DINGHY HORSEPOWER

[Samadhi V]

I used to have a Nissan 3.5B engine, it was great! I wish I could buy another one to use on the sailing dinghy...

[schoonerdog]

every single outboard mechanic we've run into, and with our old pdq 36 which was powered exclusively by outboards we've met quite a few, said yamaha was the best. We travelled there with a nissan, yamaha, honda and an evinrude, and the yamaha was by far the most reliable.

Originally Posted by GordMay

I'd go with the larger 15HP YAMAHA (most 10' Caribe RIBs are rated to 20HP).
About 10 years ago, the Bahamians switched from favouring OMC-Johnsons to Yamahas - so Yammi parts should be showing up in the Island dumps.

[GordMay]

FWIW: Tohatsu makes all the smaller (under 10 HP) Nissan & Mercury outboards.

I voted "other".

I have two oars, and a sailrig. Works for me, but I am a rare and cantakerous old bird.

[Jim Cate]

Dinghy requirements are closely related to one's location and one's cruising style. We've been cruising in the south Pacific for the last 18 years, spend 90% of our stationary time at anchor, and tend to avoid crowded places. Our strong conviction is that life is improved under these conditions with the biggest dinghy one can get on deck!
And we also feel that being able to plane with the whole crew (2 in our case) is desireable. This all adds up to a 3.4 metre alloy hull RIB and a 15 hp Yammi. We use the main halyard to handle the motor (no sweat at all, and we are definitely in the geriatric set), and the spinny halyard to lift the dink onto the foredeck when going to sea. We also have a 3.5 hp Johnson, but seldom use it, despite its very light weight. Why? Noisy, lots of vibration, and it seems to use at least as much fuel per mile as the larger motor -- this was a big disappointment to us!
This combination allows us to anchor where we feel the yacht is safest or most comfortable without having to consider distance from a dinghy landing or other destination. It also improves the odds of getting stuff from shore back home DRY. Having fresh laundry, painstakingly done in a stream ashore and dried on a bush in the sun then soaked in salt spray whilst returning home tends to make the admiral a bit grumpy...
Incidentally, we do always carry oars, and often row (tandem) for pleasure. If you do opt for an inflatable, be sure that it has some form of oarlocks rather than relying on paddles. Solo paddling a beamy inflatable is a frustrating activity!
Good luck in your choices!

[Sapphir3]

I have a 10 foot HB Avon inflatable. I had a 5 HP Mercury 2 stroke that just did not have enough power to hold a plane. Got talked into a Honda 9.9 HP and love it. The down side it is one of the most sought after outboard by thieves.

Other down side to the heavier engines is that the top drain hole is below waterline so you cant leave it out and self bail the dink. Now you have to be ready to head down with your bailer every time it rains.

Some enterprising kid set up a business to bail out your dink for the season for a fair fee at our club. Always a solution out there.

[rsn48]

My vote goes for the chap who said Dinghy requirements are closely related to one's location and one's cruising style. In my experience, its location, cruising AND life style.

I cruise in the "Inside Passage" area of the planet, travelling great distances with a dingy really isn't necessary. And its not the kind of area that many people who live and cruise full time, live solely on the hook. As I type this, living in Qualicum Beach (and boat moored in Comox, BC), we are having one of those coastal dank dark rainy days. Its dark enough though eleven in the morning, you should have your headlights on if driving. Those folks who are living full time on a boat, are at moorage in greater Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, etc. There are a small smattering of folks living full time on the hook, but close to the cities, just there way to get an affordable "condo" on the water. But work in the city, they do.

And some of the "dinks" have surprised me, more canoes than I thought have been out there, under tow (yeah, I know) and on deck. I've seen more strange shaped old beaten up vessels that apparently are dinks. Some of the inflatables would be a danger in a swimming pool, yet folks are out there with these cheap pieces of junk on the ocean.

I also find that many live their retirement and leisure life, like they lead or led their work life. A buddy and I discussed this, neither of us have a clue what we are going to do the next day when we wake up. Each time we get up the day begins as a mystery, but by the end of it, we've had a fun and enjoyable experience. Yet others brag about how they are busier in retirement than they ever were while working. When I hear that, I think to myself - why would you want to do that? For me retirement is about living in the present and taking in your surroundings, not rushing here or there.

I see boating in much the same light. There are execs who own boats to die for, but I know they have a hurried two weeks a year vacation, if that, and while on board during their "vacation" they are answering texts, emails and chat with work.

I think some folks are in a hurry because that is their life style, not a life style for me, but for them, they are happy. So a fast dink, planing across the water is a "necessity" because life is a rush and that's what they are about. For the busy exec, yes getting to shore fast is important because they will have more party and leisure time on shore.

For some of us, putting away in our Yamaha 2.5 four stroke through the fjords, enjoying the awesomeness of nature, high mountains, wild life around (excluding those on boats), the small motor gets the job done.

I know I'm painting life with a wide brush here, but in my experience some can enjoy fishing off a bank catching salmon (just watched some guys doing just that in French Creek BC), and others have to have the aluminum fishing boat with 600 hp to get out there fast, catch their fish and get back in fast, things to do, places to go.

[Simi 60]

We anchor a long way out well away from others and have not been in a marina in over two years so our dinghy is our truck needing to carry several months worth of supplies in all weather.
It also has a 200litre water bladder to supplement supplies for the big boat.
We have a 4.3m alloy dinghy with 30hp Suzuki which gets lifted with hand cranked winches on davits.
Next outboard will be a 40hp

[SV_Harbinger]

I am content with my little 3hp tohatsu and my Walker Bay 10. It doesn't go fast, but it goes plenty fast enough for me, I've even have been known to tow a mucho cheapo Walmart type inflatable, for the extra crap that won't fit in the real dink comfortably. I get some strange looks sometimes, but it works for me....
I will say one thing against my set up however, when I do go cruising, my dink is a little large for keeping on the fordeck, so it spends most of it's time getting dragged along behind me. Not ideal...

[ausaviator]

I assume inflatable.... If you have an 11 foot inflatable you can get on plane with four people using a 10hp. With more than four (medium sized) people, a 15hp will do.

Presumably you're referring to a solid bottom glass or alloy inflatable.

You need more than 10hp to plane a soft bottom with more than 2 people usually.

[sailhand]

After many years of frustration i decided to design my own dinghy. Its self draining amphibious stable planes two people with a 3 yammy two stroke and fits a queen size bed on the deck and i can walk around it and it weighs around a 100 lb. The 3 yammy two strokes are the best little two stoke imho. I take 300 litres of water in it and im 108kg/240 lb. Drier than a rib and does 12 knots with the 4hp prop cut down a half inch. Gives me the best of everything i reckon, not the fastest but fast enough. Those little 3 yammys are bulletproof right up till they corrode away. Known locally as aspros they last about 6 or 7 years hard use or 3 or 4 years moderate use. Constant use keeps the waterjackets clean. I crack the crankcase open about every two years and throw in a new set of main bearings and some seals and off we go again. Never had any gearbox troubles at all bullet proof at that end too. I do 5 or 6 mile runs as a matter of course and sometimes that distance away from the mothership when 60 miles out to sea on the great barrier reef, shes unsinkable built from foam. Rows faster than an inflatable with a 3hp easily so getting home if i have trouble is good exercise and little more. Never had a 3 yammy break down in 15 years of cruising. Havent used marinas other than christmas with the grandkids for two weeks four years ago, never again, marinas that is not the grandkids ( had to write that last bit for the admiral ). Just lately ive been using a 4 yammy with the plastic internal tank, the old metal tanks had internal corrosion problems and no amount of inline filters would keep the jets clean. New ones are pretty good. Still got the old 3 yammies, two in fact, and ill keep on using them till they die. We always anchor in out of the way places but usually in close as we draw about 18 to 20 inches. Travel miles in as big a chop as you like and you wont bounce once, not even a tiny bit. With the 4 yammy it planes with three "normal" people. And as the ole sea dog i met a few years ago used to say every morning, its as dry as a nuns nasty. Another great thing about the smaller motors is the 360 degree steering. I've used it more than once with the dinghy lashed to the side of another boat and you have 360 degree propulsion, works great for berthing and slipping etc if they are having trouble with wind or current. I once pulled a small cat away from a bridge when the current had pushed his rig up against the bridge. The 360 steering worked a treat just get hold of em and spin the motor the way you want to go.
Believe it or not i even used it to drag a 40ft bertram flybridge cruiser out of a small tidal creek. We were sitting at anchor drying out on the tide one late afternoon entertaining friends when this 40ft flybridge bertram came up the creek at 20 knots. We all rubbed our eyes but it was still there when we opened them again. He went half a mile in knee deep water at full noise and we all just sat there stunned as he came towards us. As he got right next to us about 3 yards away i yelled out mate you cant anchor there. And just as he began to inform me that he could anchor wherever he f@#$&* wanted and i could get f$#/&*^ his ten thousand dollar props hit the deck and the boat promptly fell over on its side. Really sometimes i wonder why i question the existence of a god. It was quite a surreal experience for him when all eight yachties piled out of the cockpit of the cat drink in hand and started to wander around his boat. The best part though was whilst standing in the water leaning against the pulpit i told him that if he could negotiate the sloping foredeck and crack open the windlass i would gladly walk out his anchor for him so he could indeed anchor right where he was if he f$#^&*/ wanted.

[Smart555]

It depends on size, type and how and where you gonna use your dinghy. We’re family of 6 (4 kids, one of them is a baby). Our dinghy is Caribe 10”. We have got 15 HP YAMAHA 4 STROKE and it is minimum for us. We’re traveling around the Caribbean full time and we use dinghy constantly during the day, sometimes the long distance like more 1 mile one way. And for us it’s important to be capable go on plane fully loaded (6 people with lots of bags from supermarket with the stroller on the top )😅
If we buy now most likely we would prefer YAMAHA 20HP. This is the same engine like ours with the same weight but this additional 5HP would be very helpful!

[donradcliffe]

If your 15 hp yammer is the same block as the 20 hp, you can often upgrade the engine you have by changing out some small parts.

[a64pilot]

I bet if you dropped 1” of pitch on the prop I bet it would plane, it would lose a little top end, but would plane, which I’m sure is what your after.
Oftentimes on the newer four stokes the primary difference in the HP of the same block is mostly the rev limiter, a 15 and a 20 at 3000 RPM will make the same power, and I bet now your not going much if any over 4000 RPM.
Plus a prop is cheap, and you need a spare anyway.

Also get a cheap tachometer / hour meter off of Amazon etc. that way you can properly tach the thing and schedule maintenance