Looking for new outboard

[kpgraci]

The 1972 Mercury 7.5 two stoke I have now runs fine, but its a 15 inch shaft and it has a broken throttle linkage that requires I remove the cover to operate the throttle, and while it has never let me down it is 40 years old...
I believe it weights about 85# and the motor mount seem to have no problem with it.

I want to replace it with a 6 or 8 hp, 20" shaft, electric start, but most 6hp are manual start, and 8 hp electric starts weigh in around 90#. All the new outboards seem to be 4-stroke. I would think a 2-stroke would be lighter but a few searches on the Internet don't turn up any 2-strokes in that range.

I like that the 6hp 4-stoke models weight under 60#, and I'm sure any new outboard would be a one pull to start affair, but I would still rather go electric. 90#-plus seems to be pushing the limit on the good graces of my mount.

Thoughts? Brands? Websites?

 

[sailaway78]

All the same

Almost all the small outboards are identical, except for the name tag. I would go for the 30# savings, over electric start. You might find a nice older model 2 stroke on ebay or craigs list, but no new two strokes.

 

[Winkfish]

Ken, I've used Bayou Outboards in Metairie for maintenance on my current 90 hp and a former 9.9 hp outboard they do great work. So, two thoughts:
1. They should be able to fix up your '72 Merc.
2. They may have used outboards for sale.

Their # is 504-836-6885

 

[Rick Webb]

Make the one you have a 20" shaft

Look up Bay Manufacturing in Milan, Ohio they make shaft extension kits. I made my Mercury grow from 20" to a 25".

 

[Caboteur]

Hi,

I bought a new 8hp yamaha in May 2011 at Island Outboards in Savannah-Thunderbolt; they had bought a ton of these before the importation to the US stopped. They or others may have some in stock. (912) 354-0400
Good luck... I love the little 8; I can lift it on the pushpit & easily drop it onto the dinghy! It always starts on first pull and runs very quietly.
Pierre

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

I have a 4 hp 4 stroke Yamaha on my 21 footer, and love it. Weighs exactly 6 pounds more than the old 6 hp 2 stroke Johnson, and fuel economy is terrific. I made a 285 mile trip this summer,and I burned 11 gallons. It pushes the boat at 5.5-6 at the 'start" setting, or under. It's a single cylinder, so vibrates a bit more than a two cylinder

I ran an 8 HP Yamaha 4 stroke on my 25 footer, for somw 7000 miles of cruising.It's a GREAT engine, but MUCH more than you need on your O'Day 22.

And not all engines are built by the same folks.

Tohatsu also makes Mercs, and Mariners. Suzuki builds Suzukis,and Yamaha makes ONLY Yamaha's.

In some 7000 miles of cruising the coast, I noticed Yamaha's on boats something like 4 or 5 to 1 of other brands

Personally, I think you would find that 4 hp 4 stroke to be more than adequate, and I'd seriously look at a Yamaha.

 

[OdayDave]

I replaced the 7.5 hp Merc with the 6 hp single cylinder Tohatsu 4-stroke long shaft when I had my O'Day 222 and it was an excellent move. I had no problems with that motor in the 5 years I had it. I changed the oil once to twice a year depending on usage, and the low unit oil once a year. I was also really careful with the gas, and used pure gasoline as much as I could. The motor pushed the boat at hull speed at about 2/3 throttle and used about 1/3 of a gallon per hour. The only issue I had was in waves the head would turn to one side on occasion, so to counter that I bought the powerthruster (sold on this site) to keep that from happening. It fixed that problem and also kept the prop from nicking the rudder and helped with the fuel efficiency.

http://forums.oday.sailboatowners.com/album.php?albumid=2157&pictureid=13873

I've got a buddy who swears by his Yamaha and they've got a great track record, but I really liked the little Tohatsu and it even moved the boat at near hull speed bashing into some decent waves. I bought it online at onlineoutboards.com and got good service from them as well. Delivered quickly and never had any issues after I got it.

Good luck,

Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25

 

[Joe]

Your talking 5 more pounds to get the motor you want? get a better mount, I'd do that anyway since you're going to buy a new motor, why trust the old mount........ Here's a brand new tohatsu 8 hp electric start.

http://www.onlineoutboards.com/Tohatsu-8-hp-MFS8A3EFL.html

 

[Sumner]

.... but I really liked the little Tohatsu and it even moved the boat at near hull speed bashing into some decent waves. I bought it online at onlineoutboards.com and got good service from them as well. Delivered quickly and never had any issues after I got it.

Good luck,

Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25

Same with us, bought a 3 1/2 Tohatsu long shaft and a 9.8 Tohatsu extra long shaft from them and have been very happy with both and their service as well.

We also had bought a used Nissan (Tohatsu) 5 HP long shaft and it worked well on the Mac 26 foot and starts easy. We went to the 9.8 HP though to get an electric start for the safety issue. Ruth can't start a 'pull start' and she needs to be able to start the outboard if I go overboard or I'm hurt. One instance of me getting hurt and us sitting for 3 days in a canyon on Lake Powell until I could pull start the Honda we had convinced us of that,

Sum

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[Witzend]

Go with propane,
http://www.defender.com/categoryBoatsMotors.jsp?path=-1|215570|1794283&id=1964825

 

[kpgraci]

Go with propane

As usual lots of good advice from many points of view.

An electric start was for my convenience - but it's true, some people can't pull start a motor, so there is a safety issue there. If I go electric the decision is pretty easy - my motor mount is pretty stout but I could go even bigger on the backing plate.

I'm believe a 6hp is plenty of power (especially with the thruster) but I'm also not one to mind overpowering either.

My practical side says 6hp rope start, and with the money I save over a 9.9 electric buy a new main sail (which I desperately need).

I dislike being practical.

 

[RichH]

Your not going to find any 'new' 2 cycle OBs in this hp range. Tohatsu is 'the' primary worlds builder/manufacturer of the 'power heads' for most brands of todays 4 cycle OBs.

Tohatsu is a very good manufacturer ... but sadly cannot meet the requirements of ethanolated gasoline ... unless you are very precise and ONLY use or keep the OBs gasoline for less than ≈one month, even with 'stabilizers' added. The 'shelf life' of gasoline for use in carburetored gasoline engines nowadays is 'weeks'; and, if you 'store' any after that timeframe, you will inevitablhy wind up with 'phase separation' (separation of the ethanol/water from the gasoline), and the rapid formation of gums and varnishes.

For any OB these days, you really have to apply an aftermarket 'quick drain' (purge valve) on the carburetor bowl so you're SURE that all fuel is removed prior to any 'storage' or non-usage interval.
The old 2 cycle engines use larger jet offices and air bleed passages; hence, less 'sensitivity' to gum and varnish build up due to 'crap' gasoline.

For reliability, less weight per Hp output, significantly less 'gasoline/carburetor' problems why not consider a good used 2 cycle of 'recent vintage'?

 

[kpgraci]

Shaft length....

Currently I have 15" which it too short - prop comes out of the water in chop or if I go forward.

Is bigger always better? If 20" puts the cavitation plate just at or slightly below the bottom of the transom would 25" also work?

 

[RichH]

The longer the better in TWO directions .... both apply to 'rough conditions, as when in severe or extremely steep 'chop' ..... or when in 'boarding' stern waves, etc.
1. deeper will keep the prop from caveating ... hence the OB attempting to run at infinite rpm when the prop is out of the water.
2. the higher the power head is from the water, the less chance of aspirating water into the carb, etc. ... and breaking a connecting rod, etc. due to 'hydrolock' of the combustion chamber as when the powerhead becomes fully submerged during a violent 'pitch'.

 

[kpgraci]

RichH - valid concerns about the gas. I use pure gas only, and I go out most weekends so the gas gets used - but 3 gallons lasts a long time with these little motors.

My current dilemma is with the Tohatsu 6hp sailpro engines. They come standard with an alternator (good) a special high thrust prop (good) but do not have an internal fuel tank (bad). The internal fuel tank models allow for external fuel tank connection, but the alternator must be purchased separate and they do not come with the special prop.

One of the hassles of rigging my current outboard is dragging out the fuel can, connecting it and getting the unavoidable gas squirt all over my hands, not that I care about that but I don't want to grab a line or a sail with gas on my hands.

The internal tank would be sufficient to motor out and in, and the external option for anything longer - seems like the best of both worlds. I have no alternator now but it sounds like a great idea, I wish I could get an internal tank and the special sailing prop.

EDIT: But now I'm wondering if the optional external fuel tank on the internal models disconnects the internal tank - that would defeat the purpose.

 

[Sumner]

....My current dilemma is with the Tohatsu 6hp sailpro engines. They come standard with an alternator (good) a special high thrust prop (good) but do not have an internal fuel tank (bad). The internal fuel tank models allow for external fuel tank connection, but the alternator must be purchased separate and they do not come with the special prop....

You can buy and put the high thrust prop from the sailpro on the other Tohasu, Nissan, Mercs and Johnson long shaft models.

We use a long shaft 3 1/2 HP on the dinghy so that we have at least some backup to the 9.8 on the Mac. We bought the extra long shaft 9.8 HP for two reasons.

With the mount I made above...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor2/outside-25.html

... the outboard is in the water the same depth as a long shaft, but the outboard is higher and easier..

..for Ruth to work the controls as she is usually on the tiller and/or the outboard. It also allows the motor to rotate fully which it can't do in the well due to its size. It also made the tiller to outboard tiller easier to make and ....

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor2/outside-29.html

...use and that is a great help in maneuvering in tight situations.

The mount comes off in just a minute with four 1/2 inch nuts holding it on. With it off the 9.8 would be deeper in the water or we could mount the 3 1/2. We never did find the need to lower it on our Florida trip though.

I wouldn't expect too much from the alternators on any of these small engines as you probably won't be running them very fast or for very long usually. Our 3 1/2 has the internal tank and it doesn't run all that long on the tank. With a 4-6 HP I would imagine even shorter run times. I installed an inboard permanent vented tank and that is working much better....

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor2/outside-35.html

...that the external tank.

It is sad that there isn't an electric start 4-6 HP outboard out there. Also the Tohatsu series 4-6 HP engines are all the same with only a different carb, which can be changed. I'm a firm believer that the difference between them is not very noticeable. We are talking 1-2 HP max difference at probably peak RPM only. At 1/2 to 2/3's throttle I'll bet we are talking about 1/4 to 2/3 HP difference and and I'll bet the torque on all of them are very equal. A prop change will be more noticeable than the 1-2 HP. We ran the 5 HP Nissan on the Mac once into 25 mph winds and it would run 5 knots at about 2/3 throttle.

The 5 HP was plenty good for any lake conditions we have ever been in. If you are dealing with tidal currents then it is a different situation. I wouldn't want anything less than an 8 HP on the Mac and also a higher thrust prop. The 9.8 saved me a couple times in Florida in cuts where I probably would of been in trouble with the 5 HP. It just comes down to the fact that the higher HP can swing a larger/higher thrust prop. By watching tides more closely you could get by with the lower HP engine.

Good luck,

Sum

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[Stan Breaux]

I have the 6hp Tohatsu with both the internal and external t

For some reason, I have a really hard time starting it with the internal tank -- I thought the internal tank would be great because this motor sips gas, and most of the time I wouldn't need more than 1/2 gallon, but I haven't used it since the first few dys that I had the motor because of the starting problem. I think the problem may be because there is no way to prime it with the internal tamnk (there is no primer bulb), but I'm not sure.

I'd be curious to hear if anyone else has had this problem with an internal tohatsu tank.

 

[bffatcat]

new outboard my 2c

Ive got a pearson 26w I bought a new tohatsu 8hp 4 cycle long shaft to replace a tired 8hp merc 2 cycle. It was a mistake. The 4 cycle has almost twice the power of the old 2 cycle.
At half throttle It moves my boat at hull speed If I had it to do over again I would buy a 6hp more than enough power. Seems to me you could do with a 4 hp 4cycle unless their are other considerations I dont know about About EIectric start: My motor is pull start. Im 75,
My wife is 74 both of us can start the motor without much effort. I have a 3gal portable tank
In MA you cannot buy ethanol free gas unless you have an airplane. Like Rich H said I never
use gas that is over 30 days old. I just dump it in my car.

 

[Sumner]

..I'd be curious to hear if anyone else has had this problem with an internal tohatsu tank.

No problem with our 3 1/2 HP Tohatsu. We have only run gas through it, no ethanol, we were able to find straight gas still at marinas in Florida while there,

Sum

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Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

My Yamaha 4 HP, 4 stroke has an internal tank, and external connections. The internal tank has a small primer bulb, but it's under the cowling, making it awkward. However it does have a selector switch, for off-internal-external under the front of the power head. Easily used.