Dinghy: Wheel vs Tiller Steer

[Hobie_ind]

I also agree with Roy M re: not towing. I've helped move a couple boats with engine problems around by tieing the dinghy to the aft quarter. Worked very well compared to trying to tow.

Back to your original query though. Given your initial points about long dinghy trips in your current dinghy, I wonder if you won't regret going to a tiller with no seat. I agree the weight savings and simplicity are nice, but if you've already got davits that can take it (not sure what the davit refurbishment project you've got planned is), and a dinghy with a console, the cheaper option might be retubing if needed and a new 25 hp Yamaha Enduro (2-stroke). Sitting on the tubes is a lot wetter and bouncier. We've got some friends with the same dinghy as you and they tended to be a lot drier whenever we showed up anywhere together.

[Don C L]

Ordinarily I'd go with lighter, simpler, cheaper, but you have a pretty large boat, with a large transom as I recall, capable of handling the davits and dinghy even as heavy as it is without too much trouble. It sounds like you get a lot of pleasure out of the wheel set-up so I'd say stay with it.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Mine is an older model, made around 2000, which is U.S. made by Mercury prior to outsourcing to Tohatsu.

It's a really good engine, bulletproof, strong running. Drinks a lot of gas, however.

If I go with tiller steering, I'm looking at the 18hp Tohatsu two stroke, which weighs about 40kg and is still available in the Channel Islands.

Or the Suzuki batteryless fuel injection 20 horsepower four stroke, which is astonishingly light at 42 kg. I really like two strokes, but the much better fuel consumption of something like this would further reduce weight because less fuel would have to be carried. That would be pretty cool.

The 4 stroke, at 42kg is pretty appealing. Especially if you do lots of low speed trolling work. 2 strokes don't like that much, and are pretty inefficient at those speeds.

I guess I'd prefer if it was a carburettor engine though. I have had seawater through my dinghy fuel system, but clearing it out with a carburettor engine was easy. Wouldn't like to think about seawater in an EFI system.

Also, I'm not sure about Suzuki propellers. Friends had a Suzi 15, (2 stroke) and were always spinning the hubs in it's props. He swore it wasn't due to groundings, and the prop itself was in good nick. Our Tohatsu 18 has hit bottom hundreds of times, hasn't spun a hub yet. Admittedly the prop is looking a bit second-hand though.

Funnily enough, I've considered putting a centre console in our RIB. Mainly because I'd like to fit a fishfinder/depth sounder, and a console would be a handy spot to mount the screen, along with a battery and small solar panel.

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

Funnily enough, I've considered putting a centre console in our RIB. Mainly because I'd like to fit a fishfinder/depth sounder, and a console would be a handy spot to mount the screen, along with a battery and small solar panel.

I like having a depth sounder aboard too, but don't want to waste precious interior volume on a console. So my "console" consists of a rectangular piece of Starboard fastened to a piece of aluminum angle that's screwed into the bottom of the seat on the far left side. There's barely room there beside the fuel tank. So, from where I sit I'll be able to see it but it's out of the way and its screen won't be getting rained on. My small AGM battery is in a box fastened to the left side of the transom, with a wire led on the left side with the oar to under the seat. So far I only have a cigarette lighter receptacle on my console to charge cell phones or my hand held VHF but left room to add the sounder when I get to it. Not sure whether I want to go with a small fish finder or just a simple round dial depth sounder. This type of underseat "console" also preserves the ability to carry the RIB inverted on the foredeck. A small, flexible solar panel could be fitted on top of the outboard.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

The 4 stroke, at 42kg is pretty appealing. Especially if you do lots of low speed trolling work. 2 strokes don't like that much, and are pretty inefficient at those speeds.

I guess I'd prefer if it was a carburettor engine though. I have had seawater through my dinghy fuel system, but clearing it out with a carburettor engine was easy. Wouldn't like to think about seawater in an EFI system.

Also, I'm not sure about Suzuki propellers. Friends had a Suzi 15, (2 stroke) and were always spinning the hubs in it's props. He swore it wasn't due to groundings, and the prop itself was in good nick. Our Tohatsu 18 has hit bottom hundreds of times, hasn't spun a hub yet. Admittedly the prop is looking a bit second-hand though.

Why is sea water getting into the fuel system? This should not happen regardless of engine because the external filter/separater should prevent it. You are using one aren't you?

One nice thing about the EFI over a carb is that the computer sets it to run very lean when at a constant throttle setting. So not only does it troll sweetly with no coking, it sips fuel at any constant speed in comparison to carb 4-strokes (and uses 50% of the fuel of a 2-stroke).

All of the after market prop manufacturers make props for Suzukis. If hubs are a problem (I have never heard this before), then there are options. However, I would be surprised if any of the outboard manufacturers made their own props. I suspect they are all OEM.

Mark

[44'cruisingcat]

The dinghy got flooded on a beach once. The fuel tank ended up floating upside-down in the dinghy. There is a limit to how much water a filter can separate.


Some outboard manufacturers do in fact make their own props. Some brands, like Mercury for instance, make a range (3, 4, and 5 bladed, aluminium or stainless steel) of different props for their outboards, to suit different applications. And even if every prop came from the same factory, each outboard manufacturer would have their own specs for the splines, bushes etc..

Anyway, whatever. Believe or don't, I couldn't give a rat's.

[Jim Cate]

FWIW, we had a similar experience with a Suzuki 15: went through several prop hubs in the first few years usage. Changed to a Solas brand aftermarket 4 blade which uses a unique longitudinal shearpin arrangement and it lasted until the motor was stolen several years later (and was a better performing prop as well).

Our Yamaha 15 is now nearing ten years of full time usage and is still on the original prop. Dunno what to make of these two data points, but sure looks like the yammie prop is better designed/built.

Jim

[colemj]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

Anyway, whatever. Believe or don't, I couldn't give a rat's.

Don't understand the attitude - I didn't challenge you on any of that, I just said I had never heard of that problem before. Honda and Yamaha props are interchangeable.

Mark

[44'cruisingcat]

Sorry, just put it down to the written word vs spoken word. It did look like you were questioning what I said.


If I hadn't know someone with a Suzuki 15, I would never have heard about it either.


And of course the problem could be confined to that one motor in their lineup. Jim's similar experience was with the same model motor.