Im about to buy a boat and it has a "leg" and Im being told that this is not good. Is this correct?

Question

Im about to buy a boat and it has a "leg" and Im being told that this is not good. Is this correct?

Answer 1

Hmm, having had a few very different boats, perhaps I can enlighten ?

Most important things to consider are the rated transom bearing for the craft > where you bolt the outboard to

I did have a ski-boat years ago that was rated at 175hp loading. an 18ft thing called a "Boston Whaler"

I bunged a 225hp Johnson on, with wooden strenthening.

No problem.

You can easily set the thing up in terms of pitch & direction, so it should go on "auto-pilot" at speed whilst you grab a beer., Just a matter of moving the bolts up of down, and fiddling with the steering bowden cables

Hydraulic adjustments, and raising the thing off the deck on sliding up a beach are all fine gizmos, if the budget allows it.

I now have become a bit more sedate, with a deisel narrowboat, but I have a "leg-up" in the form of a 50hp Mercury stored on the roof in case it packs up in a remote place.

It is horses for courses, in that it totally depends on what you are using it for. Nothing wrong with an outboard in many cases, but purists would say keep everything inboard, no arms or legs over the side !

Hulls I need to be wary of, in that if I enter a lock with about 15tons of steel, and there is a "Tupperware" GRP thing in front, I could just crush & sink it if not careful !

Some-one may be pulling your leg a bit. Not me

Bob the Boat

Answer 2

there is nothing wrong with a leg, this means you have an inboard engine maybee a volvo 4 cylinder or a merc six cylinder, these are the most common and are very good and reliable

they are much hevier than an outboard and balance the wieght to the centre of the boat

so you'll have a heavier boat .this can also be a good thing, it'll be more sea worthy in chop

make sure you get it checked out by a marine mechanic, you should have given more info 'like how big is the boat and whats it made of

if its wood , i d be very carefull and probably wouldnt buy it but thats me fiberglass is much better, anyway there ya go

Answer 3

A leg is the term many use to describe the lower unit of an inboard outboard. Its not bad as long as it is maintained, just like any other engine system.

Answer 4

Are you asking if the boat is no good because it has a leg. Or are you saying the leg is no good.

The leg is the outdrive. Most boats have one. If it's an inboard/outboard- stern drive and the leg is no good. Don't buy it. It's a really expensive fix.

Other than that whether it's good or not is an opinion.