Need a New Dinghy Motor

[Cheechako]

As I mentioned in another post earlier this year, my old 4hp Merc 2 stroke starts immediately every time even after sitting 9 months over the winter. 3 years with that old beast now. All I do at the end of boating season is turn it upside down and drain the gas out of the tank. I do nothing with the carb. (although I run it until it stops) Put fuel in in the spring and 2 pulls and it's running. 1 pull after that until winter.
They are cheap and if sought after well you can find one that's spent most of it's life trout fishing or in a garage for about $400

[LakeSuperior]

I just walked off the dock and boat. Was running a tank of fuel through my 3 HP Yamaha two cycle outboard. It was totally rebuilt last week for $684.46. I picked it up from the shop this afternoon. I paid $500 for it barely used 17 years ago.

My kids ran it hard for 10 years on our sailing trips. I took it on the two year Atlantic circle cruise where it served us well. It got marinated twice in salt because of high winds flipping the dingy.

I helped a French guy repair his small 2.5 HP Honda 4 cycle on the Atlantic trip and observed that it was cheaply made. I figured all the peer outboards are the same. Hence the repair of the 2 cycle. It's lightweight and a solid motor. The rebuild should last me the rest of my sailing days if it doesn't get stolen.

[SailFastTri]

I love the concept of the Lehr and the Torqeedo, but they both trade one set of problems for another. There isn't anybody who works with engines that doesn't know how to clean a carburetor.

The Lehr's problem is quality and serviceability: I keep hearing stories about problems that stem from poor quality control, and just can't get behind a Chinese-made engine that has a of questionable reliability sold by a US marketing company that has a weak dealer service program -- as a solution to crappy gas.

The Torqueedo's problem (putting aside price) is also serviceability -- if it breaks you can't fix it locally. It also suffers from that fact that for most cruisers AMPS are precious, and charging is an issue. If you just want it to commute from your home dock to your mooring, then no problem plug it in overnight. But cruisers who anchor and don't visit docks other than to fuel up, take on water and pump-out had better have a robust solar/wind capacity.

I'd love to see a mainstream engine (Tohatsu/Yamaha/Honda/Mercury etc.) maker get behind propane.

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

Yes, thank the EPA for preventing raw gasoline and oil being dumped right into the water. I recall Mission Bay does not allow 2 strokes.

http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/grandjury...nBayReport.pdf
'Of these amounts of gasoline and oil, 25% to 40% is discharged into the water. Conservatively
using an unburned rate of 30%, one may conclude that during the weekend of July 4, 2000, both
sites collectively were subject to a spill of approximately 2,500 gallons of gas and 250 gallons of
oil. From these quantities of gasoline and oil, 50% evaporated; therefore, the polluting gasoline
and oil amount to approximately 1200 and 100 gallons respectively. '

So one single weekend, 1200 gallons of gasoline and 100 gallons of oil were dumped into Mission Bay from two strokes.
Just your little boat, but there are thousands of just one little boats.

Jack, I clicked on that reference and they're talking about PWCs, i.e jetskis etc. i think everybody here is talking about dinghy engines, which is a totally different boat and motor usage. If you're going to pull up a bunch of figures which don't even relate to the type of watercraft under discussion do you think anybody's going to take you seriously?
Or did I miss something?

[nimblemotors]

Originally Posted by Canibul

Well, by your own logic, you must use a people powered rowboat or kayak for a dinghy, right? Otherwise, you'd be a hypocrite, preaching that your internal combustion engine is better and everyone should agree with your choice for your reasons.

Internal combustion is either bad or it isn't. I'm guessing you have one, so you're saying it isn't.

The EPA rules don't allow 2 strokes. If I have a 4 stroke, I'm not breaking any rules, which I need to justify because Exxon Valdez spilled oil in Alaska.
A 2 stroke dumps 30% of its tank of gasoline right into the water.
and the other less than 1%.
Pretty useless to reason with someone that can't tell the difference between the two, but then calling me a hypocrite made no sense either.

[nimblemotors]

Originally Posted by FSMike

Jack, I clicked on that reference and they're talking about PWCs, i.e jetskis etc. i think everybody here is talking about dinghy engines, which is a totally different boat and motor usage. If you're going to pull up a bunch of figures which don't even relate to the type of watercraft under discussion do you think anybody's going to take you seriously?
Or did I miss something?

Well if the EPA says it is against the law to have a 2 stroke, and you have one, then you might seriously consider taking it seriously.

[Blue Crab]

This says 2 strokes are not banned per se. General Overview of Two-Stroke Vessel Engines

[CarlF]

The real problem is that the smaller the 4 cycle outboard the smaller the carb jets and the easier it is for ethanol/water to clog the jets.

My Honda dealer recommends "Small engine gas". No ethanol, high octane, filtered. It sat all winter in the tank and was fine this summer. Sure it's $20+ a gallon but how many gallons are you going to use in a year in a 2 hp engine? Much cheaper than a carb job.

VP Small Engine Fuel 4-Cycle 94 Octane Ethanol Free (8-Pack)-6208 at The Home Depot

[HopCar]

Blue Crab is correct, 2 cycle engines are not banned. In fact you can buy large ones in the USA. You can't buy small 2 cycle outboards because the manufacturers haven't figured out how to make them clean enough to meet EPA standards.

I'm hoping Lehr will figure out how to make a two cycle propane engine.

[nimblemotors]

There are 2 stroke bans in many places in California.
My impression was Mission Bay was one of them, but looks like it has only been proposed but is not law...YET.
More accurately, there are not bans on 2 strokes, but bans on emissions.
The direct-injected two strokes meet emissions levels as four strokes,
and are allowed for example in Lake Tahoe. In fact, I believe the direct injected two stroke is a major technology achievement, but at this point having "4 stroke' label on your outboard wins over any technical merit, because people like to be seen as not polluting and '4 stroke' says you are not polluting,
or at least not grossly polluting like an old 2 stroke.

[Blue Crab]

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

There are 2 stroke bans in many places in California.
My impression was Mission Bay was one of them, but looks like it has only been proposed but is not law...YET.
More accurately, there are not bans on 2 strokes, but bans on emissions.
The direct-injected two strokes meet emissions levels as four strokes,
and are allowed for example in Lake Tahoe. In fact, I believe the direct injected two stroke is a major technology achievement, but at this point having "4 stroke' label on your outboard wins over any technical merit, because people like to be seen as not polluting and '4 stroke' says you are not polluting,
or at least not grossly polluting like an old 2 stroke.

Your track of careless posts are destroying any credibility you might have on this forum.

[Dulcesuenos]

Love our honda 2.3, great spare motor. It sat in our storage locker with a tank of fuel from the Bahamas for 12 months and started 2nd pull. Our main dink eng is a an 01 yamaha runs flawless. Had an old 90s nissan 2.5 2 stroke and they run great too, same as a tohatsu

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[a64pilot]

You know there are alternatives to carburetors other than Propane or electric.

There's fuel injection, even my dirt bike I've had for several years is fuel injected, and it works perfectly.

I predict you'll see more fuel injection systems from the major manufactures before Propane

[Blue Crab]

OP:

I'm near a busy marina gas dock for the season. I would guess 90% of outboards I see here are newish 4 stroke Yamahas.