Outboard Motor Question

[tgrass462]

We have a Hunter 260 with a 8 HP Tohatsu OB. We've been toying with the idea of doing the LOOP one day - or at least sections of it ... and we're thinking we might need a bit more HP.

I believe the H26 / H260 is rated for 10 HP; we have a friend with a H26 with a 15 HP Honda.

Is this acceptable? Will this much motor damage the transom? The motor mount?

What is the maximum HP that members of this forum have used on their Hunters?

Tom Grass
Grasshopper III

 

[Ed A]

It depends on how much you plan to motor, the loop requires a lot of it. I think doing the loop with a small outboard would be a pain in the butt.

as for the 15, you would double your fuel consumption and probably wont get much more speed but you may be able to keep the hull moving in more current with the 15, not faster.

 

[Johnb]

One thing to consider, for the old Honda BF100 outboard there was a kit to put on a bigger prop and change the gear ratio so it (the prop) ran slower, thereby optimising it for a heavier slower hull. This helped going into a head wind.

My experience (my previous boat was a Clipper Marine 23 ft with Honda BF100) was that what really killed you was chop, especially when the prop started coming out the water, at which time it was better just to sail the other way.

If the water is flat but moving faster then you can motor over the ground in still water then you are only going to go backwards unless you are going in the same direction as the current in which case you would be zipping right along.

 

[Benny]

Whatever engine you decide on get a long shaft motor and make sure it is propped right for the boat. Cockpit controls would be a nice convenience on a long trip.

 

[cephius (Dave)]

The H260 has one beefy motor mount. We have a 4 stroke 9.9, which is just a 15 hp block tuned down to the lower HP to allow it to be used on HP restricted lakes. (Common in Minnesota)

Due to the low hull speed of this boat, there's no reason to go with more horse power. I recommend you look into a high thrust configuration. I had the Yamaha 9.9 High Trust. They match the gear box and prop to achieve that configuration.

You still only get a top speed of about 6.5 knots, but you can power through wakes and current without loosing that speed. I used it when I had a 45 minute cruise up the Mississippi to my marina from my sailing lake. Going up and down river here is very similar to what you are planning.

 

[Bob 04 H260]

I have a newer Honda 9.9 high thrust on my 260, it came with a 10"x7 prop with 4 blades, lots of push, never has been a problem. It has the 25" extra long shaft, they have a 12 amp alternator a nice feature on a sailboat. Also the exhaust normally comes out of the center of the prop except when you shift into reverse, so it stops really well without that gas going through the prop. I have the remote controls on the pedestal and link between the motor and rudder all great when you need to do a lot of motoring. I would like have the power tilt/trim but it is not available on the 25" motor.
I think the Honda parts are expensive, Yamaha parts are much more reasonable.
Bob

 

[George H260]

All good advice:

Do not exceed the 10 hp engine recommended by Hunter. Play all you want with props & such.

One owner did the Loop in a H260 with a 9.9 and he said he motored 85 percent of the time.