SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

How large of an outboard motor do I need?

14K views 36 replies 22 participants last post by  growser 
#1 · (Edited)
Aloha,

I have a 1974 Cal T4, 24', sailboat here in Hawaii. It is a real fixer upper and does not have an outboard motor. I am unsure how big or how small of an outboard I should get for this size of boat. I have a friend who has an old Johnson 50hp, with a 15" shaft. I think that the motor is too big and the shaft is too short for the boat. The boat has not been changed where the motor goes on the transom. Should I change that and put in a lift up motor mount? Please let me know what you think about this.

Mahalo
 
#3 ·
8 - 10 HP should be plenty unless you are having to regularly fight strong winds and currents to leave your mooring/marina area. The 4 stokes in this power range have a lot of push, are much quieter and burn cleaner.

A long shaft is certainly recommended for a transom mount esp if you are having to motor in sizable waves (as I'd guess you might). Not sure of your setup, but a lifting mount may be indicated if you would otherwise drag part of the motor in the water when sailing.

That 50 hp motor is totally not what you want!
 
#4 ·
Given you are in a budget boat, I'd recommend you find a used 4-6HP 2cycle and mount it in the normal location. Get a long shaft if you can find one. This will be enough - you will find pleny of opportunities to spend more money on your boat, if you feel you can afford a bigger, new 4 stroke engine, you should buy yourself some new sails instead.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the information. So if I get a used 4-6 hp outboard, long shaft if possible, that should be enough to get me in and out of the boat slip and out into Pearl Harbor? I am not planning on taking her out into blue water until I get some courses behind me and some time sailing her. What would you say the Max would be for this small of a boat?
 
#10 ·
Stay with the 50 horse. It should weigh enough to make the stern squat down enough to keep the prop in the water. On the days with no wind you can go water skiing. I think that the extra weight of the 50 should only cost you 1 to 2 knots of sailing speed.
.
Sometimes I think you're just evil, bubb!;) :)
 
#14 ·
My Cal25 came with a 10hp honda. It was about on it's last leg, but still had plenty of power to push her. We get pretty tide running out of the bayou that our marina is in when the tide is going out. The 10hp had problems with cranking so I bought a 2 stroke 6hp. It was okay but I felt better with the extra power that the 10hp had. My next project is to convert to a hybred. I intend to pull the powerhead off of the old 10hp and replace it with an 30 or 40hp electric motor.
 
#15 ·
Mc51 (or anyone else),
Have you done any research on the hybrid project? Would be very interested in any information on changing outboard to electric.
 
#16 ·
The 50hp could be used as part of your ground tackle, to supplement a nice mushroom anchor. Let's not discount the usefulness of a large horsepower engine with a boat that size. Just not the original intended use <grin>.
 
#17 ·
Coldsteel, I had a 9.8 on a 26 and never used more than half the power it provided even in strong current. Anything between 7-9 should be more than effeicent. Prop has a lot to do with it also.
 
#18 ·
Outboard motors

Izzy1414

No, I have not done any research on the hybrid conversion. I am going with a 4 stroke 9.9 outboard. Does anyone have any information on the Parsons or Sky outboard motors? My friend Kevin says they are a Chinese knock off of the Yamaha engine and that the parts are interchangeable. The price is quite a bit less than the Yamaha so I guess the quality is quite a bit lower than the Yamaha. There are no dealers in the state of Hawaii that I can locate on the internet, so if I buy one it will be direct from the company via the internet. If you have any information I would greatly appreciate it before I put down the cash that it will cost for a new outboard.

Mahalo
:)
 
#20 ·
Izzy1414

No, I have not done any research on the hybrid conversion. I am going with a 4 stroke 9.9 outboard. Does anyone have any information on the Parsons or Sky outboard motors? My friend Kevin says they are a Chinese knock off of the Yamaha engine and that the parts are interchangeable. The price is quite a bit less than the Yamaha so I guess the quality is quite a bit lower than the Yamaha. There are no dealers in the state of Hawaii that I can locate on the internet, so if I buy one it will be direct from the company via the internet. If you have any information I would greatly appreciate it before I put down the cash that it will cost for a new outboard.

Mahalo
:)
You might want to find out from other Sailnetters if they have had any reliability issues with them. The times you use your engine can be the times you really need it to work.

Regards
 
#19 ·
Coldsteel,
From just a quick look at the specs for Parsun vs Yamaha on web site, they seem to be a little different motors(displacement,fuel tank configuration,options,etc). I'm not sure how accurate the Parsun data was that I was looking at as it seemed to show the same displacement for the 15 hp as the 9.9 hp. Also there are lots of models to compare so it probably will take a lot more research (best would be to talk to an experienced outboard mechanic). I am thinking about repowering too and the Yamaha 9.9 high thrust model looks like a good choice but it is pretty expensive. Anybody with input on the high thrust model?
 
#23 ·
Hey, you can't knock the M26.
When you lose your rigging in a 5kt "blow" you always have that trusty 60hp to get you home dragging the rigging and all.

I saw it with my own eyes. Granted I left a 1 out of the gust for the drama.
It was really a 15 knot knockdown. :)
 
#24 ·
not sure of the weight of your boat, but my Pearson 26 has a Merc 15hp 2-stroke. Pearson recommends 10hp max in the docs but my friend the prev. owner went with the 15hp for when extra power is helpful to punch through. It is useful now & then.

Definitely go with a long shaft, ours is a transom mount 20" shaft and I was stopped by cavitation last year in choppy 4' waves into a 25mph breeze, couldn't keep the prop in the water. I may look for a 25" shaft next time if I can find one.

Next time I might go with a 9.9hp 4-stroke, though it weighs the same as our 15hp two-stroke.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Yeah, 6 to 10 ought to be plenty for a T/4 - I've used an old 9.9 HP Honda 4-stroke 20" shaft on my old San Juan 24 (3600# boat) which seemed a bit too much, both power and especially weight (almost 90#?!) - like the guy that said half throttle is all he used.

Also used a new Tohatsu/Nissan 6 HP 4-stroke 25" (55#) shaft on the San Juan 24 as well as a little on my more recent Cal T/4. Even with the 25" there are still times in rough chop when the engine rises out of the water and "screams", which I hear is NOT the thing.

I'm very happy with the 6 HP, power-wise, and will note here that its built on the same "family" of engine block and other engine parts as the 4 and 5 HP (at the same weight) - different cam is the main difference, I hear. Just as the old honda 7.5 HP is made on the same block and other parts as their 9.9...

So, I'd always buy the 4-stroke, always the largest HP for a given block "family" & weight, and I'd ALWAYS buy the 25" shaft length for transom-hung sailing applications, vs the 20" (don't even conside the 'short' 15" shaft length for sailboats, except for no-wind, mill-pond-smooth conditions).

Hope that helps.
 
#27 ·
We are running an older Johnston Sailmaster long prop 6hp on our Cal 28. I feel we are underpowered when coming around into the wind, but it is fine for straight motoring. Hauled us from Half Moon Bay thru the Gate and down to Oyster Point one day in about 8 hours: heavy swells, 12 to 15 foot, close CLOSE intervals... did the job just fine. Only tricky when coming in and out of the slip with a wind off the bow.

The 24 is a lighter vessel, 4000 verses 8000 so I think anything between 6 and 9 HP should be ample.
 
#28 ·
If I can put in my 2 cents:
I would go with a 2.5 HP (get 4 stroke for easy maintenance), all you need if you just planing in using in getting it in and out of the harbor. But if you plan to go further distance, may want to go bigger.
I have a Cal 21 w/ a 9.9 HP, way too much power and way too much weight, that's why I am selling it and getting a 2 or 2.5 HP.
My 2 cents.....LOL.

Good luck
 
#29 ·
Aloha,
Let me first say it has been great receiving all the advice and information on what type and size of outboard motor I should put on my Cal T/4. Thanks to all of you. I have purchased a Tohatsu 9.8hp, 2 stroke with a 20” shaft. I looked over everyone’s posting and did a lot of research online and decided that for the power vs weight a 2 stroke engine was the way to go. Yes, I know that a 4 stroke is more dependable and you don’t have to mix the oil and gas together. If I wanted something that was easy I would have purchased a power boat instead of a sailboat. The price of a 2 stroke vs a 4 stroke was also a factor but not that big a factor. I can lift the 2 stroke fairly easily in and out of the motor mount without any help and the pull start seamed easier than the 4 stroke. I guess that it will take some time before I find out if I made a good decision. Mahalo again for all of your advice.
:cool:
 
#31 ·
Why do you ask?

Well I had my brother buy it for me and ship it with the rest of my house hold goods. I am prior military and only shipped half of my house hold good here to Hawaii and stored the rest. I knew I was going to ship the rest over so I had him buy it and send it with the rest of my stuff. Why do you want to know? Is there some sort of problem with this? :confused:
 
#33 ·
Coldsteel,

I have a 5 hp Nissan on my T/4 that can propel me at approximately 5 to 5.5 knots. It does fine for sailing in the Puget Sound and the fuel consumption is real low. The motor came with the boat when we bought it and it has the 20" shaft. I installed the tilt up motor mount and still wish I had the 25" shaft (UL for ultra long) just to get the prop lower in the water. If someone walks to the bow the prop can come out of the water. I have two options, buy the 5" extension kit for the lower unit for about $250 plus 2 hours labor to install or save my money and buy the 6 hp ultra long shaft model which comes with a charging system for my house battery for $ 1450. If you look for Nissan outboards you might look at Tohatsu outboards too. As far as I can tell they are the same outboards just with a different brand name.

Good luck,
bc2316
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top