# Outboards for catalina 22



## rcoll14450 (Sep 18, 2009)

I'm looking to replace my 6hp Suzuki outboard engine 88 model. It is not very reliable and I don't want to sink anymore money in it. 

I just bought the boat last year and had it out a couple of time with motor problems both times, so I don't have a lot of experience with performance with it.

I'm looking at a 6hp Yamaha four stroke to replace it with. Does anyone have any experience with these engines and is a 6hp four stroke enough for this size boat? I thought about something larger but concerned about the weight both from trailering and mount weight.


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## Capnblu (Mar 17, 2006)

I was happy with a 7.5 merc.


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## PaulinVictoria (Aug 23, 2009)

Would think that would be plenty big enough. Once you go above 6hp then you're looking at quite a jump in weight as they are all twins I think.


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## curtcee (Jul 10, 2011)

The sailing club I belong to uses 4hp Mercury outboards on their Catalina 22's. They're plenty powerful enough.

Curtis


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## djodenda (Mar 4, 2006)

I had 4hp on mine... Plenty of power


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## tommays (Sep 9, 2008)

4Hp with high thrust prop as the standard prop is for a planing hull


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## danr620 (Jul 11, 2007)

*outboard*

rcoll,

I have the mariner 4 hp on my 21' and have plenty of power. That was as small as you could go and get reverse.

good luck

Dan


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## alanr77 (Jul 24, 2009)

I sailed a C-22 on the Tybee Island Georgia coast for a few years. The tides there are fierce. We are talking sweep you away kind of fierce. The boat started out with a Chrysler 4 HP. This motor came with the boat so I rebuilt it and used it for the first year. 4 HP had no problem pushing the boat regardless of the tide and wind. The second year I bought a rebuilt Johnson Seahorse 6 HP. This motor had no issues either though hull speed was reached at just over 1/4 throttle in calm conditions. The 4 HP required 1/2 throttle to do the same. The 6 HP really shined when there was more than two people on board and the tides/wind were against me. With the 4 HP, 5 people and against the tide/wind, I had to go to 3/4 throttle + to maintain hull speed where as with the 6 HP she would do it at 1/2 throttle all day long. Fuel consumption was about the same for both because of the throttle difference. So, if you are on a lake or somewhere calm, save some money and weight and look at 4's. Coastal sailing- go with a 6. 

Also, If I am not mistaken, Yamaha and Mercury outboards under 8HP are rebranded Tohatsu outboards. The price difference is amazing. And to answer your original question, I know of three Tohatsu/Mercury/Yamaha outboards that have been on the back of sailboats under ocean conditions for years with nothing more than normal maitenance. I prefer pre 1980's Johnson/Evinrude motors because I can fix them....

FWIW- I know of a few people who swear by putting 9.9's and above on the back of a C-22. I will keep my heated comments to myself but trust that a C-22 does NOT need anything bigger than a 6 unless you are using it as a tugboat.....


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## emoney (Jun 2, 2010)

That 4stroke is going to be a LOT heavier than a 2stroke of the same hp.

Are you dead-set against a 2 stroker? I had a Yamaha 8-2stroke and it was probably the
absolute best motor I've owned in my 30 years of boat ownership. Somebody stole it, or
I'd still have it.


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## my900ss (Sep 25, 2010)

Not knowing where you sail, I would only add the comment that if you are in a bay or ocean the long shaft outboard is what you want. 2hp or 40hp makes no difference if the shaft is not in the water.


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

I had a 5 hp aircooled 4 stroke. That was at about the limit of my strength lifting onto the mount. In a chop, 4 hp might not be enough, but, you won't be able to keep the prop in the water anyway. BTW, don't trailer the thing with the motor on the mount. Take it off and lay the motor in the cockpit. I couldn't find a high thrust prop for the motor I had. It just about got hull speed at idle.


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## rcoll14450 (Sep 18, 2009)

emoney said:


> That 4stroke is going to be a LOT heavier than a 2stroke of the same hp.
> 
> Are you dead-set against a 2 stroker? I had a Yamaha 8-2stroke and it was probably the
> absolute best motor I've owned in my 30 years of boat ownership. Somebody stole it, or
> I'd still have it.


No not dead set against a two stroke but I need something my wife can trust so she will go with me. :laugher

I was thinking of a four stroke for fuel economy and quiet. The new ones I'm looking at are all four stroke.


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## CarbonSink62 (Sep 29, 2011)

I am also looking for a new engine this year. I've done some research.

Tohatsu, Mercury and Nissan are all the same engine if they are below 40hp. Why pay more for the name? (3 yr warantee either way)

the 4hp & 6hp 4stroke engines are made on the same chassis (if that is the term) so they weigh the same. No reason not to go for the 6hp. (only $200 more)

The 8 & 9.9 are the same chassis as well; so going from a 6hp (59lbs) to an 8hp (86lbs) is a big deal (27lbs + more money).

I've read posts from skippers on a Catalina 22 and a Catalina 25 that said the 6hp 4str moves their boat at hull speed (5-6kts) so it should easily move my C-18 (1500lbs disp).

The 'Belle of the Ball' to date is the Tohatsu "Sail Pro" 6hp 4stroke:

25" (not 20") long shaft

12VDC power out

High thrust (low speed) prop

3.1gal tank & gas line included

$1,549!!

Nissan makes the exact same package for $1,595;

Mercury has a 20" shaft, no 12VDC, standard prop, & no tank included (has 'integrated' 0.3gal tank onboard) $1,750

I've had good luck with my Merc engines before, but the Tohatsu will be my next unless I find a better deal.

I'm still researching Yamaha & Suzuki; do Johnson and Evinrude still make small outboards?

Four months until my bottom gets wet! (I might launch my boat too!)

Ken

Update Jan 10: The Merc engine _does_ come with a fuel tank and gasline; still shorter, needs a better prop, no 12VDC output and more expensive.


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## mstern (May 26, 2002)

No one makes small two strokes anymore; if you want a new engine, you will be buying a four stroke. Unless you run into a dealer like the one I met at a boat show a couple of years ago who bought all of his distributor's stock of two strokes. He was betting that people would want to stick with two strokes. Turns out he was right. As of last year, he was selling them for over sticker price.

IMHO, a 6 hp four stroke on a C-22 is plenty of juice. I second (or third or fourth, whatever) the idea that you should buy the longest shaft engine you can. It is so worth the extra money. And make sure your outboard mount is rated to handle a four stroke. The four stroke mounting brackets are built to take more than just the extra weight of a four stroke; they are also designed to handle the extra torque generated by the fours. I know what you are thinking: can't a two stroke bracket that is rated to handle a 90 lb two stroke engine safely handle a four stroke engine that weighs only 60 lbs? Hell if I know.


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## rcoll14450 (Sep 18, 2009)

Thanks all for all the great advice. It looks like I'm going to see what I can do with my old Suzuki 2 stroke. My motor fund was depleted when a deal on a truck came around. I checked out the old motor over the weekend and it is seized now or at least I couldn't turn the flywheel at all. Next step is to find a service manual and start tearing it down.


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## TohatsuGuru (Oct 3, 2007)

CarbonSink62 said:


> I am also looking for a new engine this year. I've done some research.
> 
> Tohatsu, Mercury and Nissan are all the same engine if they are below 40hp. Why pay more for the name? (3 yr warantee either way)
> 
> ...


The Johnson label is dead. New Evinrudes 15 hp and below are now designed and built Tohatsu engines.


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## LakeSuperiorGeezer (Oct 8, 2010)

*Major $ on the Suzuki*



rcoll14450 said:


> Thanks all for all the great advice. It looks like I'm going to see what I can do with my old Suzuki 2 stroke. My motor fund was depleted when a deal on a truck came around. I checked out the old motor over the weekend and it is seized now or at least I couldn't turn the flywheel at all. Next step is to find a service manual and start tearing it down.


If you want to go with a 2 stroke, I would buy a used outboard from Craigslist or local newspaper trader free advertiser. Three hundred dollars should get you another. If outboard will not turn over, you are looking at new piston, maybe lower end work. If this was a salt water engine I would not even bother to disassemble. Another consideration is the 4 stroke uses 2 gallons while the 2 cycle uses 3 gallons for the same amount of energy.


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