Need advise on motor purchase

[groundedsailor]

I am a first time sailor and purchased a 1975 Mirage 24. The 6 hp Johnson was not in the best of shape when I purchased the boat but I used it a couple of times with some degree of frustration. The motor is now shot and I'm in the market for a now one. I have several questions.

1 does any one now the maximum hp for a mirage 24
2 how long of a shaft do I need, 20 or 25"?
3 Yamaha dealer close by suggested 8hp with turbo, would that be too much?
4 with motors in short supply at this time the choices are Yamaha 6 4strope, Honda 5hp 4 stroke or Mercury 6 hp 4stroke. Any preferences, things that would be helpful to know.

Any assisstance would be helpfull.

[sailingdog]

You'll want an extra long shaft motor to help keep the prop in the water in heavier seas. Watch out for the four-strokes, as they are usually a fair bit heavier than their older two-stroke counterparts. Make sure that the boat can handle boat the weight and horsepower of the engine.

[tomandchris]

I would agree with Dog on this. However, I was taken aback by the "motors in short supply" line. Did I miss something about outboard engine availability?

[swampcreek]

Sailingdog hit the nail right on the head. Extra long shaft and weight. You also may want to consider space, is the motor going in an engine well? If it is a 4 stroke with it's larger power head might be limited on turning ability, if it's on a bracket then it's not an issue.

Max hp... Once you hit hull speed thats it unless you can plane, our 8hp 2 stroke Nissan just makes more noise after 3/4 throttle. BUT the motor doesn't have to work as hard to push us along when we motor and is it ever SWEET on fuel consumption. I imagine a smaller engine at WOT would burn much more and wear out faster.

Speaking of 2 strokes, that might be a consideration unless you're in a freshwater lake (Many lakes are starting to ban 2 strokes). I don't believe there are any smaller 2 strokes being manufactured anymore but you could probably pick up one REAL CHEAP at a large repair facility or the other usual places one finds used motors. One other advantage to 2 stroke is that in my experience they don't gum up as fast from sitting, I've started 2 stroke outboards and chainsaws that have sat for years with the old gas in them with no problem, where my 4 stroke snowblower and motorcycles need to be treated or started regularly to avoid gumming up. I see nice lookig extra long shaft 2 strokes for sale all over the place around here.

I know people who have 4 strokes that LOVE them, it's hard to hear if they're even running at idle and I've been told they're even better on fuel economy, BUT I've also heard you need to take them to the dealer or a shop to do about any maintrnance on them due to the need for special tools and fewer independant shops work on them since it's a newer technology (Which if true will HAVE to change). Anyway I'm just repeating hearsay when it comes to OB 4 strokes.

[olson34]

Originally Posted by groundedsailor

I am a first time sailor and purchased a 1975 Mirage 24. The 6 hp Johnson was not in the best of shape when I purchased the boat but I used it a couple of times with some degree of frustration. The motor is now shot and I'm in the market for a now one. I have several questions.

1 does any one now the maximum hp for a mirage 24
2 how long of a shaft do I need, 20 or 25"?
3 Yamaha dealer close by suggested 8hp with turbo, would that be too much?
4 with motors in short supply at this time the choices are Yamaha 6 4strope, Honda 5hp 4 stroke or Mercury 6 hp 4stroke. Any preferences, things that would be helpful to know.
Any assisstance would be helpfull.

Ok - I'll give this one a shot.... I owned a 26 footer for ten years with two different 10 hp four strokes on it over time, and before that 20 footer with a Johnson 6 two stroke on it, for five years. I admit to some prejudice as that late-70's Johnson was a poor motor and measured in modern terms probably put out a useable 4 hp on a good day! We later replaced it with a 4 hp Merc two stroke that had noticeably more push.

With the hinged mount shown in the one picture I could quickly find via Google, it looks like a long shaft (20" leg) might have been the original choice. As others note the 25" leg might be preferable as long as the prop does not drag much when the mount is up and motor is tilted up. One caution from my former years with smaller boats with this setup: be sure that whatever you choose will actually tilt to the "lock" position when the motor mount is raised and the motor tilts, putting the housing against the top part of the transom or rail.
Note B: if you have been getting by on a 35 year old Johnson two-stroke, you will be astounded at the power in a modern smaller four stroke outboard.

Displ. is given as 3750# on one for sale listing I checked. I would put no more than an 8 hp on it, and if you can score a deal on Honda 5, that might be just right. Both Honda and Yamaha have the maximum R&D and sales record in four strokes, IMHO.
Our previous sailboat had a Yam 10 Hi-Thrust and it was more than the boat needed. (Niagara 26, 4K displ)

Whatever you decide on, be sure the engine and final drive ratio (and the prop pitch) is appropriate for a displacement hull. Yamaha used to have some small (i.e. 10 hp and below) four strokes with a three-to-one final gear ratio just for this market. This is way different than the mass-market outboards with their two to one gearing that are intended for the small planning skiff fishing market. Flatter prop pitch will make up for this to a large degree, but still short of having proper gearing.

Hope this bit of trivia is helpful, and worth about two virtual cents!

Regards,
L

[T37Chef]

Check out Tohatsu, the Mercs & Nissan's are basically versions of the Tohatsu with more bells & whistles. I purchased my T 9.8 from Discount Marine and Boat Supplies - Inflatable Sales - Defender, great price and shipping was very reasonable.

Here is a 6HP: 6 HP 4-Stroke SailPro or for slightly less $$ 6 HP 4-Stroke

Keep in mind, while I cant speak of Johnson, Honda, etc...there is a significant weight difference in the Tohatsu 6HP and a 8HP, or about 20lbs. If you're leaning towards an 8HP, then maybe just go with the 9.8 since they are the same engine, just different RPM range (speaking of the Tohatsu only)

One other note, you may go with a different prop, Tohatsu has a list on their website for reference.

[groundedsailor]

wow thanks a lot, I never expect so many responses mid summer on a Saturday. I sailing in mostly rivers in southern New Brunswick Canada, The orignial motor was a 94 Johnson. I'm leaning towards a 6 hp yamaha or a Nissan. Is there any way I can tell if a extra longshaft will drag with the motor all the way up without buying it putting it on then finding out I can't get the last couple inches out of the water when I'm sailing? My 20" would bounce out of the water in moderate waves, but my transom looks a little lower than the one in the previous picture.

[Maverick1958]

British Seagull! I have a 40+ long shaft made in 1967. It starts on the second pull every time, pushes my Helsen 22 to hull speed (6 knots) at 1/4 throttle and draws plenty of attension. The down side is ALWAY carry minimum 1 spare spark plug and the oil at 10:1 cost more than the gas. Other than that they are bullet proof and can be repaired with only the simples of hand tools.

[mitiempo]

I owned a British Seagull 40 years ago but they are long gone so used would be your only option.
I'd look at a Yamaha 6 or 8 hp 2 stroke with a long shaft. Once you get the measurements of the engine you can measure the transom and mount to find out how it will tilt.