Dinghy Outboard - Potential Buyer’s Remorse

[JK_Boston_Catalina310]

We have a 9'6" aluminum RIB. It weighs about 80 pounds. For an engine we went with an older Nissan 9.8hp 2-stroke (the Tohatsus are the same exact engine with a different sticker). The engine only weighs 57 pounds. We can easily lift both on deck/stern rail for passages without much effort.

When we chartered in the BVIs all of the charter fleets had FG RIBs with newer Tohatsu 9.8hp 2-stroke engines. Again, same low weight.

The issue is you can't buy new 2-strokes in the US. But we plan to buy a new one when we get down there and bring it back as our dingy motor. The power to weight of the 2-strokes can't be matched, even with 10-20 year old tech on them. I will take the less weight for the inconvenience of mixing the gas.

Just my thoughts.

Fair winds,

Jesse

 

[Chief RA]

JK, now you know why I won't sell my Evinrude 2 stroke 15hp even though I bought a new Tohatsu 3.5. Nothing can match the power of a well designed 2 stroke! Horsepower to weight ratio is amazing with its light weight and firing every stroke. Chief

 

[Stu Jackson]

I bought a 9.9 hp Evinrude 2 stroke at a swap meet, runs great, weighs 75 lbs. and our Garhauer motor lift is perfect for lifting and swinging onto the wooden block on the pushpit.

You should really investigate that lift. It sounds useless.

Why people bother with 4 strokes is beyond me. All I ever hear is carb problems.

 

[DannyS]

I bought a 9.9 hp Evinrude 2 stroke at a swap meet, runs great, weighs 75 lbs. and our Garhauer motor lift is perfect for lifting and swinging onto the wooden block on the pushpit.

You should really investigate that lift. It sounds useless.

Why people bother with 4 strokes is beyond me. All I ever hear is carb problems.

Stu, my 4 stroke is super quiet. I love that.

 

[capta]

capta: A 3.5 will carry anything our 15hps will, just not on plane. Chief

A 3.5 does NOT have the power to act as propulsion on the big boat should the diesel fail, in anything more than a flat calm with no current.
I just don't see the value in an under powered dinghy but hey, to each his/her own.

 

[zeehag]

i have noticed that full time cruisers use a lighter lower hp engine than those who only cruise part time.
is almost like those trucks only driven by navy SEAL team members-overkill-the larger the engine the harder it is to use and the sooner it is stolen from you.
i row, so do many of the full time cruisers hereo n west coast.
enjoy that heavy engine..i got rid of minebefor ei even left san diego as i knew i wouldnt be able to heft it on board sola.
and do not forget the surf landing situations in which a heavy outboard is a definite hindrance.. good luck. huge engines and heavy dinghies are excellent for tooling around marinas, but are not always the bestest evvah thing for actively cruising.

this 14 tom sailing ketch was moved using a walker bay 8 and a 2 hp honda prior to my purchasing it. not difficult. is do able.
lighter is much better for independence and prevention of herniation of guts and .....

 

[capta]

That's great, but your avatar shows a dink secured from stern davits. Have you changed your method of securing it recently?

It was actually unfortunate that the one day the photog from Bequia came out to shoot us beating into Admiralty Bay, the dink was aft. The one and only time. Darn.

 

[dlewis812]

at the time our diesel failed there was no wind to sail and a strong hudson current. although don't think would have needed more i am glad had my 8HP to push us safely to a mooring. (would not have had time to wait for a tow)

 

[Chief RA]

capta: I don't know who you are addressing, as I didn't say a 3.5hp would push a large sailboat effectively. You need a large dinghy as you have a large sailboat, your situation isn't the same as most of our boats. Chief

 

[Kings Gambit]

I row, so do many of the full time cruisers here on west coast. Enjoy that heavy engine..I got rid of mine before I even left San Diego as I knew I wouldn't be able to heft it on board solo. And do not forget the surf landing situations in which a heavy outboard is a definite hindrance.. good luck. Huge engines and heavy dinghies are excellent for tooling around marinas, but are not always the best ever thing for actively cruising.

Forgive, but I did some minor editing of your post for the quote above, Zeehag.

Rowing is probably the best solution to the "engine-dinghy" equation. I row so much that I whipped a guy 15 yr younger [15 yr where it really counts] and in much better shape in a dinghy race by rowing straighter with faster recovery. It's only with reluctance that I carry an OB at all for "weekend work" at the local anchorages. Fully, 80% of the time the [46#] engine does not leave the stern rail; I just row where ever I go, if I go!

 

[Prime Time]

I have an air cooled 2.3 hp honda with a 10 ft mercury RIB. I previously had a 9.9 and a forespar davit hoist for it. It was a bit if a pain and that's why I moved down to seething I can lift with 1 hand. I move faster than I would have guessed. No regrets. With the 9.9 the boat flew at a speed I would not travel in a mooring field.

 

[Benny17441]

We went from a 4 stroke 5HP to a 2 stroke 3.3HP for our dink. We found a brand new one year old pre-ban engine that weighs in at about 20 lbs with fuel and we could not be happier with it. Neither of the engines are able to get the boat on plane but I really do not care to go that fast in an 10' boat. I drop myself down into the boat with the engine in one hand and I'm ready to go in a minute. I really do not care to cruise around in a boat without a bimini so we mostly use it to get to shore and back and to transport provisions. As far as towing the big boat, yes it can be done at least in the type of seas I would consider doing it.

 

[mz4wheeler]

I (regretfully) bought a 2.5HP outboard without noticing that it didn't have neutral... Ughh.. Anyway, when I start the bugger to warm it up (idling) it spins my hunter around my mooring buoy/anchor. In an emergency, I figure I can mount it on my walk through transom steps for emergency propulsion. How fast? No idea [grin].

 

[Capt jgw]

I had one of those without neutral, I didn't like it either. My current 3.5 has neutral but no reverse, you spin the motor around to back up. Works fine for me.

 

[Prime Time]

The honda has a centrifugal clutch and is in neutral when at low revs then engages forward at higher Rpms. Reverse by rotation of engine.

 

[Benny17441]

Ours has neutral and forward, it can be turned around for reverse but really very little use for it.

 

[Chris Blubaugh]

Emissions

The biggest issue I had with my 2-cycle outboards was the amount of fuel pushed out in the water. I didn't like it.

 

[DAVA390]

Bigger isn't always better. Saw a large yacht in BVI last week. Couldn't sail it do to the number of boats. They motored everywhere. Forcmy money, a 6 to 9.9 is you sweet spot.

Pictures.Details. Email.Now.

 

[Rick486]

Trade the monster in. We have a 15 Yamaha 2 stroke on a 10.6 AB. Couldn't be happier. I bought the engine just before the 2 strokes were EPA'd out of existence. My 15 weighs 80 lb so I can still manage to get it on and off the dink, and raise the whole boat/motor on my davits. 115 lb is just too heavy. Were I you I'd sell it or trade it and pick up a used Yamaha 2 stroke or something smaller in 4 stroke. Get the most HP you can with a weight ceiling. 80 lb is reasonable from my perspective. The HP is important depending on where you cruise but I can remember several times when we found ourselves downwind in a breeze from the mothership with our two dogs aboard or two guests, and the 15 gives you that feeling of safety and security. Most of the time we do go slow but it's comforting to know that in an instant we can be up at planning speed or have the power to overcome a sea running.

 

[Bob 04 H260]

A new Tohatsu 4 stroke, 9.9 weighs 80lbs. We have a 9' AB aluminum RIB with a 6 hp Tohatsu, the rib only weighs 70 lbs, but it still can not plane. I'm probably going to up size to a 9.9, not much heavier than the 6. I have davits and a motor lift.

We cruise Bahamas and Florida, with our 5' draft are often anchored a long ways out, we have a dog that needs to go ashore twice a day in any weather. We like exploring with the dinghy and can be a hour or two from the mother ship. A bigger motor opens many more possibilities.

If you are heading south and can handle the weight of the motor I would suggest using it for a while before making a decision. I can understand your concern about hitting something at speed with a child on board. As the water gets shallower we usually slow down, in gin clear water you don't need a depth sounder on the rib. In many cases we are going back and forth many times in an anchorage or harbour and know when it is safe to open it up. With the bigger motor you have more options. I would not go less than a 9.9 if you are going cruising.

In the picture below we are anchored out in 7' of water, this is the closest beach we could land the dinghy at, about a 20 minute ride with our 6 hp motor in flat conditions, double that if the wind comes up.

Bob