We have had a Trinka for about 12 years now. My wife and I both love it, it rows nicely, it sails like a witch and it will look good up on the upper deck of our American Tug. That is important!
One of my biggest complaints about the Trinka is not with the dinghy itself but rather the outboards we have used with it. Small displacement 4 cycle outboards are just not much fun to live with. They have such tiny carburetor jets that running them on the ethanol fuel available at most marinas is fraught with frustration. They are simply so sensitive to water in the fuel. Just refilling the tank on my last Yamaha 2 1/2 hp 4 cycle on a rainy day invited running issues.
My best solution so far has been to find an 18 year old Yamaha 3 hp 2 cycle engine in like new condition. It runs so very well on whatever fuel I put in it that that should be the end of the story...
The problem is, it is a fuel hog and it has a small internal fuel tank. I yearn for better fuel economy and an external fuel tank.
This brings me to my question. I see that Honda has a new line of portable engines in 4, 5 and 6 hp. I saw them at the Newport boat show. Very nice little engines, all of the same displacement and about 60 pounds. External fuel tank, different propellers, easy starting, enough displacement that they are more likely to run when a small drop of water is injested...
What can I expect of the poor little Trinka if I saddle it with one of these? Will it sink? Will it become wildly unstable? We only putt around pretty slowly in this dinghy, I don't expect it to plane. Am I just out of my mind to consider this? The Yamaha is about 40 pounds, I can't imagine an extra 20 pounds is too much...
Who has experienced too large an engine in a hard dinghy?
Bruce
One of my biggest complaints about the Trinka is not with the dinghy itself but rather the outboards we have used with it. Small displacement 4 cycle outboards are just not much fun to live with. They have such tiny carburetor jets that running them on the ethanol fuel available at most marinas is fraught with frustration. They are simply so sensitive to water in the fuel. Just refilling the tank on my last Yamaha 2 1/2 hp 4 cycle on a rainy day invited running issues.
My best solution so far has been to find an 18 year old Yamaha 3 hp 2 cycle engine in like new condition. It runs so very well on whatever fuel I put in it that that should be the end of the story...
The problem is, it is a fuel hog and it has a small internal fuel tank. I yearn for better fuel economy and an external fuel tank.
This brings me to my question. I see that Honda has a new line of portable engines in 4, 5 and 6 hp. I saw them at the Newport boat show. Very nice little engines, all of the same displacement and about 60 pounds. External fuel tank, different propellers, easy starting, enough displacement that they are more likely to run when a small drop of water is injested...
What can I expect of the poor little Trinka if I saddle it with one of these? Will it sink? Will it become wildly unstable? We only putt around pretty slowly in this dinghy, I don't expect it to plane. Am I just out of my mind to consider this? The Yamaha is about 40 pounds, I can't imagine an extra 20 pounds is too much...
Who has experienced too large an engine in a hard dinghy?
Bruce