Posted: 01 May 2007 at 10:39pm
my boat came with a broken 9.9hp nissan outboard (something electrical). I am looking for a replacement to use so I can go out and play between fixing things. I had no idea outboards were so expensive, it seems that a decent one in the 5+ size range runs around $800 here. somebody is offering me a 3hp in response to a WTB post I made on craigslist. this leads me to my question:

What is the smallest practical outboard for short outings in relatively mild conditions?

also sort of related:
how critical is it to have a long shaft model?

thanks!
hull 183


Posted: 02 May 2007 at 1:57am
Hi Aaron
This very subject is covered in some detail on the website. Go to Marionette in the Restorations section - I think a 4hp short shaft is the best compromise for the money, performance and, very importantly, your back. If no dinghy motor is in the picture then a long shaft is better.
Ron


Posted: 28 May 2007 at 3:29am
I just got a suzuki DT6 short shaft. seems to work great! my friend had his gps and it clocked us doing about 6mph in the channel and 4 in the open sea. Just a little issue with the clutch not engaging made coming back a bit interesting. plenty of excitement for my first voyage :) i'll see about what happened with the motor tomorrow hopefully.

the motor is light enough for me to carry around comfortably (I wouldn't like it much heavier though). I can definitely see how it would be nice to have something lighter. the 9.9 hp Nissan that came with the boat is not something I look forward to moving around, I'll probably sell it after I get it going.

hull 183


Posted: 18 Jun 2007 at 5:04am
actually the clutch was engaging, the problem ended up being a slipping propeller bushing. The guy I bought the motor from graciously tracked down the part and fixed it for no charge (nice guy!). I got to test it a bit yesterday and now all is well!

hull 183