Take Charge

I love outboard motors. You can hang a bunch of them off the transom for a hellacious herd of horses without taking up space on board. They require no separate cooling system, no through-hulls, no exhaust elbows to worry about, no mufflers—all you really need is a fuel line and filter. And, unlike outboards of a generation ago, today’s motors have robust recharging systems to meet the 12-volt needs of modern boats. Or almost, anyway: As outboard boats grow in complexity, they need more juice, often more than a single or even twin engines can produce to keep up with all the appliances. But install three, four or even five outboards, and you’ve got enough electrons to replace the genset and rely on battery-backed 12-volt power.

Extra amps for battery charging hasn’t always been a characteristic of outboard motors. Back when outboard boats were pretty simple affairs, there wasn’t much need to generate amperage beyond what the motor needed to fire