Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by mattroche on 04/13/09 - 11:05 AM

I have an older, 8' fiberglass dinghy that I need to power. The dinghy was a gift from a friend who never had power on it and there is nothing identifiable onboard indicating the correct power. I came across a sweet, older Johnson short shaft, 4HP, 2-stroke, twin cyl outboard that I'm considering purchasing. Is this too much power? Am I better off with a 2HP, 2-stroke? Price of the outboard is $375

Posted by Troy on 04/13/09 - 11:49 AM

I can't imagine that you would find the 4hp engine to be too much. Even moving one person on an 8 foot boat, you are only going to get so much speed out of a 4 hp engine.

Posted by Tig on 04/13/09 - 5:47 PM

I have a very light 10' fiberglass fishing boat with a 6hp on it. With a 12 year old at the helm it will top out at over 25 mph. It will still plane with 2 adults in it. Often I will fish from that little boat using just a 30lb thrust electric trolling motor.
In an 8' boat you might want to look for a motor with a pony tank to save space in the boat. A 3 gallon tank takes up more room than necessary and last a long long time. A five gallon tank might last all summer. :)
What are you going to use the boat for?

Posted by mattgeiger on 04/14/09 - 3:36 AM

Those old 2cyl Johnsons are great motors. You won't find a modern 4-stroke in this hp range near as smooth when under a load - pushing a boat.

An alternate with an integral fuel tank in that price range would be a 90's Nissan/Tohatsu 2.5/3.3.

The British Seagulls are really cool, but you'll need ear plugs.

Posted by mattroche on 04/14/09 - 4:28 AM

Tig,

I was planning on using as my tender, to and from my mooring, and leaving it at the public dinghy dock.

Posted by Tig on 04/14/09 - 5:25 AM

Either will do the job but if the 4hp is what is available it's a good choice. I've seen pony tanks that hang on the transom available online if that suits your need. A gallon of gas may last all summer.

Posted by HarleyFXDL on 04/14/09 - 5:45 AM

I have a 10' alum jon boat and I put a Yamaha 1 cly 4hp 2-stroke on it. The boat will plane out with 1 person and do about 15 mph. I would think a 2 hp would push it just fine. BTW, the CG plate on the 10' says 3.3 hp as max.