Outboard sizes and motoring speeds.

[Marina]

Just wondering what size outboards everyone is running on both new and old Telstars and what kind of performance they are giving you? Do the new 28's still use the same motor skid or the outboard as the older boats? Would also be interesting to know how heavy your motors are and what mpg you are getting. Here is the 8m motor skid:

Cheers, Harvey.

[Ron]

Harvey -

The "deluxe" version of the 28 comes standard with a 4 stroke Honda 20hp with hydraulic tilt and electric start. Motor weighs about 120 pounds. It's a little hard to get to from the cockpit (long reach), so the tilt and starter motor make it into a good overall system. It raises via a 3 or 4 to 1 purchase with a cleat on one of the stern pulpit stanchions. I modified mine and added a turning block there and a clutch mounted on the aft coaming. No need to reach anywhere then. The boat is also available with a Honda 50hp motor, weighing about 110 pounds more (around 230?). My 20hp gets me over 8 1/2 knots top speed with easy cruising in the 7 knot range at around 4,000 rpm. The boats with the Honda 50 are supposed to do about 15+ knots (per the factory) but most of guys seem to be doing no more than around 13 flat out.

Note that I have replaced the standard prop with a high thrust version more suited for this kind of weight, drag, and possible top speeds. Pitch came down to around 7 to 1 from the original 10 to 1, and blade size is substantially larger. 10 to 1 is more suited for a 1500 pound runabout that can do 20 knots. The boat is a lot happier with the high thrust prop - cruising speed at any rpm and top end have both gone up. I do not believe any of the Honda 50 owners have experimented with their props, and that could be the reason for the lower actual speeds.

The standard version of the boat is also available with a 9.9 hp motor, but you lose the hydraulic tilt, ability to turn the motor with the tiller, etc. Other than that, 9.9 hp should be adequate for the boat and should get it up to around 6 knots. The 8M could be a few pounds lighter (has to be verified first, because the factory specs are always wrong) and 9.9 should be able to drive the boat nicely. But you could have some problems reaching the motor mounted on the sled - which is similar to the way the 28's work. I'm not sure if you can get hydraulic tilt on a 9.9 (but I may have read that Tohatsu is doing it). Whatever you get, you've got to make sure the prop is designed for this kind of boat. Where you sail and motor could come into the equation too. I don't think you'd want to have a 9.9 if you have to motor into 5 knots of current or in heavier seas.

[Pat Ross]

Tohatsu has the electric lift at 9.9, plus an outside of the cover pull cord, should your battery be down, for manual start. They have all their pull cords exterior of their motor covers up to and including the 30HP. Nissan and Tahatsu are the same save for the decal, though Nissan costs more, same warranty. Mercury's 30 Hp and under are made by Tohatsu. One other thing, Tohatsu has an automatic pressure relief of the piston as soon as you begin to pull the chord, making the pull a very reasonable proposition, not honda. If you want to pull a honda with a chord first you have to remove the cover. If I were buying new I would go Tahatsu.

Pat

[Ron]

If I were buying new I would go Tahatsu.
Pat

When you factor in the much higher price of the Honda, the Tohatsu looks even better. And Honda does not offer an electric or hydraulic tilt on their 9.9's.

[occasion]

Ron,
can you provide specifics about the prop that you replaced the original with, Make & Model?

Thank you.

Sandy
Occasion #368

[Dan]

The three props that have proven fairly useful when re-propping a 20 HP Honda for the Telstar 28 are:

The Pirahna three blade composite modular prop with replaceable blades using a 9.5" diameter x 7" pitch blade

The SOLAS four-blade 10" diameter x 7" pitch prop

The SOLAS-made Honda high-thrust four-blade 10" diameter x 7-5/8" pitch prop.

[Ron]

Never tried the 3 blade Pirahna, but it looks interesting. It can be rebuilt if a blade gets damaged.

Between the 4 blade Solas 10x7 and 4 blade Honda 10x7 5/8, I'd lean towards the 10x7 Solas. Cheaper than the Honda, and appears to have a little more power / thrust in the mid-range. I've got both and I'm still debating which is better. They both (especially the Solas) have substantially more blade area than any 3 blade (or 4 blade non high thrust) prop and that, coupled with the lower pitch, seems to do wonders on a heavier and slower boat. A smaller outboard with a 10 pitch blade works better on a much lighter boat that will probably see 20 knots. Too much slippage and cavitation when the boat can't go that fast. The prop is screwing itself into the water at 10 inches per revolution while the boat is going forward at a fraction of that speed.

Note that both of these 4 blade props are made for smaller Honda's (9.9 to 20 hp?). Solas makes a similar high thrust prop for the Tohatsu as well.

[trashpad]

From the looks of your motor skid, I doubt you can fit a 50. I tried to find my orignal post about speeds Reboot gets at different RPMs with the 50 but it must have been on the old PCI forum. The best I have done is just north of 15 kts at WOT but that was with a light boat with the centerboard and rudder up. Normal WOT is around 13 kts and when I pull back to 8 kts I can run four hours on a 6 gallon tank. Pull up the Main for a lil' motor sailing and the numbers get a bit better.

[Pat Ross]

If I were buying new I would go Tahatsu. Pat

I just want to add one caveat to all this about new engines, I will be replacing my engine every 4 to 5 years. With what is happening to fuels and the fact that most of us do multiple days of sailing with our companion, I want to ensure that there are few difficulties if the they have to take over in an emergerncy; a safety precaution if you will.

Pat

[Ron]

Pat -

Best thing to do nowadays is to get the fuel out of the motor if you're leaving the boat for more than a few weeks. I drain the tank and then run it till it stops. I suppose I could drain the carburetor fuel bowl instead but I'd rather see all of the tiny passages in the carb totally clean. Also - call up your congressman and senator and complain about the ethanol industry pushing for 15 percent. That will finish all of us.