[sailingdog]

I have and use the 3.5 HP Tohatsu on my dinghy. Lack of reverse and the lack of an external fuel tank aren't really problems, unless you're planning on taking trips that are over an hour in duration. Most trips are far shorter than that...and if the conditions are such that you can't sail—ie, no wind—there shouldn't be much difficulty in re-filling the internal tank on the 3.5 HP. Granted, there might end up being the rare occasion where having a larger fuel tank would be good, but I see that as an exception, rather than the rule. If push comes to shove and you really need more fuel capacity, you could always drill a small hole in the fuel cap of the tohatsu's internal fuel tank and add a fitting so that you can fill the tank while the engine is running via an external fuel tank with a quick release fitting and a pump bulb.

Originally Posted by cristamd

So you don't think the lack of reverse and external fuel tank connector on the 3.5 HP outboard will be a problem? I was a little worried about trying to refuel on the water with the .3 gallon internal tank, though I did come across a clever solution using an external gas tank's priming pump to refill through the gas cap on top of the motor. I'm guessing that turning the motor around to go in reverse really isn't that big a deal.

From what I read on the Torqueedo, it doesn't actually have a lower power draw than my current motor -- the run-time at full throttle for the 801 was somewhere around the hour I get with the Minn Kota -- so definitely not worth the $1300.

Thanks for the input.
~Matt