Cruising World - May 2016

HANDS-ON SAILOR

57

MOTORS

E

very few years, I like to

examine the latest and

best options for powering up

your dinghy or pocket cruiser.

I followed the transition from

relatively lightweight but

smoky and smelly two-stroke

engines to their much heavier

but essentially smokeless

four-stroke counterparts. But

a lot has changed since my last

look at what’s available in the

marketplace. Now you have

many choices: two-stroke or

four-stroke, propane-fueled

or electric, and carbureted or

fuel-injected. So what’s best

for your situation? Let’s take a

closer look and let you decide.

WHAT’S AVAILABLE?

Your range of choices will

depend on the size of your

dinghy and whether you need

to achieve planing speeds. A

Torqeedo 1003, for example,

can propel a boat weighing

up to 3,000 pounds, but not

planing. So one question you

need to answer is whether

planing is important to you;

it’ll make a big dif erence in

your choice of power.

Another important issue is

ethanol fuel and the impact

it has on outboard engines,

especially low-horsepower

engines. The fuel does go stale

and will tend to absorb water,

which ends up settling inside

your engine’s carburetor.

Additionally, the alcohol in

ethanol acts as a solvent and

will go a long way toward

loosening up any sediment

or other contaminants in

your fuel system. As a result

of water-contaminated fuel,

I had to replace the entire

carburetor on my three-

year-old 3-horsepower

four-stroke engine. The

mechanic explained the

problem quite well: These

newer engines are so fuel-

ei cient that the carburetor

jets are much smaller than

equivalent-horsepower two-

stroke engines of a decade

ago. As a result, carburetor

jets get plugged up quite

easily, so ongoing problems

with these engines are not

uncommon, and clean fuel is

imperative! Be advised that

as of this writing, none of

the major outboard engine

manufacturers recommend

any fuel over 10 percent

ethanol, so E15 is categorically

out. If you are lucky enough

to live in a state that still sells

no-ethanol fuel, I recommend

taking that route, especially

with carbureted engines.

Conversely, my fuel-

injected outboard engine

never misses a beat. A

new fuel/water separator

fi lter installed annually

keeps everything running

beautifully. Both Evinrude

and Suzuki now of er

15-horsepower electronically

may 2016

cruisingworld.com

At the lower horsepowers, there is quite a bit of variety in outboards. You can get a four-

stroke gas-powered model, such as the Tohatsu 5 hp (1) or Yamaha 4 hp portable (2). For

an almost silent ride, the battery-powered Torqeedo Travel 1003 electric (3) has propul-

sion comparable to a 3 or 4 hp gas motor. Alternatively, the Lehr 2.5 hp outboard (4) is

powered by a camp-stove-style propane tank.

ED’S TIP

If you’re planning an

extended cruise or

international travel, do an

online search to determine

the size of the global

service network for the

motor you might purchase.

When it comes to propelling your tender, a lot has happened over a short

period. Here are your options. BY ED SHERMAN

2 DINGHY POWER

2 3

1

4

COURTESY OF THE MANUFACTURERS