better or waste of money

[txtowman]

thinkin about a new outboard.

Catalina 22 swing keel with extra weight from bats and comfort gear, genny

1993 2 stroke yacht twin OMC evinrude/johnson

will an 8 hp 4 stroke be too heavy too much 4 the transom?

reasons 4 upgrade

battery charging

fuel economy

better up current performance

dependability

no more expensive 2 stroke oil

 

[Stu Jackson]

Missing important information: What's the HP of your existing engine? Does it work for you? Is it reliable?

Oh, and where do you sail on the farm?

Battery charging from engines is usually a choice of either 6A or 12A but only at WOT. A small solar panel would do a better job.

Many reports of easily gummed up carbs. See the C25 Association website, they're great on outboard engines.

 

[Bilbo]

Him I have a 6hp 2 cycle Yamaha on my C 22 (new Style) . This gives me about 1 kt above hull speed. It includes the alt. and it will charge at about 50% throttle but not at idle speed.

I would not want to go heavier since this outbaord makes the boat sit noticeably lower in the back. Of course the battery and the fuel tank are pretty far back as well. The downside of it sitting lw in the back is maybe a small decrease in sailing speed but also I was getting gel coat blisters on the stern above the protective epoxy hull paint.

 

[Capri-18]

Cat-22 engine

I had a Cat-22 for many years and ran dual batteries under the front V-berth,(installed a little vent). You want more weight forward anyway. I had a 6hp 2-stoke Johnson, was more than enough power. I have a 4-stoke 5HP Nissan on my Capri-18. More than enough power, take a look at a 6HP Tohatsu with the charger option. They are the same engine as the Nissan, and Mercury, all made by Tohatsu, all exactly the same, just different prices and colors. I always run a mixture of Stay-Bil and a little SeaFoam in my gas. Never any carb or fuel problems, even when sitting for months.

Don

 

[Dave Robbins]

I had an 2 stroke 9.9 Merc on the C-22 I owned years ago, did just fine. Not sure how much your new 4 stroke would weigh but that Merc was pretty heavy. Having said that, I have a 2001 2 stroke Tohatsu on my 1989 C-25 and it's MORE than enough. I'm not sure how many amps my alternator does but I very much like that it helps keep the battery charged, but also keep a medium solar panel

 

[Bilbo]

Some comments:

I think that it depends upon your specific situation.

I'd say that an 8 hp wouldn't be too hard on the transom in weight or power but you may not need that much power unless you are in a high wind, waves, or strong current/tidal situation. Typically on calm day, 6hp will easily get you faster than 'hull speed'. If the currents and tides are typically faster than hull speed......hmmm.

1) The weight of the bigger engine may lower the stern and you may get gellcoat blisters IF you leave the boat in the water for the season. This has happened with my 6hp 2 stroke but on the new style, the batt, outboard and gas can are all in the stern area.
2) The issue of charging batteries depends upon how you are using the batteries.
For example, if you are worried about running lights only, then get the LED replacement lights. They are bright and they use like 1/10th of the electricity that the O/E bulbs consume. If you are using a bit sound system, GPS, VHF, HDTV...etc....then you need something else. If you keep the boat in the water in a safe location and sail on weekends, then maybe a solar panel is good. They may seem expensive but they are cheaper than buying an outboard.
3) The 2 stroke oil is no more of a major expense than the 4 stroke oil. I have used about 1/2 quart of 2 cyc. oil in like three years. The gas and boat maintenance is more expensive by far. Why, the spark plugs have cost me more.

4) This is a sailboat.