Ericson 23 outboard question

P

Peter34

New Member
Hi all,

I'm looking to replace the 1976 Johnson 6 hp on my Ericson 23-II. Sailing it in the San Juan Islands and finding I would like a little more reliability as well as a little more oomph when motoring home against a 5 kt current. Couple questions though.

Can the original motor mount on the boat handle the added weight/torque of an 85-90 lb 4 stroke? Any idea how to find that out?

Any suggestions for specific motors? Looks like most companies make either an 8 or a 9.9 hp which appears to be the same motor just tuned differently.

Any thoughts on electric motor? I looked into a Troqeedo, but between the cost of the battery (over $5k) and the motor itself ($5K), that's over $10k for a motor that doesn't have a super long run time.

Any input appreciated!

Thx
 
Nick J

Nick J

Sustaining Member
Moderator
Blogs Author
We had an 8hp Yamaha high thrust outboard on our 25+ at 5,100 lb displacement and it did a great job of pushing the boat. Anything more would be too heavy and overkill for the 25+. I would imagine a 6hp should push the 3,100 lb 23 II well. There's a big jump in weight from the 6hp platform to the 9.9s out there. I wouldn't think the weight wouldn't be worth it. We now have a Yamaha 2.5 for out dinghy and I've been really happy with it as well. I'm not sure if Yamaha has a high thrust version of the 6ph, but I've seen some Tahatsu with a large prop and ability to charge a battery that are branded "Sail Pro". The weight should be more comparable to what you have now.

Our 25+ also had an older motor bracket that worked OK for the 8ph Yamaha, but we didn't use it to raise and lower the motor. I think it was undersized for the larger motor. When I started to look into replacing it, I noticed the stern could use some reinforcement as it flexed more than I was comfortable with when the motor moved around. If you're replacing your outboard, it might be a good time to replace the bracket as well and address any necessary reinforcement as needed. It all depends on what the original bracket is, but I don't' think most were built to last a long time. If you're trailering the boat, it could also add more stress than sailing.

If you're cruising in the Puget Sound and Salish sea on any kind of schedule, you end up motoring a lot. I haven't found a practical electric installation that would provide the same range we depend on at a price point that makes any kind of sense. It would be even more difficult to store the necessary battery capacity on a 23' boat. It may be different for you since you're already in the San Juans or if you just sail the boat and use the motor to get in and out of the marina.
 
gabriel

gabriel

Live free or die hard
my friend has a 25’ sailboat which he just bought a Honda 8hp for and he's mentioned that it’s too heavy on the boat. The stern squats so bad water comes into the cockpit while underway. I wouldn’t mount such a big beast on even a 25 footer, but I’m also a stickler for weight and I sail in an area with virtually no current.

2-stroke with twin cylinders were made as small as 4 hp which made them very smooth vs single cylinder engines. 4 strokes only go as small as 8 hp and they are very heavy (reaching 100 lbs). I only say this because if you want to keep a similar weight as your current setup , you’ll have to go with that single cylinder, the biggest which is 6hp. If I was in your situation, I like either Tohatsu, 6 hp of the Suzuki. Unless you do very little motoring, electric is not a feasible option IMO.

Finally, keep in mind that if you trailer it would be smart to remove the engine as trailing puts the most shock loads on the hull. you won’t be able to move a twin cylinder 4 stroke by yourself.
 
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