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Old 10-04-2018, 15:33   #31
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Re: Advice on Outboard Choice (HP) for Dinghy (Family of 4 - 2 small kids)

Happy to offer a few thoughts. We have spent x5 the cost of a 4 stroke mercury just getting it to run. Each year, off to the repair shop. so we have a 4 person dinghy and are now using a 2 HP Honda. It is perfect. iN Ches. bay you are never far from the dinghy dock so go with minimum HP. More HP, heavier and that makes getting it on the dinghy harder and harder.
We stow the dinghy on the bow (you should see if you have space for that) and we have a lift to raise and lower the motor. Very helpful when you are in rough water.
Over time, I expect you ( and your kids) will tell you to get a slip in a marina. Much easier to get off the boat and into town - and remember - you want you kids to go with you - not stay home, so if you have the $$ go with toquedo. It is really nice. but for us, we have a used 2 HP outboard and use the spin hallyard to raise dingy off the bow and then the lift to lower the motor to the dinghy. We used this process of 5 and 1/2 weeks on a trip to NE last year. worked like a charm.
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Old 10-04-2018, 15:47   #32
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Re: Advice on Outboard Choice (HP) for Dinghy (Family of 4 - 2 small kids)

With a soft bottom inflatable a 4-6hp with inbuilt tank will be way to go.

Also easier for your kids to manage until they get older.
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Old 10-04-2018, 16:40   #33
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Re: Advice on Outboard Choice (HP) for Dinghy (Family of 4 - 2 small kids)

Yamaha 3hp. When you travel around the world all you see is Yamaha's. There will be a reason this is so. I had a 2.4 alloy hulled RIB with a 3 Yamaha. Very light.Easy to pick up and move from boat to dingy without dropping. With 1 adult it would plane or with both kids when they were little. Throttle on the handle with a lever for forward and neutral. This outboard gave me so much confidence in its starting abilities that I would stupidly untie and push off from the dock or the boat and then pull the cord to start. The kids had a heap of fun and it never failed to start.
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Old 10-04-2018, 17:26   #34
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Re: Advice on Outboard Choice (HP) for Dinghy (Family of 4 - 2 small kids)

Quote:
Originally Posted by DMCantor View Post
If it were me, I'd spend the money and get a Torqeedo electric. Environmentally conscious, and virtually no maintenance. The small 4-strokes are great in cool climates, but we've had no end of trouble with them in the tropics.

You won't plane with an electric, but what's the hurry?


Ditto the on the Torqeedo. Out boat came with a 15 hp Merc. It was too heavy to easily hoist up into our davits even with 3:1 pulley on the motor end of the dink. Then there is the transfer of the fuel tank and fuel line. It was so much fuss that I often demured at using the dink. I figured that if I got an engine hoist I would use it even less. And the weight on the davits, while within limits, was a worry. Enter the Torqeedo on eBay.

The motor breaks down into three extremely light, instant-to-assemble pieces. The dink, sans engine, is virtually effortless to deploy and retrieve. The dink boat speed is slow. - 3-5 mph with 45 mins or so of charge. If you buy the Torqeedo I strongly recommend you invest in the 915 watt hour battery which lasts far longer.
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Old 10-04-2018, 21:32   #35
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Re: Advice on Outboard Choice (HP) for Dinghy (Family of 4 - 2 small kids)

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Originally Posted by toddster8 View Post
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.
This is very curious, what 9.9hp motor can be converted to 15hp with only a carburetor change? Either that motor will be way overstressed with the 15hp carb or it will weigh and cost half again as much as any normal 9.9hp. If it could be so easily changed to 15hp why would anyone in their right mind use the smaller carburetor?

OP, take advice of many here and always get the biggest hp the dink is rated for. You don't have to run fast in the no-wake zones. That's what the throttle is for. I am quite sure you can handle the 9.9 4 stroke, just use a boom tackle to save your back and toes, etc.

It is really great to go fast in the dink in places where you must go long distances for supplies or exploration. Back Creek to Spa Creek - I remember it well! Even with the 9.9 you still won't plane with your whole family, but you and the kids, just fine. Pretty sure any kid old enough to drive a dinghy will be able to pull the starter.
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Old 11-04-2018, 14:33   #36
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Re: Advice on Outboard Choice (HP) for Dinghy (Family of 4 - 2 small kids)

Quote:
Originally Posted by waterman46 View Post
This is very curious, what 9.9hp motor can be converted to 15hp with only a carburetor change? Either that motor will be way overstressed with the 15hp carb or it will weigh and cost half again as much as any normal 9.9hp. If it could be so easily changed to 15hp why would anyone in their right mind use the smaller carburetor?

OP, take advice of many here and always get the biggest hp the dink is rated for. You don't have to run fast in the no-wake zones. That's what the throttle is for. I am quite sure you can handle the 9.9 4 stroke, just use a boom tackle to save your back and toes, etc.

It is really great to go fast in the dink in places where you must go long distances for supplies or exploration. Back Creek to Spa Creek - I remember it well! Even with the 9.9 you still won't plane with your whole family, but you and the kids, just fine. Pretty sure any kid old enough to drive a dinghy will be able to pull the starter.

I cannot say about today's outboards but many of the older 9.9 were detuned 15 HP models. Different carb or restrictor plate and in some cases a better tuned exhaust.

Here is a link to one such:

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/engi...-15-conversion
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Old 11-04-2018, 15:13   #37
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Re: Advice on Outboard Choice (HP) for Dinghy (Family of 4 - 2 small kids)

Quote:
Originally Posted by waterman46 View Post
This is very curious, what 9.9hp motor can be converted to 15hp with only a carburetor change? Either that motor will be way overstressed with the 15hp carb or it will weigh and cost half again as much as any normal 9.9hp. If it could be so easily changed to 15hp why would anyone in their right mind use the smaller carburetor?
Well that is a fair question, but presumably the answer is "someone who's boat is only rated for 9.9 HP." If you do a bit of shopping, you see that there is virtually no difference in weight and cost between 9.9 and 15 HP 4-stroke engines in the same product line. My particular one is an early 2000's Johnson (Suzuki.) There are several differences in the carb, most notably the intake throat, jets, and an extra spring-loaded gizmo that apparently helps smooth out acceleration. But I have not yet got my hands on one. Not a priority at the moment. Probably should do while they are still available.


BTW, If anyone has an old boat with an "Atomic Stevedore" engine - which looks apparently identical to the well- known "Atomic-4," the difference is a restrictor plate in the intake manifold. Reduced horsepower to meet some Canadian regulation in place at time of manufacture. Next time you have the carb off, you can pry it out with a screwdriver. If it hasn't already been done, long ago.
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Old 11-04-2018, 15:56   #38
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Re: Advice on Outboard Choice (HP) for Dinghy (Family of 4 - 2 small kids)

My boss has a C&C 38 with such an engine I believe. They were going to pull the engine and replace it with a diesel until our mechanic discovered something like you mention, I don't know the full story but it sounds familiar.

Steve.
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