Outboard motors

[brianlf]

Late last year there was a technical post started by Alisha about buying a new outboard. When I bought my Investigator it had an old 3.5 hp OMC outboard and I'm not very happy with it so have decided to splash out and buy a new one. I think Alisha eventually settled on a 9.8 hp Toshiba and I would like to hear from her, or anyone else, about the effect on the boat of having a motor of that weight on the back. The other option of course is a 5 hp motor.

Any advice you can give would be appreciated.

Brian

[Yara50]

Brian, a 5 hp is more than enough. On mine, I seldom get above half throttle to achive hull speed. Plus more than 5 hp and they start to get heavy, especially for lifting onto and off the bracket. A 4 stroke will also be heavier, but is the preferred long term purchase the days. Biggest problem with outboards is stale fuel, and with a 4 stroke you can happily empty the tank into the car.

[Mark]

My last purchase 18 months ago was 5 hp long shaft mercury 2 stroke which replaced an old identical model which was stolen. I find it very reliable, at about max weight for lifting on and
off safely. It also provides sufficient power for me crossing a bar which at times can be challenging.

Cheers

Mark

[Yara50]

Same discussion over at the Trailer-Sailer Place:
http://www.trailersailerplace.com.au/ph ... =2&t=11624
The Tohatsu 6hp Sail Pro looks pretty good.

[geoffr]

Brian:

Like others here, I too run a 6hp long shaft engine and find it more than ample for getting my boat in and out of the marina safely and swiftly enough, prior to setting or dropping sails.

I had a motor twice the size on my previous boat, but its extra weight was a pain in the back (literally) lifting it on and off the transom for storage and/or flushing out in the rubbish bin filled with fresh water. It also added unnecessary weight to the stern, and I'd be interested to know if the original designer of our Investigators factored in such weight in the overall balance and trim.

My current Evinrude is old (probably early 1980s), but my marine service centre says it still goes fine, providing the fuel is clean and fresh. I hardly ever have a need to run it at full throttle, though I deliberately do so on occasion just to work away any internal buildup.

If I had to replace it, I'd still go for a lightweight motor of same capacity; anything more would be overkill (unless I guess you regularly had to cross particularly nasty currents or rips).

Cheers,

[atles]

guys i have a 15HP on mine only because the boat came with it and if it can handle that
i think a 9hp is fine the only time it,s a draw back for me is
that i can not put much in that locker but i still can have four people in the cock pit and it fine .

[brianlf]

Thanks for the replies to my question about outboard motors. They have been very helpful. I was particularly concerned about the amount of weight on the transom but if Atles uses a 15 hp motor then the weight of smaller motors isn't going to be a problem. I'm now thinking of buying a Tohatsu 6 hp Sail Pro, my first venture into 4 stroke outboards. This outboard looks like it has many of the good features of the old Johnson Sailmaster.

Thanks again,

Brian

[Yara50]

that i can not put much in that locker

Atles- your motor is not in a locker in a well is it? If so that would be very unusual, as I understand it was only the very first few production models that had the motor in a well.

[atles]

this is a old photo before the refit

[Andrew]

Great topic, I've got an old 9.8HP Johnson, it's reliable but for me it seems like too much weight to have hanging off the mount bracket especially when in rough conditions with the leg raised. Too much side pressure on the bracket, i have a vang set up to the pulpit to help raise it and it also acts as a support stay, if needed i tie a rope around to stay the other side.

I tested my motor at full throttle and half throttle..only about 0.1 knot difference in speed. 5.3 knots at full and 5.2 knots at half revs on flat water..both are about hull speed. Seems to me like like a 4-6hp motor would be ample for an investigator, any more is just wasted weight, money and fuel..perhaps medical bills for a bad back etc

Mulling over the idea of a 4Hp yamaha long shaft or similar..it uses about 1 litre/hour about half of what the 10hp consumes. Read Investigators are designed for only 3.5 hp

before committing, can a 4 hp reach hull speed in flat water? and how does a small motor fare in windy conditions on the nose etc?