This. Go big or go light, don’t go to the middle. I had a 2 HP Honda for many years. It wasn’t fast, but it was trivial to pass it up and down. I then had a 6 HP Johnson that was too heavy to take on and off without gear, but also wasn’t all that fast. I got all the drag of towing a dinghy with an engine on and not much reward. I now have a 15 HP Evinrude that also stays on all year but goes plenty fast. I can do a 30 mile round trip by dinghy in an hour, my top speed is around 18-19 knots. So back to the original post, get the lightest engine you can find. 2 HP is plenty to get a dinghy to hull speed.
Joe Della Barba Coquina C&C 35 MK I www.dellabarba.com From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Dennis C. via CnC-List Sent: Friday, June 12, 2020 11:35 AM To: CnClist <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Cc: Dennis C. <capt...@gmail.com> Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Stus-List Roll-Up Inflatable Dinghies and Motors First, make sure whatever inflatable you buy has thermowelded seams. I think all of them should be that way now. Don't buy glued seams. I had one of those. The bottom fell out one day on the way to the beach. Nothing like zipping along in a bottomless donut with a 7.5 hp motor. Second, motors are nice but a pain to deal with. We just row most of the time now. The motor is in a storage shed in the backyard. Third, if I do go back to a motor, weight will be the primary consideration. Sure, it's fun to plane in our inflatable with the 7.5 hp but having to mount and dismount the 80 pound motor with a halyard is a pain. I can get to the beach just as well with a 2.5 lightweight motor. Think about it. You sailed to the anchorage at 6 knots. Why do you need to do 20 knots to get to the beach? -- Dennis C. Touche' 35-1 #83 Mandeville, LA
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