Ok need some help/advice in a decision; not a regular on the list but been around awhile getting dynamite advice from the folks on this forum. Question in point; what would you use for outboard power on a new M26? Cursing grounds Sea of Cortez down to the Mexican Rivera hugging the coastline of course. 50hp 4 stroke Mercury Bigfoot or comparable vs. 70hp TLID Tohatus? Im really struggling with this one, cost vs. power & fuel consumption, etc.
Joncon17
Outboards M26
if cost, power and fuel consumption are the top issues, get the TLDI 2 stroke. If you wanted convenience, low noise, etc.. get a 4 stroke. also, there are many discussions on this board that go into a lot of depth in this matter. do a search and you will likely get more info than you have time for this weekend. welcome to the board and good luck with your decisions.
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Divecoz
- Admiral
- Posts: 3803
- Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 2:54 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26M
- Location: PORT CHARLOTTE FLORIDA 05 M Mercury 50 H.P. Big Foot Bill at Boats 4 Sail is my Hero
Its All About availability of parts
I agree its all about the availability of parts !
You'll more than likely find parts for any of the BIG THREE Yamaha Honda Mercury. . . . . and even some Johnson. All the rest???? Maybe in very large Tourist areas. Example on the island of Cozumel Over 200 Dive boats 90% powered by twin outboards . . you'll only find Yamaha , Honda and Mercury and not much in the way of Mercury dedicated parts. Honda is making its place all over Mexico BTW.
OOOooppppsss almost forgot . . 4 stroke's ! 2 stroke's are getting fewer and fewer each and every day...
You'll more than likely find parts for any of the BIG THREE Yamaha Honda Mercury. . . . . and even some Johnson. All the rest???? Maybe in very large Tourist areas. Example on the island of Cozumel Over 200 Dive boats 90% powered by twin outboards . . you'll only find Yamaha , Honda and Mercury and not much in the way of Mercury dedicated parts. Honda is making its place all over Mexico BTW.
OOOooppppsss almost forgot . . 4 stroke's ! 2 stroke's are getting fewer and fewer each and every day...
Ideally an Evinrude e-tec 60ph saltwater would fit the bill, I dont think they make one, next step up;
http://www.evinrude.com/en-US/Engines/2 ... IN-LINE.3/
Lot of horses & fuel probable to much and more $$ than I plan for. 148kg/326lb way to heavy!
I have short window of time to make some serious decisions, trip planed for January thru May 2006. 7 months prep seems like a long time but to purchase, modify/outfit, sea trials etc., it will come quick. Ive been on the SOC in August/October on a Lagoon 410 Cat and have experienced their afternoon northwesterlies (30-45 knots 15ft seas) and they occur 5 days out of 7 days, are miserable, dangerous & no place for a Mac at this time of year. The very fast surfing of this cats speed required constant attention at the helm when running away from heavy waves, fun for the first 5 min then we would beat the hull for the closest anchorage.
As for motors seems like most local pangas run Johnsons & Evinrudes , parts/service available in the larger marinas & I plan a 9hp for the inflatable dink that will serve as an emergency back-up if I can modify the right bracket to get deep enough in the water if needed. Anyone have a lead on rudders the stock Macs got to go along with the brackets. Still charting Ill post distance runs at another time but there are a lot of obscure fish camps all the way down the mainland. Got to pull the trigger on a motor soon and I need it suitable for salt & fresh water
! Thanks for the input guys
http://www.evinrude.com/en-US/Engines/2 ... IN-LINE.3/
Lot of horses & fuel probable to much and more $$ than I plan for. 148kg/326lb way to heavy!
I have short window of time to make some serious decisions, trip planed for January thru May 2006. 7 months prep seems like a long time but to purchase, modify/outfit, sea trials etc., it will come quick. Ive been on the SOC in August/October on a Lagoon 410 Cat and have experienced their afternoon northwesterlies (30-45 knots 15ft seas) and they occur 5 days out of 7 days, are miserable, dangerous & no place for a Mac at this time of year. The very fast surfing of this cats speed required constant attention at the helm when running away from heavy waves, fun for the first 5 min then we would beat the hull for the closest anchorage.
As for motors seems like most local pangas run Johnsons & Evinrudes , parts/service available in the larger marinas & I plan a 9hp for the inflatable dink that will serve as an emergency back-up if I can modify the right bracket to get deep enough in the water if needed. Anyone have a lead on rudders the stock Macs got to go along with the brackets. Still charting Ill post distance runs at another time but there are a lot of obscure fish camps all the way down the mainland. Got to pull the trigger on a motor soon and I need it suitable for salt & fresh water
! Thanks for the input guys-
Bobby T.-26X #4767
- Captain
- Posts: 906
- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:48 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Oceanside Harbor, CA
my 90 tldi gets nearly 5 MPG at 20 MPH.
currently, it's the best price for a new tech 90hp.
etec is a bit more expensive and still unproven.
regarding the etec 90...check this out:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... gory=50439
currently, it's the best price for a new tech 90hp.
etec is a bit more expensive and still unproven.
regarding the etec 90...check this out:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... gory=50439
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nemo
- Engineer
- Posts: 143
- Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2005 4:39 pm
- Location: Aloha, Oregon, '05 M, Suz70, "Nemo"
We selected the Suzuki 70 4-stroke recently because we wanted the max power for towing the kids around when there's no wind. Having had only good wind for 1/5 of that past weekends (on Columbia river, Portland, OR) while I've been out doing an ASA course, we have no regrets on putting some serious motor on the boat - it appears we'll be using it more than we thought.
While I know we have at least a couple Suzuki service centers in Portland, you all now have me wondering about Suzuki service in other areas. Has anyone found this to be a problem?
While I know we have at least a couple Suzuki service centers in Portland, you all now have me wondering about Suzuki service in other areas. Has anyone found this to be a problem?
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Divecoz
- Admiral
- Posts: 3803
- Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 2:54 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26M
- Location: PORT CHARLOTTE FLORIDA 05 M Mercury 50 H.P. Big Foot Bill at Boats 4 Sail is my Hero
Along the Gulf
They are very close most are 50 miles or less often a lot less as the coast is a tourist area . It does get sparce around Santa Clara / City Del Carmen till you get to Cancun however.ronacarme wrote:A related issue comes to mind. How far apart are ports of refuge on your route? If you are far enuf away, the biggest engine may not get you in before the squall hits.
divecoz wrote
"They are very close most are 50 miles or less often a lot less as the coast is a tourist area . It does get sparce around Santa Clara / City Del Carmen till you get to Cancun however."
Right-on, giving about 10 miles offshore for sea room the mex west coast from san carlos baja down to coz has numerous ports, marinas & sheltered coves. Motor; tough choice guys, not like Im building this boat just for this cruise, hope to get many years of enjoyment from it and pass it on to one of the kids. But when your talking about almost the cost of the complete new boat and for where Im using it I want to try to hit it dead on the head the first time.
"They are very close most are 50 miles or less often a lot less as the coast is a tourist area . It does get sparce around Santa Clara / City Del Carmen till you get to Cancun however."
Right-on, giving about 10 miles offshore for sea room the mex west coast from san carlos baja down to coz has numerous ports, marinas & sheltered coves. Motor; tough choice guys, not like Im building this boat just for this cruise, hope to get many years of enjoyment from it and pass it on to one of the kids. But when your talking about almost the cost of the complete new boat and for where Im using it I want to try to hit it dead on the head the first time.
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Catigale
- Site Admin
- Posts: 10421
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- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Admiral .............Catigale 2002X.......Lots of Harpoon Hobie 16 Skiffs....Island 17
- Contact:
Ive been corrected on this before and I think it is a valid criticism
Buying a big motor for 'safety margin' in terms of being able to get off the water quickly is probably faulty reasoning.
By the time you make the command decision to head in, the chop/waves/wind will probably limit you to 10 knots steaming speed anyway. My 50HP will do that fully ballasted, fully loaded, 4 adults up all day long.
If you want a bigger motor to go faster - go for it!! (After you do the transom mods of course....)
Buying a big motor for 'safety margin' in terms of being able to get off the water quickly is probably faulty reasoning.
By the time you make the command decision to head in, the chop/waves/wind will probably limit you to 10 knots steaming speed anyway. My 50HP will do that fully ballasted, fully loaded, 4 adults up all day long.
If you want a bigger motor to go faster - go for it!! (After you do the transom mods of course....)
Personally, I would go with whatever 70 HP motor your dealer will install and keep the Mac Guarantee. Even if you plan to extensively trailer the boat to foreign waters, most of your maintenance will be done at home. A well stocked spares kit should work for most problems away from home.
My experience with the X and M is that the 50 did just fine on our X, although it was noisy and had some vibration. To go the same top speed (more or less) on the M the 70 is needed. The extra weight of the Suzuki 70 on our boat is not noticed on the M as long as the steering is disconnected for sailing.
My experience with the X and M is that the 50 did just fine on our X, although it was noisy and had some vibration. To go the same top speed (more or less) on the M the 70 is needed. The extra weight of the Suzuki 70 on our boat is not noticed on the M as long as the steering is disconnected for sailing.