Little outboards

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ip485

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I have a 20HP outboard for my tender which is a Ribeye 3 metre weighing about 50KG empty. Its great.

However I would like a spare engine for far off places for emergencies and also for ease of use pottering to the beach and dragging the tender up when power really doesnt matter.

So, I am thinking of the lightest engine I can buy.

The question is therefore what would the real world performance of a little 2.5HP engine be on a tender of that size? Now I obvioulsy know it will not plane, but will it cope if headway is needed in a strong tide or river or should I consider a little more HP?
 
There is no benefit in a 2HP engine over a 3.5/3.3 two stroke as they are the same weight for lower power and the 2/2.5 hp generally do not have a neutral/forward gear which is a big safety feature. A 3.5hp engine should push your tender along at 5/6knotts with a couple of people aboard. Lightest engines are 12/13kg.
 
Some good points - I need to do a little more research I think on weight.

Having had a quick look at Yamaha I see there is no different in weight between their 4HP and 6HP both 27KG but their 2.5 is a mere 17KG, so might just as well have the 6 over 4, but the 2.5 is significantly lighter. Perhaps I can get the weight down with one of the other better known makes and power up!
 
It depends on where you're based. if outside the EU, go for a small 2-stroke. You'll not find much difference between a 3.5hp Tohatsu and a 4hp yamaha other than price and weight. I used to have the latter and now have the former, driving my small 2.2m with am inflatable keel and floor. I changed predominantly due to the weight difference. I wasn't using the full 4 hp at the time, anyway. As it happens. I seldom have the Tohatsu on full power. It won't get you up on the plane fully loaded, but that's not what you want anyway. NB the channel Islands are "outside the EU" and they sell small strokers in most chandlers. You just can't get them posted to EU Countries.
 
Find an old 2stroke, of occasional use you can bung it in a locker with the fuel off and bit have to worry about how it's sitting, I'd look for a yamaha Malta, bombproof and light.
 
I have a Suzuki 2.5 hp four stroke on a 2.9 inflatable with v hull, it planes with one person (16 stone) also used it on 3.3 m inflatable with v hull and it performs the same. I also have a Tohatsu 3.5hp four stroke which is naturally more powerful but the difference is negligible, as the Tohatsu is a much heavier engine. I also have a Tohatsu 6hp four stroke, but it will only plane with one person too. Being four stroke engines it means they are reliable and will start easily. I think the Suzuki 2.5 is the lightest engine on the market and my favourite.
 
If you're already limbered with 50kg of boat, trimming a few kg off the engine does not seem like a lot.
But my 2hp is far superior to the 3.3 it replaced, the slight reduction in weight and bulk made it feasible to just pass to SWMBO from dinghy to yacht, and also SWMBO finds it very much easier to start.
If you are going to the beach a 50kg tender is a nuisance, we can carry our tender complete with outboard and oars. I always get the heavy end...
 
I have a Tohatsu 3.5hp 2-stoke, which is great on my 3.2m rib for pottering about.
 
lw395 - fortunately the tender is on davits so its not an issue. I also have a crane for the main outboard so that is ok. The tender also has some liftable wheels for the beach. The main reason for a lighter engine is for a spare and for those occasions when you cant bothered to crane in the main engine or not want the added weight going up a beach or even lifting the engine prior to beaching. Its fine for me but not for the girls always.

I do like the 2 stroke option as my main engine is two stroke. Sometimes wonder about the extra hassle of always carrying enough 2 stroke oil but that is ok and in some ways better to keep them both the same.
 
Screen Shot 2018-02-14 at 16.25.31.png

Couldn't resist it, we generally get our knickers in a twist about outboards. Lawnmowers, which are close relatives, rarely create so much grief.
 
ip485 said:
Some good points - I need to do a little more research I think on weight.

Having had a quick look at Yamaha I see there is no different in weight between their 4HP and 6HP both 27KG but their 2.5 is a mere 17KG, so might just as well have the 6 over 4, but the 2.5 is significantly lighter. Perhaps I can get the weight down with one of the other better known makes and power up!
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i have the 2.5 yamaha, couldn't be happier with it, pottering along at 4-5 knts with 2 adults, 2 kids, a stinky dog and as much crap i can fit around peoples feet inside the tender. solo my inflatable its pretty nippy too (for a sailor)

its pretty light & balanced so can be lifted with one hand while transferring, personally i wouldn't consider anything over 20kg "comfortable" to manhandle for all crew.

Outboard size is a sensitive subject though....
 
A Torqueedo pushes our heavy Caribe 3m rib very well in flat or even slightly choppy water at 3-4 knots with 4 people and luggage and that is rated around 2hp so 2.5hp will be fine in nearly all circumstances if you don't mind plodding past other boats not zooming and you won't be fighting currents.

So for us at anchor up to half a mile away from our destination restaurant or shops then it's fine going gently past other anchored boats without a wake. But I wouldn't go round a headland with a 2.5hp engine unless it was very calm indeed.
 
KevB said:
Personally I'd go for a 2 stroke 3.3 with neutral. I can get it to plan our 2.7.m airdeck.
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But the OP like me has a heavy 3m rib, so if you can't get it to plane (and 5hp won't get mine to plane even with just me on board), then a smaller one like a 2.5hp has almost all the advantages.
 
Suzuki df2.5 and honda bf2.3 are both about 13kg with no fuel, I just bought a suzuki as I found a few bits I didn't like about the honda, I think the honda is the lighter of the two but only by a small amount.
I got fed up with lugging 20+kg over the back of the boat, oh and some scroatbag nicked my 4hp tohatsu from my shed.
 
Seagull. It will leak an odd gum all over you no matter what you do to seal everything, it will make you look like an old salt, when it does start (they all do in the end) it will rattle and shake so loudly you will have a blissful conversation free time in the tender, watching the rainbow slick behind you, and like sailing, you will have no reverse so just use your jacket/child/bloomers as a mainsail, and heave to when you reach your destination. At which point you can bail the boat out of the 2 stroke slick, take off the gas mask that prevented suffocation, and rest happy in the knowledge you are keeping British marine heritage going
 
ip485 said:
lw395 - fortunately the tender is on davits so its not an issue. I also have a crane for the main outboard so that is ok. The tender also has some liftable wheels for the beach. The main reason for a lighter engine is for a spare and for those occasions when you cant bothered to crane in the main engine or not want the added weight going up a beach or even lifting the engine prior to beaching. Its fine for me but not for the girls always.
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I think so long as the wheels are good enough for any beach you're going to use, you're going to look at the engine and tender as one 65+ kg unit ashore, so a few kg in the engine make no difference.
There are a few beaches where I'd rather have my lightweight set up, I have in the past carried the tender up steps even, but then that's not so good when you anchor well off shore or whatever. So I can see you're unlikely to change the tender, and carrying two might be excessive...
Compromise, compromise....
 
That is true but a light engine does have all sorts of advantages. My "main" engine I dont really touch. It lives on the stern and gets craned on and off the tender - or sometimes just left on. I have on the very odd occasions man handled it for some reason, but it is positively unsafe to do so other than in the carmest conditions. The spare engine will probably be kept in the rear lazarette (up right) so bringing it up the ladder and down the steps on the sugar scoop etc and weight is at least for me a big consideration. Also even lifting the main engine for beaching is not that easy for the girls - it doesnt have a electric lift. I agree about pulling any tender up the beach but I have fitted reasonably good pneumatic wheels which drop into place and work well on beaches as long as it is not shingle or really soft sand (they are still ok but more of a struggle).
 
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