Best Outboard For Heavy Weather

[Teebeedee]

Hello,
When I motor into Brisbane Marina, there is consistent wind that that blows about 25 knots and and has a chop of about 3 feet. While motoring in with a 1995 4 horsepower Johnson outboard in a Montgomery 17, I almost always lose control and get blown back into the Bay.

What extra long shaft outboard Tohatsu motor should I use for these conditions? Am I not moving forward because the motor is too old, or because it does not have enough power?

Thanks

[HopCar]

I see that Tohatsu is now making a propane fueled High Thrust Long Shaft 5hp. The extra horse and the high thrust prop might just make the difference. It is available with 15, 20 and 25 inch shafts. I’m a big fan of propane Outboards. The carbs don’t get dirty. https://www.tohatsu.com/outboards/5_4st_lpg.html

[Teebeedee]

I have decided to stay away from propane motors because of there price. As all boat owners probably feel, too much money has already been spent on this boat!

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, TBD.

[OldManMirage]

I would think 4 hp is enough, but moving up a notch to the 6 hp and going for the extra long shaft ought to help. It may be that your prop is coming clear of the water at times in the choppy waves. I think the 6hp also comes with an alternator which is a plus.

[thomm225]

You will definitely need the 25" extra long shaft. Then you'll just need to choose whether to get a Mercury 5 HP or a Tohatsu 6 HP

I'm thinking anything larger will be too heavy for your boat. I believe the engines I mentioned above weigh about 58 lbs

I have a Mercury 5 HP 25" Outboard on my 6600 lb Bristol 27.

In the conditions you speak of, I would sail or motor sail until I got close enough to land and/or the marina for the wind and waves to abate a bit then motor in

[seandepagnier]

I stayed through a winter in SF bay as well as much windier places like wellington NZ.

Never used any kind of outboard or engine. Definately you don't need it, and with your smaller boat would be even easier.

[Teebeedee]

Thank you for the replies. I am leaning towards the Mercury 5 horsepower because of the extra long shaft option. The motor came out of the water about three times yesterday. Also, I own one of two Montgomery 17’s with a full encapsulated keel that has a draft of 3 feet and cannot retract. That means sailing upwind in the channel leading to Brisbane is quite frightening because of its small width and shallow grounds. Just yesterday, I sailed to the break water and took down the sails to motor to the 6th channel marker out of 8 with the wind blocked by the marina. Due to 2.9 feet, I could not enter the channel any later. I continued to motor into the marina when wind continued to build and move slightly port of the bow. While not going anywhere fast the rudder lost grip and the boat was pushed so that the wheather was on the beam. I had to push the motor and rudder completely to starboard in order to stay away from grounding. I kept that position into the wind without moving anywhere for what seems like forever. Finally the wind lightened up slightly and I was making about half a knot of progress until in the marina.

Anyways, I think I will jus stick with buying a better motor.

I appreciate it,
TBD

[thomm225]

If you could have the mainsail up, that would help hold you on course if the wind isn't dead ahead

I don't know the area so not sure if you'd have a good spot to lower it before docking, but then again the 5 hp 25" shaft motor might be all you need.

[Teebeedee]

The wind and s typically dead ahead except for the occasional shift.
Thanks for the quick reply.

[nelly]

If you haven't, I would encourage you to practice motorsailing in general.

Might not work for your situation, but often you can get really close to the wind with the main up and still get plenty of lift. Only way to know how you'll perform is to practice a bit out in the bay.

We motorsail sometimes with almost no wind, but we keep the main up. You do notice more stability + we can get an extra knot or so out of the engine, saving fuel and I assume putting much less stress on our gas outboard.

[DaleM]

I think that the Mercury 5 and the Tahotsu 6 are the same engines and same weight with different carbs. I would go with the 6 just because you could use it in those conditions. Make sure you get a separate tank too. Running out of gas in an inlet is no fun
Dale

[wnischt]

A two stroke 9.8 hp Tohatsu/Nissan weighs under 50lbs and will plane a 10ft dinghy with two people and gear! Extremely reliable!

[Ken Z]

Yamaha is choice for a lot of rec. boaters , and #1 for commercial in panhandle of fl. honda makes a extra long saildrive, you get what you pay for.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by DaleM

I think that the Mercury 5 and the Tahotsu 6 are the same engines and same weight with different carbs. I would go with the 6 just because you could use it in those conditions. Make sure you get a separate tank too. Running out of gas in an inlet is no fun
Dale

It should come with the external 3 gallon tank.

If I have motor sailed the 20 miles or so across the bay here (motor sailing at 1/4 throttle or so for better pointing) I will usually switch to the onboard tank (once I get into my creek) which will usually run the motor for 40-50 minutes depending

Sometimes mine will shut off at the most inopportune times so I like to be on internal tank when docking. (it could be due to my tank location which is a ways away from the engine)

Looks like they now charge you for the external tank with the Mercury. (I bought mine in 2011) Beware those universal connections when buying your tank and fuel line etc. They leak. I think I have a Yamaha on one end and a Mercury on the other for a solid connect with no leaks

It appears the Tohatsu has the external tank included but no internel tank

Internel tank is nice when you know you are just going to be motoring to and from your slip and sailing the rest of the time.....even if you sail 100 miles or many more

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