New Engine for 23 foot O Day

[tmeade1041]

i have had a Tohatsu 6 hp engine which came with the boat when i purchased it 8 years ago. I am looking to get a new motor with an electric start and fuel injectors plus some extras. Can anyone comment on the 9.9 Tohatsu sailpro engine with a 20 inch shaft --this appears to be a good option however i do not want to make a mistake. It pretty shallow in much of the surronding area of the 2 marinas i use. Any advice or recommendations for a new engine would be appreciated. There is also a 25 inch version of this engine. Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you

 

[danooxnard]

I have the Tohatsu 9.9 on my Catalina 22. I love it I have the 25” shaft and a catalina direct 3 spring outboard mount for it. The motor weighs in at 95 pounds so the 3 spring mount is needed. I looked at a lot of mounts before I bought the Catalina direct one, I am super happy with the mount too. I did add an extension to the handle to make it easier to get the motor down all the way into the water. The handle extension is the purple part of the handle.
I sail in the pacific ocean around Oxnard and Ventura a little north of LA. Afternoons coming back from Anacapa or Santa Cruz Islands can get a little rough. The 25” shaft keeps the prop in the water. My previous 20” shafted outboard did not and sometimes came out of the water on rougher days

A plus is it is electric start, which my wife likes and it keeps my battery charged on longer runs. The motor ran great right out of the box with a little carb adjustment for idle once past breakin. It has been a great motor. Since I never run it past the Turtle setting on the throttle I get mileage the is only a little less than the 6 horse Tohatsu I had. It pushes my Cat 22 to 5-5.5 Knots or so at that setting. Feel free ask more questions if you have them.

Dano

 

[danooxnard]

Forgot to add the picture!

Dano

 

[rgranger]

on the 25"

 

[Stu Jackson]

Dan's comments make sense. I owned a Catalina 22 from 1983 to 87 in San Francisco. I sailed the Bay, the Delta and in the ocean. All references I had at the time said:
1) 7.5 hp is enough for this size boat
2) long shaft is required to keep the prop in the water

Your rudder is most likely deeper than a long shaft outboard's would be. I can't confirm this because it was so long ago, but you could surely check.

The weight of the engine, as Dan said, will require a heftier spring mount.

If they make a 7.5 hp electric start, I recommend that. If not, and you have to get the heavier engine, at least you know what you're getting into. I suggest considering beefing up the transom inside, too.

Finally, running any engine all the time at idle is not good for the engine. These motors have finicky carbs which are continually reported to clog and give owners misery. They should be run at rpms that at least attempt to avoid this issue, and slow idle ain't one of 'em. (Does fuel injection eliminate carbs? I've had a diesel engine for 25 years I forgot!)

Carefully consider the implications of over sizing an engine for your boat. Good luck.

 

[rgranger]

I had a 9.9 on a Hunter 26 and it was too big. I down sized to the Tohatsu 6 and it was more than I needed... but that does not come in an electric start. Like @Stu Jackson implied.... I'd get the lightest electric start you can find with the longest shaft that they make.

 

[Ward H]

I had a xl long shaft Yamaha 9.9 with power tilt and electric start on my O'day 25. Something like 110 lbs.
It sure was nice though.
Never needed to run it over 3/4 throttle.
I agree with the others. Get the 25" shaft. Watch out though in choosing a smaller HP motor. Some are just depowered units and will weigh the same as the 9.9HP. Just because a 7.5hp or 8hp, it maybe just as heavy as the 9.9. I thought at 6HP and lower the units change and weight goes down.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I have a 1996 9.9 and an unreliable 15hp inboard on my O'Day 25. I find that the old 9.9 is less responsive when accelerating, stopping and the lower portion motor mount is often in the water at faster speeds. Less responsive is not a good thing when another boat cuts you off in the marina. A longer shaft means you have more room to adjust the motor mount up or down. The lower the prop is, the less likely it is to come out of the water. It will probably be more responsive as well. At the end of the season I go down the Chicago river to get to the storage yard. It takes a crew of 40 people, many of them union workers, to raise and lower the bridges. The wind was high and the waves even higher that day. I did everything in my power to make it happen but in the end we had to turn around because the outboard kept getting buried in waves. We were close to shore. If our motor had died, there's a good chance that we would have been pushed into the rocks. Had I been able to get the head of the motor higher, this would not have been an issue.

I've found electric start not only improves the overall boating experience (this came as a surprise to me), but it's a big help in emergency situations. It starts the motor faster and more consistently than I ever could by hand.

Does fuel injection eliminate carbs? I've had a diesel engine for 25 years I forgot!

Yes. Cars have had injectors in the intake manifold as well as in the cylinder. I'm not sure what they do for outboards but they run beautifully and sip gas. I have my doubts but one owner I met said he never went passed half throttle and only used six gallons of gas in a season

 

[danooxnard]

As Stu Jackson suggested I did use a piece of plywood to reinforce the transom. I also had to work out new weight and balance to get the required tongue weight when towing. I added extra batteries under the v-birth and added some weight to the front of the trailer in an ammo can bolted to the trailer near the tongue. I hate to add weight to the trailer but it was the only option I could come up with. The weight in the can is about 50#. This makes it possible to trailer with the motor attached. My motor is the Tohatsu 9.9 Sail Pro purchased new in 2021. It has a carb and about 150 hours on it with no issues.
Dano

 

[baycloud]

I had an O'Day 23-2 and can't imagine needing more than 6hp. I had to punch through some dicey conditions in the SF Bay as well. I did have to lower the motor mount, and did get some aeration in medium or bigger seas. I had the regular long shaft Nissan (tohatsu) 6hp. Almost never took more than one pull

 

[Project_Mayhem]

There should be some reinforcement on the starboard side of the transom if you look at the transom from inside. It should look like an outline of what is most likely plywood