Plan B for a dinghy motor failure?

Our 10.5' rib/15 hp 2 stoke would plane with 4 adults. We sold the engine and went with a 9.8 hp 2 stoke because the engine was so much lighter and we didn't usually have 4 people in the dinghy. Planing with 2 adults and the dog is no problem. Three adults takes some effort and it has never planed with 4.

We use to have a 12' dinghy that was real light. That would would plane with 2 adults and the dog with our 5 hp 2 stroke.

A longer dinghy with more water line may plane easier. I think a 100 lb OB on a 10' dinghy plus 4 adults is a lot of weight. Maybe before you buy you can borrow someone's?

That would be nice to try an engine out to make sure it does what I want.

And yeah, asking this 10' dinghy to plane with 4 adults is probably optimistic. If it planes easily with 2 plus some gear I'll be happy.

cardude01 said:

That would be nice to try an engine out to make sure it does what I want.

And yeah, asking this 10' dinghy to plane with 4 adults is probably optimistic. If it planes easily with 2 plus some gear I'll be happy.

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C'mon up to Jersey... you can try my outboard....bet I can get a few more.

Out of most hurricane paths, great water and weather here for a couple months, party city at the beaches and boardwalks till Labor Day....

We are waiting....

cardude01 said:

I've decided to just get a 4 stroke in the states. Want to try that Suzuki 9.9 EFI to do away with the carb/bad gas issues. That engine is like 106 lbs however, so I will have to invest in one of those little dinghy engine hoists to put the engine on and off.

I really want an engine that EVERYONE on the boat can start. The lack of a reliable dinghy engine affected this trip. I was the only one who could semi-predictably start the stupid thing, so nobody else wanted to use it to go explore, ride around, etc.

The badly tuned 15hp 2 stroke I am replacing would plane with two but not four. I'm hoping the 9.9 foot stroke will do at least that? ... Will my wife be able to pull start a 15hp? The EFI is supposed to make it easier.

Edit. Just realized there is an EFI Suzuki 15hp- DF15a, that weighs 97 lbs, the same as the 9.9. I think I would rather have the 15, even though that's prob overkill for my little 10' RIB.

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cardude01 said:

Hmmmm. Shouldn't the addition of EFI make it easier to start? Or is it the actual strength needed to pull the cord the hard part?

I can't imagine having to carry around a spare battery for the dink as well, but for everyone to be able to start it (my wife especially) maybe that's what I need. The elec start Suzuki is 9lbs heavier.

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We have the DF15A. The newer 9.9 is built on the same platform, so weighs the same.

Seems odd, to me, since in the 4-stroke world mostly the 8s and 9.9s have been on the same platform (IIRC), unlike the earlier 2-stroke paradigm where 10s (9.9s) and 15s were often on the same platform...

OTOH, I suspect maybe they did that because their model is light enough to be semi-competitive with other 9.9s... and to save development costs...

I don't notice the pull-start being any more difficult -- or any easier -- than the 2-strokes we've had in the past. We got the battery-start model anyway, though, so wifey can start it easily. And so I can start it easily, whenever I'm having a frozen shoulder or tennis elbow attack. It still has a pull-starter, so you can choose when to carry a battery... or not.

You might want to pay some attention to the data sticker on your dink. There will likely be a specified horsepower and a weight limit posted there.

Can't speak to whether the 9.9 will plane your boat; the 15 WILL. Runs our RIB like a scalded cat. (Minimum HP recommended for our RIB is 10, so I suspect the 9.9 would, at least sometimes, depending on load. Can't say if that might be similar to your dinghy.)

-Chris

I'll be right there!

I switched from a 4 stroke 15 HP (135 pounds) to the 4 stroke 9.9 HP Lehr (88 pounds). The 15 HP on my 12' RIB would scare you by yourself. It would easily plane with 3 people. The 9.9 is great with 1, struggles with 2 to plane. One of the nice features about the Lehr is electric start with a small battery under the engine cover.

Talked to the Lehr tech yesterday. The heat exchanger for the fuel system isn't the problem if I'm running on vapor propane (as opposed to liquid), which I am. He thinks it was just a factory defective part. New one will be shipped out today, no charge. Got to love their customer service and tech support. Hope this solves the problem as my confidence with it's reliability is pretty low.

Will reevaluate dinghy and motor after I get back to Fort Myers in December. Been using my kayak as a dinghy for the last week. That's not a viable option. 10 miles is about all I can kayak in one day. The plan B may be a .5 to 1 HP electric outboard (not a trolling motor). Considering a non inflatable dinghy that's definitely rowable in waves.

Ted

I have a 2003 Merc 8hp two stroke on my jonboat that gets run weekly. Most of it is a Tohatsu, with some Merc specific stuff like shift in the twist grip, which is a nice feature for me.

That is the best little motor I have had. Pull start is super easy. A fairly smooth and reliable idle, nice and quiet and smooth at speed. Been on the boat for about four years and no repairs other than one obligatory carb clean.

It is too big for my dink in the way I use it, I tow the dink and stash the motor in the big boat. While the merc is light for its hp, it is still to heavy for me to easily hoist it over the side. So the dink continues with the 2hp Evinrude.

But for those looking around for 8-10-15hp dink motors, these Merc/Tohatsu's are pretty easy to find. They were in production since late 80's til the demise of the two strokes around 2006.

Four strokes in the 8-15hp class truly suck for dink and jon boat service.

cardude01 said:

He tried to row back but the wind was blowing 15 against him so that was impossible. It's a 10' RIB.

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Ribs are pretty much unrowable imho
And they deflate
And they break down.

Get a decent tinny.

psneeld said:

My 4 stroke Yammie 8 pull start is tough. If not strong or hurt, not sure anyone could start it. So next engine will be an electric start just for safety in my book.

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Strange
I have a 30 HP Suzuki 2 stroke electric and pull on our dinghy.

Starts second pull cold easily, half pull warm.

I west to a Torquedo (sp) electric outboard. Carry an extra battery> At a speed of three knots each battery will last about 90 minutes. And IT ALWAYS STARTS, even if it hasn't been used for a month. The battery holds 95% chargee even after 9 months of not use.

Bought a 15 hp electric start Honda last year and it planes my Walker Bay "Supertender" with three people just fine. It also has a pullcord start that electric Yamahas dont have. I wish I had bought the 20 (identical motor) for getting on the step with 4 because you are never at wot after it is planing but 5 more hp would get it planing faster. Never regretted the 15 except with a load and the damn feds make you register a boat over 10 hp.

The 15 will also putt around all day without fouling and that's really good for exploring.

I have a 4 stroke Honda 8hp with electric start and power tilt. It came with my trawler when I bought it last year.

The engine starts really well, even after having sit for months at a time. It runs smoothly and quietly. It uses a small AGM battery that gets strapped into the dink under the seat (Walker Bay Genesis Deluxe RIB).

Three reasons I don't use it anymore and am going to sell it (when I get around to it).
1) It will not plane my dink. My dinghy is not lightweight and neither am I.
2) It is God awful heavy for only 8hp.
3) I don't really like having to keep gas on board.

Using the Torqeedo now but if I ever go back to a internal combustion motor for the dinghy I will likely seriously look at a 15hp Lehr.

Lena loves our 2 stroke Tahatsu. It starts on one or two pulls and she can raise it up when she goes to the beach by herself. Having her able to run the OB is important. She does the afternoon beach walks with the pup and it frees me up to do what I want. We've had it four years and other than routine maintance as per the manual we haven't touched it. We do run only ethanol free gas.

What are these Lehr's Are they a Chinese Yamaha copy ?

As far as starting ease goes, I think you just have to try one. I had a Honda 5hp 4 stroke that even I had trouble pulling, no way my wife could do it. I got a new Tohatsu 9.8 and it is much much easier to pull start - and my wife can pull it easily. I also got the electric start version which I think is 8 lbs heavier and a small garden tractor sized battery and a battery box for it so we can just use the electric start if we choose. Going on 2 years it has been a dream to run and continues to start on the first or second pull (or almost instantly with the electric start)

Ken

Our Boston Whaler 11 would go like blazes with the 25 Mercury 2 stroke we used to have on it. Scary fast. But, it was so heavy. Switched it out for a 2.5 2 stroke Merc and a 9.9 2stroke Nissan. The Nissan will plane it with one on board, the 2.5 never. But, both are so much lighter and easier to handle.

gaston said:

What are these Lehr's Are they a Chinese Yamaha copy ?

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No, Lehr is a propane fueled outboard.

gaston said:

What are these Lehr's Are they a Chinese Yamaha copy ?

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Actually a lot of the parts are interchangeable with Yamaha but B&B is correct, they run on propane.

I was Lehr dealer until I retired. I have a 2.5 and a 15.

I don't have a Plan B. Yet. There is always something emerging that you hadn't thought of, isn't there?

Last year on part of the Great Barrier Reef, on the Outer Reef, I anchored with not another boat for about 20 miles. By coincidence it was at slack tide. Conditions wer perfect but I thought I'll have lunch, wait for a bit and then go for a swim. Well, by the time I was ready to swim I heard a strange noise. Turns out it was the current turning the props while I was at anchor. Running at several knots. Good thing I didn't jump in!

But I had not considered a dingy engine failure as I was exploring the reef! My Honda always starts instantly, but what if it doesn't? So now I'm not sure what I shold be doing - a good plan B is essential, and waiting for help on the Outer Reef might mean waiting a very long time. My Plan C is an EPIRB that I have on the dingy. I'd hate to use it, but would if all else fails.