On the subject of Outboards

Wansworth said:
Surely a smaller outboard would start with less effort?
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If the 6 and 8 are the same unit apart from the carb then no difference in the starting effort. Have you considered an electric start one. I have no idea at what size (hp) electric start becomes available.

Another option - what about investing in an electric outboard with a spare battery. That would give around 6 hours motoring.
 
Boathook said:
If the 6 and 8 are the same unit apart from the carb then no difference in the starting effort. Have you considered an electric start one. I have no idea at what size (hp) electric start becomes available.

Another option - what about investing in an electric outboard with a spare battery. That would give around 6 hours motoring.
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Would it be powerfully enough
 
Davy_S said:
The Mariner 6hp and the Mariner 8hp are the same engine, / same weight, different carb settings thats all.
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I believe that the 2 strokes are as you say, however the 4 stroke 6hp is a single cylinder Tohatsu motor, which is carbed for the 4-5-6hp models. The 8hp 4 stroke is a twin cylinder, and about 10kgs. heavier.
I'm not sure which the OP has, but apologies if I missed it?
 
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We have a Yamaha 8HP on our hunter Horizon 23. It's a 2 cylinder and is the same as the 9HP I believe. It is definitely a two man lift to get it in and out of the outboard well. It only comes off the boat when ashore for the winter when it comes home with me for a service.

But I believe the Tohatsu is lighter than our Yam?
 
I think your best option would be a 4stroke 8-10 hp with electric start and remotes. Next best thing to an inboard.
With that you will always be able to get back to your berth, whatever the weather and wherever you are coming back from, not struggling with something too small for anything but benign conditions.
If you have remote controls on an outboard, don’t consider easily taking it off the boat, whatever the weight. Disconnecting the remotes isn’t a quick job if you are mechanically challenged. It will stay on the boat all year round, and get serviced by a professional if you have any sense!
 
A quick scan of a few dealers' pages for different brands of outboards suggests that current models typically are available in 5 and/or 6 hp versions at about half the price and 75% of the weight of an 8 or 9.9hp. The split in sizes/weights might well be different for earlier models of various brands.

It is important to get one that is propped to drive a displacement boat, often sold labelled as 'sailpower' or 'sail pro' etc., with 'high thrust' propellor). (Alternatively buy the correct replacement 'high-thrust' propellor, having made sure one is actually available before committing yourself to a particular engine!). You will never get full revs and hence the headline horsepower out of one that is propped to drive a lightweight dinghy/inflatable.

You will presumably also need it to be long shaft, or perhaps even extra long shaft (measure the height above the water line of the top of the outboard mounting on your boat to compare to engine specs).
 
Dellquay13 said:
I think your best option would be a 4stroke 8-10 hp with electric start and remotes. Next best thing to an inboard.
With that you will always be able to get back to your berth, whatever the weather and wherever you are coming back from, not struggling with something too small for anything but benign conditions.
If you have remote controls on an outboard, don’t consider easily taking it off the boat, whatever the weight. Disconnecting the remotes isn’t a quick job if you are mechanically challenged. It will stay on the boat all year round, and get serviced by a professional if you have any sense!
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W I’ll investigate remote controls
 
Dellquay13 said:
I think your best option would be a 4stroke 8-10 hp with electric start and remotes. Next best thing to an inboard.
With that you will always be able to get back to your berth, whatever the weather and wherever you are coming back from, not struggling with something too small for anything but benign conditions.
If you have remote controls on an outboard, don’t consider easily taking it off the boat, whatever the weight. Disconnecting the remotes isn’t a quick job if you are mechanically challenged. It will stay on the boat all year round, and get serviced by a professional if you have any sense!
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That will cost almost as much as his boat, he’s best to toughen up and learn how to start what he has.
 
Fr J Hackett said:
That will cost almost as much as his boat, he’s best to toughen up and learn how to start what he has.
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Yes. Assuming there's nothing wrong with the engine, it's usually just knowing the correct starting drill - the order of things, and the right amount of choke and throttle, etc. - and getting the 'swing' of how hard or gentle and fast or slow you need to pull the starter on that particular engine.

(Those who rode old motorbikes with kick-starters, especially big singles, will understand the point. You'd sometimes see an inexperienced owner busting a gut jumping up and down repeatedly on the starter to no avail, when an experience owner would stroll up, get on an identical model bike and take a leisurely swing at the correct (sometime quite leisurely) pace and it would immediately rumble into life.)

Handy tip, make sure Mrs. W's face especially, or other obstructions, are not in the way of the trajectory your elbow is going to make as you follow through the pull.

If it is regularly difficult to start, get it properly serviced and mixture etc. adjusted. Don't over-economise on new spark plugs.

Understand how to recover if you flood the engine with petrol - e.g. choke off, full throttle and repeated pulls to try to 'blow-dry' the plug, and if that fails take the plug out (you will, of course have a suitable plug spanner and other relevant tools to hand?), dry the plug and maybe even heat the electrodes it with a lighter, before re-inserting (don't over-tighten it).

If all else fails, don't get in a strop (the engine will then know it's won!). Relax, leave the engine on the naughty step, put the kettle on, accept you're not going anywhere in the next 20 minutes, enjoy your cuppa, and come back to it when you're less rattled and out of breath, by which time the engine might well have seen the error of its ways and decided to behave after all.
 
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