The Honda 5hp is a
great outboard; very reliable and solidly built! It has not stopped
on me once in three years of use. Unfortunately, the 20” long shaft
is just not long enough for the standard design Tiki 21. In calm
water it excels, but in a chop it will ventilate on EVERY wave. In SF
Bay this is hopeless, because it is not usually calm, and when you
REALLY need the outboard is when it is nasty.
What is the
solution? My fellow Wharramite, Ian, went the technical route and
rebuilt the entire outboard mount to set it lower in the water. He
reports that this works well. But, that is a lot of work.
In my case, the
Chief Executive authorized the purchase of a Tohatsu 6hp
extra-long-shaft “Sail Drive” with a low gearing and extra large
prop. This has a 25” extended leg.
Even with a longer
shaft, the Tohatsu fits right into the standard hole easier than the
Honda did (more clearance), and the leg matches the standard
waterline (from the deck).
 |
| Fits perfectly in the standard mount |
Now that I have used
it for a while, I could never go back (except via bankruptcy). The
extra 5” in conjunction with the big, slow turning prop, means that
the outboard never ventilates regardless of sea conditions, and does
5 knots at about quarter throttle. I can now bounce up and down on
the forward beam in a chop, and it won't ventilate!
This has made Little
Cat a safer and longer-distance cruiser, because I can safely
chug home in conditions that would have been iffy with the
ventilating Honda.
It doesn't mean that
everything is better. The Tohatsu is not as well made as the Honda.
Everything seems to be more lightly built. The locking mechanism that
stops the outboard swinging around is a joke – it just plain
doesn't work. It has a decompression mechanism that takes quite a
while to get used to and leads to hard starting until you get it
figured out. The low-gearing means that it is pointless running over
half throttle as the boat just digs a bigger hole in the water. But
the advantages of the extra long leg and big prop outweigh these
minor disadvantages.
Bonjour,
ReplyDeleteI am about to put a hole in the plarform of the Tiki21 I am buildng, and consider the 6HP Tohatsu for several reasons, including the weigh, (same as its smaller brothers with 30% more power than the 4HP, and lighter than most other brands) alternator, and of course the long shaft.
I have a few questions:
What is the size of the hole in your platform (In seems to be more a square than an oval on your picture?)
Do you tie the shaft up when sailing, or is it possibe just to "clic" it? And if you tie it, how do you proceed?
Is the propeler and everything out of the water under sail?
Your answers may help me to finalize my choice,
Thanks and fair winds in SF Bay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-QPDr_LZls
Eric
wafaic@gmail.com
Hi Eric,
ReplyDeleteThe hole was widened by the original builder from standard, but the actual mount is as in the plans. I tie up the shaft against the rear beam with a rope when sailing. It is well clear of the water that way. It will not "click" in the fully raised position.