new kicker for my sailboat

[bornagainsailor]

hi,
my '86 evinrude 6 hp kicker seized up (over-heated/salt water intrusion). it owed me nothing and now is a demo in a voc-ed ob class. I'm seeking a new 6 hp ob with 25" shaft for my 22' sailboat. On-line ob reviews have left me confused. any thoughts from owners of a similar ob re: pros/cons will be appreciated.
thank you,
seafarin' guy

[HDChopper]

The search function brings up too much no related stuff

Hear is one of the threads I remember reading on the subject but there was 2 more with a lot of good info on moderen outboards , I will do a lil more searching maybe I'l get lucky

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/genera...ard-motor.html

Ahh found another good one ...http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-m...ns-needed.html

[Sublime]

I've got two 5 hp Honda's. One is an '01, the other an '04. They've been reliable. It's a little like having the Tasmanian Devil on the back of your boat, but they've been easy to start (pull start).

A con that almost makes me want to give up having them is getting parts. They change stuff and upgrade things so often that I had a hell of a time getting the right fuel connector and it was insanely overpriced. In my neck of the woods, not too many people deal with them so if you're like me and that one parts dealer's service leaves something to be desired, you're just going to have to suck it up. Because of all of the changes and upgrades, you'll probably have to take the part in and the ID number and let them look at it.

But the actual outboards have been good to me (touch wood).

[southshoreS24]

been a big fan of the tohatsu/mercury small ob's. have a 5 for work dinghy and a 8 for the boat. only difference is one is a single cylinder and the other is two and has the charging kit on it. they make a great 6hp sail version with the xl shaft and charging kit. just have to make sure you use fresh gas and always run it dry before leaving it for more than a few days. the newer 4 strokes and ethanol in the gas are a bad combo if your leaving it for more than a few days.

[TohatsuGuru]

Originally Posted by bornagainsailor

hi,
my '86 evinrude 6 hp kicker seized up (over-heated/salt water intrusion). it owed me nothing and now is a demo in a voc-ed ob class. I'm seeking a new 6 hp ob with 25" shaft for my 22' sailboat. On-line ob reviews have left me confused. any thoughts from owners of a similar ob re: pros/cons will be appreciated.
thank you,
seafarin' guy

No real difference from brand to brand. Just pick one that has a dealer near you.

[Quickstep192]

It's been a while since I've read a review, but in the most recent bake-offs I've read, Yamaha won, with Honda close behind. The issue is parts and service. I'm working on mine out of necessity and getting parts online which takes a while and there's no nearby local expertise to help me out if I get in over my head. Pick one that has a good service center close to you.

[Quickstep192]

By the way, I've had really great luck getting parts from boats.net. Their website has pretty good parts breakdown and the parts seem to come quickly. They offer expedited shipping if you don't mind paying the extra freight. It's not the same as having a great mechanic, but it seems like a good source for parts.