6 horse tohatsu for 19 foot islander

[rolmops]

Would a 6 horse tohatsu be powerful enough to use as a kicker for a 19 foot Islander loaded down with all the trolling gear and two fat old man?

[Fat Trout]

It would probably work but im thinking it might be marginal. My fishmaster 196 has a 9.9 and its fine but im farther into the throttle than i than i thought id be going into chop trolling at salmon speed

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[rolmops]

Yes, I have always had a 9.9 myself, but I'm tired of having to carry a 2 stroke extra fuel tank where space is at a premium and the extra weight of 6 gallons of fuel and a metal tank on the rear end (about 60 pounds) is a setup balance issue. It seems that a decent light weight 4 stroke is a viable alternative. I just don't know what a decent alternative hp would be.

Also, a few years ago I saw a picture of a kicker that was installed on top of the I/O lower unit using some simple very effective engineering. This eliminates the need for a kicker bracket and the EZ steer setup.  I would love it if someone can dig out a copy of that picture. I have not been able to do so myself

[Fat Trout]

Agreed, common fuel is best.  If you are going to buy a motor at least buy a 4 stroke 8.  If you already have one, I would understand wanting to use that one first.  A kicker literally mounted to the outdrive while seemingly nice in simplicity concept sounds like a breakdown in the making, lost kicker or both.  While I have never done it or seen one it is setting alarm bells off in my head.  This is probably why photos are hard to find.  I deal with strength of materials, design and engineering as my day to day means to fund my fishing exploits.  All I can say is I recommend against anything like that.   Good luck with your setup.  Its always a challenge figuring out how to make it all work best for you without breaking the bank

[Zinger11]

I run a 9.9 on my 25' and it tops out at 5.5 mph.Got me off the lake 7 miles when I blew my big motor

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[rolmops]

I am also looking into an 8 horse tohatsu.

Edited February 22, 2020 by rolmops

[fisherdude]

My saber is 23 1/2 foot had 6 horse two stroke Johnson work fine till 3 ft waves came up .
I moved over to the 8 horse four stroke tohatsu electric start. No longer have to switch over to the main i/o in 3-foot waves , ships gas, quiet as a church mouse and no smoke , charging system works tremendously well absolutely happy with it

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[scobar]

I have a 19 Lowe Roughneck with 8hp 4 stroke Johnson since 2004, never short on power. When ever I had to run close to full throttle it was time to quit anyways or loose someone over the side


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[Sk8man]

I have the 9.8  electric start Tohatsu on my 18 ft Whaler and probably could have gotten by with the 8  but wouldn't want less than that. The 4 stroke makes a big difference from 2 stroke of same HP as it seems to have more torque and does much better holding position  into the wind etc.The 8 and 9.8 are good on fuel consumption as well.Very quiet and very little vibration on mine. I'm thinking Mike's had something wrong right from the factory.

Edited February 22, 2020 by Sk8man

[Beagler]

The 6hp is a single cylinder.  It is loud and has a lot of vibration.   I had a Nissan on my 16 footer, and chose it because it was light.

 

For a boat like yours, I would get an 8 or 9.9.

[finsntins]

beagler beat me to it,i have a 5hp honda on a 19' cuddy,pushes the boat okay in calm conditions,but the single cylinders do vibrate quite a bit. 

[Frogger]

beagler beat me to it,i have a 5hp honda on a 19' cuddy,pushes the boat okay in calm conditions,but the single cylinders do vibrate quite a bit. 

They sure enough do. Had to get rid of a brand new tohatsu that almost made my teeth fall out from the vibration. To this day I still think it was a crank or something was bad but they wouldn’t cover it. Traded it in on another merc 8 hp. Life is good now. Not a happy moment for me for me on that.


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[Beagler]

Mine wasn't that bad, but it was annoying.  I didn't want to hang the weight of a 2 cylinder on a small boat though.

[Hawkeye50]

Had an 8 Tohatsu 4 stroke on Islander I had a few years ago great motor.Get electric start and extra long shaft

to dig into waves.I believe the 8 electric start Also has alternator to charge battery.

[sstout]

I have an 8 hp tohatsu 4 stroke with electric start on my 16ft starcraft. Love the motor. Super quiet, super smooth, and enough power for a backup if the main doesn't start. Great little motor

[sstout]

Oh, and the cable for the electric start/alternator is run to the battery that has my electronics and bilge pump wired to. That way theres juice flowing back to it. Then the main motor is on it's own starting battery that is just used for that. That way the battery that is getting drawn down is getting charged by the kicker. Then the battery for the main motor is just for starting that. It's worked well and hasn't failed me yet.