motor for brick

[milko]

gday peoples,recently built a bolger brick,one word to describe it practical,i love it.i did beef it up a bit,bench seats along the sides,al checkaplate on corners,and a "mast hole" and step that probably belongs on a 20fter,but after being bumped on a twin kayak by what i told my brother was a 10 ft plus "catfish" and seeing how similar a brick looks to a dead baby whale on its side a little bit of extra weight doesnt seem so bad a thing.Anyhoo i was wondering what would be the best size engine for the little beast.would an old chrysler 6hp do,it is short shaft.weve gone on numerous camping trips and geez this little boat can take a load,but my elbows r bung and brother hasnt grasped the fine art of rowing,seems to like going in circles so i need some power.at the risk of sounding stupid how do u post pictures on this site ,would like to share photos of brick and total building sequence of next boat which will probably be a micro.If only i could get a strsight answer on the micros capabilities.some people seem certain micros r only good for protected waters,so no coastal cruising i guess,would love a straight answer.thanks for any help and please excuse my rambling and lack of punctuation.

[P.L.Lenihan]

No more than a 6hp should be fine as long as you don't intend on towing water skiers:) The Brick is a burdensome boat shape and will plow through the water and get you to where you want to go.Look out for small craft warnings however!

The Micro is a good for inshore coastal cruising.


Cheers!


Peter

[Chris Setzler]

I'm wondering where you're going to get plans for that Micro?

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

It all depends on how much the motor weight alters the trim. Your stern is swept under so there is very little boat directly under the motor. You will probably have to move weight forward to keep the bow from pointing at the sky when under power. A PVC-pipe tiller extension would be useful.
In terms of power 6 HP is much more than needed. Your water line shape is a rectangle and your waterline length is rather short. Even if you crack that 6 wide open the bad hydrodynamics will only allow the boat to get up to hull speed while the motor will suck gas at an alarming rate. Keep RPMs low and accept hull speed and you will get there just the same.
Giving recommendations about the seaworthyness of any design is not wise because a lot of what it takes to operate any boat in difficult seas depends on the abilities of the pilot. If you get into weather trouble you don't have much speed to get to safety so any trip fsr from shore should be done with a consideration of how long it would take to get back if trouble arose.

[P.L.Lenihan]

Chuck explains well what you'll have to come to grips with regarding the Brick and engine size/speed.Read and re-read it to truly understand it.
However, he omitted the other half of the equation in the second paragraph regarding seaworthyness( of the Micro I'm presuming). To be complete and clearer,the equation goes something like seaworthyness + good seamanship = very good chance of coming to no harm. Designers are charged with addressing the seaworthyness of any one design while you, the sailor, are charged with acquiring as much real time experience and good learning as you can muster. Best to begin with baby steps before running wild on the open ocean.


Cheers!


Peter

[milko]

Thanks fellas,the 6hp isnt because i want to go fast ,just what a mate has lying around,and was thinking about building a small jon boat also, so i could swap the engine between the two.anyone bought a chinese outboard ?$600 for a 3.5hp sounds too good to be true ,probably is.
On the micro i, have some plans that my late uncle bought years ago and i found in the shed.brick and micro plans,however they are slightly water damaged and some bits are illegible.I take it you cant buy micro plans anymore.Geez did want a new set.The brick was so simple but the missing information made me use my brain more than i had intended.

[P.L.Lenihan]

Plans,for the Micro and others, are most certainly available from the good office of Phil Bolger & Friends,P.O. Box 1209, Gloucester, MA, 01930, Fax: (978) 282-1349.



Cheers!


Peter

[milko]

thanks for your help fellas,cheers.