Mercury 20 hp

Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
yep... thats way more motor than you could ever use. it will burn more fuel without any benefit.
a 7.5hp is about right and many people use a 5hp...
 
May 13, 2016
110
Catalina 22 MK II 15377 Granbury Texas
I don't care much about fuel burn. Just want to know if it is too heavy.
I've only taken her out twice and know I'm not a fan of the 4hp Suzuki.

I'd like something with a little power, electric start, and an alternator.
 
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
more power than 4-5hp cant be utilized, except in wind and/or waves. the small motor will push the boat to hull speed and more power wont make it go faster, that is why people use such small motors on the dispacement hull of a small sailboat.... the electric start is a nice option I will agree.

the question you asked "is it too heavy?"... well, it wont sink the boat, but that much weight placed at the far end of the boat will upset the balance of it quite a bit, it will be stern heavy and so it will sail differently than designed.
you can compensate for this by placing all the gear in the bow, but then again, you are upsetting the design, because a sailboat is supposed to be light in the ends and carry the bulk of the weight amidships
a 95lb motor is plenty heavy on a 22, and the 130lb motor may only be another 35lbs, but its compounded because its hanging beyond the waterline of the boat...
 
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Mar 20, 2015
3,249
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
I've got a 15hp Merc. 2 stroke
It is more power than needed.
It's also too heavy imo since the c22 has a tendency to sit too low in the stern already.
It also eats fuel, unlike the sailpro Tohatsu and it re-branded siblings.
Other than the tiller lock design flaw, people seem to swear by the little Tohatsu.
 

bushav

.
Aug 18, 2015
170
Catalina 22 Panama City, FL
Additionally the 5hp doubles as our dingy motor. Great to explore the beaches.

Lane
 
Nov 6, 2006
10,118
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
I used a 7.5 Honda on a Spirit 23 ((+300 pounds over a Cat22) on the gulf coast and Lake Pontchartrain for 12 years.. never could have used more power.. The motor bracket may dictate something a lot lighter than that 4 stroke 20..
EDIT: for reference, check out the Tohatsu long shaft 6, no electric start but does have a small charging system.. and the Tohatsu 8 which does have electric start and a small charging system. The weights of both these are considerably less than the Merc. 20
 
Last edited:
Aug 11, 2011
759
catalina 22 Islamorada
back to weight.
I had a merc 9.9 big foot pro kicker. It's a very heavy motor for the size. I had to balance out the weight distribution on the boat by moving batteries but it worked.

What you'll have to keep in mind is the transom where the motor is mounted is not thick fiberglass it's honestly what I could call very thin for any transom but it works.

It's very hard to get to the back side of the mounts at least on the new design I had.

What I did was cut a piece of plate approx. 12" x 12" and then had to bend it to match the curve the transom has. In the end it worked.

It worked in the end like I said and I liked the motor. My point is that my 9.9 that although was a heavy 9.9 approx. 100lbs needed a good deal of reinforcement. A 20hp I believe would just take way way to much reinforcement to support it.

Everything said above is true. It's about 17hp more than you'd ever use to get the boat to hull speed and the work required to put it on isn't worth it. lastly the reinforcements I put up there are just to hang it. You ever even accidently crank up the throttle and it would rip the transom right out of the boat.

So all in all I'd pass sell it pocket the extra money and buy a smaller motor. You'll be ahead a bunch of money and effort.
 
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May 13, 2016
110
Catalina 22 MK II 15377 Granbury Texas
Thanks for all the feedback.
There is only one natural lake in Texas, the rest are man made. In the case of Lake Granbury (where I am), the lake is basically still a river. When the water is up, it moves rather swiftly. I was just wanting to learn about the structural options.
Some things I'd like to have are:
*A little more power than the 4hp Suzuki I currently have.
*Electric Start
*Alternator
Obviously from the feedback, the 20hp is too big. My desire for electric start and an alternator aren't that important. Would just be nice to have....
I found a good price on an Coleman 9.9 but the reviews on that motor are horrible. I'll just keep looking. I'm in no hurry.
 
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
Lake Granbury is basically still a river. When the water is up, it moves rather swiftly. I was just wanting to learn about the structural options.

I found a good price on an Coleman 9.9 but the reviews on that motor are horrible. I'll just keep looking. I'm in no hurry.
swift water moving over the hull of a slow boat is exactly the same dynamics as the boat moving fast thru slow water... hull speed is hull speed thru the water, its not speed over ground..... so more power will not help in the current.
if the water current is greater than the hull speed, the boat will lose headway.... its the nature of "hull speed" vs horsepower.

FYI.... where power would help a displacement hull is when the boat is not able to make hull speed due to being buffeted by strong headwinds or waves, then the horsepower can help push into the wind and waves to get the boat to hull speed in the water.... once hull speed is achieved thru the water, more horsepower can be detrimental as it only squats the stern lower in the water and creates more drag...

I agree, stay away from the coleman and get a brand name known for producing quality outboard motors..
 
Aug 11, 2011
759
catalina 22 Islamorada
for what it's worth I had a merc 9.9 pro kicker 25" shaft had the electric start, electric tilt, remote tank and was very pleased with it.
 
Oct 4, 2010
161
76 Catalina 22 Three Mile Harbor, East Hampton, NY
.....once hull speed is achieved thru the water, more horsepower can be detrimental as it only squats the stern lower in the water and creates more drag.....
Without the aid of electronics how can you visualize hull speed being achieved? What can you tell by looking at the prop? What should you be looking for? Thanks
 

Ward H

.
Nov 7, 2011
3,797
Catalina 30 Mk II Cedar Creek, Bayville NJ
I'll throw this out for comparison. 25' boat at about 4800lbs displacement.
Yamaha 9.9 w/ electric start, charging and power tilt. 110lbs. (100 lbs without the power tilt but with it the Admiral and lower and start the OB)
1/2 throttle max unless head on into waves and winds over 20. Never needed full throttle.

Most OBs fall into weight classes, 4 to 6 hp OBs are probably the same weight, only slight changes to carb for the additional hp. Then 8 to 15 hp again will be another weight class with carb changes. Most in the 8 to 15 range have electric start and charging. I believe Tohatsu 6HP has electric start and charging as an option.

Another thing to consider if your trailering is all that weight bouncing around on the stern is bound to break something and it is too heavy for one person to take off and put on. Then your motor mount has to be rated for that weight and if not you will be lifting more weight when tilting it back.

When I was looking for my 25' O'day I called about one for sale. The owner was quick to point out it has a 25hp OB and it goes faster than any other sailboat. I didn't even bother looking at it.

Either a 6hp with the options or if you and your boat & mount can handle the weight, a 9.9hp. Not for the hp but it is a popular size and will most likely have the options you want.
 
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
on
Without the aid of electronics how can you visualize hull speed being achieved? What can you tell by looking at the prop? What should you be looking for? Thanks
im not sure exactly what you mean...
once you get to know the boat and the feel of how it moves thru the water, you just know when its being pushed harder than necessary... with a water speed meter, you can tell by the way a little bit of throttle does nothing more to increase speed, and a lot of throttle just changes the attitude of how it sets in the water (stern squats and bow raises a bit as it tries to climb the larger wave the boat is now producing)....
you can do a search for theoretical hull speed of cat22 and see what you get.
its called "theoretical" because of the several unknown factors on a particular boat that may be present, or that can be changed that would affect the actual speed achieved, such as weight (and the placement of it), the amount of wetted surface and additions/protuberances below the waterline, actual hull shape and other less dramatic factors.
 
May 19, 2014
170
Catalina 22 #13555 Lake Winnebago, Oshkosh, WI
Fwiw, I have a '00 Johnson 6hp LS without any fancy auto recharge doodads. It moves my '86 new design just fine, even through 3' chop & 25+ kn winds. I've made hull speed a few times as upon additional throttle I only benefitted with additional noise, not speed. I did crawl inside to re-enforce the transom as I noticed a very slight flex when I jiggled the motor out of water. The above sailors are absolutely correct when they say it's thin glass holding on the motor mount. Whatever you buy, really consider adding some secure reenforcement for piece of mind. It's better than loosing a motor on the road or at sea and creating significant unwanted boat ventilation.