Outboard motor
- Thread starter ingramsail
- Start date
I haven't had my busy in the water yet... I have a choice between a 9.9 two stroke and an old British seagull... I think the 9.9 might be too heavy.
dues anyone know if the British seagull will push it good enough? it seems like it should
dues anyone know if the British seagull will push it good enough? it seems like it should
The beauty of a 2 stroke is that they weigh around half of what a 4 stroke of the same HP weighs. Are you going to sail in a lake, a river or coastal sea waters? Anywhere there might be currents and strong prevailing winds I would recommend the 9.9HP. What is the HP rating for the British Seagull? Your boat could be a little underpowered with the 4HP model and perhaps the 6HP model would be more appropriate to operate in mostly calm waters.. Check your motor mount for weight restrictions. In older models they were rated for HP which it is understood to mean the approximate weight of a 2stroke engine for that horsepower. What type of sailing are you going to be doing? Racing, overnighting or just day sailing? Would you be trailering to other bodies of water like rivers where currents may come into play? Lastly think about maintenance and parts availability for both engines. The 9.9 HP will burn approximately 1GPH + the added 2 stroke oil. Also check the length of the outboard legs as the longer one will work better in a sailboat. There is also the prop; either or both of the engines may not be propped correctly for your boat. Manufacturers use an average size to try an accommodate most boats but I have found that in most instances they are pitched too high for the displacement hulls of a sailboat. I would venture to say that the Sea Gull would be better propped. If you can try them both and see which one works best.
6 hp Tohatsu long shaft Sailpro is the motor of choice by far here on the forum. Moves you along just fine at hull speed and sips fuel. Yes they do weigh a bit more than a 2 stroke, but not by much. Suggest you do a search here, plenty of posts on the topic....
9,9 is way over kill.
An extra long shaft 6 would be a perfect maximum as #12502 BSC suggested. Even a 4cycle 3 HP will get you home on a 22 and might even get you to hull speed. I used a 3 HP on a Sonar *(23 feet) and it was plenty even when pushing into the tide. A long shaft 4 Tohatsu should easily do the job. I used the extra long shaft 6 on my Oday 25 (ready to sail at 5000 lbs) and it was perfect. Most people overpower. Shaft length and propeller diameter are more important.
An extra long shaft 6 would be a perfect maximum as #12502 BSC suggested. Even a 4cycle 3 HP will get you home on a 22 and might even get you to hull speed. I used a 3 HP on a Sonar *(23 feet) and it was plenty even when pushing into the tide. A long shaft 4 Tohatsu should easily do the job. I used the extra long shaft 6 on my Oday 25 (ready to sail at 5000 lbs) and it was perfect. Most people overpower. Shaft length and propeller diameter are more important.
The Seagull certainly has its charm.. Not a good choice if you are mechanically disinclined.. They are very easily maintained, and that is a good thing since they seem to need maintenance often (If they are set up correctly with proper points gap and good points and wires and plug, and running on ethanol free gasoline, they will usually run a season without further maintenance) .. Newer motors with electronic ignition (no points) and as suggested before, smaller 4 stroke motors running on ethanol free gasoline are very low maintenance machines.
We motor sailed a 22' Starwind with a 9.8HP in the long Island Sound and the best we could do against the tide was 1 knot. We ended up tacking towards the Connecticut shore and back mostly to find ourselves just a little ahead of where we had been. In rough sea conditions I would encourage the use of a 10HP engine.
My old boat had one of those. An oldie but a goodie! I didn't keep it long (the boat or the motor) but the darn thing started on the first pull every single time. A good buy for the budget challenged, mechanically advantaged sailor.
But the question was "best", so I'll cast another vote for the Tohatsu Sailpro. Ours has been 100% reliable for five years now.
Need to keep cost down, I'm in the process of rebuilding this 1977 Catalina 22. Motor just seems to be a good price for starter.My old boat had one of those. An oldie but a goodie! I didn't keep it long (the boat or the motor) but the darn thing started on the first pull every single time. A good buy for the budget challenged, mechanically advantaged sailor.
But the question was "best", so I'll cast another vote for the Tohatsu Sailpro. Ours has been 100% reliable for five years now.
I have a 30 Catalina which I removed the old diesel engine and replaced with a Suzuki 9.9 long shaft on the aft end. With a little more than 1/2 throttle it will push at hull speed. I live on the Gulf and when leaving the harbor to open sea in bound or out I have never had a problem with strong currents. This is not an open water boat that might get into ruff seas, so not worried about 3 to 6 foot seas and prop coming out of the water. I have it on a lift mount. A long shaft is the only way to go.
About 60 years ago my family owned a boat with a Seagull outboard. It was noisy and really stinky. Think clouds of obnoxious choking smoke. Needed lots of care to run reliably and was probably horribly polluting with the oil to gas ratio of 1:20 (if my memory is correct).
Also needed frequent decoking (annual event) and change of spark plugs seemingly per outing.
Otherwise very robust and highly maintainable
The oil ratio was actually 1:10, very smoky, but started with clean fuel on first or second pull even pulled out after 8 years in garage back corner, 5 bladed low rpm prop will move a small barge though. But getting replacement Points is more of a problem than plugs. Mine was and still is a Silver Century rated at around 5 HP.
I have a 1984 Catalina 22. I use a Tohatsu 6 hp sail pro and really like it. Plenty of power, I typically only run it at approx 3/4 throttle and still manage to hit max hull speed (~ 6 kts). Burns somewhere between .5 to .75 gal/hr.
Be ware of recommendations for an "extra long shaft" (not an option with Tohatsu, but it is with other makes). There's not enough swing on the motor mount to lift the prop out of the water when in the up position, which can cause two problems - 1) the prop will drag in the water when you're under sail and 2) it can create maintenance issues if you dock your boat for long periods (which I do).
The only downside to the "long shaft" vs the "extra long shaft" is that the prop can catch air -- break the surface of the water -- when motoring even in just moderate (<2 foot) waves. It's not a big problem, but you will lose speed when it happens, and it's also rather annoying as it revs way up and worries me about taxing the motor. The "extra long shaft" will reduce or even eliminate that from happening. I don't use the motor enough in 2+ foot seas for that be a deal breaker for me.
Be ware of recommendations for an "extra long shaft" (not an option with Tohatsu, but it is with other makes). There's not enough swing on the motor mount to lift the prop out of the water when in the up position, which can cause two problems - 1) the prop will drag in the water when you're under sail and 2) it can create maintenance issues if you dock your boat for long periods (which I do).
The only downside to the "long shaft" vs the "extra long shaft" is that the prop can catch air -- break the surface of the water -- when motoring even in just moderate (<2 foot) waves. It's not a big problem, but you will lose speed when it happens, and it's also rather annoying as it revs way up and worries me about taxing the motor. The "extra long shaft" will reduce or even eliminate that from happening. I don't use the motor enough in 2+ foot seas for that be a deal breaker for me.
That must have something to do with your mount. The shaft on our Tohatsu (which IS offered in extra long, although we don't have it) could easily be four feet long and still never touch the water, even heeled hard to port.
We've been getting by okay with a long shaft, but if I ever have to buy a new motor for some reason, it will be an extra long.
