Advise on Dinghy Outboard
I have a 3m Spindrift plastic twin hull dinghy and I bought a new 6hp Tohatsu to avoid needing a skippers ticket for my Wife and Dad who will also use it. When I'm out on my own or with my 4y old we have no problem getting on the plane and cruising around at the 8kn limit in the river but when I take my brother, Wife or dad she struggles and I only get 6kn out of her which can feel agonisingly slow.
I plan to head out to Parmelia Bank, just off Hillarys, Palm Beach etc when the conditions are really calm and am considering trading in my 7 week old outboard and buying the 9.8hp. The builder's plate says 6hp but the 9.8 is the same weight as the 6 so I can't really see a problem there and the manufacturer said they use a 10hp on theirs. The 9.8 is that it is the exact same engine as the 6 but with different head, carby etc so I can put a 6hp decal on the cowling to avoid the need to only have a skipper driving it.
What is everyone's thoughts on upgrading the outboard i.e. will the9.8hp be enough to get two adults or two adults and a small child planing or is the trade in not going to be worth the $780 it is going to cost me? Stupidly I've now realised that I should have just paid the extra $200 for the 9.8 initially and whacked a 6hp sticker on a it.
Officially off the Pies bandwagon
trymyluck
Posts: 908
Date Joined: 06/05/12
Sounds to me like you need to
Sounds to me like you need to get a bigger boat I think.
Starbug
Posts: 563
Date Joined: 27/08/09
If you boat is rated to 6hp,
If you boat is rated to 6hp, then that is your limit both in design and legally.
It's not just the weight of the outboard but the thrust it produces that your transom has to withstand. The extra HP will make it lift the bow excessively and become unstable.
Get a bigger boat! 2 adults +1 child on a 3m boat + oversized outboard + open waters is a disaster waiting to happen.
avatinni
Posts: 141
Date Joined: 06/06/10
mate I did the same as you 6
mate I did the same as you 6 months ago brought a 3 mtr spindrift and a brand new 6 yamaha thinking it would de fine but as you said me my wife and son on board it was like a slug .I traded it in after only 7 hrs on the motor and brought a 4.3 with a 30 better size for a family .
Jackfrost80
Posts: 8050
Date Joined: 07/05/12
Cheers and getting a bigger
Cheers and getting a bigger boat is my eventual plan but I've got a 4 & 20 month old and one soon to be born so 90% of use is going to be me and the 4 year old and other majority use will be me and my bro trolling for flathead and tailor or crabbing so it is going to suit my needs for the most part. Just wanted the option of heading into open water a few hundred metres when it is millpond conditions with just the two adults or on my own around Woodies, Hillarys, Palm Beach etc.
Thanks for the feedback all. Seems as though I should put the money away and be happy with the 6hp until I decide to upgrade in the next 18 months or so. I did get her up to 11.5kn in the water ski section yesterday with just me so I guess I should be happy with that.
How much did the changeover to the bigger tinnie cost you avatinni?
Officially off the Pies bandwagon
Shane O
Posts: 926
Date Joined: 22/01/10
Jetski
Fark my jetski is 3.4m long with 130 hp... Get one of those :)
anypuddle
Posts: 594
Date Joined: 22/01/12
ok
mm I hate being qualified to risk lives on the ocean..
Anywhere anytime
avatinni
Posts: 141
Date Joined: 06/06/10
if you look at Finn kayaks
if you look at Finn kayaks in o'connor that makes the spindrift they have a photo of one going flat out in the river with an 18 up on one
Jackfrost80
Posts: 8050
Date Joined: 07/05/12
Cheers bloke but after some
Cheers bloke but after some thought I'm not sure if I want to lose $580 on a new motor and then have to fork out an extra $200 for the upgrade for the sake of getting an extra 2kn out of it in the river to get to the 8kn speed limit the few times I have 2 adults in it. Better off sticking the cash in savings towards the upgrade in the next 18 months or so I think.
Can I ask where you traded in your Spindrift and what was the changeover between that and the new rig?
Officially off the Pies bandwagon
EricBananaMan
Posts: 176
Date Joined: 18/08/13
Have you tried different
Have you tried different prop pitches? Drop the pitch and you should get up out of the water quicker but lose top speed, add pitch and you get more top speed but less get up and go on the plane. Correct me if I'm wrong members.
Anyfishwilldo (not verified)
Posts: 23
Date Joined: 01/01/70
Old thread but I went out to
Old thread but I went out to parmelia bank for the first time 6 weeks ago in my 4.5m quintrex... I owned a 3m stacer with a new 18 tohatsu (shop I purchased the motor off asked if I was racing lol) boat was awesom in the mandurah estuary but any chop it was crap! I never took the boat in open water as I felt was way to small. My advice if you haven't already purchased a motor is save you $$$ and maybe look at a second hand 4.2 dory... I have seen them as low as $5500 in winter with limeted gear but would be far more superior than what u have now & safer! My brother had one and was a good all round in shore boat...