Hi Tom,

I’ve owned our Rhodes 22 since 1987.  It’s had 2 outboards, a 6 hp Evinrude long shaft and an 8 hp Honda extra long shaft.  Both motors gave reliable service.  In my opinion, 6 hp is about the minimum if you are going to be out in any sort of weather.  Of course, more is always better.

But, notice that I specified the shaft length?  The shaft length is at least as important as the hp.  With a transom hung outboard, a longer shaft permits the prop to stay submerged as the boat passes thru waves.  This is a particular issue on port tack.  In heavy weather, you are going to want to be able to motor sail to weather on BOTH tacks.  The 25” long shaft permits the boat to keep the prop submerged and thus better able to couple the power into the water.  Your outboard is useless and can be damaged if it is spinning helplessly out of the water.  What ever you buy, get the version with the longest available shaft.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
1978. Sanford, MI
Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 3, 2024, at 12:01 PM, Tom Van Heule <tom.vanheule at intrinsicprograms.com> wrote:
> 
> wrote:
> 
>> I have a Torqeedo electric motor and really like it, but my sailing is on
>> an inland lake never very far from the marina.  I’m not sure how an
>> electric motor would do for coastal cruising.
>> 
>> Frank
>> 
>> Frank Goldsmith
>> S/V Mary Bess (Rhodes 22 1985/2001)
>> Fairview, NC
>> Lake Keowee, SC
>> 
>> 
>>>>> On Dec 3, 2024, at 11:43 AM, Stephen Staum <snstaum at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Tom,
>>> 
>>> I am a Rhodes 22 owner since 2003.  My first was a lake boat with a 4 HP
>>> Mariner 2 stroke outboard.  I found the 4 horse adequate even in offshore
>>> conditions with 4 ft. seas and 35 mph winds.  I lost that boat in a
>>> hurricane and the replacement came with a 9.9 HP 2 stroke Johnson
>>> Sailmaster.  I will concede that the extra HP came in very handy in a