Can a Hunter 260 handle a 15hp outboard?

[LarryH]

I m looking at repowering my 1999 H260. with the strong currents at the inlet of the St. Lucie River in Stuart , Florida, i am wondering if 15 hp is a better alternative to a 9hp. Is the 15 hp to heavy for the boat?

Any comments will be appreciated.

Thanks

Larry

 

[Kivalo]

My Nissan 9.9 supposedly weighs in at 115lbs give or take a bit. A Murcury Marine Outboard "propkicker" and standard 15hp 4stroke supposedly weighs in at 115lbs as well. So I would assume the answer is yes you can likely add a 15hp outboard with no danger to the motor mounts.

 

[Clark]

For the new ones, the 15 hp can be be up to 20 lbs heavier than the ~9 hp models. What are you replacing? Sometimes what is needed is a different prop; one with a more shallow pitch. This gives one the ability to extract most of the hp from the engine at rated hull speeds. Most setups I've owned and observed was pitched too steeply. Wasn't usually a problem for our area but we don't have serious tides and currents to deal with

 

[soling42]

There were some reports of mount issues on the 26/260 that make me check on mine often(no signs of an issue on our '04). Your boat is sensitive to weight and since it's a displacement hull it'll only go up to it's hull speed potential (6.2+/-). Our 8hp high thrust Yamaha OB takes it there at about 80% throttle, add a head wind and simply add more throttle to keep it there(up to a point of course). Trying to push it past hull speed is really a lost cause only adding more weight and considerable strain on lightweight components.

Our boat was already rigged with the yamaha 8hp/HT/elec start/tilt/alt/pedestal controls and it's an ideal setup for a 260. After 5yrs of experience with it if I had to repower, which we don't, it'd be the exact same setup.

Running a pass is always a pain and I know the one you're describing can be especially trying but overpowering the boat probably isn't the answer. Good luck in your decision and be safe.
M&K

 

[Rick Webb]

I do not Think Weight Will be the Issue

Torque will be and I do not think the brackets the 260 came with are up to it.

It also will make no difference. The boat will need much more than an extra five horsepower to make it go faster through the water. The nine is more than enough to get it up to hull speed.

We have the same issues here with the East Pass in Destin timing is the answer not more power.

 

[LarryH]

Thanks for responding

Torque will be and I do not think the brackets the 260 came with are up to it.

It also will make no difference. The boat will need much more than an extra five horsepower to make it go faster through the water. The nine is more than enough to get it up to hull speed.

We have the same issues here with the East Pass in Destin timing is the answer not more power.

Thanks everyone...it sound s to me a new 9.9 is the best answer.

Larry

 

[Juice6576]

The powerhead of the 15 may be too big. We repowered our h26 with a High thrust Yamaha 8 four stroke. It was a tight fit, but the power tilt was awesome. The high thrust 8 was much better than the original Tohatsu 8. We were very happy with the new engine.

 

[LarryH]

For the new ones, the 15 hp can be be up to 20 lbs heavier than the ~9 hp models. What are you replacing? Sometimes what is needed is a different prop; one with a more shallow pitch. This gives one the ability to extract most of the hp from the engine at rated hull speeds. Most setups I've owned and observed was pitched too steeply. Wasn't usually a problem for our area but we don't have serious tides and currents to deal with

Im replacing a 9.9 Tohastsu longshaft thats a complete eyesore. Its been unrelyable and hard to maintain. Reverse is a real issue and the linkage is also shot.

 

[LarryH]

Mind my asking what you paid?

 

[Rick Webb]

8 HP is all You Need

The 9.9 is the same motor just a carb that is jetted different so I do not think it would be a problem to go with the 9.9.

I would go with a high thrust prop and the extra long (25") shaft it really helps to keep the prop in the water.

Here is a place I have heard good things about use it for comparison if nothing else

http://www.onlineoutboards.com/Tohatsu-9-8-hp-Outboards.html

 

[cephius (Dave)]

I agree with Rick. Most 9.9 outboards are just 15 hp that have been set to put out only 9.9 hp to meet the needs of boaters on waters restricted to 10 hp or less.

The motor mount on my H260 is very rugged. I would have no problems hanging a 15 hp outboard on it.

As others have stated, you will get better results for current and waves with a High Thrust version, rather than more horsepower. I had the Yamaha 9.9 High Thrust on my Catalina 22 for the same reasons. It really did the job.

 

[soling42]

Not to stir it up but there ARE numerous postings about how the motor mounts on the 240/26/260 can/have failed so be careful about how much weight you hang on these mounts. Like the boats themselves they are not robust nor are they built for much weight/power.

That's not to mention the corrosion prone embedded aluminum plates all over these boats that the SS bolts are threaded into. Nothing is less impressive than watching your new OB dangling by the control cables, or worse, passing you. Don't get me wrong, I love our 260 but by design(in order to save trailerable weight) they are built light weight.

A quick search in the forums found more than a couple of posts.
http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=617393&highlight=motor%20mount

http://sbo.sailboatowners.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=6889&Itemid=257

http://sbo.sailboatowners.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=6963&Itemid=257

Good luck in your decision. Mike