Which outboard for this dinghy?

[Aquadome]

Don't get a 20hp you will hate it. I have a 30hp on my 10' custom Skipper tender and it does the job with 4 aboard - although when there's 2 adults on board sitting on the bench seat we have to lean forward to get on plane.

[buzzstar]

Have you contacted the manufacturer to ask about their knowledge and experience? I believe they are located in New Zealand. Perhaps a Google or similar search using the term, "where are aquapro inflatables made?" will get you there. BTW, for what is it worth, if anything, I had no problems getting on a plane with my 13 foot Zodiac powered by a 15 hp, 2 stoke, with myself and two sons, almost full sized teens, on board.

[hamburking]

another vote for 20hp.

[seahag]

I have to laugh. The OP is asking for recommendations between 30 and 40 horsepower, and responses are saying to go with 20, or 15...come on! He's talking about getting five people on plane here- in a pretty heavy dinghy. 30 is about minimum here. 40 is about right. Would I want to hoist that onto Davits? Not so much, but haven't seen the system either. Our larger dinghy is 12 feet, and with a 20 horse tiller can get three adults on plane , and it s a much lighter setup than his.

[pwillems]

Originally Posted by Aquadome

Don't get a 20hp you will hate it. I have a 30hp on my 10' custom Skipper tender and it does the job with 4 aboard - although when there's 2 adults on board sitting on the bench seat we have to lean forward to get on plane.

That is very helpful thank you. The Skipper 10 looks very similar in style and specs to my Monaco 341. So... if you are able to get 4 adults on the plane by leaning forward a bit, I should be able to comfortably get 2 adults and 3 young kids up with a 30 without having to worry too much about moving weight around.

[Aquadome]

Originally Posted by pwillems

That is very helpful thank you. The Skipper 10 looks very similar in style and specs to my Monaco 341. So... if you are able to get 4 adults on the plane by leaning forward a bit, I should be able to comfortably get 2 adults and 3 young kids up with a 30 without having to worry too much about moving weight around.

Happy to be of service.

[Oceanride007]

Does Aquadome store his skipper 10 on his Four Winns and bounce it around in conditions that a sail boat is likely to find.

I'd say if your davits are made of Aluminium or Stainless they will fatigue, do you promise you will take the Engine off in any planned open water outing. And not when its already bouncy.

Maybe a better question would be to ask if your Davits are up to the task, sight unseen I'd doubt it.

[Aquadome]

To see my dinghy and how I store it just look at my pictures.

[IslandHopper]

To the OP, my philosophy is go the BIGGEST that you and the equipment can handle, going with the max recommendation from the manufacturer i have had few regrets, the few i have owned with less than half the recommended HP, to many regrets to note

EG: My last boat came with a 4.1m tender with small centre console, 50hp was recommended by the manufacturer, it had a 20hp! Alone with empty boat not to bad, with a couple of passengers it was an absolute dog, made lotsa noise, burnt lotsa fuel and just barged it's way through the water, any sort of chop and you wore it, soon replaced it with the recommended hp.....

My point, stick close to what the manufacturer recommends and you wont have to many problems, halving it or even lower you will likely come to regret it....