Is a 25 inch shaft on outboard too much for Sun Cat?

[gato chateau]

I'm planning on picking up the Tohatsu 6 HP Sailpro with alternator with the 25 inch long shaft for sailboats.  I called Com Pac to see if that length shaft would be too much and drag on a port tack.  They weren't sure if 25 would drag in water in the up position on the port tack. 

Are there any Sun Cat owners out there with this set-up and if so can you advise on whether I'd be better going shorter (20 inch--not 15 inch) and paying extra for the alternator which isn't included on this model?  As there are 3 length shafts (15/20/25) for this engine I want to get the right one. 

Thanks!

[Billy]

can't really help you w/ a suncat but I do have a 19 and it clears the water easily. also most of the time (unless I'm really trying to move) I don't even need to lower the mount, just tilt the motor. Not sure where you are located but this guy has these motors cheaper than anybody. He is in St. Petersburg, FL

http://starmarineinc.com/Home_Page.html

I think I paid $1,300 for mine.



I took this picture while a buddy and I were hanging on doing what I like to call "shark attack". As you can see the motor is at least 12" above the water.

[Stray Cat]

I started off with the 20" leg on my Suncat last year and found reaching the controls awkward so I had my Tohatsu dealer install the 25" leg. It's a lot more user friendly now. My motor also cost around $1300, bought it new last year at Tides End Marina in Forked River, NJ.
I did not worry about an alternator since my battery is only used for the nav. lights.
Tim

[cavie]

20" 4 hp is all the motor you need. Skip the alternator. I dout you will ever motor far enough to replace any juice in the battery. If you need more buy a jump start battery. Makes more sense.

[CaptRon28]

Measure the transom and bracket first. You can find detailed instructions how to do it at -

http://www.onlineoutboards.com/    They're just about the cheapest dealer in the country as well.

If the measurements are between a 20 and 25 inch shaft, order the XL if you sail in areas with chop or swell. The prop could easily be spinning in the air when the transom goes up. Also - make sure it will clear the water when lifted and tilted. The 25 inch XL Tohatsu is called a "Sail Pro" and has an alternator and a standard prop more suitable for a sailboat.

[Tom Ray]

A 25" shaft engine tilts well clear of the water, and if your Sun Cat is heeling anywhere near enough to drag it, you're sailing it wrong!

I agree with Butch that the charger will not do much in the real world, especially with the battery located all the way at the far end of the boat. However, as noted, you can run a 25" motor with the bracket halfway down or so, making the engine easier to reach.

Our boat has a 20" shaft, and I put the bracket on the second-lowest setting in calm conditions, all the way down in chop. A 25" shaft engine would very seldom actually need that lowest position.

[gato chateau]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback and post of the inspirational photo.  Based on what was shared here, and on several other boards, it appears many appreciate the reach and flexibility of the 25 inch shaft.  Regarding charging the battery, elsewhere I read that tests of the engine and alternator showed that you could get an output of 5-10 AMPs to battery once you opened the throttle to 1/2 open or more.  Rep at OnlineOutboards.com acknowledged that owners who thought they'd get a charge at idle or low throttle had unrealistic expectations.  You have to get your RPM up.  This doesn't worry me too much as you really should burn fuel regularly so the engine doesn't gunk up (stabilizers in fuel or not).

Hopefully some of you may be on the water today.  No chance here as it's 26 degrees in the Philly burbs this morning and low teens in Ithaca where I'm headed in an hour or so.

[Tom Ray]

This is what Tohatsu's website says about the 25" 6hp engine:

This powerful engine offers a 25" shaft and a high thrust sail drive propeller to give you the power you need. It also includes a 12V, 60W, 5A charging system for charging your battery or powering external electrical devices and its own charging cable.

The low pitch, high thrust prop has not been mentioned, but is a great addition to any of these engines. That and the long shaft are the best reasons to buy this engine, in my opinion.

The charger only puts out 5 amps, and as you say, that's only at high throttle settings. It has to go a fair distance on a Sun Cat to get to the battery up front, and DC power drops off over distance, depending on how fat a wire you run. Basically, it's a trickle charger. That's better than no charger, but don't expect it to run your batteries up much in an hour of run time.

The solution for keeping batteries up that seems to work best for many people is one of those little flexible solar panels that you can set on deck, then put away when not in use.

[CaptRon28]

Tom -

I did mention the Sail Pro's higher thrust prop above, but you can always install one afterwards on most small motors. Most of these props are made by Solas and can be found for a reasonable price on the internet. Higher thrust normnally means larger blades with less pitch, say 6 to1 vs 10 to 1. They sometimes have an extra blade as well - 4 vs 3.

A 10 to 1 pitch prop is more suited for a lighter powerboat with higher speed potential. Using it on a 5 or 6 knot sailboat will just cause cavitation (slippage). It's "screwing" itself into the water faster than it should. In the above example, it's 10 inches into the water for each turn vs 6.

[Shawn]

The high thrust prop is important on a heavier hull. There are a few threads online where owners of the non-Sailpro Tohatsu 6hp (without that prop) have been pretty unhappy with its performance on 20-24' sailboats. The lower pitch prop keeps the engine from being able to get up to max RPM which also means it isn't putting out its full HP. Changing to the prop that comes with the Sailpro version changed those opinions.

Tohatsu has two different versions of the 6:1 prop and one thread I read the owner tested both. The version that is on the Sailpro some call the elephant ears version and it works better for a displacement hull then the other version. That prop is around $110ish so keep that in mind if you are thinking about going with a non-sailpro version and adding the prop.

I have the Sailpro on my 23, it is a nice engine.

Shawn

[Billy]

I love mine, pushes my 19 great, as far as charging the battery, I haven't used the alt but I do have a small solar panel I got from west marine, it's not flexable and I don't think it's a charger but more of a maintainer. My battery is a deep cell I got from walmart about 16 months ago and I have done several overnighters w/ the anchor light on all night. I've never charged my batt but I keep the solar panel connected all the time. I leave it on top in the starboard lazzerette. My battery is still going strong.

[NSDave]

Hi I have a suncat and put the sailpro 6 HP 25" inch shaft on it. If it worked any better I wouldn't be able to stand it. When I store the engine in the up position it clears the water on all points of sail.

[mrb]

I would think that 5 amps charging would be welcome on any small boat even if you ran for only motor for short periods of time.  Consider a 5 watt solar cell puts out millie amps, say over 8 hours the best you could hope for would be 2 amps or so. 
I wouldnot go out and spend extra money for the the charging system but if it comes on something your going to buy anyway, go for it I say.
keep us updated on unit if that is what you finale opt for.

[rdcvsmith]

FYI: I was at the Defender warehouse sale today and spoke with the Tohatsu Rep that was there..  New redesigned 6hp Sailpro coming out at end of this month , a few cosmetic changes but I was really interested that the new ones have extended tiller handle by 4 inches and they will have FRONT MOUNTED SHIFTING LEVERS. I pulled the trigger and bought one - got to wait a few weeks now for it to come in - there is nothing on Tohatsu website about new ones but thought you should know. - ray

[Shawn]

"but I was really interested that the new ones have extended tiller handle by 4 inches and they will have FRONT MOUNTED SHIFTING LEVERS."

That is good and bad IME. The front mounted shift lever is great, that is what I miss about my old Johnson 8hp. Much much easier to reach it then.

The longer tiller would be a problem though. The current tiller is short enough to have it straight and it doesn't hit the stanchions. The Johnson's tiller was longer and it interfered with the stanchions. I had to have it angled up to be able to steer with the engine and that makes it harder.

Shawn