Buying dilemma

[Highlander]

You gets what you pay for alum tubing / plastic fittings , no screens , versus SS tubing & fittings , screens with removable windows, taller, wider & external framing , self surporting and you can sail with the Dowsar enclosure also !

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee20 ... 0038-1.jpg

J

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

I agree totally, you do get what you pay for. Thankfully I bought my Dowsar years ago when the price was less and the exchange rate better. Even though it cost a lot of money back then my wife still swears it is the best money we have ever spent on the boat. The entire 26' of our boat is now completely usable in any weather. I've never been one to enjoy standing in the rain while cruising. We can sit cozy and dry in even the worst weather up in the cockpit under way or at anchor. Our kids have slept in the cockpit even on rainy nights without any problems. The enclosure is what makes a small Mac completely usable for extended trips by our family.

It does present a substantial amount of windage. Once the wind reaches 20+ knots from the side, the boat will heel 10 - 15 degrees even with no sail up. I guess we are just used to this and we really don't even notice. It is the nature of the water ballast in my opinion. When a tank of water is suspended in more water, it really has no weight, it is neutrally buoyant. It is not until you heel the boat and start to lift the tank of water above the water line that you start to gain righting movement. This is what makes these boats tender at first, then stiff as they heel. The extra windage works against you during the initial tenderness. Still I wouldn't trade the extra 6-2" headroom for anything else.

As Highlander mentioned, both the bimini and the dodger are self supporting with extra SS tube legs. Neither uses any straps to keep the canvas tight. This leaves the side opening completely clear for boarding unlike all the other brands I have seen. No limbo moves are required to enter and exit. I also like how the doors snap back out of the way without having to fully remove them.



The two bow bimini uses a spreader bar to keep things taunt, the only one of it's kind I've seen on a Mac. I even added a aluminum rod to it with some SS clamps to create wet gear storage out where things can drip and dry without worry.



It's short length allows the boom to swing in front of it, all that has to be removed to sail is the connector between the bimini and the dodger, everything else, including the side panels when going up wind, can be left in place.

http://home.comcast.net/~duane.dunn/ModsEnclosure.htm

[Kelly Hanson East]

That Dowsar enclosure is a nice piece of kit indeed. I have the cheaper Havencraft (Reiderss) version (less standing room, Al bows,and not all the functions of the Dowsar. You can still sail with it (same strategy, remove connector piece)

On Cuttyhunk , we pop up the enclosure and accomodated crew of 5 teenage girls plus one old f*rt for 6 nights - couldnt imagine doing this without the enclosure!! It also keeps the cockpit dry from morning dew. Popping open the leeward screen keeps the moisture levels of the boat lower overnight too.
When high winds come up, it sure is nice to go up on anchor watch under the dry enclosure too.

[Highlander]

sailing with encloseure up
http://s235.photobucket.com/albums/ee20 ... 010093.flv

J

[pokerrick1]

Captain Tom talks funny - -- but then again, so does Highlander

Rick less in Las Vegas

[irayone]

Get the 90 you dont have to use all the power. As the saying goes ...it's better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it.....

[red_sky_at_night]

That Dowsar is REALLY nice now that I've seen more pictures and it does effectively give you a whole new double birth / entertainment area! Was it difficult to install? I'm assuming you all had them shipped and did it yourself, since Dowsar is in Canada.

[puggsy]

If you are not going to do any skiing, then I would opt for reliability, like twin 25 0r 30's...fitting is simply a mechanical problem...rarely do two motors break down...I have found my 50 Suzuki satisfactory but no skiing or towing of water toys has happened yet.
And I have yet to do a motor run down our coast. Due to speed restrictiojns, the 50 is quite enough for our rivers...
Currently I am looking at fitting a bracket for a 5hp kicker motor...and staying with 4 stroke...the fuel and lines are common. No need for separate tanks or lines.

[Russ]

I would opt for reliability, like twin 25 0r 30's

Wouldn't that get some looks? I get enough when they see my transom now.


--Russ

[argonaut]

Motorwise I would suggest you consider the maintenance aspect.
Both the E-Tec and the TLDI have pretty solid reps.
Failures I´ve heard about on the E-Tec are usually the fuel injectors, most likely due to the evils of ethanol and not the fault of the motor.
I´ve never seen an actual TLDI, they are scarce around here.

The important thing is that the shop you like, preferrably several shops in your sailing vicinity, fixes what you have.
If they do both so much the better. They are both 2 stroke relatively high-tech, ¨hook up to a computer to troubleshoot¨ motors.

When I repowered from my POS Honda 50 only one shop within an hourś drive of me did Nissan TLDIs so that nixed that idea, and the evinrude ETecs just cost too much for the amount of time I use a motor.
I settled on a Yamaha 40 as a compromise of price, maintainability, and how much (actually little) I use it. Yamaha parts are available everywhere as are certified repair shops.
As a final note... memorize this phrase for whatever you get.

10 micron spin on water-separating filter.

[robbarnes1965]

Thanks for all the feedback! Looks like the consensus is that bigger is better, no real surprise there when it comes to Americans and motors The options on the 50hp boat are nice, but not necessarily stuff that I would have purchased on my own, so I'm thinking the bigger motor is the way to go now after your responses. I imagine that most of the time I will be cruising at around hull speed for economy, but it will be nice to know that I can get up some real speed if needed or be able to pull someone on skis and give them a fun ride.

I spoke to the seller and the 90 was dealer installed, but he said that there was no reinforcement on the transom because it could handle a lot more thrust than the 90 could produce and the only worry would be putting on a really heavy motor. The tohatsu is pretty light for a 90, only 315 lbs, so no reinforcement needed according to him.

@Duane: Nice boat, good to see you're doing a lot of exploring in it and great photos on your log. I like the full enclosure you have there. Up where I am, we get a lot of rain in the fall, so it would be nice to have the protection. Is that from BWY? Pricey, but worth it IMO.

I have the enclosure from Dowsar. Good overall although I am probably going to have someone install a zippered exit door on each side. The snaps are aggravating. I also discovered in the 1000 Islands this summer(a rainy one) that, despite all the screens, the enclosure is useless for mosquitoes. There are to many openings. Also, you can't use the main with the full enclosure on. If you remove only part of it, it catches too much air. That said it does make sailing in the fall more comfortable when there are less bugs and colder weather.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

I have never had to take out anything but the roof connector and the side panels to sail with both main and genoa. There is no need to touch the bimini and it's side and rear panels nor the dodger. This is true on my X enclosure and you can see the same thing is true on Highlanders M enclosure as shown in his video he posted.

I also don't see your point about the doors, they are zip open already. To open the door you unzip the zipper on the trailing edge of the dodger and unzip not quite all the way the zipper along the top edge. The door then folds back and the entire side of the boat is open for boarding. Are you referring to the snaps along the bottom edge of the door panel? We never even snap those, even in a storm the water just runs off the sides without those being snapped. The door is already a zip open door.

[robbarnes1965]

Yes Duane,

I find leaving the back panels on after taking off the sides and roof connector feels like dragging a parachute. The snaps are what I mean. One big U shaped zipper are would be simpler. My whole rig is set up pretty tight and getting the zippers re-connected can be tough. I would like more of a tent type opening. In the end I use mostly just the bimini top. But I am not much of a camper so I am less likely to use the rest anyway. I'd rather just wear more clothes or stay home. Other people I know would spend months on a boat far less accommodating. To each his own I guess. The full enclosure is not on my top ten best purchases for my boat.