Here's where you have to decide what's important for your situation. I sail 
 on an inland lake and there have been a couple of times I was really glad 
I had  the extra horses of the 8hp. The Tohatsu 2 cycle starts with just 
half of a  pull. It's so easy even my weak wife can start it. I found that to 
be a major  concern since I've been known to drink to much on occasion and 
found it  next to impossible to start the motor. Heck, I couldn't even see the 
 motor.                                                                     
                                                       Hull speed on the 
R22 is around 6 Knotts. I can easily reach that with less than  2/3rds 
throttle. If I was to buy a new motor today for the R22 I would strongly  consider 
the 6hp long shaft with the high torque prop.
I have never heard from anyone on this or other lists that have  ever had 
trouble with Tohatsu's. They have a bullet proof design.
 
Rummy
 
 
In a message dated 8/17/2009 12:13:39 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
djohnson0671 at gmail.com writes:

Rummy,

Thanks for your input.

Everything I read about  Tohatsu is very positive.  Is there any advantage 
to
going to an extra  long shaft (25 versus 20)?  Tohatsu just introduced a 6 
hp
they call a  sail pro with a 25" shaft and a higher torque propeller.  I 
like
the  weight and cost of a 6hp, but am not sure if this is enough HP for the
bay  - also like the electric start option of the 8 hp, but must live with
the  weight.  I'd really like to be able to haul it off the boat myself,  so
lighter is onviously better.

On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 11:05 AM,  <R22RumRunner at aol.com> wrote:

> Dan,
> You will get a  lot of responses on this topic, but I will speak only from
> my own  personal experience. I have the Tohatsu 8hp, two stroke on Rum
> Runner.  It  has always been bullet proof, but you might have a hard time
>  finding
> one. I also  have the 9.8 Tohatsu four stroke on a small  fishing boat 
that
> also does very  well. I'm not real fussy about  the fuel and haven't
> experienced any of the  problems other  owners on the list have talked
> about. The four
> stroke  Tohatsu  with electric start weighs about 90 pounds and costs  
about
> $1,830.00 from  onlineoutboards.com in TN. I would think  the 8hp would be
> more than enough. Be  sure to look for the long  shaft.
>
> Rummy
>
>
> In a message dated  8/16/2009 8:24:29 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
>   djohnson0671 at gmail.com writes:
>
> I know  that we have  discussed to death the ethanol fuel problems and in
> particular   the Yamaha 9.9 issues - and I don't want to rehash them.
> However, I  am  looking for concrete recommendations for a new outboard 
for
>  our  Rhodes.
>
> We bought an '83 (recycled by Stan in '08)  and got the Yamaha  9.9 with 
the
> boat.  It has been nothing  but unreliable.  Now  after putting about $800
> into repair  bills in the last 2 years, I've  decided to just let it sink,
>  or
> go wherever old outboards go and buy a new  one.  The  unreliability of 
the
> motor has made our Rhodes a very fancy  raft  with a very nice view from 
our
> slip.
>
> My ideal motor I  don't  think exists - electric start, 6-8 hp, and 
weighing
> about  75 lbs or  less.  So what are the best options out there from  you
> folks'  perspectives?  The boat is in a slip on the  Chesapeake  
(Solomons);
> while I obviously would prefer to be  sailing, we need an engine  to get 
in
> and out of the slip and to  get home reliably when the wind  fails.
>
> Thanks for any  and all recommendations, real-world expierences,  etc.  
I'd
>  like to buy one this fall before the season comes to a   close.
>
> Dan  Johnson
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