Cheap outboard

[duncan14]

How crazy would it be to use a small 7hp Chinese outboard for 30ft Pearson? My A-4 suddenly died with a major problem with pistons and not going to be fixed any time soon. I still hope to bring it back to life, but it will be a long journey. Meanwhile thinking to get an outboard as a temporary solution, but don't want to spend a fortune. (Already way over the budget and haven't even sailed once). I just need the motor to get in/out of the harbor, from a mooring field in a good weather. Read a few posts that mention that motors in 5-6hp range are sufficient for this (though 9.9hp are recommended...). Found this one on Amazon

Amazon.com

Description says it's 7hp/5kw, but not sure it can be trusted. Shaft is 20".
I have a smaller one like that (4hp, 15" shaft) on my dinghy and very happy with it - runs great and very lightweight (30lbs), which made me think that a similar one can be used for a large boat. Please tell me if that's a wishful thinking

 

[Timm R Oday25]

For it's intended use , it might be worth the gamble .Are you in saltwater ? If you are I wouldn't try it .
This motor is aircooled and could be quite loud. Although this means there is even less to go wrong.

 

[jssailem]

It will work until it doesn't, then hopefully you are safely in the marina and home with the family.

I see that they have three reviews, one is a buyer review.

"Ive had this motor for almost two months and have had 2 different mechanic friends try to help me assemble it. I dont know how to put it together, there was no instructions or even a finished product picture. Idk how much oil or what kind it needs or if the propeller needs grease or what kind. It seems well built and decent for the price but I haven't event been able to start it up yet. There's no information online either...."​

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Buyer beware

 

[duncan14]

Thank you for replies! Yes, I'm in saltwater. I'm mostly worried if it can push a large boat with enough thrust to maneuver, especially if there's some wind. My sailing skills are not great, and I need to motor out of the harbor around other boats through a narrow channel.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Too small. It will be difficult to control the boat. Forget about emergency stops when someone cuts you off in a marina. Your inboard prop is forward of the rudder so steering will be difficult with a stern mounted outboard

 

[JoeWhite]

What does your insurance co. say?

 

[Stu Jackson]

It will work. I pushed a 25 footer with a 1.2 HP Johnson, my "egg beater" air cooled outboard. Flat protected water, but had a current and three bridges. Plan ahead. Absorb the warnings from these skippers, but functionally it will move the boat. Heck, try your 4 hp just see.

 

[LLoyd B]

I'm thinking that if you've got a battery big enough to start a diesel that you can't start anyway, you might as well use it to run a trolling motor that you can leave mounted until you get the diesel fixed. Would probably be less complicated than setting up your tender with remote controls so it can tow you in and out.

 

[PaulK]

I'm thinking that if you've got a battery big enough to start a diesel that you can't start anyway, you might as well use it to run a trolling motor that you can leave mounted until you get the diesel fixed. Would probably be less complicated than setting up your tender with remote controls so it can tow you in and out.

How does he keep the battery charged if his engine isn't working? Replacing the engine is roughly 10K$ according to various posts. 5K$ for the engine and 5K$ for install. This may involve new motor mounts and realigning the shaft. For an outboard to work on a boat this big it needs to be powerful enough. The Atomic 4 is 30 hp. To keep the propeller in the water it also needs a long shaft: 20" to 25". The transom on a P30 is pretty high. Waves can make the prop come out of the water. When it does this it stops pushing the boat forward and cooling water stops running through it. The prop can also over-rev, which can burn out bearings (at the same time the engine is overheating from lack of water). This is why your boat was designed with an inboard. Perhaps you can find a working Atomic 4 at a good price. That would make replacing the engine less expensive.

 

[dlochner]

This air cooled motor reminds me of the old British Sea Gull motors. They ran great when you could get them started.

I'd look for a better solution.

 

[Stu Jackson]

This air cooled motor reminds me of the old British Sea Gull motors. They ran great when you could get them started.

I'd look for a better solution.

Dave, I just used that as an example for the HP comparison, NOT the type of motor. Oddly enough, that no-gears, air-cooled puppy was the most reliable, always starting outboard I've ever owned. Go figgur...

 

[Foswick]

I'm mostly worried if it can push a large boat with enough thrust to maneuver, especially if there's some wind.

It will move the boat and be adequate for routine maneuvering in fairly calm conditions. But I would consider that probably underpowered for that boat that would do better with about 10 HP or more. You could find yourself unable to motor against a strong wind and/or current and your ability to stop or change directions will be fairly slow. But, that said, I don't think it is so small that it would be inadequate - just not great.

If you go that route, make sure to take it out in controlled conditions and get a sense of how it performs, obviously.

I don't think I could recommend it, as a strategy, unless you really just need something for the season and you have another use for that motor when you are done with it.

 

[LLoyd B]

If you guys are gonna talk contingencies why not recommend a 90 horsepower Yamaha after all he might want to water ski someday. It's a sailboat

 

[Foswick]

If you guys are gonna talk contingencies why not recommend a 90 horsepower Yamaha after all he might want to water ski someday. It's a sailboat

While I would tend to agree, it is a sailboat, but it also a 30-foot sailboat with over 8000 lbs of displacement ... on the open ocean.

 

[Indysailor]

Just a couple things come to mind, aside from the potential issue of not being strong enough in a current:

You will be moving the prop aft of the rudder, so you lose some maneuverability, unless you can reach the outboard tiller.

20" shaft may not be long enough. For a sailboat kicker, other manufacturers make a 25" shaft.

 

[garymalmgren]

Hi Duncan.
My guess is that you are going for the Chinese outboard engine because money is the issue.
So, I will poke at that.
If you buy the Chinese engine and it does the job you will eventually try to sell it to recoup something.
Secondhand Chinese engines don't sell well and if they do it is at a greatly reduced price .
So you will lose out there.

If you buy a secondhand long shaft Tohatsu/Mercury or Yamaha you will have a decent engine and when it comes time to sell you will get most of your money back.

That is what I would do.
9 HP should do they job and give you a new learning experience.

gary

 

[duncan14]

Thank you everyone for the replies. Will poke around to see if I can possibly fix the current inboard, use my small 4hp or get a larger used one.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Great Kills ... Staten Island - Raritan Bay. You can easily intend to use it only during benign conditions and find yourself in a situation where an under-powered heavy-ish 30' boat is in jeopardy when the conditions worsen. You have to install a motor mount for your transom and when the motor is in the water, you will have very limited ability to maintain control of the boat while physically being tethered to the stern with the handle of a small motor. If you are single-handing, this can be a big problem. Even a larger outboard with sufficient power can be a handful in bad conditions. I think you will be best served focusing on a solution for the inboard engine. Bite the bullet & get it done.

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

Your profile says you’re in Great Kills. If that’s the one in Staten Island I say NO to your idea.

Great Kills ... Staten Island - Raritan Bay. You can easily intend to use it only during benign conditions and find yourself in a situation where an under-powered heavy-ish 30' boat is in jeopardy when the conditions worsen. You have to install a motor mount for your transom and when the motor is in the water, you will have very limited ability to maintain control of the boat while physically being tethered to the stern with the handle of a small motor. If you are single-handing, this can be a big problem. Even a larger outboard with sufficient power can be a handful in bad conditions. I think you will be best served focusing on a solution for the inboard engine. Bite the bullet & get it done.

This!
Been through Great Kills and surrounding waters many times. Strong reversing currents near the NY Channel, shallow water in Raritan Bay and frequent big steep chop. An outboard on a stern such as yours will frequently cavitate out of the water. If you want to disregard the naysayers you’d be better off with a used Yamaha/Merc/Evinrude/Tohatsu etc that can be maintained rather than the cheap new motor. At least you’d be buying it at near the same depreciated price you’d be selling it. There won’t be much value in that cheap motor when you want to sell it.