Tohatsu 6hp- any good??

[sparkie]

Hi all, thinking of replacing the elderly 8hp Yamaha on my 23' pride and joy with a new Tohatsu 6hp four stroke. Has anyone any experience of this engine, and if so is it advantageous to opt for the "Saildrive" option??

All advice appreciated.

Cheers

Sparkie

 

[FulmarJeddo]

No experience of that engine, but Tohatsu make all the small Mariners and Mercurys, they are just badged differently. When I was looking for a replacement 4hp engine a couple of years ago I was told by one dealer that the paint wasn't as good on the Tohatsus, don't know if there is any truth in that, he was a Mariner dealer!! There is differences in warranty lengths though. The Saildrive gives "battery charging" but the output is so low it will take hours to charge a flat battery. The big plus with a Saildrive engine is the High Thrust propeller. These are lower pitch than standard and will give more usable power on a displacement hull boat. I had an old Yamaha 4hp on a Jaguar 21 that struggled against a strong head wind. I replaced it with a Mariner 4hp Saildrive. The difference in power was incredible. One of the last trips out last year I came back against a F7 and the new engine made easy work of it.

 

[exfinnsailor]

Agree with you on the paint .. Bought a 9hp last year and you only had to sneeze and the paint chipped down to a green undercoat .. Just bought a new Mariner and that survived the car journey back .. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[retsina]

I bought (£799) a Tohatsu 6hp 4stroke long shaft last year. It is excellent; always starts without any problems, paint is still on, despite the abuse from me. Actually, I am so impressed that I intent to use it as a spare on my 32 foot boat, if ever the Volvo diesel breaks down. Very economical too. Buy one.

 

[roly_voya]

The sail drive version is also tuned slightly differently to give a bit more torque at the expense of top end power but dont know if the difference is noticable. You will definatly notice a huge difference in fuel consumption and noise if the Yam is a 2st

 

[sparkie]

Many thanks all, very interesting. Sounds as if it may be the one to go for if I can get a good price.

Cheers

Sparkie

 

[Drascomber]

I have the Mercury version of the same engine and have been very pleased. Light, powerful and economical - accross the Irish Sea at 5 knots against a f5 on one 12 litre tank. You can get the 6" pitch saildrive prop separately if you don't want the battery charging. Don't use a standard 8" pitch prop on your boat as the motor will not get within 700rpm of max revs and power. The manufacturer warns of detonation with too high a pitch for the boat. (Although I suspect that is more of a worry with the jungle juice that passes for petrol in some parts of the USA and elsewhere)

 

[Topcat47]

Definitly go for the Saildrive prop. Standard props are pitched for dinghies/tenders. I'm not sure how imortant it is for the exhaust to be led through the prop in saildrives but that's the reason (apparently) I can't fit one to my old Yamaha.

 

[sparkie]

Thanks for that Drascomber, as a matter of interest what length and weight is your boat? Pleased to hear it performed well in the Irish Sea, my normal playground! I do need the battery charging so would go for the saildrive option unless there was a good reason not to, but it seems from the replies that this is the best option anyway. I can see a possible problem with pre-ignition, similar to using too high a gear in a car I suppose.

Cheers

Sparkie

 

[Drascomber]

Hi Sparky,

[ QUOTE ]
Irish Sea, my normal playground

[/ QUOTE ]

Well I'm glad its not my normal playground - not a pleasant experience.

To answer your question we are 21ft 9in and about 650Kg loaded for cruising.

 

[sparkie]

Yes-can be "challenging and character-building". Either blowing a hooley or flat calm in my experience, usually both on the same day (or in the same hour). Sounds as if you are slightly smaller than me but not enough to make a difference.

Cheers

Sparkie