Live Weather

Nearby

Windiest in Australia

Most Windless in Australia

Hottest in Australia

Coldest in Australia

Wettest in Australia

(Other) Articles

Buy & Sell

Fanatic Prowave Ltd

2024 Duotone Dice

Naish Hokua 9'6"X 32" X 5" - 170L

2024 Core Nexus 4

2025 Eleveight Kites Ws

2024 Starboard Isonic Speed 52 Carbon Reflex

2024 Goya Banzai

Know before you go

Download the Seabreeze app for iOS or Android.

Weather

Activities

About

Other

Support