What size outboard on your inflatable dinghy ?

[Mark.Wilme]

I think my Suzuki DT4 and my Evinrude 4.5 are really both too big (definitely heavy-ish and may be too much power) for our OMC Express inflatable dinghy (roll up slatted floor) - rated max 4 hp. So I was thinking of selling both and buying a smaller motor.

My question is (for those of you with inflatables), what are you running in terms of motor and do you like / recommend it ?

I am tempted by the 2 horse Nissan although I think their 3.5 is the same block and the same weight. Though I don't do a lot of people schlepping or grocery carrying etc so I don't think I need the power ...

Mark

[CharlieJ]

I have an Achilles 12 foot sport boat, rated for 15 HP. I used to run it nicely with a 6hp. It would plane two people with that motor, but NOT two people and a load of groceries, or three adults.

Tried it once with a 15 and it scared the SH** out of us with two aboard.- Was running on the ends of the stern tubes and the anti ventilation plate of the motor. :)

I think an 8 HP would be prefect.

[Case]

I have an old, decreipt 9 foot long Avon inflatable. Its a 1989. Its on its last legs, only a few years left in it. Its been used pretty hard so I am kinda amazed it lasted this long. I sort of expect it to blow up anytime, really.

It is powered by a 1995 3 hp Evinrude, the last 2 banger little outboard made before OMC went belly up. I can hit 11 mph with this motor, ONLY if I sit on the seat up forward. That's on a nice smooth surface and absolutely maximum full throttle. I normally do 9 - 10 mph most times. I do not have a throttle extension - I should get one but... Haven't gotten around to it. I steer by shifting my weight without any hands on the outboard most times, not terribly safe but the outboard does not swivel around easily so...

If I can hit 10 mph on my Avon, then I really suggest you buy the 3.5. It should be able to push you to at least 8 mph or so. Its fun to skim across the surface. Defintely worth the extra $$ over the 2 hp I think.

Its my personal opinion that if you have an inflatable, you should be at least be able to plane on it when you're alone. Otherwise, get a REAL rowboat and use a 2 hp on it when circumstances dicate its useage.

For a 2 hp, I suggest the Suzuki. They have a new 4 stroke outboard out. Has neutral and forward, water cooled. Only 30 lbs or so, marginally more than the Honda 2 hp outboard.

EDITED: I just reread the first post... slatted floor... I would suggest you buy the smallest outboard then. Inflatables with slatted floors usually don't plane very well at all.

- Case

[Tim]

Mark,

If you're considering the 2, I would recommend you go for the 3.5 instead, and get the version with the neutral/forward lever. It's the same basic engine as the 2, but it can be nice to have the ability to shift into neutral. These engines are nice and lightweight, much better than that old 4.5 you have.

Shop around between Nissan, Tohatsu, and Mercury; these three small engines are all identical. I found the best price to be on a Tohatsu a few years ago at www.onlineoutboards.com, but this may not be true today.

I think any dinghy capable of handling the 2 will do just fine with the 3.5, regardless of the supposed "rating". I found that the price premium of the 3.5 with the shift lever is minimal, but well worth it in any event.

[Al]

As always, Tim gives sound advice. But the 2 strokes he's talking about have been illegal to manufacture or import into the US since 12/31/2005. There are still some new ones around, but savvy sellers are raising their prices as the small 4 strokes are a lot heavier (and, according to a review in a British sailing magazine, noisier and less powerful). I bought a Tohatsu 3.5 in April from the The Sailboat Shop in NJ ([email protected]) at a fair price and at that time they still had a few in stock.

[Allen]

The most powerful one I can easily carry... :)

[Summersdawn]

If your inflatable is rated for a 4 HP, try one of your existing outboards first. It may be too heavy/awkward to pack around all the time, and I can see the reasoning behind bying a new outboard. But by testing your old outboard first, you should get a good indication of whether you want/need that kind of power, or how much smaller you should go. I believe you said your outboards worked, so it won't cost you anything, and as they are at (or close enough to) the max. rated horspower, shouldn't be too powerful or heavy for you boat.

[westsail42]

We are running a Honda BF20 (4-stroke 2 HP) behind a 9 foot Walker Bay RID. We used to run it behind a heavier custom fiberglass dinghy.

It does not plane anything of course, but we are usually not in that much of a hurry.

The engine is 20 years old. It looks beat up, but it always starts on the first pull of the cord.

I ran it for one season with almost no oil in it (very little at least, inadvertent on my part). Still ran/runs great.

I clogged up the water intakes one season and overheated it numerous times before I found out the problem (the motor shuts itself off when it overheats). Removed the lower end, cleaned out the dirt. Runs great.

Can't beat Hondas.

[Robert The Gray]

I have no tender and feel like a kid without skates.
boo hoo.

I have been thinking about two person inflatable kayaks, with a twelve volt air pump on board.

What do you guys do with these inflatables and outboards when beating to windward in 25 knots? I have a Triton and have no idea of where to stow the tender.

R

[dasein668]

Engine goes on the stern rail. I tow the dinghy in all conditions, because I don't really choose to go out in conditions much above what you describe, and that doesn't usually create a particularly dangerous sea state unless it's been blowing across substantial fetch for a good long time.

If I was going to cross oceans I would find a way to get the thing on deck, but for coastal cruising, as long as the engine isn't being towed...

[Figment]

I'm really not a fan of inflatables, but if you must have one I highly reccomend the type with the inflatable floor panel. The price jumps, but you're paid back with much easier stow-ability.

For a rough passage, a deflated and decently rolled 10' inflatable nestles quite nicely into the forward end of the companionway. Drape a towel over it, and lay the outboard on top. That'll ride quite happily through anything short of a knockdown, and the weight is where the boat wants it.
Of course the rolled and bundled dinghy can be lashed on deck quite easily, but that doesn't solve the issue of what to do with the motor. I know the bracket on the stern rail is a totally standard thing, but they just seem to find their way to the bottom too frequently for my taste.

The kayaks are cool, but I have enough trouble boarding one from a beach with any kind of grace. I can't imagine how I would manage to get in and out of one from alongside the boat.

yeah, I'm just babbling in my usual scatterbrained way. disregard 80% of me. :)