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Outboard for 1969 E26 Crealock

Gray0043

New Member
Hello everyone!

Last year I acquired an old Ericson 26-1 in need of some TLC. She came without a motor, and the only thing I had at the time to get moving was an old 2 stroke 8 HP johnson from my jon boat. I had plenty of speed with it, but any wave action whatsoever and my prop was way out of the water. Needless to say, I'm looking to upgrade.

The boat has been retrofitted with an outboard bracket on the back, so I dont plan on using the engine well that the 26-1 came stock with. I'm looking at a Tohatsu SailPro, either in 6HP or 9.8HP.

90% of my sailing will be day trips around Hood Canal (in the puget sound), with the rare trip up north towards the San Juans. Currents aren't bad on Hood Canal and I dont expect to do any rough weather sailing. With the 26-1 coming in at 4400#, do you think I'd be alright with the 6HP Sailpro? Looking to save weight on the bracket mostly, but the extra $1000 in my pocket would also be nice for the slew of updates she needs.

Thanks!

Gray
 

Prairie Schooner

Jeff & Donna, E35-3 purchased 7/21
I had a 9.8 on a Catalina 22. It was a bit oversized, but not unmanageable. Planning starts with average conditions, but you want you have capability for pop-up extreme conditions. FWIW
 

bigd14

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
We had a Tohatsu 6 HP on a Ranger 22 (2100lbs displacement) and it was only adequate in the strong currents around here. I found a used 1998 4 stroke Yamaha 9.9 Extra Long Shaft Hi-Thrust for my 27 (6600lbs displacement). It might be a bit of overkill for the 26 but would certainly be reliable and have plenty of power. Excellent motor. I think it weighed right around 95 pounds. The Hi-Thrust is a lower geared motor with a big prop that is good for displacement hulls. Many of the fishermen here use them for trolling motors next to their big 150-200HP main outboards.

Make sure to get the 25" extra long shaft whatever motor you end up with.
 

Gray0043

New Member
We had a Tohatsu 6 HP on a Ranger 22 (2100lbs displacement) and it was only adequate in the strong currents around here. I found a used 1998 4 stroke Yamaha 9.9 Extra Long Shaft Hi-Thrust for my 27 (6600lbs displacement). It might be a bit of overkill for the 26 but would certainly be reliable and have plenty of power. Excellent motor. I think it weighed right around 95 pounds. The Hi-Thrust is a lower geared motor with a big prop that is good for displacement hulls. Many of the fishermen here use them for trolling motors next to their big 150-200HP main outboards.

Make sure to get the 25" extra long shaft whatever motor you end up with.
I'll definitely be going 25", no more prop bouncing out for me! The currents around where I am rarely get above 2 knots or so, it isn't until I head north towards the straights where they really come into play. That's a trip I'll maybe have time for once or twice a year, and I figure rather than trying to plow my way through with more HP, I could just play the tides right.

Or even better, just use the sails!
 

Stuphoto

Member III
I am just above you, in the Salish Sea ( Gulf Islands ) of British Columbia,

My Honda 9.9 will easily push my 5400 lb E25 at around 6 knots
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
A modern displacement hull-rated four stroke would be great. We had the Yamaha 10 Hi Thrust (25 inch leg) on our prior Niagara 26 for a decade. The gearing was different than an engine built for a planing boat, and it used a large 11.5 inch three blade prop. Wonderful engine for a sailboat.
Is there some reason why you are not using the superior motor well in your boat. Brackets are a poor alternative because they cause the prop to pop out of the water in waves.
 

Gray0043

New Member
A modern displacement hull-rated four stroke would be great. We had the Yamaha 10 Hi Thrust (25 inch leg) on our prior Niagara 26 for a decade. The gearing was different than an engine built for a planing boat, and it used a large 11.5 inch three blade prop. Wonderful engine for a sailboat.
Is there some reason why you are not using the superior motor well in your boat. Brackets are a poor alternative because they cause the prop to pop out of the water in waves.
One of the previous owners had retrofitted the transom to support the bracket on the stern, and in doing so made the well unusable. I'm debating undoing their handiwork and reinstating the well to house the outboard. That's another reason why I'm leaning towards the 6hp sailpro, as I'm pretty positive I'd be able to close the well cover still. The 4 stroke 9.8 would be too big to fit.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
That's another reason why I'm leaning towards the 6hp sailpro, as I'm pretty positive I'd be able to close the well cover still. The 4 stroke 9.8 would be too big to fit.
You will want to check out the fit carefully. When that well was designed in the late 60's, the (hugely) dominant sailboat engine was the Johnson Sail Master, 9.9 and designers liked it because the power head sat very low in the top casting. It was lightweight as well, being a two stroke.
You might find that a modern 8 hp will be plenty of torque and power, tho.
 

Bepi

E27 Roxanne
The Atomic 4 comes in 18 and 30hp. My vessel, Roxanne, came with a Yamaha f25 out board. While many see it as over kill it is mid-range compared to original intended hp. Many times in strong currents I have been grateful for the power. Leaving late from the island recently I put the engine at just above idle and sailing in 11kts wind maintained an average of 5.8 kts with minimal engine noise. If I powered down I think I would regret it. .02
 
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Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
The Atomic 4 comes in 18 and 30hp. My vessel, Roxanne, came with a Yamaha f25 out board. While many see it as over kill it is mid-range compared to original intended hp. Many times in strong currents I have been grateful for the power. Leaving late from the island recently I put the engine at just above idle and sailing in 11kts wind maintained an average of 5.8 kts with minimal engine noise. If I powered down I think I would regret it. .02
The Ericson 26 Mk1 was offered with a well inside the stern for an OB motor. If it ever had a provision for an optional IB, this would be surprising.
A friend of mine owned one of these and really liked it for sailing prowess and for cruising for a young couple. He was using an Evenrude 15 that came with the boat, but admitted that it was really horse power (and weight) that was never needed. That motor stayed in the well. IIRC it would still tilt up for sailing altho a smaller engine would have been better. And being in the well, a standard "long" shaft should be all you need.

Previous thread about this: https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/transom-length-on-a-1969-ericson-26.18189/
 
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G Kiba

Sustaining Member
I bought the Tohatsu 9.8 with electric start for my E27 in 2008. 98lbs it think? Great motor! Nice to have a quiet smooth running twin cylinder on long motors to the SF Bay from the delta. The electric start came in handy too. No bracket as I mounted in the cutout of the transom on the E27. Was easier to handle lifting a lowering and rarely popped out of the water in the rough. I had the extra long shaft. Motor was still running perfect when i sold the boat in 2020. Did replace the carburetor due to water damage (corrosion) from a bad batch of gas and so much ethanol.
 

Stuphoto

Member III
If memory serves me correctly, some 9.- outboards are based on the 8hp motor making them a little smaller and lighter.
Although it comes with a hefty price tag, I believe the Yamaha is one of these.
They may fit with few mods.

You probably want to avoid the Honda, it's a detuned 15hp. Making it bigger and at around 100 lbs a bugger to lift on and off.

Because of this, mine doesn't quite fit my boat properly.
Plus whenever I have to lift my motor off, I am tempted to find a lightweight 2 stroke and rebuild it.
The Ericson 26 Mk1 was offered with a well inside the stern for an OB motor.
In my opinion this is the best setup.
Looks better than having an outboard hanging off the transom yet if anything goes wrong you can pull the motor in minutes and either take it to the shop or just drop in a new one.

If only there was a diesel outboard readily available.

The only real downside is very little control while in reverse.
 

Gray0043

New Member
If memory serves me correctly, some 9.- outboards are based on the 8hp motor making them a little smaller and lighter.
Although it comes with a hefty price tag, I believe the Yamaha is one of these.
They may fit with few mods.

You probably want to avoid the Honda, it's a detuned 15hp. Making it bigger and at around 100 lbs a bugger to lift on and off.

Because of this, mine doesn't quite fit my boat properly.
Plus whenever I have to lift my motor off, I am tempted to find a lightweight 2 stroke and rebuild it.

In my opinion this is the best setup.
Looks better than having an outboard hanging off the transom yet if anything goes wrong you can pull the motor in minutes and either take it to the shop or just drop in a new one.

If only there was a diesel outboard readily available.

The only real downside is very little control while in reverse.
I would prefer to be able to use the well, as the motor hanging off the back is definitely a little unsightly. It'll take some work to get the well on my boat ready for service though, and careful measurement to make sure whatever motor I end up with will actually fit.

Sounds like folks have been pretty happy with 9.8-9.9 HP for boats in the 5500lb-700lb range. Ideally, I think a 9.8 would be the way to go for that extra oomph, but with my boat weighing in at 4400, if the 6 horse fits the well but the 9.8 doesnt, I think I'd be willing to sacrifice the buffer in HP for the convenience of the well.
 
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