A wing engine is a subsidiary engine installed in a motor boat alongside the main engine. [1] The primary purpose of a wing engine is to provide redundancy and safety in the event of failure of the main engine; a secondary benefit assists manoeuvering in port or in a marina.
Whereas the main engine will be larger and invariably mounted on the vessel's centreline, the wing engine will be considerably smaller and positioned to one side. A wing engine will typically be either:
In either case, the wing engine's propeller will be off-centre. This can give rise to steering difficulties; but this can be used to advantage in port with the main engine as follows: if the main engine has a right-hand propeller, the "prop walk" when in reverse will tend to move the stern to port. In these circumstances, the wing-motor should be arranged to have a propeller to the left (port-side) of the centreline, so as to balance the vessel in astern, or to produce (with the main engine in neutral) a vector thrust to starboard. [2]
Canal boats need very little power in canals, as there is virtually no current (and there are often speed limits). In such canals the wing engine may be used to propel the boat; but when the vessel puts to sea or navigates a fast flowing river, the power of the main engine would be needed. Diesel engines suffer harm if not run under load, so a small wing engine under load should be more efficient in a canal than a main engine operating barely above tick-over. [3] [4]