Dingy Horsepower, need minimum weight!

[argold57]

My wife and I have been sailing many many years with a 2 HP outboard that she just hands down to me, it weighs 30 lbs. We have no engine hoist or davit. Our 8-foot dingy is stowed on the foredeck when not rolled up. Never had a problem in the Chesapeake or New England!

Now we are in Bimini headed to Exumas and people have been telling us we need a bigger engine. We know we want a 2 stroke because of the weight. But here is our dilemma:

The 5 HP 2-stroke weighs 44 lbs.
The 8 HP 2-stroke weighs 57 lbs.

I do not think we can handle over 60 lbs by hand. Getting a hoist may be difficult due to our sailboat's sugar scoop and 2 stern lockers.

Can we get away with a 5 HP outboard on our 8 foot soft bottom dingy?

Is the

[Kettlewell]

People will say you "need" all sorts of things. I've cruised everywhere from Labrador to the Caribbean using no dinghy motor and then a 2.2HP for many years. We had a rowing/sailing dink the first several times we went to the Bahamas, as far as Georgetown. Sure, you may want to anchor a bit closer, but I found that often I had rowed ashore long before others had launched their big dink, put the motor on it, and got everything ready. True story. Anchored in Sopers Hole once (BVI) we were watching the finish of the classic yacht regatta when a Concordia singlehander missed his tack, got the jib sheet tangled, and was blowing sideways towards a reef. I zipped out to him in my hard dink with the 2.2HP motor on and lashed alongside and started motoring full tilt away from the reef. We had just enough oomf to push that wooden Concordia out of danger. Another time our main outboard auxiliary on our 32-foot cruising cat died so I put the 2.2HP motor on the bracket and proceeded to motor about 50-60 miles to Annapolis at 4 knots.

[argold57]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

People will say you "need" all sorts of things. I've cruised everywhere from Labrador to the Caribbean using no dinghy motor and then a 2.2HP for many years. We had a rowing/sailing dink the first several times we went to the Bahamas, as far as Georgetown. Sure, you may want to anchor a bit closer, but I found that often I had rowed ashore long before others had launched their big dink, put the motor on it, and got everything ready.

I am told the currents run very strong and may overpower my 2 HP. Especially if the wind is also against us.

[Kettlewell]

I am told the currents run very strong and may overpower my 2 HP. Especially if the wind is also against us.

Not in most of the places people anchor. As I said, I have explored everywhere from West End down to Georgetown using nothing but oars or a sailing rig on a small hard dink.

[Jammer]

Consider making a sling and using a halyard.

[Jim Cate]

Do be aware that one can use a halyard to hoist o/b motors and other things without t he need for a dedicated hoist. We've been using our main halyard to deal with a 15 hp motor for many years. At 86 and 84 years of age, Ann and I are hardly athletes,but still manage this with little issue.

Jim

^^^^
Hmmm... great minds and all that!

[Jammer]

Use an adjustable quick-release buckle on one side.

[Jammer]

Anyway, back to your question.


Assuming that your dinghy is not a RIB and does not have a high-pressure air floor, you are unlikely to go much faster than 4 knots and will only realize marginal benefits from a move from 5 hp to 8 hp. The 5hp may offer benefits over your existing 2 HP on a windy day.

[argold57]

Thanks all:

We are at Bluewater Marina in Bimini and I found a neighbor with the same dingy, an 8hp 2 cycle engine and no hoist. He showed me how he uses his main halyard and also said that the 8 HP engine will get his Achilles air-floor dingy to plane.

I think I am sold now on the 8. I do see the points made by the guy who said it may not be absolutely necessary but my wife really wants us to get a larger engine after talking to fellow cruisers and we do like the idea of getting my dink on a plane.

Thanks for the replies.

[MicHughV]

You don't say what brand that engine is.

I've owned an 8 hp Yamaha 2 stroke for years. It is a sweatheart of an engine, never failing to start on the first pull, and ample ooph to put two people on plane.

Not sure that a " roll up" dink is suitable for excessive power, but in your shoes I'd still opt for the 8 hp in the event you upgrade your dink.

[argold57]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

You don't say what brand that engine is.

No I don't say what brand. It was not the intent of this thread to compare brands. I'm getting one that is available in Nassau.

[stormalong]

I have an eight foot rollup Caribe dink and have been using 2 cycle 3.3 hp engines for 30+ years. From the op's first post I think he is using a Tohatsu 2 hp. Maybe with different branding. A lot of the small outboards are actually Tohatsu. I see no need for a bigger engine. I have never seen current running so bad that I couldn't make headway with a little engine. I am always amazed at people that travel in sailboats at less than ten knots that feel the need for fast dinghies.

The 3.3 Tohatsu is the same engine as the 2.2 without an airflow restricter in the carburetor. It is 14 kilos, about 30 pounds, has an integral fuel tank, is easy to carry and simple to set up. Sometime I carry a two gallon plastic fuel tank if I need extra range. The integral tank is good for about 45 minutes at full throttle.

Compare that to a ten HP 2 cycle, About 100 pounds, needs an external tank and needs a crane or harness to get on or off the dink. Four cycle are much worse. A two cycle engine has a power stroke every revolution while a four stroke only once every two revolutions.

In the US we can't buy the 2 cycle engines anymore. My engine is from 2007 and was bought in Trinidad. I'd like to get a new one but can't in my area.

If you can get 2 cycle Tohatsu engines in the Bahamas That would be my choice.

[MicHughV]

I don't know what all the secrecy is about regarding brand names...????

[Kettlewell]

I am always amazed at people that travel in sailboats at less than ten knots that feel the need for fast dinghies.

^^This^^Our big sailboat cruises typically at 5-6 knots so I am happy with a dinghy that does the same. But, those of us that think this way are in the minority once you get south where everyone feels the need to plane around the harbor, making waves and noise, just to arrive at the town dock five minutes before those with slower dinks. When I'm cruising I'm not in a hurry. To each his own. One reason I really like 4-stroke motors is they are so quiet, especially at displacement speeds.

[MicHughV]

Some people...like me....like to go spearfishing....this means heading out to some or other reef, often some distance away and this is where having a bit of speed comes in handy.

But I recognize that it is different strokes for different folks, which is why there is such an incredibly large selection of dinks and motors available to suit most anybody's needs.

Get what you want and need and let others get what they want and need is the simply answer here.