I know there have been threads on this but can't seem to find them.

Have an overnight race this weekend and return delivery promises to be a very long day beating to wind...on stbd tack the whole way.

I'd like to motor sail - how worried should I be about engine cooling/sucking air, etc?

Is there a angle of heel I should stay below?

This is something I've always known about but never really been faced with on this boat.

thanks - dan

The engine intake is on the stbd side, so limit your heel to no more than 15 degrees on a stbd tack. If you get a high temp alarm, just back off the sails to get the suction in the water. The alarm should stop within 30 seconds. If it doesn't shut down the engine and make sure you have a good belt, pump and water lineup.

I've found that there is no problem with port tack motorsailing on Rhapsody.

A reminder - make sure you don't turn off the engine until you've run with no load to cool it down. I'd run at least 5 minutes in neutral at 1200 rpm. These small blocks generate lots of heat under load and need to be properly cooled.

15 degrees - just want i needed to know (sounds like we are going to be just steadying the boat with the main, in that case).

thanks! -dan

If you have that much wind, the engine shouldn't be needed except to charge the battery.

Motor sailing in chop is worse than smooth water, because you have more chances to uncover the engine suction.

What is the maximum RPM that I can safely run my 1982 Yanmar? It has had a lot of qualified upkeep prior to my purchase.

I wouldn't push for long over 3200 rpm. Check out these two threads, one has the power curves from the Yanmar manual.

Preferred Cruising RPM

Yanmar - with power curves