The Tohatsu/Mercury 3.5 at ~41 lbs. could work for you, IF you can live with no reverse gear. Fuel tank is built-in, so no hose to kink when spinning it 180 degrees. The extra HP over the Honda 2.3 or Suzuki 2.5 should get you what you need in really strong headwinds, if you want close to hull speed in any navigable conditions. Fuel consumption per distance is going to go up steeply as you approach & hold hull speed...just have plenty of fuel if you want to maintain that pace! I would say more HP than that is wasted and just extra weight on an M17 (since you can't get up to 4hp+ without adding ~20 more lbs, for newer 4-cycle outboards). I'm a minimalist in some aspects, so I got the Honda 2.3. If I wasn't a minimalist, I would probably have got the Tohatsu 3.5. It's a better deal per HP, at only about $50 more street price (not to mention cheaper per pound ;-). My M17 came with a nearly new Tohatsu 6hp SailPro extra long shaft. Complete overkill...dunno what the previous owners were thinking. Maybe a fast talking outboard salesman? Just idling, if I put it in gear it was more thrust than felt safe for maneuvering in confined spaces like marina docks & passages etc., and the torque it put on the mount & transom was scary to watch. I sold it early on, to someone with a Venuture 25 or something "big" like that. Best wishes for your choice, whatever it be...! cheers, John On 10/13/20 4:46 PM, Andrei Caldararu via montgomery_boats wrote:
Thanks all for the replies, that is quite a help already! First off, hat tip to my namesake Andre ;)
To answer Dave’s question, most of my sailing is day sailing, but I did several 4-5 day long trips on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior (island hopping near shore only, or a long crossing from the north shore to Isle Royale and back). In the future I expect to do more Lake Michigan sailing, near shore in the bays around Door County, Baileys Harbor area. (Btw, any fellow Monty owners in that area?)
Getting electricity is the least important requirement for me. But one thing I really don’t want is to have to take the engine off and on every time I go sailing, that would be a deal killer for me. So light weight and reliability are the most important factors. The motor must also be able to push the boat, close to hull speed, even in 25-30kts of wind. This is a safety issue I don’t want to compromise on, in big water. I don’t want to install a new mount, if possible.
Based on what I’ve heard so far I guess the best option is still to refurbish my 4hp, or else to try to look for another 1980’s two stroke motor. That’s a bit of a bummer, I was really hoping to go to a four stroke motor; it always makes my heart sink when I see a thin film of oil extending on the surface of pristine water from my motor when I start up.
So the moral of the story is — no perfect motor, huh? Nothing in the 4-5hp range, 4 stroke, weighing less than 40lbs and with reverse? (I don’t mind turning the motor around, but it always kinks the fuel line and I keep worrying that the motor will run out of fuel at just the wrong time... This may not be a problem on the Honda 2hp which has the fuel tank built in, but it is an issue with my motor.)
Thanks, Andrei.
On Oct 13, 2020, at 18:16, Dave Scobie <scoobscobie@gmail.com> wrote:
I forgot to add - the fixed height motor mount mount is problematic for a 4-cycle motor. The power heads are larger than on a 2-cycle. Means you can't tilt up the motor. A spacer is needed to get enough transom clearance. Or you can install a lifting mount - best is the Garhauer OB-125.
:: Dave Scobie :: M6'8" #650 :: SV SWALLOW - sv-swallow.com :: former owner M17 #375 SWEET PEA - m17-375.com :: former owner M15 #288 SCRED - www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred/
On Tue, Oct 13, 2020, 3:36 PM Dave Scobie <scoobscobie@gmail.com> wrote:
The best no longer available motor for the M17 was the Yamaha 4HP long, 20", shaft. All motors in the 4-6HP range are now 6HP powerheads with different carbs.
A Honda 2/2.3 HP will push the M17 just fine. You will not have as much reserve for fighting wind and to an extent waves (the 17 is a displacement hull and throwing horsepower at it will not make the boat go faster - such as going against current).
For perspective my 25' on deck (29' on spar) wooden full keel 8500# sailboat/home has a Honda 8. I live on and cruise the Salish Sea.
I've cruised with a couple that ran a Yamaha 2.5HP on their M17 - this was on one of Larry Yake's San Juan Islands trips. They did fine though the Yamaha 2.5 only available as a short 15" shaft so they had prop cavitation issues if the waves got up.
I lived aboard my M17 for 10 weeks and only had a 30watt solar panel and group 24 battery. Never needed an alternator nor hooking up to shore power. Prior to having solar gone 5 days without needing to charge the battery (again group 24) - also done the non-solar nor alternator route on multiple Jerry designs: M15, M17, Sage 17 and SageCat.
M17 SWEET PEA's motor is a Suzuki 4HP long 20" shaft. No alternator or external tank.
Andrei how are you using the boat? Buy a motor that fits how you sail/cruise. Only day sailing? Only one night aboard? Long multiple week trips? Lakes? Coastal? Share some details and I share my POV.
:: Dave Scobie :: M6'8" #650 :: SV SWALLOW - sv-swallow.com :: former owner M17 #375 SWEET PEA - m17-375.com :: former owner M15 #288 SCRED - www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred/
On Tue, Oct 13, 2020, 12:40 PM Andrei Caldararu via montgomery_boats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
Hello fellow Monty owners, my 1982 M17 came with a trusty old Evinrude 4hp, 2 cylinder version (see attached, old picture). Advantage -- lightweight (35lbs). Disadvantages -- works only sometimes, and has left me stranded a number of times in no-wind conditions; very noisy; uses smelly gasoline -- my wife complains about this a lot; no reverse; no alternator. Recently it has caused me enough troubles that I decided to try looking for another motor. One model that I was looking at was the Tohatsu Propane 5hp which seemed to do everything right. Until I looked at the weight -- well over 65 lbs! As currently set up, my boat has the original fixed motor mount, and I leave the Evinrude there all the time, including when trailering long distances. Never had a problem. After seeing the weight of the Tohatsu, I started having doubts that it would be a good idea to get it. I fear that keeping it on the mount all the time will damage my transom or my mount during trailering. Three questions: a) Does anyone have experience with keeping a heavy motor on the mount all the time?b) If the Tohatsu is not the right one, are there recommendations for a lightweight, reliable, motor for the M17 that is quiet and has reverse? I don't think the Honda 2hp is powerful enough for the M17. c) Alternatively, do people feel that I may simply be better off doing a complete refurbishing of my Evinrude? I could get it in tip top shape for about $150, I guess. I am handy with mechanicals, and I have in the past replaced points, condensers, etc. Thanks for all your comments! Andrei
-- John Schinnerer - M.A., Whole Systems Design -------------------------------------------- - Eco-Living - Whole Systems Design Services People - Place - Learning - Integration john@eco-living.net - 510.982.1334 http://eco-living.net http://sociocracyconsulting.com