Need advice on motor for dinghy

[phate008]

Hello,

I am new to marine life and I recently got a dinghy at a garage sale for a relatively cheap price. It is a 10.5 foot mercury dinghy. I don't know much about engines but I learned a little bit from reading through a few old posts on here. I dont have a huge budget. About $500 or so. Searching thru craigslist and ebay I have narrowed it down to 2 engines. Also, my purpose for this dinghy is to use in the ocean. I have a vacation home in Martha's vineyard and I like to fish off my doc, and occasionally rent a boat to fish a little deeper. I usually stay in a bay/cove, but there is usually traffic with ferries and smaller boats. I want something that can move me around. Get me away from the traffic when I need to be. And something reliable.

A evinrude 6hp
Evinrude Fisherman 6hp Outboard. 2 stroke.

or Tohatsu 3.5 HP
Outboard Motor Tohatsu 3 5 HP Model MFS 3 5B | eBay

Both are located about an hour driving from my house so in terms of pickup they are fairly equal. What is you opinion on which one would be better for my purpose. The price on the evinrude is firm 450, the Tohatsu I would try to offer around $500. Which price is better, and overall which would suit me the best?

Thanks for all the help.

[Lepke]

I have been using outboards for 60 years. In that time, I have learned there is no reliable 2 cycle outboard. Take oars, too.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, phate.

[SailFastTri]

Welcome to the forum. The Tohatsu you're looking at is MUCH newer and is a 4-stroke. The Evinrude might be about 20 years old. The Tohatsu will use very little fuel, and the Evinrude will use about 4 times as much, because it has twice the HP and twice the number of power strokes per RPM. With today's unstable Ethanol fuel they both will be prone to carburetor and stale fuel related problems.

You didn't mention what part of the Vineyard you're going to use it in, but the 10 foot Mercury should be used in the harbor, and not taken far outside. The currents are swift around MV especially in Edgartown and Menemsha harbors, and if you lose power you won't be able to row against the wind or current. So I'd encourage you to take a boating safety course and carry a handheld VHF and bring your cellphone in a waterproof container.
Edit: a cellphone is usable inside a sealed ziplock bag, and could be kept inside a small Tupperware for extra protection.

[phate008]

Hello,

Thanks for the comments. My family owns a house on East Chop so it would be in the cove between East and West chop. Is one of these motors preferable to the other for my use? Or would it make more sense to save and buy something a little better. The owner of the Evinrude says that its always ran good for him but he said it needs to have its carb cleaned. The boat does have oars so I will be ok just in case, and I will bring a cell phone in water proof case. I have taken canoes out on the chop and anchored to fish. I have also rigged a battery powered strolling motor to inflatable raft. That was a big mistake as the current took me down pretty far on the chop and the battery died, so I ended up dragging the raft a mile back to the house. Just want to buy something decent to get me out without giving out right away. There is a video on youtube called 'fishing off a dinghy' and it goes part 1, 2, 3 etc. He is using a 9hp engine and he goes pretty quickly. I will have atleast 1 person in the boat with me so I would like something that would take us. The boat allows for up to a 110lbs 15hp engine.

[SailFastTri]

The Vineyard Haven harbor is better protected from current than most, but can get a bit rough if the wind is from the north.

A larger engine would give you more speed/range but the penalty is weight and portability. 15 HP would be pretty lively and high performance. A 9.8HP with two people (around 300 pounds payload) sitting mid-forward you should be able to get on plane, and with 6HP should be able to struggle onto plane with one under-200 pound person (sitting forward with a motor tiller extension).

4 HP or less in most 10-foot inflatable boats will keep you restricted to displacement speeds.

[ctsunsailor]

Stick with the newer one.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Terra Nova]

The 3.5 hp is too small for your purpose. But it beats rowing.

A 10 hp motor would be just the right size for your boat. Keep looking.

[motaman9]

We have an AB Ventus 9' dinghy. We use a Yamaha 15hp two stroke, which has run flawlessly for us and for the prior owners for many years. We prefer the higher horsepower in the event we have a longer distance to cover, are in a rough or windy anchorage, or need to get from "A to B" faster than our other, backup Tohatsu 4, which is also a two stroke. We keep the smaller OB for use in protected areas, puttering around or fishing. The amount of HP you will need might be more dependent on what you expect to use it for or the area in which you are going to use it.


www.learntoliveaboard.com

[hamburking]

First, forget that evinrude...its only worth anything if its running perfect...and its not. Otherwise, its a project for someone who wants to learn outboard repair. I'd say its more like 40 years old....looks late 70's to me.

The Tohatsu looks ok...newer. Internal fuel tank is nice. Light weight. But its not very powerful...it would be like rowing quickly. It might be what you want. You don't mention how you will setup or store you dinghy and motor...if you need to lift it off every time, a light engine is a bonus. Still, seems a bit pricey for a used engine of that size.

For a 10 foot inflatable, a 9.9 is likely what you want. Small enough to lift, powerful enough to plane, common enough to be cheap. Here in canada, anything under 10hp is unregulated (need no lic for the vessel), so 9.9 is very popular.

Personally, I use a 4hp yamaha 4 stroke on a 9' avon. My kids can get it to plane, but I have no chance...so I'm going slow. Still, beats rowing by a long shot.

[Manos1955]

Originally Posted by phate008

Hello,

I am new to marine life and I recently got a dinghy at a garage sale for a relatively cheap price. It is a 10.5 foot mercury dinghy. I don't know much about engines but I learned a little bit from reading through a few old posts on here. I dont have a huge budget. About $500 or so. Searching thru craigslist and ebay I have narrowed it down to 2 engines. Also, my purpose for this dinghy is to use in the ocean. I have a vacation home in Martha's vineyard and I like to fish off my doc, and occasionally rent a boat to fish a little deeper. I usually stay in a bay/cove, but there is usually traffic with ferries and smaller boats. I want something that can move me around. Get me away from the traffic when I need to be. And something reliable.

A evinrude 6hp
Evinrude Fisherman 6hp Outboard. 2 stroke.

or Tohatsu 3.5 HP
Outboard Motor Tohatsu 3 5 HP Model MFS 3 5B | eBay

Both are located about an hour driving from my house so in terms of pickup they are fairly equal. What is you opinion on which one would be better for my purpose. The price on the evinrude is firm 450, the Tohatsu I would try to offer around $500. Which price is better, and overall which would suit me the best?

Thanks for all the help.

Nothing less than a 9.9. It is a matter of safety in ocean waters.

[clyde]

i would`nt put a 15hp on a 9 ft dink! had a 98 merc with the shift on the tiller, drove me nuts, dumped it, and picked up an 02, 9.9, 2 stroke yamerhaw, 100/1 oil mix, never looked back! damn thing just runs, and runs, etc...starts with one or two pulls! there was a test a few yrs ago, because of the argument of fuel use of 2/4 strokes..they took a 2, and 4 stroke motors, same hp, fishing for a set time, i think 4 or 5 hrs, each with a 6 gal tank, and the 2 stroke burned a little more than a quart more than the 4 stroke!...clyde

[Terra Nova]

A 2-stroke 9.9 hp and 15 hp, from the same manufacturer, are usually identical except for prop and carburetor.

[Cheechako]

If that dingy is not a rib, a good 6hp will likely plane it. The Evinrude(Johnson) are fine if you find a good clean one. Keep looking until you find a good one... Yamaha, Eveinrude, merc etc. I think you should have 6 Hp or bigger rather than the 3.5.
Also, It seems I hear people complaining about the small engines more than the others everywhere.. on this forum and elsewhere.

[SkiprJohn]

If it were me I'd buy the Evinrude but only because I'm very familiar with them and they are easy for me to work on. You have to mix gas and oil but that's easy. It is an old engine and should be cheaper. I think the price is high. The little Tohatsu is cute but not something that'll give you much satisfaction for your use. I believe them to be a bit finicky if the fuel isn't absolutely clean all the time and use fresh non-ethanol.

Shop around for something in the 5 to 10 hp range and try to keep the weight down. 4 cycle engines are heavy and can only be stored on one side unlike the 2 cycle which can be stored any old which way.