New outboard motor recommendations please

[captronr]

Forgive my ignorance please, as just having purchased this boat two months ago, never having seen or been on an Eclipse before and the motor was not installed on the boat.  And since I broke my kneecap slipping off a frost covered boarding ladder, I'm just now healing enough to start working on the boat............

Current motor is a  3 yr old Tohatsu 3.5HP.   Motor sat unused over a year with fuel in it.   Dealer claims to have installed a carb kit and it was running fine in a tank at Dealer's place.   Motor sat unused for two months once I got it.  Started it yesterday and it ran pretty rough, but should smooth out with use.  Since this doesn't have a reverse, thinking of buying a F/N/R motor.

I'm guessing a 20" shaft would be long enough, but will check it on the boat soon.  My guess is a  4-6 HP would be plenty of power.  Charging won't be an issue as I won't have need for much electronics. 

Hoping that someone makes a small outboard with the shift level on the tiller handle as that seems to be the most practical place based on our motor locations.

Any recommendations please?

Thanks
Ron

[captronr]

Sorry, forgot:  I'd like one with an external tank also.

Thks.
Ron

[alsantini]

I can only tell you that my Nissan (Tahutsu) 4 hp 4 stroke is plenty of power.  Even out in the Gulf with heavy rollers and 15 mph on the nose we moved through the surf and current of the intercostal with ease.  Has F/N/R an external tank connection and the ability to use the 1 qt or so internal tank.  It is a long shaft and I think you do not want a short shaft.  The motor stays prop in water but without the ability to move the motor up and down I think a short shaft might spend time with the prop out spinning in air.  My boat came with a 9.9 hp 4 stroke.  The gorilla that I bought the boat from took it off and carried it to my vehicle.  Once home it too 3 old men to get it out of the SUV.  At that moment I decided to sell the 9.9 with my Precision 21 and keep my old 4 hp for the Eclipse.  It has proven to be a good decision.

[captronr]

Thanks Al. 

I knew it would be a long shaft, but unsure if 20 or 25 in.  Can tell when I put the motor on our boat.

Now get out there and have some fun sailing!

Ron

[Tom L.]

A four or 5 hp 4 stroke motor would be great for your boat. Tohatsu makes nearly all the small motors under various names so they are more or less the same.

One very important practice is to use non ethanol gas. It makes all the difference in the world. and change it every 6 months by dumping it in your car and refill with fresh.  These small 4 stroke motors sip fuel and the orifice on the carb. is really small. Non ethanol gas eliminates the plugging problem. It's available a lot more places than most people realize. Check out this web site for a station near you  pure-gas.org/

I have a Nissan 5 hp on a Sun Cat and it cruises at about 1/3 throttle.

Tom L.

[Craig]

+1 on Tohatsu. The longer shaft option will let you set the motor mount higher and allow easier access to the controls. I went with the 6hp on the Suncat because the external tank was standard not because I needed more power.

[Napier6]

I have a Tohatsu 9.8 on my Eclipse.  I got it for the auto-start button for the wife...who hasn't used it in 11 years! So I would go with a 6 hp next time.  I was in SC motoring back to the slip against a  4 knot current last summer and the 9.8 worked well against the current.  Also, 11 years of mostly trouble free service from Tohatsu.  Disconnect the fuel hose to prevent varnish buildup (guess how I know that!).  Also, lugging the 4 or 6 hp (55lbs) is easier as they are lighter than the 9.8hp's 81.5 lbs.

[Potcake boy]

Ron,

Tohatsu builds a 6hp with all your requirements called a Sailpro model. It also has a 5amp output which is usually enough to keep your battery up for basic electronics that you'd expect to find on an Eclipse. What I didn't like was the level of noise and vibration from the motor. I have an old Yamaha 4 hp on a Suncat which is more than enough power and is so much smoother and quieter than the Tohatsu that I would recommend giving it a look.

Another Ron

[captronr]

Thanks for the inputs guys.   I don't want a heavier motor to cart around.  Will look strongly at the sailpro. 

We're in the process of buying a house now, so available funds for a different motor are in the distant future I'm guessing.

Thanks.
Ron

[Potcake boy]

Well Ron, we are in the process of selling a house with a place in the back yard to tie up that Eclipse, and best of all it's right here in Florida where there is no boating season.   ;-)

Another Ron

GladRags
23 pilot house

[Craig Weis]

The CP-18 is the replacement for the CP-19 and I'm thinking a 5hp two cycle or 6hp four cycle is the max hp needed.

I base this on the fact that 5.5 to 6.0 knots is all that I have ever seen while under sail or when motoring ...

I'm saying the max force delivered by the sails or by the engine are the same ... and that is close enough to the calculated hull speed.
Now adjust the ciphering to the more pointy bow and where the width of the hull is located to create the quarter wave on the CP-18.

skip.