Dimensions of 4, 5, or 6hp kicker

Z

zuunami

New member
We need a new kicker on our 16' cruiser, but in addition to weight and shaft considerations, we're trying to find approximate dimensions (widest point of width and depth) of the cowl of a 4, 5, or 6hp recent year model gas kicker - I think most mfrs will be about the same. We don't have ANY place to look at motors within 300 miles, and I can't find anything online, it's quite amazing actually :) And if anyone has dimensions for a 3.5 that would be great too. We know how important a kicker is, but I have to say, it's so nice and big in the splashwell area with nothing there but the main, so we want to stay as small as possible without compromising safety/necessary power. Thanks!
 
A )long( while back I had a 3.5 Merc on a 15 ft sailboat that weighed near the same as a CD-16. It Moved that SB easy. I'm thinking that might be just a bit light for the 16, different hull shape, but I may be surprised. Guess we'll see what you get for responses.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

1_Honda_Power_2_B_ham_CBGT_2009_956.thumb.jpg
 
thanks Harvey. Watched a couple of videos this morning where people easily swapped out the carburetor on a 3.5 to a 5 or 6. More horsepower in a smaller package. hmm, possibility :)
 
zuunami,
I have about 20 small outboards in my shed, that I have gone completely through as part of my hobby. Please tell me the specific brand and hp that you are interested in and I will take measurements for you.
PS, you may have already seen this from me, but Tohatsu makes/made 4 stroke 4, 5 & 6 hp for Mercury, Evinrude, Nissan and of course labeled as Tohatsu. The only difference between these is the label on the cowling, the carburetor and shaft lengths (17", 22" & 27"). The carb on the 4 & 5 has a smaller throat, than the 6. The only diffenece between the high thrust version is the prop.
 
thanks so much Steve! We haven't decided yet, but I'm assuming that the Mercury, Tohatsu, and Suzuki 4, 5, and 6hp in recent years would pretty much have the same general cowling size (width and depth), so an approximate measurement on any of those would be great. We would be looking to buy new, so I don't know whether newer vs. older models would be similar in size.
 
Steve - maybe you can answer this is well. What if we got a merc or Tohatsu 4hp, see how that pushes the 16' cruiser. Is it as easy to change out the carburetor to a 5hp or 6hp as it seems on YouTube? :) If so, then we could upgrade the carburetor as needed, and/or possibly change the prop to a high thrust prop? Let me know what you think. Also, what's the most reliable place to buy parts online for outboards, there's a zillion! thanks - Karen
 
Zuunami, I just bought a Tohatsu 8hp long shaft, and the link I'm including here was most helpful in my search for a kicker. The link is for the dimensions of 6hp including not only the "normal" listed dimensions ... but tilted up and swing of the cowl / tiller!

On the Tohatsu site, go to the "Portable Series," pick your model and scroll down to dimensions. I hope this helps you decide. Oh yeah, I ordered mine on line, received it in a couple of days, factory box strapped to a pallet.

https://www.tohatsu.com/marine/na/outbo ... 3fca94.jpg

Walton
Morning Light
C-Dory 22 Cruiser
 
zuunami,
It takes about 15 minutes to change the carb on the 4, 5 or 6 Tohatsu, at most. The prop change is even faster.
A small boat will reach and maintain hull speed easy and run a a lower RPM, with the high thrust prop, then trying to do same with the stock prop. It also will provide much better backing authority. I use a 6 hp Tohatsu with the high thrust prop on my 24' long x 18' wide trimaran sailboat and easily achieve hull speed at about 2/3's throttle. I usually run at about 1/2 throttle and loose a knot of speed, for a much quieter experience, as single cylinder outboards typically make a good deal of noise.
 
thanks again, Steve. I think we're starting to zero in on the Mercury 5hp sailpro long shaft for about $1585. It already has the high thrust prop (which is around $100), plus it has an alternator if we ever need that. If we ever need to go up to a 6hp, that would be about $100 for the carburetor. Mercury doesn't make a 6hp sailpro model.

We've looked at the Tohatsu 6hp sailpro, but they're only in white, and since our C-Dory is really an off-white, I think it will just make the boat look dirty :) Some of their models also only have an external fuel tank connection (no internal fuel tank, which a while back I thought would be useless, but can now see the possible benefits of).

We also looked at the Suzuki, particularly because it weighs the least and would seem to have a bit more power, but the side shift lever just seems to be too inconvenient.

Any additional feedback would be appreciated, as we're getting ready to order it up! thanks again :)
 
zuunami,
When you get your outboard, feel free to touch base and I will walk you through the required maintenance and particulars about this model.
Lastly, down the road, if you go for the 6 hp carb, be carful, as most of the aftermarket carbs, that are advertised as 6 hp, are in fact 4 - 5 hp. As mention previously, the throat of the 6 hp is larger and most of the aftermarket folks still are able to sell their products, because folks that buy them, don't know the difference.
 
jennykatz,
A small outboard of that HP, would get the boat moving, but if there was wind or tide, they would likely be the influence that would deside, where the boat goes...
Steve Baum
Homeport of Portsmouth, VA
OSPREY (Ex Mister Sea) 2000 22 C-Dory 2010 - Sold 3/19
OSPREY (Ex ADITI) 2007 26 Cape Cruiser 2018
 
jennykatz - the other consideration is that most motors under 4hp don't have a reverse gear, so you have to reach out in back of the boat to turn the motor around to go in reverse.
 
Steve, they said the same thing about the 6hp carb on the website readysetboat.com. But the pics they showed of their 6hp upgrade (which I misspoke earlier, is about $190) don't show any markings that would show it's OEM. So I guess it would be hard to tell online. If we need to upgrade to a 6 (and I'm not sure one HP is going to make that much of a difference), I'll get in touch with you for advice about where to buy. I find Boats.net a little daunting to get around, it might be easier once I have a serial number to work from.
 
zuunami,
Just purchase for a reputable source, such as Defender.com, or Boats.net and you will get the best price and not get burned.
 
If you buy a long shaft it will need to be mounted on a bracket that will lift up so the skag doesn’t drag in the water. I’m running a 6 hp short shaft on my 22 and it works just fine. I raised my bracket 5” and the short shaft works and can be used on the dingy. The Suzuki’s are quiet and water cooled.
 
thanks jkidd - the transom on the 16' cruiser is 20", which everywhere we've looked indicates a long shaft. I think I'd rather have a longer shaft than necessary, then build or buy a mount that raises it up, than have the shaft too short. Your Suzukis look great in your album - one of the reasons that we are pretty set going with mercury is that our main is a mercury, the 5hp has an alternator and high thrust prop, and we actually have an authorized dealer within 200 miles - for Tohatsu and Suzuki, it's 300 miles plus :)
 
zuunami":3ky4m35c said:
thanks jkidd - the transom on the 16' cruiser is 20", which everywhere we've looked indicates a long shaft. I think I'd rather have a longer shaft than necessary, then build or buy a mount that raises it up, than have the shaft too short. Your Suzukis look great in your album - one of the reasons that we are pretty set going with mercury is that our main is a mercury, the 5hp has an alternator and high thrust prop, and we actually have an authorized dealer within 200 miles - for Tohatsu and Suzuki, it's 300 miles plus :)
Click to expand...

My original kicker was a 9.9 long shaft on a fixed bracket. I raise the bracket 5” to get the motor to stop dragging in the water. 5” is the difference between the long and short shaft. The kicker isn’t going to plane the boat so it doesn’t need to be that long. When I switched to the 6 hp I didn’t lower the bracket so my motor is 10” higher than where the long shaft would sit and still functions just fine. The long shaft will work I just don’t think you have to do it and it would be less things to do to make it work.
 
Like Steve, I also have a garage full of small outboards I enjoy tinkering with and running on small boats. Like Jody, I also prefer a short shaft kicker on my 16’.

Currently running a 2.5 Suzuki as the kicker on my 16 but also ran my 6 hp Suzuki for years, both short shafts. Prefer the 2.5 because it’s lighter, smaller, pushes the 16 fine, and I don’t use it too much. Prefer the short shafts because I also run these kickers on my various inflatable dinghies, where long shafts are just too long. Out toward the sides of the boat your transom isn’t the full 20” of depth, and at displacement speeds on the kicker the prop is always plenty deep. The only time the short shaft doesn’t work as well is in reverse, but for my purposes I’ve never needed reverse on a kicker, and I don’t fish much at all. I’ve also used the 2.5 short to motor way up into the shallows of a busy anchorage, far from other boats with more confidence than I would have with a long shaft.

All that said, on my 22 I run the Tohatsu 6 Sail Pro which is the same as the Merc 5 Sail you are looking at and I agree that’s a great choice and you won’t be disappointed. Steve’s comments about the larger prop are spot-on and on my 22 I occasionally cruise around just for fun at about 1/2 throttle. The Sail Pro versions are only available in 20” and 25”, and wouldn’t make sense as a short shaft anyway because the prop isn’t designed to get small dinghies onto plane. You could get a 15” 4, 5, or 6 and add the high thrust prop but you still wouldn’t have the charging capabilities. So if slow speed kicker is your only intended use I think you’re doing very well with the 20” 5hp Merc Sail that you’ve picked!
 
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