Mac 26S Outboard motor recommendations

[Gdindy]

I have a 1990 26S, it currently has a 1990 Johnson sailmaster 9hp outboard 2cyl.
I sail Lake Michigan and wanted to venture out a little farther than we have in the past and have some concern about the older Johnson as good as she has been, im thinking about a Honda 8hp with the power thrust or the 9.9 the weight difference is only about 12lbs I believe the 8hp is around 105 and the 9.9 is at 117lbs. I have to motor about 1NM to get from the channel into the lake each time in and out. My question is for the difference in price is there going to be a noticable difference in performance between the two motors. And although the 20inch is recommended would we be better with the 25inch sometimes the 3-4ft rollers can cavitate our motor when we are surfing with them but not too often ? We want to take a trip or two to Chicago about 40 miles from where we harbor but worry that if the wind drops and we have to motor / sail for some time the Johnson might take an uexpected break or two on the way. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

[Sumner]

We bought a 9.8 HP Tohatsu a little over a year ago and love it so far. Used it for a month last fall and about 2 months in the spring on a 400 mile trip and a considerable part of that was on the outboard. Started right up all the time. Ran very smooth and would move the boat at 5-6 knots on part throttle and got about 10 mpg.

I think the 8 HP would of been fine, but to get the extra-long shaft (25") you have to get the 9.8. It also comes with a very high thrust prop. We took that prop off and carry it for a spare and went to another 4 blade prop that is high thrust also, but not quite as high as the one that came with the outboard.

I looked at the Honda (have an older 8 HP) and the Yamaha, but the Tohatsu was quite a bit less and seems to get good reviews. We also between the trips above bought a 3.5 HP Tohatsu long shaft for the dinghy and retired the 5 HP NIssan that ran great, but was too heavy to easily put on and off the dinghy on the water.

Personally I go with the extra-long shaft as it gives you more options. I made a mount....



...and raised it to the same height as a long shaft, but that mount can come off in just a couple minutes and the outboard could then be lowered to take full advantage of the extra-long shaft if needed.



Having it on the mount moves the controls up where they are easier to get to and also moves the outboard back out of the well enough that it turns. Most of the new 8+ HP outboards won't do that mounted in the well on a S as they are larger than the older outboards.



http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... de-26.html

It is also very easy to put an easier to reach tiller handle on the Tohatsu

There is more here on why we picked the outboard and also more on extending the controls..............

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... de-25.html

Good luck,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

[Madelon]

I have not made many comparisons. Had the older Honda 8. Got tired of cranking it and moved to the newer Honda 9.9 with electric starter and remote tilt. In both cases I had the 25 long shaft. I love the 9.9, and the extra weight does not seem to make an awful lot of difference. I use it permanently bolted to the boat. We sail in the SF Bay and I like to know it has a bit more power; it is an extremely quiet engine with a 4 blade propeller and incrredibly sensitive to start (using the manual start). However, when it is choppy, I've had the propeller remain up in the air several times, so I would never use a shorter shaft.

Cheers,
Albert, s/v Madelon (Mac 26S)

[Catigale]

...digging a bit into your replacement decision...how many hours are on the Johnson, roughly?

Outboards are pretty bulletproof, with good fuel management at end of each season and good compression that Johnson will keep ticking for a long time.

I don't think you will see anydiff twist 8 and 9.9 HP except dwindling bank account....

Reading above, it looks like there are three versions of shaft length discussed btw.....

[Sumner]

....I don't think you will see anydiff twist 8 and 9.9 HP except dwindling bank account.... .....

I agree, but if you want the Tohatsu or Nissan you have to get the higher HP outboard to get the extra-long shaft. I also thought that it might be a selling point in the future. You, I and most of the others on here know that the boat won't go any faster, but a new buyer might be impressed with all of that added 1.8 or 1.9 HP .

The key is the prop, not the HP, but you do need the HP sometimes to get the right prop. Our Nissan 5 HP pushed the boat fine on a lake in over 20 knot winds, but I was sure glad that we had the 9.8 HP with the high thrust prop in tidal current situations in Florida. Yet the biggest advantage for us now with the larger outboard is the safety factor with the electric start. Now I can go injure myself or fall overboard and Ruth can take us home or come back and get me .

....Reading above, it looks like there are three versions of shaft length discussed btw.....

I see two, long and extra-long, but maybe I'm missing one .

Hope you and everyone else on here has a great Holidays,

Sum and Ruth

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

[Gdindy]

Thanks for the good info!!

[ronacarme]

Our 1988 26D came new with an 8 hp Nissan 2 stroke with the longest shaft then available (long or xtra long?) which would allow the prop to rise enuf to loose grip if Lake Michigan was really lumpy and crew was on the foredeck. The Nissan easily pushed the D to hull speed and was running like new when we sold the boat in 2000.
Our 26X has for the last 6 years or so run a 9.9 Honda 4 stroke electric start with power tilt which is much heavier than the Nissan 2 stroke, enuf so that I would probably not fit it if I still had the D. Not an issue on the X, however.
In the first 3 years of ethanol laced gasoline in Michigan, we were stranded 3 times by a carb float valve gummed closed by Stabil treated gasoline which had over-wintered in the 9.9 Evinrude 4 stroke motor then powering our X.
Since then, and tho we are lucky enuf to have non-ethanol gasoline at our pressent gas dock, we fill our tank with only enuf gas for a month's use, and drain the carb float bowl after each use. Paranoid perhaps, but the Honda has always started and run flawlessly under that regime. Particularly if I were cruising to distance ports and so really needed engine reliability, and were unable to avoid ethanol laced gasoline, I would follow that regime.
Ron

[Newell]

I have the Nissan labeled Tohatsu 6hp on Windancer 89 D. It is the 25" shaft, I know since I replaced it after backing over the engine. This model has a charging coil for whatever that gives you. The motor is light around 45 lbs, long enough that it doesn't cavitate in most wave conditions. I haven't taken this boat off-shore or bad conditions yet. I did break the rudder during a 80 mile race on the GSL during a wind with rain storm. Motored without a rudder, which is difficult in waves for 5 hours to get to the only safe marina available. It has been a easy to start, good on fuel and dependable engine. Now if I can keep it in the up position while backing up I shouldn't have any more trouble with it.