Which small "get home" motor should i choose?

[Hung_Phan]

Hi, <br />I am looking for a small outboard motor for my 16ft boat. It weight around 1000lb. I am new to boating so please excuse me if some of my questions are obvious. What’s a good reliable motor that I can rely on to get me home just in case my main motor fails? What better, 15" or a 20" shaft? Is the Mercury 2.5 M for sell here for 579 any good? About how fast would it push my boat? All info/opinion/link are greatly appreciated. Thank you

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Which small "get home" motor should i choose?

You might want to think about one of these electric ones:<br /> http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...nt=0&cmCat=srchdx&cm_ven=srchdx&cm_ite=srchdx <br />That way if you run out of gas you can still get back. I was planning on buying one for my boat just for getting back, but now I'm going to sell it and get a different boat that won't work with that....

 

[JB]

Re: Which small "get home" motor should i choose?

This is and Outboard Non-Repair Discussion.<br /><br />Going there.

 

[agrazela]

Re: Which small "get home" motor should i choose?

Hung,<br /><br />What style of boat? Where will you be needing to "get back" in from? (ocean, bay, large lake, small lake)

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Which small "get home" motor should i choose?

Hung,<br />Might want to consider a Johnson/Evinrude/OMC from the early to mid-late 50's. Magneto ignition, simple water pump, runs on mixed gas/oil. And very reliable. Many are still in service today. There are several sources...ebay is just one.

 

[Hung_Phan]

Re: Which small "get home" motor should i choose?

Sorry about the location error. <br /><br />My boat is a Bluewater Spirit (16ft, open bow). I will be using it to fish at ocean and lakes (probably not too far out there since it is a small boat). I am also aiming at gas powered motor as i an fearful of relying on battery because i have been stuck out there due to battery failure 10 yrs ago on a friend's boat. I also want it to be brand new; I can't have this fail on me, I really do want to get home. Thanks

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Which small "get home" motor should i choose?

Heard people rave about Tohatsu. No less than 5 horse , and the shaft lenght will depend on how you mount the kicker bracket.

 

[youngboater]

Re: Which small "get home" motor should i choose?

I'd go with what Robby said. I have an 8Merc. and it goes about 5.5 MPH tops.

 

[BillP]

Re: Which small "get home" motor should i choose?

It depends on what sea conditions and time frame you need to get through. A 3hp will push the boat until you experience high winds or waves. I would put a minimum of 6hp 2 stroke on that rig and max of 10. Do the shaft length that is same as your transom.

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: Which small "get home" motor should i choose?

i have a tohatsu 5 hp, its the most simple, lightweight engine ever made. i strongly suggest you look into them, as they make most small motors for merc anyways, youll still be geitting a tohatsu, whether you wanna or not

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Which small "get home" motor should i choose?

Hung, If you are running an oil injected Outboard or a sterndrive I would consider a 4 cycle outboard of 7-10 HP. The 4 cycle motor will therefore use the same fuel supply, eliminating the need for you to take unique fuel, or mix oil and gas as you need it. Also, some Honda and other small 4 cycle outboards have charging systems. In the event of battery failure or discharge, you can pull start the small motor and it will charge up the main battery while you are heading home(slowly). Perhaps it will charge the main battery enough so you can start the main motor.

 

[steviecops]

Re: Which small "get home" motor should i choose?

I can say from experience that you would need at least a 10 hp motor to get you home safely!<br /><br />I once had to use my little 4 hp British Seagull, (brilliant little engine, starts first pull every time), but with a few waves, moderate wind and going against the tide, we were making about 1 knot! We had 7 miles to get back in, but didn't have 7 hours worth of fuel on board!<br /><br />Luckily, I was able to start the main engine again and we got back in O.K, but I learned a valuable lesson that day.<br /><br />So often, your auxillary motor is just there as a token gesture, it sort of gives you a false sense of security. The thing you have to remember is this. If you need to use your auxillary, you are already in the sh*t. You don't need anything else to add to your problems, so get as powerful an auxillary as you can afford. That way, you know it will do the business when you need it most.<br /><br />Good luck<br />Steve

 

[Hung_Phan]

Re: Which small "get home" motor should i choose?

Thank you for all of your help. <br /><br />I have thought about all of what all of you have said and I have been researching on the Tohatsu 8hp and 9.8hp 2-stroke engine. The reason why I am interested in these motor is because it is a 2-stroke which would be similar with my main motor so the two engines can share the same gas mix. It’s also the cheapest motor given its hp that I can find; plus it is also a Totatsu, something that I am interested in. <br /><br />However, I also know that Tohatsu stop producing these motor, so would anyone know any reliable site where I can still purchase this motor from? If not, what is a good motor with comparable with prices and spec? Thanks again!

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Which small "get home" motor should i choose?

The 8 and 9.8 Tohatsu are still being produced and sold....just not in the U.S. You can buy them from any Nissan dealer in Canada.

 

[steviecops]

Re: Which small "get home" motor should i choose?

I'm currently looking out for a 1980's Johnson/Evinrude 9.9 or 15 hp for my auxillary. I had a 1984 9.9 on my last fishing boat as it's main engine and it was a fantastic motor.<br /><br />Because it's an auxillary engine, it won't be doing very many hours, so as long as it's a reliable starter and runner, there's no need to buy a brand new engine, unless you can afford it.