Ouboard for 1983 O'Day 25

[ddooher]

I purchased a 1983 O'Day 25. She has a 8 hp Mariner(?) that does not seem to have much left in it. Nissan is having a sale and I have always had good luck with that brand. I'm planning on moving up to a 9.8 hp.

The mounting seems to be where it was orginally set on the transom and is in good shape. I know I need a long shaft, but wanted to double-check to see if I needed an extra long shaft. Any advice?

Thanks.

 

[Ward H]

Go with the XL shaft. You'll need it in anything other than a calm pond unless you only motor out of a slip and back.
My 25 has a XL on it from the PO and if I had to change it out, I would put another XL on it.
My Yamaha has the gear shift, stop button and throttle all on the tiller. Much handier than having it on the side of the OB. Not sure if this is common on OBs but I did not see it offered on Tohatsu/Nisson but then, I wasn't looking for it.
Next best would be having the shift lever on the front of the OB. For 2012 Tohatsu/Nisson moved the the gear shift from the side of the OB to the front.
My 25 did have the gear shift, throttle and stop button remotely mounted in the cockpit. That was the first thing I changed. I wanted to be able to steer with the OB and that meant one hand for the OB tiller, one hand for the throttle/shifter and one hand for the rudder tiller. I was able to move the shift/throttle/stop button back to the OB tiller easily.

 

[RichBone]

I'd go for the XL too. I've got a long on mine and it's just adequate.

 

[HukilauMike]

Ditto: the XL is better; not necessary, but better. One thing to think about: if you tilt the engine out of the water rather than trying to raise the bracket (like me; I can't budge the bracket on my boat), then consider that the XL engine might too long to tilt out of the water completely. Even if you can move the bracket, the XL shaft might not come clear of the water. I bow to the wisdom of those who have an XL who can tell you if this is a problem.

The issue you need to deal with will be the mounting bracket. If you have the original bracket, its not rated to handle a four stroke engine. They don't sell small two strokes anymore, so you don't have a choice here (unless you buy a used engine). You will have to decide if you are ok with putting a four stroke on a bracket that is not rated to handle it. Remember, its not just the weight of the engine, its the torque generated by the prop that the bracket has to handle. Four strokes generate more torque than their two stroke cousins, especially at lower rpms (or so I'm told). So is it ok to put an 80 lb. four stroke on a bracket rated to hold up to a 120 lb. two stroke? Hell if I know.

 

[Joe11688]

I would be more concerned about whether the transom is beefed up enough for a four stroke outboard than the bracket. In my opinion, if the bracket is rated for the weight of the engine it will most likely take a four stroke.

A few years ago, a guy on this forum experienced a stove in transom on his O'Day 25. Thank God the stove in damage was above the waterline or the boat would have sunk. Here's the kicker, pardon the pun. Someone on board over accelerated the four stroke outboard in forward gear which was mounted on an el cheapo two stroke bracket similar to what is on my boat, and the bracket sustained no damage whatsoever. He posted pictures of it on this forum. Here's a pic of my bracket. If your bracket is more heavy duty than mine, it will probably work even if it's not rated for a four stroke.

 

[RichBone]

The weight was a consideration for me when I bought my Merc 9.9 in '09. I was replacing an aged Yamaha 9.9 long with electric start. The thing was 105#. I went with a manual long shaft to keep the weight down; it's still 85# and is about all that I would want to have to pull up to take it out of the water. I didn't think about an XL at the time because of past experience on a previous boat and thought the L would be long enough. Now in hindsight I would probably go with the XL. I don't know how much more it would weigh though. I like having the OB out of the water when I'm sailing.

Rich

 

[ddooher]

Ward, Thanks a lot. Any thoughts on 9.8 too much hp.

Regards,
Dan

 

[cb32863]

9.8 will be fine, I have a 9.9 on mine.

 

[Ward H]

Sounds like the 9.9/9.8 is a popular size for the 25. I rarely use more than 50% throttle but i like knowing there is more there if I need it. Pretty sure the 25 is rated for up to 15hp so 9.8 is not too much for the boat as designed.

 

[AaronL]

I've had my 25 for a few months now. It came with an 8 hp Nissan 2 stroke. The bracket springs are broken so it is all me on the lift and pretty challenging. Will it make a big difference lifting once I fix the springs?

 

[Joe11688]

I've had my 25 for a few months now. It came with an 8 hp Nissan 2 stroke. The bracket springs are broken so it is all me on the lift and pretty challenging. Will it make a big difference lifting once I fix the springs?

Aaron,
If your O'Day 25 has a fiber block on the transom similar to what is on my O'Day 222, you may not need to raise/lower your bracket each time you use your outboard. You could tilt the motor up out of the water on its own built in tilt.
It's important to get the springs fixed on your outboard bracket and keep it lubed so that it can raise/lower easily though, but I very seldom need to touch the setting on my bracket and I'm able to get the lower unit clear of the water when the engine is in the tilted position.

I really lucked out when my friend gave me his bracket. My old bracket was still in good working condition but it just looked old. In fact, I gave it to one of our YC members who had a real junky bracket on his Mac 26. Here's a pic of my old Fulton bracket when it was on my boat.
Joe