1975 Catalina Outboard Question

Flip5

.
Apr 2, 2013
2
Catalina 27 Quincy
Hey everybody. I have a question which I am looking for help on. I have a 1975 Catalina 27. I am looking for a new outboard long shaft to use. The problem I seem to be running into is the opening in my transom. It seems that a lot of the 4 strokes seemed to be to big for the opening. I am looking for some ideas 2 or 4 stroke that will fit in that opening and what you guys/girls thing as far as hp? If anyone has the well in their transom and has an engine that they use I would love to know what it is. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!!
 

Br3nt

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May 14, 2011
23
C&C 39 San Francisco
The PO installed this Tohatsu 9.8 on our 1978. She's been good to us even in 20+ knots on the nose with some chop.



image-270319754.jpg
 
Nov 7, 2012
678
1978 Catalina 30 Wilbur-by-the-Sea
You may have to trim the top of your transom opening (inside and outside) with a jigsaw to get it to fit. Our boat had been trimmed by the previous owner much like Brents.
 

Flip5

.
Apr 2, 2013
2
Catalina 27 Quincy
Thanks guys. Yeah I feared that maybe the only way that a 4 stroke will fit. Thanks for the picture Brent. I was looking to see if I could find a 4 stroke that will fit but it seems they are all roughly the same size. With out modifying the transom, is there a way that I could get more power from my Johnson 8hp 2 stroke (that does fit in the transom) by maybe changing the prop or something like that? This all started because the Johnson which is a short shaft doesn't seem to have enough power to back the boat out of a slip.
 

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
7,999
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
The only motors that fit the opening are the old low profile Johnson or Evenrude sailmaster types......... None of the modern OB's will fit.... you either have to modify the opening or do as I do with my Tohatsu 9.9, which is to remove the cowling when tilting up... the entire motor head will store inside the compartment... then I cover with a standard canvas cover available from any chandlery.

When sailing the motor remains down all the time.... the only time I would consider raising it is for racing... but the performance improvement is minimal...tenth of a knot at most..... I just think of it as an inboard .... because it's electric start, remote control... don't have to mess with it otherwise.

Whatever you do... I highly recommend spending the extra bucks for an electric start, remote control model motor, 9.9 or 15 hp.... Tohatsu with high thrust prop. You'll be stylin'
 
Nov 7, 2012
678
1978 Catalina 30 Wilbur-by-the-Sea
I usually lift my motor once I start sailing. I find the swishing and ratcheting in neutral sound annoying.

I bought a tiller extension for my motor and cut a hole in the well lid. You can see it here. Cheaper than buying the remote setup. Depending on how you plan to sail I would suggest setting up the motor to charge your batteries. We go out for days at time and the 3amps extra helps augment solar.



Electric start, well, it is only a 9.9 but my wife has difficulty so I would say its not a bad option to have.

As the issue getting out of the slip, you may be in the mud. The marina we bought our boat at was full of silt, took a 3 or 4 minutes to back the boat out of the slip the first time under half throttle. Being our first time out with that motor we thought the reverse was broken... When we pulled the boat to get the bottom done it had clams living on the bottom of the keel...
 

Joe

.
Jun 1, 2004
7,999
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
I usually lift my motor once I start sailing. I find the swishing and ratcheting in neutral sound annoying.
Only time I heard any noise was when I left the motor in forward gear once...... I used to put it in reverse, but the the mechanic told me told me neutral was better..... sorry yours is so noisy... my 95 two stroke is super quiet, in and out of gear......

Leaving the motor down allows the hatch to remain flat.... guests like to sit back there athwart the stern.... it's very comforatble. As I said, the remote and electric package are well worth the extra money.... just ask those who have them.... they'd never go back to the tiller.
 

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Jon_E

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Mar 19, 2011
119
Catalina 27 Marina del Rey
With out modifying the transom, is there a way that I could get more power from my Johnson 8hp 2 stroke (that does fit in the transom) by maybe changing the prop or something like that?
Most outboards on sailboats have the wrong size propeller. You want a trawling type propeller, one that has larger blades and a different angle. The difference is amazing. These are designed to move a heavy object through the water efficiently at lower speeds than a speedboat or dingy.

My Catalina-27 has a 4 stroke 8 hp outboard and it works great. It also has other features such as a 3:1 gear reduction ratio in the transmission which helps greatly. It is a "high thrust" model, built from the factory just for this kind of work. The biggest difference, though, is the propeller.
 
Nov 12, 2010
12
Catalina 27 Seattle
Transom Modified?

Wow - that looks really good. I have a few questions:

Did you modify your transom cutout to get the motor to tilt up?

Do you use the sunbrella cover because the motor cowling doesn't fit with it in the upright position?

Did you install the remote controls yourself or did you have to have a shop do it? (When I have looked online, places like tohatsuoutboards.com don't sell the remote control packages and refer you to an installer)


Only time I heard any noise was when I left the motor in forward gear once...... I used to put it in reverse, but the the mechanic told me told me neutral was better..... sorry yours is so noisy... my 95 two stroke is super quiet, in and out of gear......

Leaving the motor down allows the hatch to remain flat.... guests like to sit back there athwart the stern.... it's very comforatble. As I said, the remote and electric package are well worth the extra money.... just ask those who have them.... they'd never go back to the tiller.
 

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
7,999
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
Wow - that looks really good. I have a few questions:

Did you modify your transom cutout to get the motor to tilt up?

Do you use the sunbrella cover because the motor cowling doesn't fit with it in the upright position?

Did you install the remote controls yourself or did you have to have a shop do it? (When I have looked online, places like tohatsuoutboards.com don't sell the remote control packages and refer you to an installer)
The transom hole is unmodified. The motor will not tilt up completely with the cowling on.... With the cowling off the motor tilts up into the cavity, however it interferes with the lazarette cover, so the hinges were removed to allow the hatch to lift up a half inch or so. The sunbrella cover is a standard model available at any chandlery. It it totally protects the motor as is...... when I'm using the boat, I just leave the motor down.... just like an inboard, it's always ready to go...

I installed it myself, but when I found the used motor at a power dealership up in Orange county, I paid a local mechanic there to check it out and get the little parts needed to hook everything up.

The very excellent dealer here is San Diego, PacWest Marine in Shelter Island, services it for me once a year and has give me lots of good advice.. they also sold me a complete service manual.

You can order the remote motor online, it just has to be delivered to a dealership. Pacwest here said that's no problem...and they'll install it for a nominal fee... or I could just order it through him... same price.... So if I were you I'd check the local dealer first... see what kind of deal they'll give you...

Here in so cal we have these guys.... http://www.ambermarine.net/tohatsu_outboards/tohatsu_outboard_9.8hp_4stroke.htm Damn good price on the lightweight Tohatsu 9.8 25" driveshaft, electric, remote, 12v charging system for $2800. What I will do is take this to Pacwest and ask them to match it.

BTW, powertilt option adds too much weight and the tilt geometry will alter considerably.
 
Nov 12, 2010
12
Catalina 27 Seattle
Joe - thanks for the reply. This is really great - I know that the standard procedure is to extend the cutout upward to accommodate the cowling but I'm just not happy with the amount I would have to cut out, given that I have the single (not split) backstay. Now I just need to confirm that the newer Tohatsus are comparably sized - the cowling looks more bulbous than the older model that you have.

Thanks Again!!
 
Nov 7, 2012
678
1978 Catalina 30 Wilbur-by-the-Sea
I myself have been thinking of converting mine to a split backstay just fit for that reason. But being lazy I have left it w a single stay. I think that the fiberglass is more than strong enough for the load even with the reduced area.
 
Feb 27, 2014
2
NA NA NA
The transom hole is unmodified. The motor will not tilt up completely with the cowling on.... With the cowling off the motor tilts up into the cavity, however it interferes with the lazarette cover, so the hinges were removed to allow the hatch to lift up a half inch or so. The sunbrella cover is a standard model available at any chandlery. It it totally protects the motor as is...... when I'm using the boat, I just leave the motor down.... just like an inboard, it's always ready to go...

I installed it myself, but when I found the used motor at a power dealership up in Orange county, I paid a local mechanic there to check it out and get the little parts needed to hook everything up.

The very excellent dealer here is San Diego, PacWest Marine in Shelter Island, services it for me once a year and has give me lots of good advice.. they also sold me a complete service manual.

You can order the remote motor online, it just has to be delivered to a dealership. Pacwest here said that's no problem...and they'll install it for a nominal fee... or I could just order it through him... same price.... So if I were you I'd check the local dealer first... see what kind of deal they'll give you...

Here in so cal we have these guys.... http://www.ambermarine.net/tohatsu_outboards/tohatsu_outboard_9.8hp_4stroke.htm Damn good price on the lightweight Tohatsu 9.8 25" driveshaft, electric, remote, 12v charging system for $2800. What I will do is take this to Pacwest and ask them to match it.

BTW, powertilt option adds too much weight and the tilt geometry will alter considerably.
The web address for Amber Marine has changed to http://www.ambermarine.net/tohatsu_outboards/tohatsu_outboard_9.8hp_4stroke.html