2012 Tohatsu 6hp?

May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
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think a fair deal, looks as new, carb was gummed/varnish as predicted by Benny, mechanic put a couple hrs into it to rid of all that mess (boiled parts + carb cleaner), now starts first pull, runs smooth, shifts smoothly...good find, $545 out the door.....

Cheers,
Ron
 
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Likes: Leeward Rail
May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
BTW, this OB mechanic sez, DO NOT run Seafoam, or other additives....ONLY Marvel Mystery Oil as an additive....and he's been at it for a coon's age....fwiw (yea, I know, everyone has an opinion on that subject!... LOL)
 
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Sep 30, 2013
3,538
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
Oh! Uh ... yeah. I knew that. :redface:

Well congrats, it looks like a great score!!
 
Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
Good used outboards are kind of like winning lottery tickets. They are hard to come by. Congratulations on your score.
 
May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
Usually in the water year-round, but Florence got in the way, and un-retired me (being in the w&d industry), so the boat sat on the hard till this morning, plus we had a month long heat wave and the keel hanger flip exercise. Finally launched this morning..... Enough of that.....

Point is, the new to me 6 hp Tohatsu Sailpro got a test drive of sorts today. Simply a new plug, lower unit lube and oil change. Started on second pull, ran it for an hour at the slip, no issues and pisses a good stream (much better than me!)

Now then, I've heard from y'all that it just "sips gas". No longer a skeptic in that regard, I pulled the fuel line at the tank (as I usually do when ready to depart) and the damn thing ran for a full 15 minutes + !!!! How does it do that??
No longer a skeptic, and the jumbo fender washers seem to hold the added weight just fine, (transom is still on the boat).

Thx to all for the recommendations!!
 
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Likes: Gene Neill
Sep 24, 2018
2,549
O'Day 25 Chicago
I was always under the impression that using higher octane gas than needed leads to carbon build up since fuel doesnt burn up thoroughly.

Always buy tohatsu branded parts. Mercury branded charges an arm and a leg

I know someone who got a 2018 9.9 EFI. He said he reaches hull speed at 1/8 throttle!
 
Sep 14, 2014
1,251
Catalina 22 Pensacola, Florida
My tohatsu 6 hp sail pro with the alternator and the front shift controls is the bomb. Sips gas , get hull speed at maybe 1/3 throttle. With the 25 inch long shaft never cavitates or overrevs even in big wakes and waves when I go forward to lower or raise sails. Run it on pure gas no ethanol or additives, never a problem in 3 years and always starts in 2-3 pulls with choke on cold and usuall no more than 2 when warm.
 
Apr 11, 2017
571
Catalina C22 Solomon's Island, MD
I hate to ask - but is the consensus that octane higher than 87 is a good or bad thing for the Sailpro?
 

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
Don't know but ran 100% gas at 87 for years on 2 Tohatsu 6hp with no problem.
 
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Likes: Hardhead
May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
don't know either, but I'm at the mercy of the octane of whatever non-ethanol is available here, usually high...non-ethanol being the priority, rather than the octane IMO...
 
Sep 30, 2013
3,538
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
I hate to ask - but is the consensus that octane higher than 87 is a good or bad thing for the Sailpro?
I am not a petrochemical engineer, nor do I repair outboard motors for a living. But my understanding (and firm belief) is that there is no benefit to running higher octane in engines of this type (with comparatively low compression ratio). I do have a friend who has owned a gas station for decades. He was the first to tell me this, because I used to run 93 octane in everything.

I have no firm understanding or belief as far as downsides, other than cost.

I would absolutely run high octane, if I had to in order to NOT run ethanol. In any small engine. Downsides or no.
 
Sep 14, 2014
1,251
Catalina 22 Pensacola, Florida
Excerpt from break in manual for sail pro 6 hp four stroke from Tohatsu company (We recommend using Genuine Tohatsu FC-W 4-Cycle Outboard Oil (see our FAQs section for more information). Use unleaded gasoline only (89 octane or above is recommended). After your break-in period has been completed, you should change your lower unit gear case oil.)
Most ethanol free gas available at gas stations is about 90 to 91 octane, so meets the factory recommendation.
 
Jun 4, 2019
17
Catalina, Newport Catalina 22, Newport 17 Landlocked in NE PA
I can't believe someone would tell you running higher octane will make the engine run hotter. Octane is a measure of fuels resistance to detonation... Simply put, higher octane fuel burns slower. If anything running excessively high octane would cause the engine to run cooler.
 
Sep 25, 2018
258
Catalina Capri 22 Capri EXPO 14.2 1282 Stony Point
Spent 4 hours Saturday getting the ethanol gas out of my 6HP Susuki. Couldn't remove the engine to dump the bad gas, so I added a stabilizer and ran the 0.5 gallon internal tank dry. After 1/2 hour with the stabilizer, the engine began running rough but continuous, it was stalling everytime I let it idle. After an hour, I was able to get it to idle smoothly. Went looking for ethanol free gas in the NY metro area. Nearest availability was LI or way up state NY. Ultimately found Racing Gas at a Sunoco in Fort Lee. 100 Octane and $9.99 a gallon! I only use 3 gallons a year so worth it to me. Does anyone know why no one has ethanol free gas in the NY metro area? Eco-terrorists is my guess (and I am an environmental engineer). Corn is to feed animals with and an occasional picnic, not to burn in an engine. Made a little sense when we imported a lot of crude. We export now and the only good thing with ethanol in gas is for farmers not owners of small gasoline engines.
 
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Likes: Gene Neill
Jan 14, 2014
225
Newport Newport 28 Fair Haven, NY
https://www.pure-gas.org

Great resource if you haven't seen it. To answer your question though, I have no idea why there's such a gap in availability down your way. Even considering that the site and maps are constantly changing, it does show Fort Lee being the only one close. Crazy that they only sell it at the 100 octane level. Do any marinas near you offer ethanol free? I know up in mine, there are some that have it available at the dock, even if the local stations don't.
 
Sep 25, 2018
258
Catalina Capri 22 Capri EXPO 14.2 1282 Stony Point
Checked with the marine gas supplier near me, no they sell E 10. Used Pure gas to find the Sunoco in Fort Lee. Otherwise I would have to drive to Poughkeepsie to find E 0. In Florida, every Wawa has E 0. I keep an empty gas can in my car in case I run into an E 0 station on my travels.
 
Apr 11, 2017
571
Catalina C22 Solomon's Island, MD
If you keep the gas moving through the tank - and it doesn't sit for more than 60 days, what problems have you generally had with small engines, say built since 2010, burning E10? I really don't want to jinx myself, but I've been burning E10 for years, and haven't had any specific issues that I can tell so far. I'm not saying it can't happen - I know it causes issues, and also does not age well at all.
 
Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
... Ultimately found Racing Gas at a Sunoco in Fort Lee. 100 Octane and $9.99 a gallon! ...
If it was blue, it was probably 100LL aviation fuel. Some FBOs at small airports will sell that to the general public. In other locations, you can't even get on the grounds of the airport without a good reason & proper ID.