Outboard size

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Adam

Hello, I have an ODay 23; I'm getting ready to get back in the water, but my current motor needs a good bit of service....and I don't want to wait. Question is, what size motor do most people find useful: 6, 7.5, 8 or 9.9hp? My curent motor is 9.9, and thats way more than enough for the boat, is 6hp good enough to get you where you're going? Thanks in advance, Adam
 
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John K Kudera

Go for the 9.9 if

If you are in a tidal situation where you sail, If you sail on a lake, probaply can do with less.
 
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Warren

9.9

I have a 23 O'Day (for sale) and I purchased it with a 9.9 hp hi-thrust, 4 stroke electric start Yamaha outboard and was totally staisfied. I motored down the East River through Hell Gate and out the Atlantic for over 7 hours. Total fuel consumption for the trip under 7 gallons. Motor never failed to start and never had any trouble against the current or tides. No use in selecting a motor too small for the job, and then running it at full throttle all the time. When you have to outrun a squall, you will appreciate the extra horsepower.
 
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Geof

25 footer with an 8hp 2-stroke

It'll push the boat to hull speed, not much use in anything more than that, the butt just squats and you burn more fuel. It's a Tohatsu, about 13 years old (I think) and very dependable. Burns about .6 gallons an hour at 2/3 throttle. We sail about 20 times a year, we run the engine for about 40 minutes to an hour each time we're out and we burned a little more than 17 gallons total last year. Geof
 
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Keith Wolfe

8 HP vs 15 HP

I have a 1979 O'Day 23 that I sail on a local lake. It came with a Mercury 15 hp 2-cycle which was stolen last summer. I took the insurance money, added a few hundred bucks more and bought a Honda extra long shaft Bigfoot, 8 hp, 4-cycle with electric start and alternator. I don't have to fight tides or currents on my lake so I can't answer on that, but I do know that the 8 hp Honda will go just as fast as the 15 hp Mercury did. The 8 hp also runs quieter and smoother than the 15 hp did. With the beefier 4 bladed prop and better torque curve the 8 hp motor is easier to maneuver and backup with at the dock. I like my little Honda better than the big Mercury. The only draw back is the 8 hp is a few pounds heavier and could use a better motor mount.
 
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Trevor

I would go for the 6

My parents used to have a 4hp on their Santana 25 - ran strong in the heavy currents of the San Juan Islands. Extra hp won't push the boat faster than hull speed; a larger motor may cost more, might be heavier, and may burn more fuel. IMO, 6hp should be just fine. Best of luck, Trevor
 
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Jim A

Depends on current and

speed you want to travel. I'd get an 8 or 9.9 if it were me. O'day 23 is a big heavy boat!
 
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tom

7.5 honda fourstroke

As the others have said you can't go faster than hull speed!!! I had a 7.5 honda on a Macgregor 26. It went about the same speed at full throttle or half throttle. One possible problem with a too large of an engine is that you get carbon buildup and fouling when the engine is always ran at near idle speeds. This is especially true with two stroke motors. Tom
 
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Mike

I just bought a new 8

I have an Oday 23 and just bought a new Nissan 2 stroke 8hp (elec. start). I am switching from a 9.9 Envinrude that is over twenty years old. I have not tried the 8 yet, but all of my research leads me to believe that I could have gone down as low as a 6 and still reached hull speed in flat water. Depending on the currents and conditions in your area, a 6 might be fine. If you sail on a small lake (no tides, currents, etc.) a 6 would be a good choice. The smaller the engine, the lighter and easier it is to move around on the engine bracket and the better it is on gas. Whichever you choose, buy the longest shaft model you can get. If available, I would go for a 25" model if at all possible.
 
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John Dawson

voting for 7.5 and up

this question comes up kinda often for this size boat so I paused to look at a line of motors at WM; the 5 and 6 had one size prop which looked small to my eye. There was a jump in size for the 7.5, 8 and 9.9 motor range, and they looked more suited to pushing a ton of boat thru coastal conditions. Very subjective here, but I've often been glad to use a 9.9 where hull speed wasn't the issue.
 
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Capt. Gary Hughes

I just purchased a 1968 Santana 22 and had the same question. The previous owner used a 5 hp, 2 stroke and said it was fine. I wanted to make sure I could deal with the tide in the local cuts and purchased a 6 hp, 4 stroke. I believe it was exactly what I needed. It pushes the vessel 7 knots.
 
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David Guthridge

8 hp OMC Yachtwin

I have a '94 8 hp OMC Yachtwin, extra long shaft on my Pearson 26 which is just fine. When purchasing a new outboard look for a 4 stroke with a long throttle twist handle that sticks up high enough that you don't need to lean over and be sure the gear shift is on the front of the engine like mine, not on the side. The next motor I get will have a power tilt and electric start. I once saw a throttle and gear shift in the cockpit like you would have with an inboard down near the deck. That might be nice too. David
 
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Don

It's all about the prop...

I had a 23 for over 11 years. After wearing out the old Mariner 8 two stroke, I put on an Evenrude 6 sailboat model (I think it was called a Yachtwin) and really couldn't tell any difference. The 6 is light enough that I could take it off the boat by myself. Too many folks put a large motor on with a speed prop. A small motor with a power prop will give you the same results with less weight for less money.
 
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tom b. c-22

my c-22 came with a ...

mighty 2hp 2 stroke.. havent had a chance to get the boat wet yet, but have started up the motor...i think we need a bigger motor....haha
 
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tom

amount of HP from sails

I forget the number but it seems like sails generate an incredibly small amount of HP at low wind speeds. Fortunately I think the force increases as a square of the wind speed. But I bet a small trolling motor would be faster than trying to sail some days.
 
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