catalina 22 outboard motor

[syates]

I have the Tohatsu 9.8. It runs great. It starts immediately every time. It is kind of heavy. The 4 spring mount works well. In retrospect, I wish that I had gone with the 6. One thing that I like about it is that it takes very little throttle to drive the boat at hull speed, so it is really quiet, and barely sips gas. It sounds like electric start is not available on anything smaller, so this is probably a good choice. I have tried to attach a photo of the boat with the motor to show how big it is compared to the boat. Hopefully it comes through.

 

[doug fulp]

I have the Tohatsu 9.8. It runs great. It starts immediately every time. It is kind of heavy. The 4 spring mount works well. In retrospect, I wish that I had gone with the 6. One thing that I like about it is that it takes very little throttle to drive the boat at hull speed, so it is really quiet, and barely sips gas. It sounds like electric start is not available on anything smaller, so this is probably a good choice. I have tried to attach a photo of the boat with the motor to show how big it is compared to the boat. Hopefully it comes through.

Thanks, good input. Your picture came out great. So I am assuming yours does not have electric start/tilt. How much does your motor weigh?

 

[syates]

It does have electric start. I was going to get one without it, but the dealer said that the one with electric start comes with an alternator. I definitely wanted that. For close to the same price I got both. It weighs right around 100 pounds. I replaced the old motor mount with the 4 spring mount from catalina direct, and used some stainless steel backing plates to spread out the load on the transom. It seems rugged enough.

 

[doug fulp]

Does it have electric tilt as well? Where did you get the stainless steel backing plates and how are they secured? This is very helpful, because I have been going back and forth on getting the 6hp sailpro or the 9.8 but really wanted the electric start/tilt features. Thank you for all your input since I am now thinking of the 9.8

 

[doug fulp]

Also, did you get the 20 inch shaft or the 25 inch? Thanks again for all your help.

 

[syates]

No electric tilt. I got the 20 inch. It seems to be plenty. I just used 2 layers of scrap diamond plate metal that I had. I put them on the inside of the transom and bolted through them.

 

[doug fulp]

Syates, I just ordered my motor with 25 inch shaft, 4 spring motor mount, and backing plates. thanks so much for your input and I will let you know how it goes.

 

[syates]

Great. Have fun.

 

[doug fulp]

syates, I thought I sent this earlier. I bought the 25 inch motor today and the 4 spring motor mount/backing plates. Thanks for all your input , I will let you know how it goes. Thanks again

 

[Ward H]

You will love the Yamaha 9.9 with E start and Power Tilt. My O'day came with a 9.9 and E Start but the OB mount didn't provide much lifting assist. When we had trouble with the 9.9 the Admiral insisted on a new OB. We bought the Yamaha T9.9 High Thrust w E Start and Power Lift. Love it. No more hanging over the stern struggling to pull up the OB.
Now when we get ready to go out the Admiral puts the OB in the water and starts it while I get the boat ready.
Well worth the extra cost to us.

 

[snoopy_]

Doug,
I just read today, which I think was in a Catalina 22 manual, that they suggest 3-6HP only, stating that anything larger will not be able to push the boat any faster, but will only waste fuel. I am sure physics are at work here, with max hull speed, etc.
I have been using a Mercury/Tohatsu 6HP for my C22 for the past two summers and it works very well. My only issue I have is after starting it with full choke it dies in about 10 seconds. The fuel ball is empty so I have to re-pump it again to charge the line, then it starts and is fine. I only use it for about an hour a day; 20 minutes in and out of my marina each way.
I have been thinking about adding an alternator to it in order to charge the battery... but for the two summers I have not had any electricity on the boat. I have a hand held radio, and only sail during the day; I want to wire it, but boat stuff is expensive! e.g. Panels, wiring, led lights, etc.

Snoopy.

 

[gkmoore]

Snoopy,

like you I only sail during the day. The only wiring I have is my running lights for dusk returns. I use a small 12 v battery (for game feeders) and top it off with a charger on shore when needed (I rarely use it and it stayed 'topped off' all summer last year. Much cheaper and lighter than a full size 12 volt auto/boat battery. No switch panel - (there was none when I bought the boat), I just connect my light leads to the battery when I need them on.

Just another way to solve the problem.

 

[CaptDon01]

A friend of mine ordered the 25" shaft several years ago when we lived in San Diego. One issue was the prop would drag in the water when the outboard was raised on a starboard tack. My problem with a 25" model was "if" I sheared the pin, I can barely reach the prop to replace the shear pin on my 20" Tohatsu. Add the extra 5" and it would be impossible for me to reach. I know those out there will say you need to 25" shaft to keep the prop in the water. Guess in theory that is true, however in my real world experience, I have to work real hard up forward pulling the anchor to get the prop out of the water when a wave comes by.

Don

 

[doug fulp]

The 25" Tohatsu 9.8 with electric tilt and electric start works great. I found that I can reach hull speed with a little less than half throttle which gives me plenty of extra power should I need it. The weight does not seem to be a problem nor the 25" shaft. I realize that a smaller engine would suffice but I could not find one that had electric start or tilt in a smaller size. So far I am extremely pleased with the new motor and really appreciate the input on the forum on this topic.

 

[MaryEllaRose]

I have the Tohatsu 9.8 long shaft (MFS 9.8A3 w/ electric start on my 74 C-22. Nice little motor but there's a few things you should be aware of.
1) I use a lawn tractor battery for starting (230 CCA). No problems keeping it charged. (Separate house battery... shore charged) We only motor about 1/4 mile from our berth to the end of the channel, maybe a bit further coming back in and the battery always keeps a full charge. It's three years old now. I love the electric start. I have a rotator cuff injury and I never have to worry about aggravating it or leaning over the rail.
2) Always run fresh ethanol free fuel. Religiously. With Sta-bil and Seafoam. Run the carb out of gas after every sail, even if your going back out on a few days. The carb is very sensitive to dirt. A dirty carb is NOT covered under warranty. I've been around carburetors since 1965 and after three cleanings I gave up and bought a new one. (Dealer wanted $150 to clean it, new carb was $169....)
3) Don't use synthetic oil, it will never break in. (Don't ask me how I know that). Keep your oil exactly between the high/low marks. If it gets too high it will froth up and you'll loose oil pressure. Since our running time is so short, my motor has the nasty habit of "making oil" caused by a combination of fuel blow by (see above...synthetic oil) and condensation. When it gets above the full mark, I siphon out as much as I can and replace it with fresh oil.
4) I replaced my motor mount with one that can handle the weight of the new motor. I mounted it at the same location and am glad I got the long shaft. Fully lowered, the tiller handle just clears the edge of the transom when it's horizontal. In a moderate chop (Lake Erie) the prop can come out of the water when turning or if a following sea lifts the stern.
Not withstanding my self inflicted problems with carb and the oil, it's been a pretty good little motor. Starts easy, plenty of power to push a C22, I can make 5-6 knots at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle in calm water. Past 3/4 throttle, the boat doesn't go any faster, the motor just makes more noise. There's no weight difference between the 8 hp and the 9.8 hp, only about $300. From what I've been told, the only difference between the two is a larger carburetor on the 9.8. We sailed at least 3 - 4 times a week last season and used only about 6 gallons of fuel.
If I had to do it again, I'd buy the 8 hp just to save $300, but am not sure whether the power tilt would be worth the $ or the extra pounds. I wouldn't use synthetic oil and would pay more attention to what goes in the gas tank.

Tom G

 

[KJH]

I have a 1983 Cat 22 with a swing keel which the Admiral and I sail when harbor hopping up and down the southern coast of Wisconsin. Harbor hopping often necessitated going from point A to point B, with winds and waves out of point B!! In the interest of keeping our daily "hops" under eight hours, I bought a Yamaha 9.9 four stroke engine (pull start) about three years ago. Upgraded the motor mount and had transom reinforced and the rig works wonderful! Plenty of power to remain at hull speed in 1-2 footers on the nose. Adds about 25 more pounds, but worth IMO. For what it's worth, I am 73 years and have no issue either tilting, lifting, or starting the engine. Hope this helps.
Ken