That 9.8 Tohatsu extra-long shaft is exactly the motor we want but we have to order it from the states and nobody will get back to us with any useful information. Smaller hp outboards here do not come with the extra long shaft (in fact, local dealers aren’t aware that their brands even make extra-long shafts half the time–when the Internet says they do). So… we’re still looking into how to get one. We could always just pay the penalty and stay with what we have but the idea that we would be out $830 that could have been put towards a new outboard steams me.

I’d also love to go to Easter Island but it has no good anchorage. Regulations are that someone must remain on the boat at all times. That won’t be too fun for the two of us. We’ve heard that the harbor master will waive this requirement, but it’s still pretty sketchy to be 2000 miles from a safe harbor.

The TimeMachine is totally capable of ocean crossing. Sister ships have done it many many times.

Remember in ‘05 places that were thought to be ‘hurricane safe’ got hammered. Last year was a bust for Carribean hurricanes but a fairly big year for the East Pacific… who knows what this season will bring.

Those thoughts about Ecuador are interesting… that would get you out of the hurricane latitudes and position you for a run to the Galapagos.

Have you thought about working your way down to Chile? Easter Island? Taking the path less travelled.

——- on boats

“a boat I can actually stand up in. ”

Why I wouldn’t want to take a searunner across the Pacific… but heck, you guys are young and tough.

What sort of tankage do you have? You won’t be able to motor for extended distances so you’d need provisions for potentially a long time at sea should the trades fail you.

Since SoPac doesn’t quite seem to catch your fancy, I imagine you might not look favorably upon the challenges getting/moving about it entails.

Insofar as the caribbean…make the jump to Cartenga when the trades lighten (say june-ish)…then, if you’re keen & wait and watch, you might even get a westerly window to Aruba in October that an OB powered searunner could make.

P.S. if you’re shopping for a new ob, check out the nissan/tohatsu 9.8 4-stroke. Yeah, I know, likely not as easy to get down there as a yamaha, but it’s 15 pounds lighter than the other brands, just if not more reliable, and (most importantly) comes in a 25 inch (extra-long) shaft length to help the fight cavitation blues.

good luck

While it’s been done before with less boat, I don’t think you have enough vessel for a safe and comfortable ocean crossing. (Pacific or Atlantic)

If you go through the canal… unless you have a boat that really likes to go to windward, or a big engine with good fuel tankage I wouldn’t consider a ‘wrong way’ Carribean transit either. I don’t think it would be much fun in a searunner.

However, If you went through the canal and dinked around the San Blas for awhile, you could work your way north to the Bay Islands of Honduras or the Yucatan and set up for a managable reach back to the States.

Staying on the Pacific side… I think a visit to the Galapagos would be pretty darn hard to pass up. You could go via Cocos Island and check out the marine preserve there… or work your way down the coast.

If I was in your shoes, that would probably be my first option. Have to look at the pilot guides for wind and current projections though.