An Outboard for an inflatable.....

[Chinook]

In reply to the original question, I bought a long shaft kicker for use both on our Porta-Bote dinghy and as backup power and for slow speed trolling with the Mac. Like Tahoe Jack, I have a motor mount on the Mac's stern, which raises and lowers as needed. I got a 3.5hp Nissan 2 stroke, to keep weight down. It weighs 28 pounds, and I'm able to carry it around and transfer by it hand from motor mount to dinghy transom without difficulty. The long shaft allows me to power the big boat. I like to drop the rudders and troll, using a downrigger, at speeds of around 2 knots for salmon and lake trout. It is capable of pushing us along at around 4 knots if the winds are calm and seas not rough. It does fine as a dinghy motor. As for downsides of the long shaft, I'm sure it adds drag and reduces performance some. It's also more at risk of hitting bottom. I always carry spare shear pins, and have needed them from time to time. The long shaft poses problems when running onto a beach. I have to time things and tip it up before the prop hits bottom. Also, the built in tilt stop doesn't raise it high enough to clear the bottom when in shallows with the dinghy. I keep a small block of wood to jam in, raising the skeg a bit higher. Another issue with the long shaft is that, when mounted on the Mac and tilted up, it sticks out further than you'd expect. When maneuvering around in and out of docks and slips, I usually lower it to reduce the risk of having the shaft strike against a dock.

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

I got a 3.5hp Nissan 2 stroke, to keep weight down. It weighs 28 pounds, and I'm able to carry it around and transfer by it hand from motor mount to dinghy transom without difficulty.

unfortunately, that particular Nissan/Tohatsu 2-stroke is not available today (unless purchased new abroad or used locally).
that is, the emissions requirements are so strict that in CA and many other states, it must be rated as 2-Star or 3-Star minimum.
so now, one must settle for the 41 pound 4-stroke version.




Bob T.
"DāBob"
'02X w/ '04 90-TLDI (14" x 11 pitch)
Dinghy Motor: '06 2.5-Suzuki

[Chinook]

Too bad they're off the market. An extra 13 pounds of weight would really change the way I transfer it from Mac to dinghy. If you're operating on waters that don't mandate 4 strokes, I think it would be worth searching the used market. Or you could try the approach of a guy I met on our way to Alaska. He had a nice, comfy ferrocement ketch, and I noticed a Nissan 3.5 hp just like mine, only a little more weathered looking, clamped to a bracket mounted on a stanchion. I commented about him having the same kicker as I did. He said he likes to scuba dive, and while patrolling the bottom one day he spotted that Nissan lying there, in the early stages of turning itself into barnacle and anemone habitat. He surfaced and brought a line down with him, tied it to the Nissan and hauled it aboard. Amazingly, after he drained the water out of it and cleaned it up a bit, it actually started. It didn't run long, but a rebuild of the carburator got it running just fine. So, if you're a diver, keep your eyes peeled. You never know what some careless boater might have dropped overboard.

[Sumner]

I thought I would post a follow up on this. We did purchase a long shaft used Tohatsu 5 HP 4 stroke off of Craigs List in San Fran for our inflatable and as a backup motor for our Mac. We picked up a used 285 Zodiac Zoom off of Craigs' List in Florida. After talking to a tech at Zodiac I raised the.....



..... stock transom 5 inches....



I have a number of other pictures of how I did this and why here....

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... iac-3.html

..... if anyone is interested.

we are happy...



with the way it works.

c ya,

Sum

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... %20one.jpg

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