H23 Outboard Question

[Pete from Long Island]

Hello Hunter Owners. I'm new to this forum and glad I found you all. Having owned a Hunter 22 swing keel some years ago, I just purchased a 1987 Hunter 23 Wing Keel, in very good condition, but the engine is not. It's a 1987 2 cycle Evinrude 9.9 HP that's running very poorly, and I'm going to have a good friend/mechanic take a look at it, but frankly I'm much more inclined to buy a new engine and start fresh, especially since I got such a great deal on the boat/engine/trailer combo.

My question is this; What is the recommended horsepower range for the Hunter 23? I'll be sailing primarily on the protected waters of the Great South Bay on the south shore of Long Island and want the most efficient yet removable outboard that my vessel is rated for.

Does a 7.5 HP has enough power? Should I go as high as 12-15 HP, assuming today's outboard engines are also lighter weight?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Pete from Long Island

 

[scott21050]

Pete,

I have a Hunter 22 and repowered it from a 8 hp yamaha to an 6 hp Suzuki(wont buy the Suzuki again). If you get a four stroke get a 2 cylinder and not one as it will run smoother and quieter.
But I would think even 6hp would be enough and 9.9 would more than enough. One thing is that the 4 strokes do weigh more. So check the weight and how much your motor bracket is rated for. I also have a charger installed on the motor for lights and it does very well. It makes it good for overnights. It will run you about $250 or less for the charger.

Good luck,

Scott

 

[Rick Webb]

Exactly What Scott Said

Six would be plenty of power but most manufacturers only have two cylinder engines down to eight HP. They run much smoother than the single cylinder engines.

Consider an extra long 25" motor vs the 20" long shaft

 

[Rick Webb]

Just Looked at some Online

Looks like you have to go to a 9.9 to get the 25" shaft.

I put an extension kit on my six hp motor to make it a 25" rather than a 20' motor.

I bought my extension from Bay Manufacuring somwhere in Ohio Milan I think is the name of the town.

 

[bad co]

I have a 23.5 and a 9.9 tohatsu that came with the boat its not a heavy motor and going against the current in a strong wind I was still able to keep a comfortable speed, I wouldnt go any less then 9.9 as here were sailing in shipping lanes and last thing I'd want is a slow boat that can barely get out of its own way.btw no problems with the tohatsu starts most times on first pull , every other time its two.

 

[RobertG-NJ]

Agree with Rick & Scott

I would definitely go with the 6HP and the Long shaft. Tohatsu (same as Mercury/Nissan) makes a 6HP 4 cycle long shaft 25" Sailpro with a high thrust prop. From all the reading research I have done, it is the latter that is more important than the HP for a sailboat. Higher HP wont get you past hull speed and is wasted, although I have heard claims the H23 can plane. The longer shaft will keep the prop in the water. a 6HP weighs the same as the 4 or 5, and the 7 & 8 same as the 9HP, (as each group use the same basic bodies) so go with the bigger of each group.

A new sailor myself, I bought an 88 H23 that came with a 8HP Yamaha. Never needed a fraction of the HP even in the bay. Due to a moments carelessness I didnt lower the motor mount all the way and within moments the impeller rotor was toast. I got the 6HP to replace it as I wanted to sail and no shop could get to reapair it for weeks. It was a costly lesson but I thought I would sell the 8HP as it was more of a powerboat kicker with a short shaft. The 6HP is much lighter and less strain on the boat transom. I have never had the need to go much past half throttle. On protected waters I doubt you would need more; with ocean currents you might need the 8 or 9.

Good luck and shop around

 

[peterdinunzio]

H23 Engine comments; Thanks...

Thank you all for your comments, you've given me some good leads and some homework to get started on. I appreciate your time to help me out. Talk to you all soon. -Peter

 

[Jim Kolstoe]

The h23 originally came with a Nissan 5hp long shaft. That's plenty to push it to hull speed. Anymore hp is wasted.
Jim Kolstoe, h23 Kara's Boo

 

[PeterSuah]

More on outboard HP

As Jim Kolstoe said, the boat came with a 5 hp Tohatsu, which is plenty for most uses. However, if you have to deal with strong currents, waves, high winds or heavy marine traffic on a more than occasional basis then I think more horsepower is warranted.

I cruise singlehanded with an 8 hp Tohatsu two-stroke and I've made headway against strong winds in near-whiteout conditions during a sudden thunderstorm. I've also towed stalled watercraft several miles on more than one occasion. These included another H23 in bad weather and a 19 ft sterndrive powerboat with 6 passengers aboard. I still have the original factory motor mount, which flexes under load but hasn't failed yet.

Peter
H23 "Raven"

 

[Bill Leathen]

I have a H23 and recently purchased a Mercury 6 HP long shaft 4 cycle engine. It does fine with that motor. The original Nissan 5 HP was plenty when it ran, but in the end, it seldom ran.

 

[bud]

Hello Bill,your hull speed is only 5.9 k appr.So sailing in sheltered waters where power is not as big a factor 5hp is sufficient but definetly no bigger than 9.9hp.You will also want to use a long shaft.Good sailing!