Advice on Outboard Choice (HP) for Dinghy (Family of 4 - 2 small kids)

[kclancy]

Has anyone owned a propane motor? Looks like a couple of options out there now. Lehr and Tohatsu in a range of sizes. This might be the right option for some folks. I'm considering it for my little Catalina 22. It would complement the grill nicely...

[Scrimshaw4]

The 4 stroke Nissan 9.8 and Mercury 9.9 are basically the same as the Tohatsu 9.8 and I believe they are all made by Tohatsu with some slight shift / throttle differences for the more expensive Merc. I've had my Nissan electric start 9.8 for 9 years with NO problems. I'd recommend the largest rated engine for now as it will outlast your dink. JMHO

[Scrimshaw4]

PS: Another reason for the larger motor is it can better handle a fully loaded dink when going to and from your boat when fighting adverse tide, wind and chop.

[Cheechako]

I would go the 10 hp. You will likely be replacing that dink as the WM ones fall apart readily and the 10HP may work on a good dingy in the future.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by JoeDoc

I am now stuck trying to decide on how big (or small) of an outboard to buy.

I read these threads with interest since I will soon be facing some similar decisions.

It can supposedly plane 1 person with 4hp.

Permit me to be skeptical.

I've had even others tell me just to get a 2HP given the high-concentration of no-wake zones in my area (Annapolis).

I think this is good advice. I presently have a 1953 Johnson 3HP in my garage for maintenance that I plan to use with my canoe and also my future air-floor dinghy. These little engines are light, require little upper body strength to start, and are self contained. No battery, no remote fuel tank.

Suzuki makes a really nice 4-stroke 2.5 HP motor that would be my first choice if I were to buy an equivalent new outboard. Slightly cheaper than Honda, quieter, more maintenance though because it is water cooled. The Yamaha and Tohatsu/Nissan/Merc offerings in this size class are all much heavier.

I'm currently looking at Merc 4, Merc 6 and Merc 9.9. Not wed to these at all - just what is on my radar at this point.

As pointed out upthread, the smaller Mercs are just rebranded Tohatsus. I believe that the Merc 4 and Merc 6 are identical except for output power -- the 4 is derated with some sort of restrictor plate or something. Same weight. So of these, I would get the 6. They are available with an integral fuel tank which would keep you self contained for shorter trips. However, they are almost 60 pounds. Think about how you will handle an outboard of that weight.

[toddster8]

I’ve got a 20 year old air floor 340 - next size up, rated for 15 HP. I’ve got a 9.9 on it and seriously, have never opened the throttle more than half way. As mentioned above, it is a bit more squirrely than the wood-floorboard model that I used to have. In anything more than dead-calm conditions, the floor will undulate somewhat. Though it does help to pump everything up to pressure after getting the tubes in cold water. 15 knots is about the practical limit before things start getting really sketchy. I can’t imagine needing the full horsepower rating - although I hedge the bet, since the 9.9 can be converted to 15 with just a carburetor change.
Unless you are planning to upgrade to a larger dinghy relatively soon, I would go with something in the middle of the rated range.

[clockwork orange]

If you go with a heavy motor and also need to store the dinghy onboard you are by necessity going to be lifting the motor on and off fairly often, so you need to decide if you are willing to be humping a 9.9 at maybe well in the 80lb range, are you going to be in the dinghy passing it to your wife? I don't think so, so if you go with a big motor you will almost certainly want a crane. Its not worth either of you injuring yourselves either. Also what are you going to do when you get to the beach and the tides out (or in) and you plan on being ashore for a few hours, you cant exactly drag a soft bottom with a heavy motor up the beach above high tide and your probably not carrying it either. Id go with a 4 or 6 at most and live with going slower until sometime in the future you have more experience and can zero in on what makes sense for you. It may be a rib with a bigger motor and davits, it may be a hard dinghy that goes reasonably fast with the 4 or 6hp or maybe a porta Bote, who knows but it will take a bit of experience to figure out what works for your family.
Steve.

[JD-Odyssey]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

I have seen a lot of air floors dinghies assume a sort of "~" shape in the water, with too much hp in the outboard..... So, I would stick with around 5- 6 hp, and not plan on planing with the whole family aboard.
Ann

We have a 10' Zodiac with a high pressure floor and a 6 HP Johnson outboard (bought as a package in 2003). My wife and I are live-aboards at Port A on Back Creek and do a lot of cruising around the bay. I wouldn't go less than 5 or 6 HP as you may need a little power carrying four people on windy days to get to/from shore. I rarely need our dink to plane... it's mostly used to get to shore or to pick up supplies. A 5 or 6 HP outboard is a pretty reasonable weight to handle. The weight can get a bit cumbersome as you go up in HP... for our usage, the juice isn't worth the squeeze. Since you're in the neighborhood, drop by Kato Marine and look at an outboard lift to see if it would be practical for you. We tow the dink behind us. At anchor we just pull the dink up to the back of the boat and lower the outboard onto the dink's transom.

[hamburking]

I suggest you get a 4 or 5 hp outboard with internal tank.

The internal tank will mean no big fuel tank in the dinghy with you, no gas hose either. It may sound like a minor detail, but when you have your whole family in that dink, and all their "stuff" like lifejackets, oars, bailer, shoes, etc, etc....you will be glad to have the space.

ALSO, you will want your kids to learn how to run the dinghy. Better to have them learn with 4hp. 9.9 can be too much for a kid. With 4 or 5, not likely to get into any trouble. The dinghy is not just a tool, it is a ton of fun for kids (and adults) when enjoying a great anchorage. So a small engine will keep you safe.

FWIW, I did this. I had an avon rover 310 (inflatable hp floor) with a yamaha 4hp. I taught my kids to run it, and they loved it. If I was not in the dinghy, my kids could get it to plane...and wow...was that fun for them. Usually though, it was all of us together with a bunch of stuff...groceries, ice, whatever. I always carried a spare 1gal can of gasoline, but rarely needed it.

The smaller engine will use less gas, and be lighter/easier to manage when moving from the transom to the sternrail.

One more suggestion...get a little extending boathook for in the dinghy...really helps when approaching the boat or dock.

[anacapaisland42]

Welcome Joe,
Remember that most people on this forum are "amateur" cruisers......albeit some with MANY years of experience. For my $...buy what the local fishermen are using....it might be the service, the price, the reliability, etc....


Thanks everyone!! Again, as I become a more experienced sailor/cruiser - I promise to contribute to this forum as best I can.

Joe[/QUOTE]

[Flod]

I have a suzumar 265 inflatable floor dingy. First I had a Honda 2.3 hp. It was a great motor, easy to lift, easy to service, no gearbox that could fail and great for the kids to learn with. We could go the whole family in 4-5 knots. Then the kids got older (10-12 years) and wanted to go faster. I upgrade to Suzuki 6 hp. Planes with 1 adult and 1 kid and is great for speeding in to shore and getting supplies. Much heavier though (really on my handling weight limit) and are more complex. I would have kept the Honda if the kids hadn’t insisted on a bigger engine. My advice is to go for max 6 hp. That will be possible to handle on/off the boat and also fun for the kids.

[Segelschulzi]

Choose Dinghi and Ourboarder as large as you can effort and carry on the mothership. They are so essential while cruising. We are 2 adults and one kid (12 years) and have a 9.5 ft dinghi with 10 hp. We would choose both larger next time.

[Tayana42]

Hi JoeDoc, you’re in for years of fun with your family afloat in a great cruising area. My advice is to go with the smallest outboard you can. Your ability to lift the outboard onto and off of the mothership is a critical factor. It’s a lot harder than picking it up on dry land.

I have a 10’3” air floor dinghy with a 3.5 Tohatsu 4 stroke and it serves my needs fine in most ways. I don’t need to plane. I’m usually not in a hurry. If I ever had to use the dinghy hip tied to the boat as a tow it would be better to have more horses but so far not needed. One caution about all of the small 4 stroke outboards is that they are very sensitive to clogged jets from ethanol fuels. Always, always use fresh fuel and a good fuel additive. Also, be sure your oars are workable and sturdy because you will eventually need them.

[Over Budget]

Handling the motor, especially boat to dinghy, is key so try handling one you ‘re considering. If you think you can heft it from the boat easily down to the dinghy, then that might be your better choice. You probably won’t be going too fast with a boat full of gear/crew to the dock from the boat, so max hp might be a secondary consideration.

[Scotty Kiwi]

It's great when they kids can handle it. I've got a photo of my (outgoing) four/five year old girl in the 2.4 RIB with 5hp. Two kids can plane, or one adult.
Teach them how to start it in the shop.

Later I overpowered (18Hp Tohatsu) and they could water ski. But eventually the transom cracked. I guess that's why the max rating was 10Hp.