My MacGregor 25 needs an outboard. What is the best size for the money? Of course, I would like to have one that will power the boat upon inland lake use. The most desireable traits are low price, low weight, quiet operation and dependability to start. Everything everyone wants, right? Can you day sailors give me a brand and horsepower? Thanks.
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David Guthridge
Bigger not better........
I just read an article about pesky little outboards. They like to be run at 80% throttle all the time. You run them to slow and they get all gumed up. So, don't buy to big a motor. I have a Pearson 26 (7600 lbs with keel) with an OMC 8hp 1994 long shaft. I run it almost full speed all the time and it puts me at hull speed (6 kts). I keep the fuel clean (Most importent!!) and she rarely needs service. You ask what model to buy. I see a lot of the Merks out there and Hondas. They seem to have the market on small outboards. If I were buying a new motor today I would probably get a 4 stroke. I would guess a 6-8 hp would serve you best. I think a 9.9 is overpowering, you won't run it fast, and it will gum up. Hope this helps.
I just read an article about pesky little outboards. They like to be run at 80% throttle all the time. You run them to slow and they get all gumed up. So, don't buy to big a motor. I have a Pearson 26 (7600 lbs with keel) with an OMC 8hp 1994 long shaft. I run it almost full speed all the time and it puts me at hull speed (6 kts). I keep the fuel clean (Most importent!!) and she rarely needs service. You ask what model to buy. I see a lot of the Merks out there and Hondas. They seem to have the market on small outboards. If I were buying a new motor today I would probably get a 4 stroke. I would guess a 6-8 hp would serve you best. I think a 9.9 is overpowering, you won't run it fast, and it will gum up. Hope this helps.
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Rick Webb
4 HP Minimum 6 HP Probably Fine
8 is plenty, 9.9 is way too much. I love the 6 HP Mercury on my boat. It would be nice to have a 4 stroke though. Tohatsu makes the small outboards for Nissan and Mercury. Here is a formula for size and a place to compare prices with. HP = (Displacement/1000) x 2 http://www.onlineoutboards.com/#
8 is plenty, 9.9 is way too much. I love the 6 HP Mercury on my boat. It would be nice to have a 4 stroke though. Tohatsu makes the small outboards for Nissan and Mercury. Here is a formula for size and a place to compare prices with. HP = (Displacement/1000) x 2 http://www.onlineoutboards.com/#
My Mac 26D with a 9.9 HP...
2 stroke is a bit overpowered. Throttling up past about 60-70% doesn't get me any more speed, just a lot more noise, vibration and fuel consumption. Even at idling speed, it pushes the boat a bit too fast for coming into a slip, and, like a typical 2 stroke, if you run it at low rpm's for very long it will load-up, stop and be a pain to restart. I think an 8 hp 4 stroke would be the best choice; plenty of power, more dependable, no more mixing oil and gas, better fuel economy, etc. Now, if we could only get the outboard manufacturers to include about a 30-40 amp well-regulated alternator for charging the batteries, I'd be in hog heaven!
2 stroke is a bit overpowered. Throttling up past about 60-70% doesn't get me any more speed, just a lot more noise, vibration and fuel consumption. Even at idling speed, it pushes the boat a bit too fast for coming into a slip, and, like a typical 2 stroke, if you run it at low rpm's for very long it will load-up, stop and be a pain to restart. I think an 8 hp 4 stroke would be the best choice; plenty of power, more dependable, no more mixing oil and gas, better fuel economy, etc. Now, if we could only get the outboard manufacturers to include about a 30-40 amp well-regulated alternator for charging the batteries, I'd be in hog heaven!
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Dana Barlow,C
Jeff M ,I got one of these for the bats +
I like this little gen a lot,and my 2cly OB fuel works in it,1000w gen. has been handy at home too.I was happy to find it made much less sound then I was thinking it would when running! http://www.bargainjims.com/Images/Products/ProductAd.ASP?ItemCode=GEN1000&cat=Generators&subcat=
I like this little gen a lot,and my 2cly OB fuel works in it,1000w gen. has been handy at home too.I was happy to find it made much less sound then I was thinking it would when running! http://www.bargainjims.com/Images/Products/ProductAd.ASP?ItemCode=GEN1000&cat=Generators&subcat=
Very Kewl!
I had looked at something kind of similiar a while back that Coleman made called the Ultimite but they went out of production and are hard to find now. Also, the Ultimite's noise rating was quite a bit higher and people I talked to who had one said that was a major drawback of the unit. Have you been happy with the performance and quality of the unit? It looks like it might be just the ticket for running the battery charger on a small boat. Still, I wish the outboard manufacturers would increase the output of their small motor alternators to something more useful!
I had looked at something kind of similiar a while back that Coleman made called the Ultimite but they went out of production and are hard to find now. Also, the Ultimite's noise rating was quite a bit higher and people I talked to who had one said that was a major drawback of the unit. Have you been happy with the performance and quality of the unit? It looks like it might be just the ticket for running the battery charger on a small boat. Still, I wish the outboard manufacturers would increase the output of their small motor alternators to something more useful!
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Jim A
Depends where you sail
Lake or river? I would go with a 8 or 9.9 but you could go smaller on a lake.
Lake or river? I would go with a 8 or 9.9 but you could go smaller on a lake.
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tom
Mac 26 7.5 hp honda
Was more than enough power. The boat got to hull speed at less than 1/2 throttle. The extra power came in handy every now and then. But the boat came with a 4hp two cycle that worked OK. I liked the quiet and lower fuel consumption of the four stroke.
Was more than enough power. The boat got to hull speed at less than 1/2 throttle. The extra power came in handy every now and then. But the boat came with a 4hp two cycle that worked OK. I liked the quiet and lower fuel consumption of the four stroke.
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ted
Jim's right. Depends on where you sail.
If you sail in a lot of current like where I live then bigger is better. I have a 9.9 honda. Coming in the pass with the tide ripping I wish I had a 15hp. If you sail where there is little current then a 8-9 hp is good. Ted
If you sail in a lot of current like where I live then bigger is better. I have a 9.9 honda. Coming in the pass with the tide ripping I wish I had a 15hp. If you sail where there is little current then a 8-9 hp is good. Ted
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tom
More HP helps against wind and waves but
once you reach hull speed more hp won't help!!! If you are talking about just currents HP above that required for hull speed won't help. When there was no headwind my mac 26 honda 7.5 went just as fast at 1/2 throttle as full throttle. Now if you have a dirty bottom more HP will help overcome that drag. But once you reach hull speed more power just allows you to make a bigger wave with little or no change in speed.
once you reach hull speed more hp won't help!!! If you are talking about just currents HP above that required for hull speed won't help. When there was no headwind my mac 26 honda 7.5 went just as fast at 1/2 throttle as full throttle. Now if you have a dirty bottom more HP will help overcome that drag. But once you reach hull speed more power just allows you to make a bigger wave with little or no change in speed.
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ted
Tom, I talking about under hull speed.
Current so strong that I can make only 2-3 knots wide open on my 9.9. My neighbor traded his 9.9 for a 15hp and it makes all the difference in the current. Ted
Current so strong that I can make only 2-3 knots wide open on my 9.9. My neighbor traded his 9.9 for a 15hp and it makes all the difference in the current. Ted
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Don Rice
Displacement versus Planing Hull
If your LWL is around 22' you will have a theoretical hull speed of 6.2 K with a displacement hull. If you are motoring at 3k and the current is 3-4 you are exceeding hull speed. Adding more HP to a displacement hull will do little good. Having said that I believe a lot of McGregors have a water ballast and possibly a retractable centre board. When these are both taken out of service they become planing hulls and I have seen some with 50 HP. If that is your case you will need sufficient HP to get it on a plane. In these cases it seems to require quite a bit like 50HP. You might as well buy a Power boat!
If your LWL is around 22' you will have a theoretical hull speed of 6.2 K with a displacement hull. If you are motoring at 3k and the current is 3-4 you are exceeding hull speed. Adding more HP to a displacement hull will do little good. Having said that I believe a lot of McGregors have a water ballast and possibly a retractable centre board. When these are both taken out of service they become planing hulls and I have seen some with 50 HP. If that is your case you will need sufficient HP to get it on a plane. In these cases it seems to require quite a bit like 50HP. You might as well buy a Power boat!
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tom
Speed through the water !!!
It is your speed through the water that is determined by hull speed. Your hull doesn't know if there is a current!!! Your GPS knows if there is a current. Say your hull speed is 6kts and you are traveling at hull speed into a 3 kt current. Your gps would indicate a speed of three knots. If the current is going with you then the gps would indicate 9 knots. If you are going across the current at 90 degrees You would track at an angle of about 22.5 degrees across the bottom but your speed down stream would be three knots no matter how fast across the current you are going. If you wanted to cross the stream without going downstream then you'd point the bow about 22.5 degrees upstream to counteract the current.
It is your speed through the water that is determined by hull speed. Your hull doesn't know if there is a current!!! Your GPS knows if there is a current. Say your hull speed is 6kts and you are traveling at hull speed into a 3 kt current. Your gps would indicate a speed of three knots. If the current is going with you then the gps would indicate 9 knots. If you are going across the current at 90 degrees You would track at an angle of about 22.5 degrees across the bottom but your speed down stream would be three knots no matter how fast across the current you are going. If you wanted to cross the stream without going downstream then you'd point the bow about 22.5 degrees upstream to counteract the current.
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Rick Webb
Here We Go Again
Anything bigger than 8 on this size and weight boat is only going to cost you more. More weight, more gas, and more for the motor. The only thing you will not get more of is speed. I've tried it on mine with a 6 and 9.9 HP Mercurys did not go any faster and used more gas. I traded the 9.9 for two 2HP motors.
Anything bigger than 8 on this size and weight boat is only going to cost you more. More weight, more gas, and more for the motor. The only thing you will not get more of is speed. I've tried it on mine with a 6 and 9.9 HP Mercurys did not go any faster and used more gas. I traded the 9.9 for two 2HP motors.
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Rick Webb
Just Saw the Motor I Would Recomend
I was just sitting in the "library" thumbing through the new Boat US catalog. Mercury has a new lightweight four stroke engine will be out this summer. It weighs about 80# and the shifter is on the handle like on my 2 stroke 6 HP motor. This is a big advantage when you get into close quarters like when docking. I can have one hand on the motor one on the tiller and can control the forward and reverse thrust without taking my hand off of either. As soon as my motor gives out which maybe never that is the motor I would get. Tohatsu may make those as well and thay may be available under different names.
I was just sitting in the "library" thumbing through the new Boat US catalog. Mercury has a new lightweight four stroke engine will be out this summer. It weighs about 80# and the shifter is on the handle like on my 2 stroke 6 HP motor. This is a big advantage when you get into close quarters like when docking. I can have one hand on the motor one on the tiller and can control the forward and reverse thrust without taking my hand off of either. As soon as my motor gives out which maybe never that is the motor I would get. Tohatsu may make those as well and thay may be available under different names.
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KJ
3.3 hp Merc Worked Fine
I have a little 3.3 merc on my Columbia 26. (a fairly heavy boat) I had it out in fairly rough open ocean last weekend, and it go me in no problems. If you are in Fresh water, what about those $500 5hp Briggs and Strattons Outboards?
I have a little 3.3 merc on my Columbia 26. (a fairly heavy boat) I had it out in fairly rough open ocean last weekend, and it go me in no problems. If you are in Fresh water, what about those $500 5hp Briggs and Strattons Outboards?
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