I believe I've read all the topics on here related to outboards and I conclude that the 6hp Tohatsu is the favourite. I was confused by the use of the 'Sail Drive' version, since that implies a 20" shaft and I wouldn't have thought anyone would want that. But now I assume the references are to the short-shaft engine with the 'Sail Drive' prop. Is that correct?

I gather recent hull numbers have embodied modifications to accommodate short-shaft engines. These include moving the rubber stoppers from beneath the aluminium channels to forward of them, lengthening the wooden engine board so that it sits on the bottom of the well (instead of on the rubber stoppers, as on Sea Wyche), cutting down the port aluminium channel and, possibly, changing the shape of the aperture blanking plate. I've seen no evidence that the dimensions of the well have been changed...

After careful measurement, I'm confident Sea Wyche's well will accommodate a short-shaft engine. It will need to sit 3" lower than the current long-shaft engine. The carrying handle and base of the engine's tiller will come level with the cockpit sole, which appears to agree with the photo of Exodus's engine. That will put the cavitation plate a good 2" below the hull.

I want to be able to fit the aperture blanking plate when sailing. Mine is flat; do the more recent ones protrude downwards to allow more room for the engine under the tiller?

Anthony Russell

235/02 Sea Wyche

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This all gets a bit complicated, because as you say, there has been some modifications to the boats as time has gone on. I understand that the newer boats are able to use the short shaft engines. To accommodate the engine in the raised position the stainless steel rudder stocks have been modified to lift the height of the tiller clear of the raised engine. The plate in the well is dished to add to the clearance. Not sure about the size of the engine well.

You are right about the 6 hp Tohatsu. It does seem to be the favoured one, which I also have. The Tohastu, Mariner and Mercury are all the same engines produced by Tohatsu. The Tohatsu usually being sold a bit cheaper. The saildrive refers to the type of prop that is fitted. It is more suitable to high thrust and relatively low boat speed that is more suitable for our usage. I think it also comes with a small charging unit built in.

Regards

Graham Ebb

235/25 Blue Jazz

Thanks Graham. I assume you've got the short-shaft model too. I shall find out for sure whether it works alright on my boat because I've bought one (Extreme Marine, as I note others have used - good price, clearly deals with lots of them and good service so far).

As long as the well is the same, I can make all the other modifications that I know of. I'll buy the new-shape blanking plate from Parker's and, if necessary, extend the rudder stock.

As you say, it is rather complicated to work out what all the modifications along the way have been but this forum continues to be an invaluable reference.

Anthony Russell

235/02 Sea Wyche

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I have the long shaft engine which was the standard when I purchased our boat. Using the short shaft and lifting the engine clear of the water came a couple of years later.

I bought our tender outboard from Extreme Marine last year, a 2.5 hp 2 stroke Tohatsu, pretty much the last one available with the new restrictions in force. I wanted the 2 stroke because they are lighter and easier to lift on and off the tender.

Hope everything goes well.

Graham Ebb

235/25 Blue Jazz

I used the new Tohatsu for the first time at the weekend and found it superb! I've read that others would wish it were quieter but compared with the old Yamaha F4 it replaced (which, to be fair, had a cracked cowling), it's much quieter. It also has noticably more thrust and responsiveness. I attribute that to the 'sail drive' prop, which has far greater blade area than the old prop, as well as shallower pitch.

As well as wanting to lift the engine clear for sailing, I also wanted the short-shaft engine to use on my tender, so I don't have to carry a second outboard. I do have a little two-stroke outboard too (and it is lighter) but it seems like unnecessary weight to carry that as well. I bought one of those 'motor grip' webbing handles that fit on the top of the engine, which makes lifting it out of the well and over the side easier (though admittedly not 'easy'!)

Anthony Russell

235/02 Sea Wyche

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Glad you like your Tohatsu 6, but you must be a young fit man, Russell, if you even contemplate transferring the engine to your dinghy on the water! Having "bad backs" we find it difficult enough on dry land at the beginning of the season ( we keep Tarakihi on a swing, drying mooring). Also it is a bit of a problem even lifting the engine to get it out of the water stream for sailing and mooring. Has anyone devised an easy, mechanically assisted lifting method? I tried some simple blocks and tackles between the lower edge of the engine mounting board and an eye fitting on the edge of well. This worked without the engine but not with all the weight plus friction.

We have a short shaft engine, it is rather noisy and I'm a little concerned that it doesn't drive efficiently - there is a considerable amount of water thrashing about at the stern, suggesting, perhaps that the prop is not immersed sufficiently. However, the cavitation plate seems to be correct with respect to the hull. Any ideas?

Chris Cobb

235/48 "Tarakihi"

Fitting the webbing handle (from Salty John) on the top does make lifting a good deal easier. It allows the engine to hang vertically when lifted out of the well and over the side. Without it, both hands are needed to hold the engine vertically, leaving nothing to hold onto the boat with for balance and bracing. Having one or two wooden pads for resting the skeg on (to protect the deck) while shifting position also helps. Also, if you have crew, the main halyard could be attached to the webbing handle to take some of the weight (though I haven’t tried that yet, so I don’t know how well it works in practice). (Better still might be to use the boom, raised up and guyed, with the main sheet tackle lifting the engine.) I agree it might not be very good for the back, though!

In raising the engine in the well, I found there was a lot of friction between the wood and the aluminium channels (they were completely jammed together when I bought the boat and I had to use a mallet from underneath). It was well worth giving the channels a good clean and spraying with PTFE aerosol. I haven’t yet got a mechanism for holding the assembly up for fitting the blanking plate but I was pondering the method you used or the method mentioned elsewhere on the forum of a steel pin through one of the channels. They still require the engine to be lifted first. But I find the trickiest part is easing the cavitation plate and prop through the hull aperture because they catch on the edges. Given that requires the engine to be wiggled a bit (which also helps to overcome the static friction), I don’t think I’d be able to use a mechanical lifting mechanism (without a second pair of hands). Nevertheless, perhaps a screw-jack arrangement would work best. There might be room down the front of the well, between the engine clamps. Maybe the screw from a car scissor jack would be long enough? It would rust, though, of course…

As for the engine’s thrust, mine was excellent, as I said. Have you got the ‘Sail Drive’ prop? It’s significantly lower pitched than the standard (6 inches vs 8 inches), which allows the engine to rev properly with that weight of boat. I used the zero-tilt setting – i.e. engine in its most vertical position – so the prop wash was directed horizontally aft. The wash looked good, with the bubbles rising to the surface several feet behind the boat. Perhaps yours is tilted?

Anthony Russell

235/02 Sea Wyche

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Anthony, thanks for your suggestions. Not sure if using halyards etc would help as the angle of pull would ten to jamb the board in the slots. Our engine board is not a tight fit in the aluminium guides. I have improved the lifting by chamfering the top edge to prevent it jambing on the heads of the guide securing bolts/rivets. We use a s/s rod through a hole in guide and board to secure the engine in its raised position so that we can get the blanking plate into and out of position. I agree that, particularly, trying to relocate the plate is a pain and not made easier if there is swell or wash from other boats going past. Can't see any alternatives given the design. I also find that the plate is the ideal trap for mud in suspension entering the well via the small slot and collecting in the hollow of the plate. I guess anyone who doesn't moor their boat on a tidal river probably wont see this effect.

Chris Cobb

235/48 "Tarakihi"

We have a Yamaha 6hp 2-stroke on Northern Sky, the P235 we bought last year. It's very noisy and doesn't seem to have the power to get through a sea with any chop, so we're looking for a better option.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Lots of P235s have a Tohatsu 6hp - how have they fared after a few years' use, and what other options have owners seriously looked at?

In particular, has anyone tried a larger engine? (Being able to raise it in the well while sailing is not a major concern for us).

All comments gratefully received!

Doug O'Malley

P235/55 Northern Sky

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Just in case any one is interested I have a spare 4-6hp Mariner/Mercury/Tohatsu high thrust prop. I bought it only to discover it was remarkably similar to the one already on the engine.

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Hello Doug,

Does your engine have a 'sail drive' prop? There was a similar discussion a few months ago on the S22 forum, which might help: http://www.parkerseal.org.uk/bbs/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1547 

Anthony Russell

235/02 Sea Wyche

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Anthony - yes, I needed to replace the prop last winter and fitted what I believe is a "high thrust" prop which sounds similar to Tohatsu's sail drive. I've had a look at the S22 forum that you suggested; I suspect that my Mariner may be past its best and I'll need to go shopping ...

Thanks Anthony and Mike for your replies.

Doug O'Malley

P235/55 Northern Sky

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