Buying dilemma

[red_sky_at_night]

Future Mac owner from Canada here (Vancouver Island) shopping for a 3-4 yr old Mac and have been reading this forum almost non-stop for the past week to the point of eye strain Lots of great information and a friendly community, so I'm really looking forward to becoming member!

I would appreciate some feedback about which motor to get. I am looking at 2 of similar age, one with an e-tec 50 and one with a tohatsu 90 tldi. The boat with the tohatsu is 1 year newer, but has fewer upgrades and is $3000 more. Will I be okay with the 50 or will I be kicking myself that I didn't get the bigger motor? Since I've never owned a boat, I have nothing to compare performance against. I plan to do some extended trips with my girlfriend (4-7 days into Desolation Sound), so it will be fairly loaded when we go... $3000 would buy a lot of equipment, including a tender with motor, so it's a tough call. I just don't want to find out that the 50 struggles with the weight and the currents without saving much in fuel economy and I end up disappointed a year from now. Reliability and low maintenance for the e-tec does seem to be very good though (at least from the evinrude site -- service only every 3 years??), so there's some savings there as well.

What kind of a difference in fuel economy would there be between the two engines if they were identically loaded and cruising at the same speed, say 10 mph? The Tohatsu is 1267 (77.3 cu.in.), which is about 1.5X the displacement of the e-tec. Does that equate to roughly 1.5X fuel consumption? I know it won't be quite that bad, since the Tohatsu doesn't have to work as hard for a given speed... What will the difference in top end be between the two? Which one would you get if you were buying today??

Thanks!

[Gazmn]

Get the Tohatsu. Bigger is better when loading up. Tohatsu has a fine reputation, many members here have the 90. Hope they'll chime in soon. You will kick yourself for buying the 50 and then consider a repower for 10 grand more

Your fuel economy will be good from either engine. It's about getting the best that's available to you which in this case is the 90 - provided all things being equal in quality & condition.

[Hamin' X]

I would get the 90. The fuel economy will be comparable for a given weight/speed. If the currents in Desolation Sound are anything like the San Juan's & Gulf Islands, you will appreciate the extra power vs waiting for favorable tides. Fewer mods are a plus in my book, allowing you to add your own, without regard to the existing holes and outdated equipment. As always, YMMV.

~Rich

[Russ]

Lot's of questions:

How do you plan on using the boat? Are you planning on sailing or motoring the most?

What kind of upgrades are in the other boat? Do they include stuff you may not need or stuff that would be a PITA to install yourself (like autopilot)?

For some, speed is important and the bigger the better. There are times when I would agree and there are times when I have to remember this is a sailboat and I'm not in a rush to get somewhere. Although there are times when I was glad to get back quickly.

I don't know much about the Tohatsu, but the e-tech seems impressive.

--Russ

[40Toes]

I just don't want to find out that the 50 struggles with the weight and the currents

As others will tell you, you need to figure out what is important to you. Don't be concerned about the ability of the 50hp to move you or struggle doing it unless of course you plan on ferrying elephants

[waternwaves]

unless of course you plan on ferrying elephants

ahem......
I resemble that remark.....

1/8th tonner.......Displacement....(you can guess if it is a short, long or metric ton)

[Highlander]

Whats wrong with elephants they can mty or fill your ballast tank faster with that big trunk of theirs & make great railmeat

J

[Highlander]

Bigger is better

J

[blackbolt7]

I have the same question. My wife has been led to believe that 50 horses is all this boat

should have on it. I would like to have more power/speed for emergencies. We intend to

learn sailing but are more comfortable with motors,currently. What's the typical

aftermarket motor size on these?

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

We've been through most of the current passes in the San Juans and the Gulf Islands, including Malibu Rapids at Princess Louisa, in our X (a heavily loaded one at that) with a 50hp Tohatsu on the back. It was more than up to the task. My big issue was fuel consumption and noise with our old carb'd two stroke. Both the TLDI and e-Tec are better in both respects.

That said we have recently replaced it with a Tohatsu TLDI 90 and are very glad we did so. We changed not so much for the top end, however it is nice to be able to go over 20 knots when needed, but more for the ability to cruise at low, quieter RPM's and still get the speeds we prefer. With the 90 our fast cruise is 4500 rpm at 15-16 knots, with the old motor this speed was wide open. We also really like cruising right around 10 knots at 3500 rpm as this get's you where you want to go at a reasonable pace yet is quiet enough to have a conversation in the cockpit. I also like having a 14" prop verses a 12" prop for low speed maneuverability.

We used all these options on our most recent 13 day trip. http://home.comcast.net/~duane.dunn/LogBook126.htm

As always you will get the best mileage at 6 knots (hull speed) and I would expect either of the new generation motors to use very similar amounts of fuel there. Wide open the 90 will drink more gas than the 50. With 24 gallons on board you should have no issues cruising Desolation with either motor.

http://home.comcast.net/~duane.dunn/Boating.htm

[red_sky_at_night]

Thanks for all the feedback! Looks like the consensus is that bigger is better, no real surprise there when it comes to Americans and motors The options on the 50hp boat are nice, but not necessarily stuff that I would have purchased on my own, so I'm thinking the bigger motor is the way to go now after your responses. I imagine that most of the time I will be cruising at around hull speed for economy, but it will be nice to know that I can get up some real speed if needed or be able to pull someone on skis and give them a fun ride.

I spoke to the seller and the 90 was dealer installed, but he said that there was no reinforcement on the transom because it could handle a lot more thrust than the 90 could produce and the only worry would be putting on a really heavy motor. The tohatsu is pretty light for a 90, only 315 lbs, so no reinforcement needed according to him.

@Duane: Nice boat, good to see you're doing a lot of exploring in it and great photos on your log. I like the full enclosure you have there. Up where I am, we get a lot of rain in the fall, so it would be nice to have the protection. Is that from BWY? Pricey, but worth it IMO.

[Hamin' X]

As far as limiting the HP to 50HP from the factory, the consensus seems to be that this is for liability issues. On the older boats, the factory has only tested them with 50HP, 60 on the new ones. Boats over 20 feet in length, do not require a rating in the US. I hope that this helps ease the mind of "She who must be obeyed".

~Rich

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

The enclosure is not a BWY enclosure. I didn't like their enclosure for the X as it is so so it can pass under the boom. They have a nice looking one for the M that is a bit taller, but still has limited headroom. It's really up to you which you like, there are a lot of Canadian boats up there with BWY enclosures as well.

The enclosure comes from the Mac dealer in Ontario, http://www.dowsar.com/options2.htm , they also have one for the M http://www.dowsar.com/options4.htm .

It's really up to you which you like, there are a lot of Canadian boats up there with BWY enclosures as well. The Dowsar one costs about a $1000 more but has many additional features, SS tubes and deck hardware, Zip opening screened windows, Interior pockets, outside grab loops. For the M the Dowsar dodger is also one of the few wide dodgers that installs outside the winches giving better cockpit protection. The BWY one is a narrow dodger that is inside the winches.

[red_sky_at_night]

The Dowsar one costs about a $1000 more but has many additional features, SS tubes and deck hardware, Zip opening screened windows, Interior pockets, outside grab loops. For the M the Dowsar dodger is also one of the few wide dodgers that installs outside the winches giving better cockpit protection. The BWY one is a narrow dodger that is inside the winches.

I nearly choked when I saw the price of the Dowsar enclosure. It is more than double the price of BWY at $5,598.99! Does it come with gold thread and diamonds sewn into the seams?! BWY must have heard the comments about their narrow dodger because now they have a wide one. Even $2648 seems a bit rich to me... I might have to make do with some good rain gear Do you find the enclosure affects handling? It presents a pretty big surface to the wind

[carlos mur pera]

How to repower 50 ph to 10ph more?