20 hp outboard too big ?

[pritch]

Does anyone else feel that their 15/20hp outboards are too big and not really needed?
With my 20 hp , I get on plane on 1/3 throttle and very rare do I go past half throttle so do I really need this size?
I'm sure the engine will last longer with good fuel economy but carrying around 52 kg is starting to grind on me.
Anyone else dropped down to 10 hp and do you feel it's adequate?
Cheers

[Cliff]

You may need the extra horses some day to get you out of trouble, that being said my 20hp weighs 43kg, I'd struggle with 52kg, so I appreciate the problem. I'm sure somebody else will give you a more experienced answer

[chris moody]

I like my 27kg 10hp. It pushed my 3.2m sib along at a respectable 16 kts. Might struggle a bit with the larger sibs though. It would be interesting to try it on a 3.8m sib sometime to see how it performs.

[ChrisParish]

If you fancy swapping for a 38kg 9.9 mariner I could well be interested! I need more power (or to eat fewer pies)

Seriously tho, if you do decide to downsize I would be interested in a swap / part-ex

[pritch]

Thanks for that over offer.
I think the option is going to be a trailer or maybe a 2nd smaller setup.

[Martin]

I think many of the guys with 9 - 10hp outboards on their upto 3.8m sibs probably wish they'd bought a bigger outboard, unless of course they specifically bought their set ups with weight and size in mind.

I can only really comment on my own findings, I started with a 3.8m honwave and a 9hp suzuki smoker. I did ok, i was happy for a start. Within a few outings, i'm wanting more speed and power, so i bought a 15hp 4 stroke suzuki. Again, i found i wanted more speed as i got more confident.
I'm a suzuki fan, but i did look at the weights etc of other outboards - only to find the suzuki weighed in substantially less than the others for a 20hp.
My 20hp weighs 44kg, i can work with that just fine. I did previously lift Pauls old tohatsu 20hp, i think that was 54kg, It was bloody heavy to work with.

Many of the 10-20hp outboards are now the same weight, so in my head i wanted max power for the weight. Hence the 20hp efi suzuki which weighs the same as the 9.9hp suzuki manufactured to date.

Martin

[pritch]

Thanks Martin.
Interesting post

[Phil]

When I was doing a lot of beach launches, I considered dropping down from my 15hp 37kg Johnson 2-stroke to a 27kg 10hp Tohatsu 2-stroke. 37kg was tiring to carry up and down a steep shingle beach and long stretch of sand and I was only getting to WOT (20 knots 2-up in my F-RIB 360) about 20% of the time due to choppy seas.

Now that I'm mostly doing slip launches, I'm glad I kept the 15hp. Although the chop still keeps my speed down to around 15 knots most of the time (probably within the range of a 10hp), I've appreciated having the extra power in more challenging conditions, especially in bigger following seas when I've needed torque to stay on the top of a wave, or to power out of the bottom of one.

Having said that, I can imagine that 52kg is hard work to lug around. Perhaps worth considering the 43kg 4-stroke Suzuki Martin mentioned, or a lighter smoker. Suzuki sell a 15hp 2-stroke in Australia that's only 33kg, although it sadly never made it to our shores .

[Martin]

Perhaps worth considering the 43kg 4-stroke Suzuki Martin mentioned, or a lighter smoker. Suzuki sell a 15hp 2-stroke in Australia that's only 33kg, although it sadly never made it to our shores .

Unfortunately you can’t buy a new smoker in the UK any more unless your in the marine trade so that option is anno go.
The 4 strokes are getting lighter and they’re so economical and quiet I think many of the old smoke boys will swap over before too long.

[ChrisParish]

The only 2 stroke you can buy is the Evenrude Etec (which Shaun has). They meet the emissions standards by directly injecting the oil.