Request for Outboard Recommendations

[Echo]

Hi All~
We are looking into purchasing a Sirius 21 and are in need of a outboard for it. We are in a quandry about outboard selection for this boat. We have heard some folks use a 9.9 which seems heavy and overpowered. We are wondering if anyone might have suggestions regarding horsepower and shaft length? Thanks for the help.

 

[rwb]

O/B info

Hello, your request for motor size info. The original specs for the Sirius calls for a 6 hp. We have a 9.9 Evinrude 2 cyl and it is too much power. We only use half throttle for full speed, any more and the boat just boggs down and slows. The weight factor of a motor can influence the sailing speed as well. The lighter the better. We only use our motor to leave and enter our marina with the odd trip home under power when the wind dies. always a bummer when it does that. The only advantage the larger motors give is electric start and battery charge capabilities. Not sure if this feature is available on smaller motors. Reaching over to do a pull start can be a knuckle buster on our boat. A friend with a Sirius21 at our marina has a 4 hp and it seems to perform well. Oh yes a long shaft model is adviseable. I hope this helps, maybe others have info on what they use and can provide further info...Bob

Hi All~
We are looking into purchasing a Sirius 21 and are in need of a outboard for it. We are in a quandry about outboard selection for this boat. We have heard some folks use a 9.9 which seems heavy and overpowered. We are wondering if anyone might have suggestions regarding horsepower and shaft length? Thanks for the help.

 

[Eric s/v Windrush]

Forget the big 9.9hp! They're way too heavy and overpowered. 9.9's are generally suited for boats twice the weight of a Sirius 21, as in 26ft LOA.
I have a 6hp 4 stroke Nissan long shaft, and have found it to be quite satisfactory. This particular engine is produced with 2 other brand names, Tohatsu and Mercury. Same engine for all, made in one factory, just a different name. The six hp is the largest horsepower in this particular engine block size. The 4, 5 and 6 hp are all the same block, but with carb modifications to give extra hp. The 8hp goes up in block size and also weight.
I'm really not sure why many Sirius owners use 9.9hp engines for a 2000# boat. Once you reach hull speed, all those extra horses are just a waste.
(Hi Rob)

Eric

 

[Eric s/v Windrush]

Forgot to mention that my engine has a charger. It's not hooked up, but I'm told it's pretty small, and would require me to run the engine nearly full speed for a while to effect a decent charge.

Where are you located Echo?

Eric

 

[Eric s/v Windrush]

 

[Echo]

Many Thanks!

The responses are greatly appreciated! My husband and I live in upstate NY but we have been sailing on Georgian Bay for about 10 years. We have been looking at Sirius boats for a few years as we would like a boat we can trailer locally and use more often. We used to sail on Lake Ontario and loved sailing to Main Duck Island, Kingston, Wapoose, etc. Looking at the photo of Windrush and reading these great reports about this boat certainly leans us toward purchasing a Sirius soon!
Thanks for all the help. Happy sailing!

 

[rwb]

good info

Hi Eric, very good advise from yourself and may I say Windrush looks superb. When we bought our boat years ago it came with the 9.9 Evinrude, but it is in mint condition so we still hang it on. The 9.9 is a poor choice for this boat and would down grade to smaller and lighter if the cash was there. Still paying for kids advanced education....gee will it ever end..lol!! Would be nice to have a smaller, lighter motor.

Something I will trial is a 50 size electric trolling motor. I carried it as an emergency motor but never tried it for performance and battery use life. Will see how long I get per battery.

Just brought the boat home from storage, now to get the standard maintenance done in time for launch the end of May....Bob

The responses are greatly appreciated! My husband and I live in upstate NY but we have been sailing on Georgian Bay for about 10 years. We have been looking at Sirius boats for a few years as we would like a boat we can trailer locally and use more often. We used to sail on Lake Ontario and loved sailing to Main Duck Island, Kingston, Wapoose, etc. Looking at the photo of Windrush and reading these great reports about this boat certainly leans us toward purchasing a Sirius soon!
Thanks for all the help. Happy sailing!

 

[BBurley]

My boat came with a 1 yr old 8hp Honda. The previous owner - deceased- had his 6 hp stolen. Yes it is heavy but very very quiet. It also equiped with a generator. I have a dock filled with 9.9 's of all makes and nothing compares for fuel economy or sound level. As mentioned elsewhere anything above 1/2 throttle is just wasted but couldn't imagine a 6 wailing away with the number of miles I am on power.

 

[sneakiestpete]

My 1982 Sirius 21 came with an 8HP Johnson that looked pretty dodgy - especially the part about it being stuck in gear....so I took my Johnson 6hp Sailmaster with charger from my 21' NorthWest and it pushed the sirius along just fine - even through a fairly serious current between 2 Islands that was running a few knots more than I was hoping for - anyhow pushed it along at 5 or so knots no trouble.

My boat came with a 1 yr old 8hp Honda. The previous owner - deceased- had his 6 hp stolen. Yes it is heavy but very very quiet. It also equiped with a generator. I have a dock filled with 9.9 's of all makes and nothing compares for fuel economy or sound level. As mentioned elsewhere anything above 1/2 throttle is just wasted but couldn't imagine a 6 wailing away with the number of miles I am on power.

 

[Echo]

moving forward...

We are getting closer to buying an outboard...actually just bought our Sirius 22 a few weeks ago and we went on our maiden voyage today! We are considering a 6 hp or 8 hp - wondering also about the 20" verses the 25" shaft. Any suggestions?
Echo