# Dinghy Outboard - Recommendations?



## RSMacG (Sep 3, 2009)

Having recently upgraded to a boat that is not, itself, a dinghy (34 ft), I'm in the process of acquiring one and would be most grateful for the collective wisdom here... 

For a whole variety of factors, I've decided on the Achilles LSI 290 (possibly 310, but that's likely overkill). It's rated for up to 8hp. However, notwithstanding poking around on the Internet for a few days, I'm still somewhat at a loss, and am hoping for some help.

I plan to use the dinghy for all of the usual things while cruising - back and forth to shore for provisions, a bit of exploring, and probably some fishing with my son. However, I don't necessarily think speed is a primary concern. I also would like to be able to lift the engine from the dinghy onto the stern pulpit myself, so weight is a major consideration.

So, I suppose I really have three questions: 

(1) HP? I'm thinking 4-6 would be more than enough?; 

(2) 2-stroke vs 4-stroke? I'm told that the new direct-injection 2-strokes are now much, much kinder to the environment, and 2-strokes have the advantage of being able to be run dry, so they don't have to be stored perfectly upright. I'm also told that the 2-strokes are more bullet-proof? Is this true? Pros/cons of 2- vs 4-stroke for this application?

(3) Manufacturer? Not surprisingly, I'm getting mixed messages re manufacturers. From what I can tell, Nissan or Tohatsu are the way to go. Thoughts appreciated

I really appreciate any thoughts / experiences that can be shared... It's a purchase I only want to make once and I don't want to be kicking myself every time because I didn't know what I didn't know...

Thanks again,
Rob


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## remetau (Jan 27, 2009)

This is another one that you will probably get all kinds of opinions on. This is my 2 cents and that’s probably about all that its worth:

1. Depends on how fast you want to go and if you want to get up on plain. I personally like to get my dinghy up on plane when I get the chance, but most anchorages you won’t be doing that. I think for what you are looking for a 4-6 would be fine, plus they are cheaper.
2.	I prefer 2 strokes because I think they have more power and they are a lot lighter. In remote areas you may find it easier to get a 2 stroke repaired than a 4.
3.	For 2 strokes, I like my Mercury, but I think I would prefer a Yamaha down south. For 4 strokes, I always like Honda motors, but you may also have to take in consideration where you plan to cruise. I heard Yamaha and Nissans are much easier to find parts for in remote areas.


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## Cruisingdad (Jul 21, 2006)

For cruising, especially down south, I would not consider anything but a RIB. I would not consider a soft bottom dink. I actually own two now and have owned many others. The HPIB is fine for little tidbits here and there, but nothing beats a rib that I have found. 

I strongly prefer 2 strokes over the 4's. Again, I currently own both. The small 4's are heavy and under powered. The positive of the 4 is that you can run at idle speeds or slow speeds better, and they seem more efficient. But the first time you haul that clunker up on your davits or motor mount, you will be swearing you made a mistake.

I think Achilles makes a terrific tender. I actually bought a Walker Bay. You can search here for the thread which is realtively recent (around January). The WB I bought is their RIB... not that little flaoting dink. Totally different animal. We have been very pleased with it. Things stay dry, she handles well, will jump on a plane, etc. 

Do not under rate the importance of being able to plane. Depending on your anchorage, you may be doing a LOT of motoring. If fishing, the same. And the first time you find a little coral head and swipe our the bottom of your tender (which I did), you will come to hate anything that is not a hard bottom.

As far as motors, I will only own a Yamaha or possibly a Honda (but have never owned a Honda, just would posssibly try it). My luck with Mercs sucks. Yamaha has repeatedly been a great performer. DO be aware that most of the small outboards motors are made by Tohatsu I believe. I think the cuttof is 9.9, but I cannot remember that anymore. Other may help there. However, the rest of the motor may be proprietary (gear shift placement, abaility to raise motor, etc). It is important to be able to easily raise your motor for beaching and when in thin water.

Again, for a cruiser, I would not get anything but a RIB. The others simply are dissapointments for anything serious.

My opinions.

Brian


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## Gene T (May 23, 2006)

More power is nice. You will find that out when you want to hold the bow high for a dry and smother ride when there is a chop. Speed does come in handy as it increases your range. 

2 cycle is preferred by me, much simpler and lighter. As you say you can run them dry, lay them down anyway you want and they are ready to run when you need them. A 15hp 2 stroke Johnson/Evinrude weighs 87 lbs. A 6 hp is about 50 lbs. 

I find the 87 lbs to be the max I want to handle on a moving boat.

Gene


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

RSMacG said:


> So, I suppose I really have three questions:
> 
> (1) HP? I'm thinking 4-6 would be more than enough?;


Probably more than enough. My friends have a 10.5' AB RIB. They use a 3.5 HP tohatsu and they've been able to use the boat with three or four people aboard in over 20 knots of wind.

One thing to consider is weight. The 3.5 HP tohatsu/nissan/mercury is only about 40 lbs. The 4-6 HP tohatsu/nissan/mercury is about 55 lbs. That can make the difference between being able to lower it onto the dinghy in heavy weather or not.



> (2) 2-stroke vs 4-stroke? I'm told that the new direct-injection 2-strokes are now much, much kinder to the environment, and 2-strokes have the advantage of being able to be run dry, so they don't have to be stored perfectly upright. I'm also told that the 2-strokes are more bullet-proof? Is this true? Pros/cons of 2- vs 4-stroke for this application?


The two-strokes are very hard to find in the US. Most of the four-strokes are capable of being stowed on one side. The four-strokes are more economical and usually quieter. The four-strokes also only have to worry about one consumable for fuel.



> (3) Manufacturer? Not surprisingly, I'm getting mixed messages re manufacturers. From what I can tell, Nissan or Tohatsu are the way to go. Thoughts appreciated
> 
> I really appreciate any thoughts / experiences that can be shared... It's a purchase I only want to make once and I don't want to be kicking myself every time because I didn't know what I didn't know...
> 
> ...


All the small <10 HP Nissan, Tohatsu and Mercury engines are actually all made by Tohatsu. Honda and Yamaha are the other two still making small outboards IIRC. The 2 HP honda doesn't have a clutch and is really noisy, being air cooled.


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## Gene T (May 23, 2006)

On the subject of a dinghy. I currently have 2 ribs. A 10.6 Avon and a 9 Caribe. The Avon is an early 1980s boat and with a 15 hp is a true assault craft. It is bloody heavy so towing is the best option. It tows well however and planes while towing at about 4 knots. It is hands down the best setup to have once you get where you are going. 
The Caribe stows well on the foredeck of my new boat but it takes 2 of us to get it there. It has a double floor that seems to leak. It is too short to handle well. I need more time with this boat to see if it will really work for us. 
I like the idea of the high pressure inflatable floor boats. A short one with a small outboard may be in my future. These boats are so light one person can lift them on deck easily. Or it could be deflated and stowed for long passages. 

Too many boat options and not enough places to keep them all.

Gene


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## CaptKermie (Nov 24, 2006)

I have a 5 hp Honda and the little sucker weighs in at 60 lbs. That may not seem like a lot especially considering I used to shoulder press two 60 lbs dumbells in my younger days, but with an awkward engine that has that goofy leg sticking out it becomes very unweildly and hard to manage, even for a strong guy like me. With power comes weight, if you want power prepare to lift a heavy engine. On the plus side the little honda will get my dinghy up on plane with one person but not two of us. The extra power folks speak of is beneficial especially when it comes to exploring, you can cover long distances and skim right over those rip tides with confidence. I will always choose to lift the heavy engine in exchange for the power and I usually leave the engine on the dinghy transom and tow it like that, but I am in protected coastal waters. I do see many folks with those smaller engines that you can lift with one arm, but they are suitable for dinghy dock service only, I would not go out into the open channels with one, just not enough power when out in the chop. You need to decide what you want to really do with your dinghy then decide from there.


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## tommays (Sep 9, 2008)

IF your going NEW small motor in the USA its gonna be a 4stroke motor


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## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

Ditto on the RIB, unless you need to be able to break it down to store on the boat, an RIB is the only way to go, and at least a 310, anything smaller is a toy. An 11' RIB is expensive, but trust me, even after ten years, it'll still put a big smile on your face.

Get at lease an 8HP, don't worry about the weight as you should be using a lifting strap and a halyard for lifting anything out of the dink, anyway. Goes right up and on the stern rail.

A 11' RIB with some HP makes coming and going from the boat, even with six people, a pleasure.


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## RSMacG (Sep 3, 2009)

Thanks all! The RIB was my first choice as well, but with my club foot boom and deck configuration, it was going to be simply impossible to store on deck, and even though I expect to tow much of the time, being FORCED to tow was a deal breaker (another thread, perhaps, but if my dinghy is "plan B", isn't having it inflated and towed better anyway...?).

Most of my cruising will be off the shores of British Columbia, so shells and rock are a bigger concern than coral (sniff), but it'll still just require me to be willing to get wet going ashore, be extra-cautious, and bring plenty of patch kits. It's not perfect, but limitations are limitations...

I'm in Canada, so I can still get the 2 stroke. Based on the recommendations above, I'm leaning towards the 6hp Yamaha 2-stroke (YAMAHA MOTOR CANADA | 6 HP. It's heavier than I'd like at 60 lb, but if someone can point me to a thread as to how to lift it on to the stern pulpit using a halyard (I warned you I was new...) I'd be grateful (pics anywhere)?

And now I'm thinking more seriously about the 310 - only slightly larger when deflated and stowed... should I be concerned about drag when towing a dinghy this size?

I knew I came to the right place...


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## remetau (Jan 27, 2009)

I have a 310 with a folding transom that I store on the foredeck below our staysail boom. Once deflated and the transom folded down, it fits quite snug, and then I have space to even stow stuff underneath it.

As for the other question, I don't know about using a halyard to get it on to a stern rail. I have a solar stik that we modified to have a dinghy engine lift. I then use a 2:1 block to reduce the weight of hauling my 9.9 long shaft up (don't be jealous of my long shaft, just admire it - ;-))


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## Gene T (May 23, 2006)

You could get a motor lift from Garhauer.

Towing doesn't really create much drag if you have enough speed to get it plane. Less than 1/2 knot.

Gene


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## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

For lifting the OB, something like this works. You can leave it permanently on the engine. 
DAVIS INSTRUMENTS | MOTOR CADDY Outboard HOIST HARNESS | 430 from the ShipStore.com &#153; on-line catalog.

Tie the inflatable to the aft quarter of your boat, attach the main halyard to the strap, then guide the engine on a stern rail mount as one of the kids hauls on the halyard.


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## CaptKermie (Nov 24, 2006)

RSMacG said:


> Thanks all! The RIB was my first choice as well, but with my club foot boom and deck configuration, it was going to be simply impossible to store on deck, and even though I expect to tow much of the time, being FORCED to tow was a deal breaker (another thread, perhaps, but if my dinghy is "plan B", isn't having it inflated and towed better anyway...?).
> 
> Most of my cruising will be off the shores of British Columbia, so shells and rock are a bigger concern than coral (sniff), but it'll still just require me to be willing to get wet going ashore, be extra-cautious, and bring plenty of patch kits. It's not perfect, but limitations are limitations...
> 
> ...


Being FORCED to tow is a deal breaker is it? Well it is you who will point a gun to your own head and FORCE yourself to tow. Deflating and inflating and hoisting a 60 lbls engine up & down is going to get old really fast. You will give up on that idea after the first few times.
Stay away from PVC inflatables I have one and it is already starting to deteriorate, get hypalon. If you don't want a rib and decide on a soft bottom, get one with a high pressure air floor and inflatable keel. The inflatable keel helps the dinghy track better under tow and more easily too.
I sail BC waters too, out of Point Roberts with the rest of the Canadians there. It can and does get rough out there and rip tides are a regular occurance so 6 hp is your minimum, I wish I had 9.9 hp instead of 5 hp but it was a deal I could not refuse.
If you are hell bent on carrying the dink and engine on board then stay away from big dinks and heavy engines and settle for a small inflatable and a light 2 hp engine that you can lift with one arm and use it only for dinghy dock service.
If you like the idea of a dinghy for double service as another play boat with a stronger engine then suck it up and get used to FORCED towing or have one heck of a good set of dinghy davits and hoist. Your most economical bet is to accept the idea of forced towing and then get out there and enjoy yourself. Above all else, don't be getting any stupid ideas that you will be swinging a 60 lbs engine over your shoulders, it isn't going to happen, those suckers are heavy and unweildy, you'll see. Oh, and one more thing, those infaltables are not feather weights either, wait untill you try to manuever one those things around, even deflated it will be like lifting the heaviest hockey bag you ever got your hands on.
The best part is your sailing venue, we have one of the worlds premiere sailing destinations, you're going to love what we have in our back yard.Too bad about the weather conditions though. happy sailing!


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## RSMacG (Sep 3, 2009)

Thanks ... by "forced" I mean not that towing will be my usual MO, but simply that I won't ever have another choice. I fully expect to tow as a rule, but not even having an _option_ to bring the tender on deck or stow wasn't attractive. Unfortunately, davits aren't in the cards - my boat has a canoe stern and the yard said, while it's possible, it would be a bigger project that I'm willing to take on (or afford).

I'll re-measure the deck this weekend and see if I can't shoehorn a RIB under the boom, though.

Appreciate all the responses. Cheers.


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## remetau (Jan 27, 2009)

RSMacG said:


> Thanks ... by "forced" I mean not that towing will be my usual MO, but simply that I won't ever have another choice. I fully expect to tow as a rule, but not even having an _option_ to bring the tender on deck or stow wasn't attractive. Unfortunately, davits aren't in the cards - my boat has a canoe stern and the yard said, while it's possible, it would be a bigger project that I'm willing to take on (or afford).
> 
> I'll re-measure the deck this weekend and see if I can't shoehorn a RIB under the boom, though.
> 
> Appreciate all the responses. Cheers.


We have a canoe stern and moutned davits on our boat quite simply.

Dinky Duck

We do have a push-pit and stern rail though. I would not do a crossing with the dinghy on the davits, but I wouldn't do one towing it either unless it was decent weather and a short run.


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## RSMacG (Sep 3, 2009)

Thanks, remetau. Your boat is fantastic... actually a pretty similar design to ours, it appears. Back to the yard... hi ho, hi ho...


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## KindOfBlue (Nov 22, 2005)

RSMacG said:


> Thanks ... by "forced" I mean not that towing will be my usual MO, but simply that I won't ever have another choice. I fully expect to tow as a rule, but not even having an _option_ to bring the tender on deck or stow wasn't attractive. Unfortunately, davits aren't in the cards - my boat has a canoe stern and the yard said, while it's possible, it would be a bigger project that I'm willing to take on (or afford).
> 
> I'll re-measure the deck this weekend and see if I can't shoehorn a RIB under the boom, though.
> 
> Appreciate all the responses. Cheers.


If you fully expect to tow as a rule, then buy a rib. When you need to haul on deck, buy or borrow a different dinghy for that trip. First check the ribs with the folding transom. If that fits on your deck then you found your dinghy.


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

An 8 hp is the minimum that will plane two people. Get the Tohatsu 2st or the Yam. Both are bulletproof.

A RIB is the way to go IMHO. See is you can get the baby Caribe on your foredeck but remember that the big tube dinks are MUCH dryer.

I used to have a soft bottom dink with an inflateable central spine/keel and a 8 hp Yam it did the job. I now have a C9 Caribe and a 15 hp and it is much better all round.


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## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

We explored Martha's Vinyard last summer - 2 adults + more than 3 kids + cooler + 2 beach chairs. As a family, we all piled forward to help get the dinghy up on plane. Then we went to a beach 3 miles from our mooring. It was a blast. 11.5' Achilles with a 20 hp Tohatsu. $5,500 from defender last year.

On the return trip, I put the engine up on the push pit outboard-holder. At 117 lbs, it was tough, but I used one of our davits to get the outboard onto the sugar scoop step of our Beneteau. From there it was a lift of a few inches. It was heavy but possible. How many long trips do you really take? Also we tow the kids behind it on various things like surfboards. That is a blast. We've gotten a lot of enjoyment out of those 20 horses. By the way, the Tohatsu 15 weighs the same as the Tohatsu 20. It's just a different carburator (and $300 more).

One factor I considered in getting a RIB was that a leaky tube would not mean the dink bending in half. This I learned after borrowing a friends leaky RIB - it worked fine.

If getting a RIB, get a single floor model. The level floor that you get with a dual floor isn't worth the extra weight, IMHO. I plan on adding traction stickers (or paint if stickers won't work) to areas near the back where I'm frequently stepping in after pushing off from the shore.

In NY, if you buy the dinghy and the motor together on the same receipt, you don't have to pay sales tax on the dinghy, just the motor. (I may have that backwards.) Defender will refund you the tax that you paid after you register in NY.

Not sure there's a good place for our dink on deck. I'm thinking about strapping it to one side for any long trip in the ocean. Not sure how well that will work yet.

What ever you choose, good luck.

Regards,
Brad


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## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

Someone posted this link in another thread...

A trip to Mexico maybe  IMEMSA-YAMAHA, La mejor experiencia de navegar la Aventura


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## kwaltersmi (Aug 14, 2006)

sailingdog said:


> The 2 HP honda doesn't have a clutch and is really noisy, being air cooled.


I own a Honda 2hp and noise is not an issue. If you didn't know it was air cooled, you wouldn't know it was air cooled!  It sounds nothing like the Gamefisher/Briggs & Stratton weed eater-type air cooled outboards. The current model does indeed come with a centrifugal clutch. Older models were offered with the centrifugal clutch as an option.


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## dabnis (Jul 29, 2007)

Kwalters,

Sometime back you posted about having to use the choke to keep it running. It would be interesting to learn what you found the problem to be?

Thanks, Dabnis


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## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

kwaltersmi said:


> I own a Honda 2hp and noise is not an issue. If you didn't know it was air cooled, you wouldn't know it was air cooled!  It sounds nothing like the Gamefisher/Briggs & Stratton weed eater-type air cooled outboards. The current model does indeed come with a centrifugal clutch. Older models were offered with the centrifugal clutch as an option.


I have a Honda 2 hp...at idle its acceptable, but at WOT it could wake the dead...IMO...and I've been to two Metallica concerts!? 

I will never purchase another Honda motor...this 2 hp is so sensitive to fuel its ridiculous! I have a Honda motor on my pressure washer, POS too...and the Honda mower...another POS.


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## dabnis (Jul 29, 2007)

T37 Chef,

Tell us what you really think about Honda motors, don't hold back  

Dabnis


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## lancelot9898 (Dec 30, 2008)

TQA said:


> An 8 hp is the minimum that will plane two people. Get the Tohatsu 2st or the Yam. Both are bulletproof.
> .


I have a 10 year old 5 hp Nissan that will plane the 20 plus year old ten foot Archilles wood floor with two people. (130 lbs plus me at 200)

That wood floor is almost imposible to assemble on deck so I'm looking at the porta bote, but still like inflatables. The AL roll up floor by Archilles is a consideration and the Walker Bay's inflatable floors might also be a consideration, but they have not been responsive to email even though they do offer a ten year warrenty while Archilles has reduced theirs to 5.


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