Disappointed with the Honda's 5 HP Engineering
I looked at the Honda 5 HP motor for a a future replacement for my 1979 Johnson 6 hp motor, on my 1980 Catalina 22. I was disappointed. I have had several Honda motorcycles and a 3 wheeler and always really liked their products, but I was disappointed with their 5 hp motor when I looked at it at our marina. I should tell you that a 3 amp alternator is an option on this motor, for more than $100 extra. If you will be motoring for 15 miles, it should have time to do some charging of your battery. The first thing that disappointed me about the 5 hp motor is that it is only a single cylinder engine. I don't know how much it would vibrate, and recommend that you check with someone who has one. A twin cylinder engine seems more reliable to me and should vibrate less, by design. The 8 hp is a twin. The weight of the Honda 5 hp is 61 lbs. My Johnson 6 is only 54 lbs. The end of a sailboat is not the place where you want to add weight. You want to carry your weight in the middle of the boat and low. The 8 hp weighs 79 lbs. The Honda engines also seem big in volume to me. I don't enjoy mixing the oil into my gas, and hate the thought of putting the oil into the water when my engine runs, but I really wish there was a smaller, lighter 4 cycle, 5 or 6 hp outboard built. I have motored 15 miles with my 6 hp motor many times, and even 35 miles a few times, on the Chesapeake Bay. Any properly running motor reaches its maximum temperature after it's warmed up, which occurs in a few minutes. I wish you the best, and if someone knows of a better motor than the Honda, I would like to know about it. As for me, I'm going to take good care of my motor until someone comes out with a better one.