We have a 500 lbs., 14' sailboat and are choosing between a 2hp and a 3.5hp. How much faster better is a 3.5.
Both options are four strokes. The 2 hp Honda is air-cooled, and the 3.5 Merc/Nissan/Tohatsu is water cooled. Also, anyone know when the new Merc/Nissan/Tohatsu four stroke 3.5 will be in stores?
Answers:
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It depends on your "theoretical hull speed" (see the link below). For your boat, that would be around 5 knots. The motor will speed the boat up to that point, and then adding more power will not do much. Then, there is another threshold where the boat pops out of the water and onto a plane, but that requires a motor so big it wouldn't make any sense for your little boat. That means to save money and gas, you should just use a motor that is just big enough to drive your boat up to hull speed and not much more.As a general rule of thumb, you should have 1 hp for each 300 or so pounds of displacement to drive the boat at hull speed. Remember that your 500 pound boat will have, let's say, 3 150-pound people on it, so that will bring the displacement up to 950 to 1000 pounds or so. That means you should have just over 3 hp to drive your boat at hull speed, so I'd go with the 3.5 if I were you.
Sorry, don't know when the Merc/Nissan/Tohatsu four stroke 3.5 will come out.
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I think I would go for the 3.5 as it may get you out of bad weather quicker.I want to get involved in boating/sailing.What is the best way to get started?
I think that either motor will move your boat along nicely. If you will be bucking currents are tides the extra HP would be handy. I would think that the fact that the Honda is air cooled one would expect it to be noisier. But the Honda is lighter(28 v 38 lbs). The Honda has a reverse, the Merc you will have to swivel around. If your plan is to use it to just get you in and out of the marina I would go with the Honda. If you plan to use it to power you around a lot on a river or in open water I would go with the Merc.Fair winds and following seas buddy.
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