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The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.
I have a 1978 Catalina 25 but need to buy an outboard. I was wondering if 7.5-8hp will work on these types of boats. I will be doing a combination of fresh and salt water sailing. One has an alternator which I heard you can wire to the battery to charge it. Is this worth it? Any tips would be helpful. Thanks!!!
When I bought my boat it came with a 6 hp mercury. That seemed like plenty of power but was too much weight for my purposes. I only lake sail and race so I swapped it out for a lighter 2 hp Honda. The 2 hp is enough to get me in and out of a slip, but I would not want to depend on it in the ocean with any amount of wind, current and waves. I'd recommend staying with at least a 6 hp for salt water use. The lighter the better as far as I'm concerned, hate all of that weight hanging off the stern. If your boat doesn't have a outboard bracket on it pay careful attention to installing one. There should be some threads on this forum pertaining to the stern construction on these boats.
You have posted this question on our Capri 25 forum. If your boat is a Catalina 25, it's somewhat heavier than the Capri 25, and that will probably affect the choice of motors. I suggest you ask this same question on our "Catalina 25 Specific" forum to get the best responses.
I had a 1979 Merc 7.5 2 stroke on my C25 for about 24 years and never wished it was more powerful. Some members here advocate a 9.9 hp, and some recommend a 6 hp. Anything within that range will serve well. A 6 will not quite achieve hull speed, but it will be very light weight and economical to operate. A 9.9 will push the boat a bit faster, but cost more initially and be significantly heavier. The popular Tohatsu 6 hp, for example, weighs 54 lbs and has a single cylinder 4 cycle. The 9.9 version Tohatsu weighs 94 lbs, because it has 2 cylinders. I have a Tohatsu 6 hp on my Cal 25 and love it, especially because of it's light weight, because it's easy to take off and stow down below, either when racing, or to discourage theft of it at my slip. IMO, any motor that is more powerful than necessary to push the boat to hull speed is wasted.
Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind" previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22 Past Commodore
As Steve said, if it's a Catalina (not Capri) 25, try the C-25 forum for the best responses. (Note: The Capri 25 was first made in 1980.)
Also try the Search function (above-right) to search the C-25 forum for "outboard" in the Subject--it will lead you to some recent discussions. (For a lot more, check the "Archived" box.) For general purposes, it seems the Tohatsu 9.8 hp extra-long shaft (25") 4-stroke is a current favorite for the C-25... But I'll let you explore that further, and ask any questions over there.
Dave Bristle Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired), Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge
I'll just add that if you have a battery on board and will use it for anything (like a VHF radio and running lights after dusk), you want something to be putting some amps into it occasionally--an outboard, shore power, or a solar panel. In turn, the outboard can use the same wires to give you push-button starting, which can be pretty nice!
Dave Bristle Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired), Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge
Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ. The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.