I purchased a dingy and am looking for a motor for it. A friend had the same dingy with a 5HP nissan four stroke engine. It was a nice motor except it was just a little short of oomph. Could not get the dingy on plane with 2 people in it. Another friend has a 6 HP merc that does a great job except if is a 2 cylinder and about 20 pounds heavier. It easily gets two people up on plane. My question is, I have seen that Nissan/tahatsu has a 6 hp 4 stoke engine. I believe it is the same engine as the 5 hp except with different jetting. (weights the same, same stroke, bore, and CC)Has any one had experience with the 6HP and does it really have more HP than the 5 or is it just a marketing thing. I would go for the Merc but would rather have the 4 stroke so I would not have to mix gas. Just would like the same performance. Thanks for any help.
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A heavy subject
6 hp will plane our dingy with two aboard. Be careful of the same motor with different jetting as it may not be able to develop the RPM to reach full output. A 6 hp is pretty heavy to take on and off the dinghy, and the added weight of a 4 stroke at this power level would,to me, be a bigger hardship than mixing oil for both gallons I use every year.
6 hp will plane our dingy with two aboard. Be careful of the same motor with different jetting as it may not be able to develop the RPM to reach full output. A 6 hp is pretty heavy to take on and off the dinghy, and the added weight of a 4 stroke at this power level would,to me, be a bigger hardship than mixing oil for both gallons I use every year.
dingy motors
Let me throw another ingreident into the mix and that is to make sure you are have the proper propeller for the job. As an example my honda outboard has three prop recomendations depending on weight etc.It does not seam (at least to me) that 1 horsepower would make that much difference, Just something else to thng about,maybe a dealer would have a "loaner" or rental unit you could try first before buying.
Let me throw another ingreident into the mix and that is to make sure you are have the proper propeller for the job. As an example my honda outboard has three prop recomendations depending on weight etc.It does not seam (at least to me) that 1 horsepower would make that much difference, Just something else to thng about,maybe a dealer would have a "loaner" or rental unit you could try first before buying.
Food for thought....
My new Nissan/Tohatsu/Mercury...and whatever else is identical 6 hp four stroke weighs 57 lbs. My old Johnson 8 hp two stroke sailmaster weighed 46 lbs. Advantage: My Nissan uses half the fuel burn than the Johnson. Dis-advantage: I doubt that my Nissan can get anything up on a plane.
My new Nissan/Tohatsu/Mercury...and whatever else is identical 6 hp four stroke weighs 57 lbs. My old Johnson 8 hp two stroke sailmaster weighed 46 lbs. Advantage: My Nissan uses half the fuel burn than the Johnson. Dis-advantage: I doubt that my Nissan can get anything up on a plane.
More food for thought
I have a 6 hp Johnson that can get my 10' zodiac up on plane with 2 on board. My friend has the 8 hp Johnson (same weight, size, etc.) and the same dinghy. The extra 2 hp makes a HUGE difference. He was also told that it was a difference of jetting. If I had it to do over again, I would have gotten the larger hp for the same weight, even if it did cost more. Tom Soko Julandra #659
I have a 6 hp Johnson that can get my 10' zodiac up on plane with 2 on board. My friend has the 8 hp Johnson (same weight, size, etc.) and the same dinghy. The extra 2 hp makes a HUGE difference. He was also told that it was a difference of jetting. If I had it to do over again, I would have gotten the larger hp for the same weight, even if it did cost more. Tom Soko Julandra #659
Need to try before you buy.
Keith: You really do need to try before you buy. No one can really tell you that a dinky/engine combination is going to work unless they have tried it. There are design factors that need to be brought into the equation. If you can find someone with a motor that you want, maybe they will let you mount it on your dink.
Keith: You really do need to try before you buy. No one can really tell you that a dinky/engine combination is going to work unless they have tried it. There are design factors that need to be brought into the equation. If you can find someone with a motor that you want, maybe they will let you mount it on your dink.
Dinghy plane
Regardless of all the discussion about 2 stroke, four stroke, etc., it seems to me that it's simpler than that 1. the dinghy manufacturers all state the maximum HP 2. buy the dinghy, put on max HP and you'll plane 3. buy any engine smaller and you: a. may plane with limited occupants b. never will
Regardless of all the discussion about 2 stroke, four stroke, etc., it seems to me that it's simpler than that 1. the dinghy manufacturers all state the maximum HP 2. buy the dinghy, put on max HP and you'll plane 3. buy any engine smaller and you: a. may plane with limited occupants b. never will
When in Doubt
If you are using davits and don't have to worry about the weight of the motor ... always go with the larger motor ... Other than planing ... there are things that come up where the extra horse power comes in handy to get you out of problems when handling your boat.
If you are using davits and don't have to worry about the weight of the motor ... always go with the larger motor ... Other than planing ... there are things that come up where the extra horse power comes in handy to get you out of problems when handling your boat.
Dink engines
Keith; One thing that has not been mentioned is the Dole-Fin. I have one my Nissan 8hp and it pops my 10 foot Avon up onto plane with two men in it, and it allows the dink to plane at a lower speed. Being able to plane is important when the anchorage is a couple miles from town, the dive spot, whatever. That's my ten cents.
Keith; One thing that has not been mentioned is the Dole-Fin. I have one my Nissan 8hp and it pops my 10 foot Avon up onto plane with two men in it, and it allows the dink to plane at a lower speed. Being able to plane is important when the anchorage is a couple miles from town, the dive spot, whatever. That's my ten cents.
Dingy Motors
I agree, an eight horse motor with the Dole-Fin works great on my 10'2" inflatable. I used to have a 8'6" roll-up inflatable with a 5 horse motor. I couldn't get it to plane at any speed and ended up taking water into the boat when there was any type of chop. I was able to get the 8 horse to plane with four people aboard with no problem. An issue that you will have to deal with is the 8 horse weights more. I purchase a "motor mate" which allows me to raise and lower the motor without any strain as well as significantly reduces the possibility of the motor going over board.
I agree, an eight horse motor with the Dole-Fin works great on my 10'2" inflatable. I used to have a 8'6" roll-up inflatable with a 5 horse motor. I couldn't get it to plane at any speed and ended up taking water into the boat when there was any type of chop. I was able to get the 8 horse to plane with four people aboard with no problem. An issue that you will have to deal with is the 8 horse weights more. I purchase a "motor mate" which allows me to raise and lower the motor without any strain as well as significantly reduces the possibility of the motor going over board.
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