Hi all, myself and the wife have just bought a seal22, we have the masts but no sails, it is going to be used on the river Ouse and eventually we will be looking for sails, my question us about an outboard for this model, do I need a short or long outboard?

Hi
Welcome
Which 22 have you got?
I would use a long shaft about 6hp and with a yacht propellor if possible.
Some 22's have a well in the back of the cockpit for the outboard, others have a bracket on the stern. If a well it may need too be altered if you use a larger 4 stroke outboard which are generally bigger than the 2 strokes (not available new any longer).
Are you looking for some pre-loved sails?
Philip
I owned Tulena, 22 for many years, now have a superseal "rascal".

hi, thanks for the input, i picked up a long 15hp evinrude with remotes and fuel tank for a good price last night, it does have a well but there is also a bracket on the stern so i will be using that, weve never sailed before and it will be just used on the river ouse for the coming year, towards the end of next year we will be looking for sails then we need to learn how to sail

Hi Alex
That's a huge engine foe a 22, when you get to sailing I would get a smaller one.
There are some used sails on the website, other items for sale, they have been there a while so may not still be available, but worth a call.
Do you know a name or number of your 22?
Philip

I was told by the people that run the marina where its berthed that a 8hp would be OK, I went with the 15hp as it has just been serviced and the price was good, plus I figured, right or wrong that I would be better running a larger engine at a lower rpm than a smaller unit at a higher rpm, less strain, better economy etc, once its on sails again then yes I will go smaller, the name on the boat is ' hejira '

It was berthed at Chichester harbour early 2015, with the number 14 and 007828

Alex - you're right in your views about the larger engine - no inherent harm in the extra hp in principle - BUT Philip is also right in that you will not get any of the advantages that you are expecting from the higher hp unless it is fitted with the smallest pitch, largest diameter, three bladed, propellor that you can buy for it - the standard prop assumes a light runabout capable of planing, so the pitch is large, the blade area small, and the diameter slightly less than what are typically described by outboard manufacturers as "Sailboat" propellors. The standard prop will offer little bite or grip, and will have a lot of "slip" so you will find that you still have to use high revs to get thrust, and you will need high revs to accelerate, and to go upwind in a seaway, plus have poor stopping power in astern.
If you do some web research on "Sailboat props for Outboards" you will soon find out what I'm talking about.
And even if you eventually change down to a 6-8hp, the same advice will still apply. I ran a 7.5hp L/S Johnson two stroke in the well of a Seal 22 in the 1980's, re-propped as above, and it gave me max hull speed even in a seaway at well below full throttle.
In the well, the transom height is designed for short shaft(15') rather than long shaft, but the advantage of the L/S was better grip because of deeper immersion - but the disadvantage was increased back pressure on the two stroke exhaust, so more fumes from the cooling water telltale/exhaust relief and consequential tendency for the engine to choke on its own exhaust when stationary or going astern. This in turn can be solved by modifying the exhaust relief cover and adding a flexible exhaust pipe to the transom, but that's another story ... and probably covered back in the archives of this forum.
On the other hand, out on the bracket, long shaft is good, because a short shaft is likely to cavitate as the prop comes close to the surface as the bow goes down and the sten goes up in a seaway.
So for now, my advice is focus on getting the right prop.
BTW, I hope that your 15hp is an older, lighter, two stroke and not a modern, heavy four stroke - the underwater profile of the stern of the Seal 22 was never intended to support the weight of a 15hp two stroke out on a bracket, let alone a the weight of a four stroke - the more weight stuck out behind the transom, the more the boat will squat and and just soak up all the extra hp ...

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Geoff, thanks for the advice, I do have a lot to learn about props, it is an older 2 stroke unit

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