We just got an O’Day 222. We need a motor and are considering an electric, trolling or small outboard (under 5 hp doesn’t have to be registered in our state). All we think we need it for is to get in and out of marina. We would like your opinion. We would be mostly sailing in and around the Hilton Head, SC area. Thanks in advance. Don
Motor opinion
- Thread starter Don Tatarelli
- Start date
5hp would work fine for you. My Mac 26S had one when we bought it. An electric is clean but you may need more battery power onboard. Propane is another option. I've seen them but have no idea how good they are.
Just my opinion, but if you spend $1,000 or more on propulsion and don’t get something that could take you 20 miles or more that is too limiting. And while you are at it get the longest shaft you can.
Thank you all for your ideas. We settled on a 3.5 HP gas motor available from Amazon and is returnable in case it doesn’t work for us.
Don, Have you had a chance to install and use the motor? What are your initial impressions?
Sorry no, because they don’t offer a long shaft it wouldn’t work for us. We are looking at used motors now. Thank you.
If u can find a honda 2.3 extra long shaft that's a great little dependable motor
You might want to consider the “sail pro” models from Tohatsu as they offer an extra long shaft version and a standard alternator.
I appreciate you are trying to stay under 5hp and I think 6hp is the smallest sail pro but maybe you don’t need extra long shaft anyway.
You also mention you think you will only use it to get in and out of your harbour but I would point out that weather is predictably - unpredictable
If you need to motor to safety it’s not a bad idea to have lots of power on hand. A number of posters here have expressed their positive satisfaction with Tohatsu product.
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thank you. We will check out that model. The five hp isn’t a huge deal. It just doesn’t have to be registered in SC if it 5 or under. Just one less hassle but not really a big one.You might want to consider the “sail pro” models from Tohatsu as they offer an extra long shaft version and a standard alternator.
I appreciate you are trying to stay under 5hp and I think 6hp is the smallest sail pro but maybe you don’t need extra long shaft anyway.
You also mention you think you will only use it to get in and out of your harbour but I would point out that weather is predictably - unpredictable
A number of posters here have expressed their positive satisfaction with Tohatsu product.
Your welcome.
They make 5hp and under models as well that are both short and long shaft, just not extra long (not positive about the extra long thing).
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the tohatsu 5hp propane comes in three models;short shaft, long shaft, and extra long sailpro. The extra long sailpro has an alternator built in, all have hi thrust props. smooth,easy starting, great engines.
Actually we changed our (OUR?) minds. We found out the original owner of the 222 still has the motor he had on the boat. Sounds like a good one with not many hours so he is making that available for a great price. Won’t get it for a few weeks though. Thank you. Don
Could be a mixed bag. I assume it’s a fairly “well-dated” engine if first purchased with the 222 model, the last of which was built in 1988. Two or four stroke? Anyway, outboards that are not regularly run develop “chronic reliability problems“ in my observation. Low price going in, but then a few hundred $$ getting it serviced, etc. I presently have four of those little PIA so I’m an expert on the subject. John Steinbeck apparently was also. FromThe Log from the Sea of Cortez—“It completely refused to run: (a) when the waves were high, (b) when the wind blew, (c) at night, early morning, and evening, (d) in rain, dew or fog, (e) when the distance to be covered was more than two hundred yards. But on warm, sunny days when the weather was calm and the white beach close by—in a word, on days when it would have been a pleasure to row—the [thing] started at a touch and would not stop.”
A 5-hp is probably sufficient for what you wish it to do. Welcome to boating! Enjoy!
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That sounds like a "First World Problems" assessment. Those old engines last forever with regular maintenance, and tuning them is child's play. No need to spend hundreds even if they need a complete rebuild. But the OP didn't say this was a motor that was originally on the boat, just the most recent one on it. My 1974 boat came with a 2006 Mercury, but I swapped it for my reliable 1980 Johnson because I could not stand the silly throttle--combined-with-gearshift on the Mercury.
You may have misconstrued, but first I wonder how long since your Jonhson has been in the shop? Maybe it never has and if not, good for you. But do you use it in seawater as with the outboard use we’re discussing here? You may not have had the pleasure ($). I did not mean to suggest that “vintage models” are any more inherently problematic than new models, only that a prolonged lack of regular use can lead to problems. The OP mentioned “not many hours” as a selling point. I wonder how one could know that w/o a meter or useage log. Does it have one?
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I was lucky enough to have had to buy old beater cars when I was a teenager. I am my own shop. The primary problem with the new stuff is that it is made to be so complex to service that throwing it away soon becomes the best policy. The older motors can be serviced/rebuilt by anyone with rudimentary tools and skills.
Sailboat outboards suffer from underuse, not overuse. They don't wear out, they just clog up, from running cold and poor fuel. Taking apart and cleaning is almost always all that is needed, plus setting up slow running and mixture from the original easy-to-follow 30 page owner's manual.
So we agree that if a newer (4-stroke) model must go to the shop b/c it’s behaving badly, it might cost a few bucks to get it out?