Tender Outboard Size. 15HP or 20HP?

[darylat8750]

I lean towards a 20hp Suzi. and prop it fine enough to pull what you need. My 15 Yamaha 2 stroke would easily plane my rib with 2 people and extra food and gear. Four people would make it struggle and it may or may not plane based on total wt. Re-propped it will easily plane 5 people + extra gear. In my case I don't see the finer pitch prop to be any comprise because: In most situations it will still go faster than is comfortable with any chop at all and the difference between plowing along at 3 - 5 kts and planing at 15-20kts. is WAY bigger than the difference between 20 and 30 kts .

One other thing that may or may not matter to one.. If you need to use your dinghy as a tug the fine pitched prop will make a big difference in thrust delivered.

[rom]

Originally Posted by Kashmir cat

Regarding the dingy wheels, ......

Hi Kashmir, would you be so kind to share a picture of your wheel setup ? or maybe provide a link to the wheel manufacturer who probably has some pictures ... thanks !

[Kashmir cat]

Dear ROM: This is my









dingy and wheel set up at my home in the PNW. The dinghy with motor, gas, gear, and beer weighs in at just over #200. There are two sizes of wheels, these are the small ones (I've used the larger wheels on bigger dingys and they work great too).
I usually launch it at boat ramps or kayak put ins. Its fairly easy to roll around and believe me, if a 63 year old, out of shape, half drunk guy with a bum foot can pull it up a steep boat ramp at low tide, anybody can. Hopefully these photos will help.

[BlackHeron]

Those dinghy wheels look nice. I see WestMarine has a similar set but much smaller and compact.

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-...dolly--9228917

Our little Zodiac Zoom RIB is pretty light with the 2HP outboard so these would be just about perfect.

[Kashmir cat]

I would advise you not to get those. Get the inflatable ones. The solid plastic type will not roll nearly as well. Especially in deep sand, mud or rocks. Also the larger the diameter, the easier it rolls (just like a bicycle).

[rom]

Originally Posted by Kashmir cat

I would advise you not to get those. Get the inflatable ones. The solid plastic type will not roll nearly as well. Especially in deep sand, mud or rocks. Also the larger the diameter, the easier it rolls (just like a bicycle).

Hey Kashmir thank you so much for pics ! nice setup !! does it have a brand/name so I can check the specs ? my dinghy weights about 165kg/360pounds and that is w/o beers in it ...

[boom23]

Originally Posted by darylat8750

I lean towards a 20hp Suzi. and prop it fine enough to pull what you need.

Is it possible to let me know what prop you have, or you suggest, on your 20hp Suzuki outboard?

I had the same motor (4 stroke EFI model) on my previous boat dinghy and I loved it but it would not plane our AB UL10AL with 4 people.
Thank you!

[RunawayC47]

Originally Posted by YPSILANTI

I have a semi rigid inflatable for my 50 ft Catamaran. It was previously powered by a 15 HP two stroke Yamaha which I need to replace. I found the 15HP a bit underpowered. It would plane with 2 adults but not 4. I would prefer a 25 HP to a 20 HP but am concerned about the extra weight when removing the motor, beaching etc. The ability to waterski behind a 25HP is a large advantage. The difference in weight is apparently 7kg with the 25 weighing 57kg (125.6 pounds) . I have recently installed a dedicated swing arm and hoist with an upper and lower double pulley system for removing the motor. Have any of you had any experience when comparing the maneuverability and weight handling of a 20 HP vs 25 HP . Thank you.

They used to make a 25hp Yamaha 2 stroke that was 105 lbs. they are hard to find now.

[a64pilot]

My 20 HP Suzuki came with a 10” pitch prop, if I wanted more low end thrust than that, I would go for a 9”.
1” makes more difference than I would have thought, I think maybe these four strokes Useable RPM is lower than a two stroke making prop pitch even more important.
It took me awhile to get used to the sound of a four stroke too, about the time it was at an RPM that I thought about right for extended cruising, it would hit its rev limiter, I was used it of course the much higher RPM sound of a two stroke, even if they are running the same RPM, the two stroke has twice as many firing impulses making it sound smoother and like it’s a higher RPM than it really is, while the four stroke sounds like it’s being lugged, even when it isn’t if your used to a two stroke.

[Kashmir cat]

Dear ROM: Mine are about 15 years old. I don't know who made them. They have seen a lot of abuse and havn't failed me yet (not even a flat tire). They were for sale on EBay as a new product at that time. The larger ones for a bigger dingy I bought through Defender or West Marine 20 years ago. I'd check Defender or EBay. I'd have to measure the wheel size to be sure, but I think these are 8" wheels and the bigger ones are 12" wheels (that's just the wheel diameter. The tire diameter is of course much larger). Good luck.

[boom23]

I've used these wheels:

https://danardmarine.com/product-lis...pg1-cid21.html

They're great!

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by arsenelupiga

what about maintenance - can one DIY maintain 4 stroke ?

2 stroke cheaper to maintain ?

We find a 4stroke is easier to deal with.

If you run out of 2 stroke oil, you are done using the engine until you can score some more and it's becoming harder to find as most outboards shift to 4 stroke.

If you hit 100hrs on a 4 stroke and can't change the oil today for some reason you can do it next week.

[valhalla360]

If you have a crane to get the motor on and off the mother ship, I would go as big as the dingy is rated for. Not much extra cost and if you don't need the extra power you don't have to go full throttle.

If you can't crane to get the motor easily onto the mother ship, then weight becomes and issue. Had a 40hp 2 stroke on a 13' inflatable and loved it. I could chase down jet skis but it took 4 guys and some safety lines to make sure it didn't fall in the water when you took it off.

[rom]

thank you kashmir & boom23 ! The wheels in your last link boom23 look great indeed, up to 700 lbs and pretty much the same setup as kashmir, i like taht !

Regarding engine weight: AFAIC less than 20hp would not be enough power for me and more than 20hp would be too much weight. I am talking 4 stroke. I can hoist it off / on alone before / after a passage, but it is not easy. I actually left it on the dinghy this time from med to canary island.

[boom23]

Originally Posted by rom

Regarding engine weight: AFAIC less than 20hp would not be enough power for me and more than 20hp would be too much weight. I am talking 4 stroke. I can hoist it off / on alone before / after a passage, but it is not easy. I actually left it on the dinghy this time from med to canary island.

On my ex Lagoon 450, I had the AB 10AL with the Suzuki 20hp EFI 4-stroke and electric start (for my wife), and the Danard dinghy wheels. The setup was really nice and at my max weight limit. I could drag the dinghy on my own even on steeper beaches. Also, with the Danard wheels, I did not have to lift the motor when I beached the dinghy. I plan to get the same setup for my next boat.

Now, that I hear that I can get the dinghy to plane with more than 2-3 people with a new prop, it's is even better!