Honda 9.9 25” shaft / Pearson 26

[Rol1964]

Anyone know if the xtra long shaft (25”) would actually lift clear of the water on this make of boat? I found a very lightly used 2018 motor for a decent price but I can’t get to my boat (it’s across the border - travel restrictions etc) to check if it will clear when raised.
Thx

[Benz]

When my long-shaft Yamaha is tilted up, the lowest point is only about eight inches below the transom clamp. In other words, it's pretty high up. I think it would be unwise to install the mount any lower than what will give you clearance from the water when the engine is tilted up, just because you need some clearance between water and engine head when its running.
If the engine is a good deal, consider adjusting the location of the engine bracket on the boat--that's a dead-easy fix.

[Rol1964]

There’s no mount bracket as the transom on this boat was manufactured with a well for the motor and it appears to be set up with a regular length shaft outboard in mind.
And I can’t get to the boat as it’s just across the Can / US border.

[flyingnut40]

Originally Posted by Rol1964

Anyone know if the xtra long shaft (25”) would actually lift clear of the water on this make of boat? I found a very lightly used 2018 motor for a decent price but I can’t get to my boat (it’s across the border - travel restrictions etc) to check if it will clear when raised.
Thx

Better too long than too short..... you don't want the motor/prop catching air when going over the bigger waves. as far as keeping the motor out of the water, the mounting point to power head does not change. Pearson worked that out for you.



If its a good deal, buy it. the 25" sailor model is kinda rare so there is a good market for it if you need to resell it.

[Rol1964]

Originally Posted by flyingnut40

Better too long than too short..... you don't want the motor/prop catching air when going over the bigger waves. as far as keeping the motor out of the water, the mounting point to power head does not change. Pearson worked that out for you.



If its a good deal, buy it. the 25" sailor model is kinda rare so there is a good market for it if you need to resell it.

I’m thinking this too. I was just trying to figure out if the lower few inches might be dragging behind me when the sails are up. I wouldn’t want to lose 0.25 or r so of a knot as I’m tearing up Lake Champlain....

[Don C L]

Which Pearson 26 is this? Is it the one in the attached photo? I am guessing you mean the Pearson 26 with the cut-out in the transom for the engine? If it is the Ariel, it has the well in the lazarette. If it is the former I think you'll be fine. I had a Columbia 24 which is very similar to the Ariel and I had the regular long shaft. The 25 would have been dragging a bit when pulled up, if you made the cut-out in the lower part of the transom so the engine could be tilted up in its well.
edit, oops, I see you have the '74, ok you have the one in the photo

[fred4936]

I had a Pearson 26 many years ago. What a great boat! Mine was a 1976, should be same as yours. It had a 9 HP Chrysler outboard (it never let me down) with a long shaft. I could not tell you how long, but certainly longer than standard. It fit fine. Too long is better than too short, since on very choppy days the Chrysler was almost coming out of the water in big seas. Nothing but fond memories of boat and motor!

[fred4936]

PS: I just remembered I still have a picture of the boat in my tool box. Looks like the OB is well clear of the water, maybe 10" or so when up.

[Daniel Grant]

If your Honda is a 4 stroke they are very heavy. Mine is about 110 lbs which is heavier than most long shaft motors. I had a 28 Columbia with an outboard well. With the 7 1/2 2 stroke the foot would lift all the way out but much less so the Honda. when someone was in the stern or much gear in the stern the Honda's foot would be a bit in the water. It is one of those things you have to try. The Pearson may be designed differently than the Columbia which had a restriction on how high I could raise the foot.

[Gary Matthesen]

I too had a Pearson 26 with the motor well. I had a long shaft Evinrude on the back end, 9.9 horse. It dragged the cavitation plate in the up position and touched the water on the mooring, needing some bottom paint. When racing I pulled the engine, 2 stroke, heavy; years later the 4 stroke was really tough, but worth it to center the weight down low. A short shaft though, would definitely not stay in the water in heavy seas, or a powerboat wake.
Loved that boat....Grew old, grew bigger, both bad moves.

[TrentePieds]

Quote: "Pearson worked that out for you."

Exactly!

Rol:

Just to put your mind at ease, go here:

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/pearson-26

and print out the profile drawing of the Pearson 26, enlarge it the old fashioned way (if you know how), else have Staples do it on their equipment to a size that's convenient to work with, then draw in the motor in both the up and down positions and see how it fits.

To get a scale that is nice to work with make the waterline on the drawing 27.5 cm long. That will give you a scale of 1/2 inch/foot, which is really nice to work with. You could even go to 41.5 cm. which will be 3/4"/foot. You already know the motor's length of leg from underside of clamp to prop centreline so you can draw it in to the same scale.

Eyeballing the drawing, I think there would be some potential for a "long shaft" motor fouling the rudder, so you might want to verify that it wont.

TrentePieds

[Rol1964]

I don’t mind the motor weight. I’m healthy enough for that but wife and kids would likely find it too heavy to lift. I’m using this 45 year old boat as an excuse to outfit myself for my next boat so this motor will ultimately hang off a dingy if all goes well.
I’m see sawing on this one and may wait for global concerns to ease a bit as well. I’m in the airline industry so the hammer will probably fall sooner than later. Ugh ��

[flyingnut40]

Originally Posted by Rol1964

I don’t mind the motor weight. I’m healthy enough for that but wife and kids would likely find it too heavy to lift. I’m using this 45 year old boat as an excuse to outfit myself for my next boat so this motor will ultimately hang off a dingy if all goes well.
I’m see sawing on this one and may wait for global concerns to ease a bit as well. I’m in the airline industry so the hammer will probably fall sooner than later. Ugh ��

There is where the wheels fall off the cart. The Honda 9.9 h.p extra long shaft (25" ) is designed for sailboat use. At least it uses standard 2:1 gearing in the lower unit and gets its extra thrust from the propeller pitch. Unlike my old Chrysler Sailor 10 H.P. that used 3:1 gearing to spin a prop sized for the 35-55 H.P. outboard.

Ideally, you want a SHORT shaft for the dinghy. So you would be best to sell or trade the XL for a short shaft at that time. You wont want to extend your dinghy transom mount UP 10"..... that would be Goofy!!

[Daniel Grant]

The motor weight could be important. The more weight the farther/deeper the stern sits in the water and more lift distance to raise the foot out of the water.

[thomm225]

My outboard will tilt up 90 degrees when on the stern railing.

tI can't do that on the bracket on the stern because the power head hits the stern but clears the water.

Point is if Honda is like Mercury it should tilt up high enough.

Btw, my outboard is a Mercury 5 HP 4 stroke 25" extra long shaft and it pushes my 6600 lb displacement quite nicely. It weighs 57 lbs