Outboard HP for my Monohull

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Many outboards have one dealer in a particular area...ie, don't be looking for a Suzuki in an area predominantly Yamaha, or vice versa.

In my neck of the woods, Yamaha rules, other brands of outboards are hard to come by.
So servicing for anything but a Yamaha can be a problem.
This would make choosing a Yamaha a no brainer for me.

Same can be said for other brands and locations.

The dealer here in the US doesn't really matter anymore.

We just order the outboard we want, one with free delivery, and it simply shows up one day.

Of course, it's a lot easier with a 58 lb 5 hp than with a 9.9 hp or above.

As far as maintenance, anything you can't do yourself most any outboard shop can do regardless of what type they sell.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Don C L

In that case, if it were me, and I really didn’t trust the A4 completely, I’d take it out, along with the fuel tank, and I’d take off the prop. She’ll be a little lighter, less smelly, less chance for gas fumes, a little faster, and you’ll have extra storage space (which is where I keep my batteries.) I use my engine for long distance motoring and it is fine, as long as it is submerged properly and I am not headed into a steep chop. I can get about 40 miles and still have gas left in the 6 gallon tank at a little under 6 kts. So, not diesel economy but not bad compared to my old 2 stroke 8hp. Actually my problem is I always end up with too much gas left over! I add Sta-Bil to it so it will keep. I usually carry 15 gallons since where I am I might have to motor quite a bit, usually in the morning, and then sail in the afternoons.
I am not sure if you have a lazarette that has a bulkhead to isolate the fuel tanks in the stern, but I’d definitely recommend that modification if possible.

When I removed the diesel and all it's associated equipment from my boat it lightened it by about 400 lbs. The engine 10 HP Bukh Diesel was 352 lbs.

This would include engine, motor mounts, muffler, copper fuel line, metal fuel tank, stuffing box, prop shaft, flange, prop then closed that thruhull with epoxy.

Then removed a couple inches of sludge from the bilge and scrubbed the engine compartment for a couple months until all the oil residue was gone.

All the ground wires that went to the engine I connected together and hooked up to battery negative

All electrical power is now provided by solar.

As far as left over fuel/gas, I try to have no more than 3 gallons or so onboard at any one time in two separate tanks/containers unless I know I'm going more than 55 miles or so away.

I was actually running my outboard today trying to burn up the last of the gas I bought in October.

[thomm225]

Also looks like your boat is within about 300 lbs of James Baldwin's Sailboat Atom
according to sailboatdata.com, and he uses a 6 hp Tohatsu to push it.

Other sites have his boat a Pearson Triton 28 as high as 8400 lbs.

https://www.soundingsonline.com/boats/pearson-triton-28

https://atomvoyages.com/atom-html/

That outboard is much cheaper than a 9.9 hp and can be ordered with the 25" shaft.

I use a 5hp 25" shaft outboard to push my boat's 6600 lbs

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/northern-29

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

[NorthCoastJoe]

Why not rebuild the A4 yourself they are easy to work on simple engines. The worst of it will be cleaning the cooling passages of buildup. I rebuilt one 40 years ago sitting a wooden crate in a tent. You don't have to go crazy on it, a good cleaning, new gaskets/seals, bearings, rings, hone the cylinders, lap the valves. Basic barnyard rebuild on a tractor motor.

The most important part of the rebuild is keeping everything clean, very clean.

[Donald R]

We have a Honda 9.9 long shaft 4 stroke which has been a great motor but your availability concerns for various brands may be an issue. Plenty of good information has already been posted so I would only add the following. You’ll definitely want a motor hoist due to motor weight and transom height. Sounds like an outboard will be more of a backup to your A4 so I would guess that a 9.9 would be sufficient.

[sinnerman]

Originally Posted by Adelie

If you are motoring a lot and the fuel doesn’t get old the ethanol is less of a problem.

If the fuel is going to sit for a month or more at a time then get ethanol free or remove the ethanol.

To remove ethanol from 5g of fuel add food coloring and about 1/2gal water. Shake the fuel tank and let it sit for 15min or so. Drain off all the colored water. You should have about 1gal.

Since ethanol boosts octane about 2points start with premium fuel or add an octane booster after removing the ethanol. Be careful, some octane boosters are just ethanol.

Cool info:

So to clarify:
To 5 GALLONS of gasoline, add 1/2 gal of colored water.
Then drain off 1 gallon of colored water/ethanol mix? - correct?

[smacksman]

A Beta 16hp diesel inboard has the same engine mounts as an Atomic 4
Fit a return pipe connection to your tank and a new prop and you are good to go in any weather.

[Perna]

My vote also goes to renovating or renewing the inboard. Outboards are just a pain in the transom on anything but calm sunny days.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Perna

My vote also goes to renovating or renewing the inboard. Outboards are just a pain in the transom on anything but calm sunny days.

Actually they do pretty well on cloudy days that aren't so calm also

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEw7pYeO0Oc&t=11s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz9x5oRthfk&t=15s