Outboard Too Large - Buyer’s Remorse

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Suzuki makes a 15HP (& smaller) 2 Stroke DFI outboard.
➥ Suzuki Marine - Product Lines - Outboard Motors - Products - DF15A_EFI - 2012 - DF15A_EFI

Those are 4-stroke. And they recently brought out a 9.9 on the same platform... so while the whole thing weighs less than comparable 15s and 20s, the 9.9 version doesn't give any weight advantage.

-Chris

[zeehag]

before i left san diego for cruising i got rid of my c9 caribe rib,as 145 pounds was a lil heavy for me to lift, and my 9.8 electric start nissan outboard for something smaller and more easily handled by sola me... now i have a walker bay 10 i need help to lift onto boat, and oars which are fine with me.
i do not have to worry about my dink being on the hot list for theft.
i am only one not lost a dink or engine in 4 years out here.
think about it.
what size and weight dinghy would you be most comfortable wearing as a hat in a surf landing fail....
y'all think about getting from boat to shore--mebbe shore aint got a dinghy dock.....think about that for a minuet.... is a lotta fun to watch.....
there is a lot more to consider than just planing across an anchorage to offload mother in law.. or carrying stuff from stores to boat...btw--that task is a lil difficult in a soft air floor dink....5 gallon water jugs in a air floor dink doesnt make it.

[luciarose]

We had a similar issue. When we purchased our boat it came with a 20hp Honda that weighed about 130 pounds - plus electric start, power tilt - required a heavy lead acid battery to go along with it. We could barely lift the thing!

We sold the Honda and just purchased a 9.8Hp Tohatsu. The sale of the 10 year old Honda paid for the new motor. No electric start but who needs it on a smaller engine? Tohatsu is the lightest 4 stroke on the market - they also make all smaller Mercury and Nissan motors.

If you're in the market for a Tohatsu - look up buying them online. Pricing was MUCH cheaper than the local dealer and included free freight all the way across the country. It includes a 5 year warranty.

[exMaggieDrum]

Just two cents: if you dread putting on and pulling off the 15hp motor, you will make all kinds of excuses not to do it in anchorages you go to. You'll then miss out on all kinds of things - like going over for sundowners on new friends' boat, going to the beach, etc. etc. I hate to hear you got the bigger one and have buyer's remorse (because of the money). I would recommend you go for a 9.9. That extra 30+ pounds will make a BIG difference.

You will always find people who think they are underpowered. They are the same people who buy the 12 cylinder Dodge pickup when 99.9% of the time they are just going to go get groceries with it. I'm exaggerating of course, but just a little.

There are situations where the extra power could come in handy but you can always get there and back with the 9.9, and in most cases it will provide all you need.

[sparrowhawk1]

I just skimed through the answers that were given you. So sorry if I repeat anything. Everything on the boat is compromise if you need to go really fast then a big engine is what's required. with four strokes a 20 horsepower is the same engine as a 15 so I think you should have gone with 20. But if you don't need to go fast a 5 or 6 horsepower is the ideal engine, light enough to put it on your mother boat without major effort but big enough so that you can tow your main vessel if you need to.also smaller than 5 horsepower engines with smaller carbs and smaller jets tend to be less reliable. PS I have an 8 horsepower Yamaha 4 stroke and it's underpowered and too heavy.

[SkiprJohn]

Originally Posted by FatBear

So what about electric? Those Torqueedo outboards look pretty tempting... Especially since you can charge the battery with a solar cell and you wouldn't have to worry about your dinghy gas going up in flames. (A friend had a diesel Grand Banks, but his gasoline generator leaked, caught fire, and his whole boat burned to the waterline. Fortunately everyone got off OK.)

Minn Kota is a lot cheaper than a Torqeedo. I've used both and you can buy 10 Minn Kotas for the price of the Torqeedo. Do some research if you do decide to go electric.

[monstads]

To the OP.. All of the above are valid viewpoints, and I have a 6hp outboard as the main auxiliary on my 23fter, with a MinnKota as a backup. I also know it's likely a few years out for you, BUT just a thing to consider...

On our recent trip chartering, the 5 and 7 year old running the 15 HP equipped dinghy at full throttle (with my hand on it), doing shitties and circling around to crash into their own wakes while screaming with glee from the top of their lungs is one of those "it is great to be alive" moments. The kids won't soon forget it either, and they got more experience handling the dinghy, and that is worth something..

(For anyone at a mooring in the bvis's mid April, being annoyed at some kids having fun for a few minutes, I hope we weren't TOO annoying..)

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[capn_mark]

To Arch: Well this has turned into a fun thread! Sort of like mono versus cat…

No right answers, just what suits each person best. Expanding a bit on our use of a dink... For me and my family, we like adventuring and we will routinely go for 1 to 5 miles from the Anchorage in our AB 11 rib with a Yammi 25. That, without a doubt is the best boating purchase I have ever made. We go snorkeling, hiking, exploring, and once in a while we dig out the towable tube. I can plane with 3 people in the dingy waiting their turn, while pulling 3 other people on the tube. Where do all the kids (and adults) congregate? By the little rowing dingy? No offense to anyone, but I get really irritated if I'm in a dingy that won't plane. Especially one that is too small and uncomfortable to sit in. Sure I enjoy going slow and enjoying the scenery. We enjoy fishing and trolling at idle for hours, but that's my choice to go slow. When I want to get to the beach or little restaurant I want the option to put the hammer down.

If somebody wants to putz around the anchorage and not venture out too far hey that's great too. Just like some people might like driving a tiny Smart car I'm afraid that's not for me.

The only pain in the butt Arch, is lifting that motor. If u can trade for a 2 stroke that will be awesome. If not, give the davits a shot. Keep in mind that while you are day hopping in the islands (say the Exumas for instance, my favorite place in the world) you will just be towing the dingy if the weather is calm. On passages to the Bahamas or between big islands of course you will lift it but I don't think you will be lifting it up and down as much as you think. When we were out cruising long term we tended to hang out in nice places for days at a time, and I rarely lifted the dingy when we did short hops. And on the motor, stick with Yamaha, that's what you will see out there the most.

PS - to one of the prior posters - my Dodge diesel truck is only a 6 cylinder... And you can Never have too much power, in any vehicle! Like the guy I met last month at the beach with his gas motor powered blender for margaritas.


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[avazquez]

I have a two stroke Mercury 25hp which in reality is a Tohatsu 30. It weighs 109 pounds. In a large12 ft dinghy. It is very hard to lift that engine and it is two heavy to be in the aft pulpit rail. But it is such a great engine that I kept it and just got a two stroke 8hp mercury internatilnal which weights 50 pounds. I stay away from any four stroke. They are way to heavy. Someone was selling a 9hp four stroke and allowed me two test ir for a weekend: the first thing that happened was a major oil spill in one of the lazarettes then it had no power.


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[Moonos]

What do people think about the theft problem with outboards?

My preferences are for a takacat with a 15-20 Suzuki on it.

It would be a theft magnet in parts of Asia so I was considering also getting the smallest roll up boat and 2hp as a backup and to use whenever in higher crime areas.

It seems to me if you don't have a backup you are very vulnerable to having it stolen.

[daletournier]

I've cruised Asia for 4 years, had no problem with outboard theft. In saying that there are areas you have to be careful of, I recently was at Sorong Raja Ampat, anything not locked down will go. By the way I have a takacat.

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[Moonos]

Sorry to thread shift, but my plan sounds reasonable?

A roll up would fit in a spare cabin with outboard. The plan is to get a really old 2hp and rebuild it so it is reliable, but won't attract any attention when needed.

The takacat is for wakeboarding, and distance provisions.

[Cheechako]

An old 2hp Johnson is so simple it's amazing. No gear box though. at 4 hp you get gears. An old 4hp Merc will run forever and start in 2 pulls after 6 months storage. Lots of options out there cheap.


Avezquez... a Merc 25 only weighs 109#?

[Privilege]

I've got a 15hp 2-stroke on my 10' RIB. The best thing that I did to it was to put a 'fin' on the lower leg. They can be purchased cheaply at most marine stores. She now gets up on a plane much quicker, stays there much easier and does so at much lower revs than before. It might be worth trying this before trading it in.

[Tetepare]

"There are no perfect husbands. There are no perfect wives. And let's not even mention perfect mothers in law..." Pope Francis

What the dear pope failed to mention is the perfect inflatable/ outboard. You are more likely to get a perfect mother in law.

I sold my old Achilles w/ 1964 Johnson 9.5 which served me well for 18 years.

It was replaced by a Avon RIB and Merc 15 2 stroke. This is like going from a Mustang 5.0 to a Porsche 911 Turbo. We get anywhere, and fast...we can anchor in our favorite spot and use the Avon to get to the sights and swimming holes. The day-cruise range with the Avon is three times that it was with the Achilles and 9.5hp, simply because of speed.

However, the Avon suffers from the issues that have already been pointed out: won't go on deck, heavy, and I don't trust the kids with that much speed and snap-steer.

I won't go back, meaning I will not part with the Avon and 15hp. But I am seriously considering buying a roll-up with a motor in the 4-6HP range for cruising and for the kids. Yes, ANOTHER damned boat!

Others can buy 4 strokes, bless you. I'll stick with used 2 stroke 15HP Mercs at $700 off Craig's List all day long. At that price my buddies and I keep a surplus of them in case one has problems.