What outboard for a j80?

[ktayman]

Hi, i see in the NA/worlds races all the J/80s racing have stored their outboard down below ( i guess class rules say the outboard should be off the transom when racing). I have a couple of 4 strokes that i use but i dont think they are supposed to be stored horizontal and especially in places they would get jousted around on heavy heels. What do the racers use for their outboard? Is it mainly 2 stroke and electric? 2 strokes seem to be impossible to find, and I am unfamiliar with the electric motors. Any thoughts and recommendations? Thanks a lot in advance.

 

[Marty Gingras]

The one here uses electric. Works fine except for the time he was too far from port when the wind shut down and needed a 10-mile tow to avoid bobbing around for hours waiting (hoping) for the evening breeze to fill in.

 

[Gouvernail]

We have a five ho 4 stroke Honda we securely tie to the mast support pole. We use 5/16 braided nylon so it stretches as we tie and secures it well. As far as I know, it never moves around

 

[Lightningflash]

I love the old reliable Nissan/Tohatsu 3.5hp 2 strokes. They weigh 29lbs and are much easier to take on and off the transom and you don't have to worry about which side is up or down. A 4hp Tohatsu 4 stroke weighs about 59lbs and is hard to lift and get easily/safely stored down below. The 2 strokes can be found used and can be serviced as parts are readily available.

 

[Blackadder]

I love the old reliable Nissan/Tohatsu 3.5hp 2 strokes. They weigh 29lbs and are much easier to take on and off the transom and you don't have to worry about which side is up or down. A 4hp Tohatsu 4 stroke weighs about 59lbs and is hard to lift and get easily/safely stored down below. The 2 strokes can be found used and can be serviced as parts are readily available.

The Nissan/Tohatsu 3.5 2 stroke, Best ever for this size boat. Had two of them extra long shaft pushed our J27 reliably at 5.5 knots everywhere, only becoming a bit funky when doused in a lot of chop/waves which may temporarily put it out.

 

[ktayman]

The Nissan/Tohatsu 3.5 2 stroke, Best ever for this size boat. Had two of them extra long shaft pushed our J27 reliably at 5.5 knots everywhere, only becoming a bit funky when doused in a lot of chop/waves which may temporarily put it out.

I guess i need to keep my eyes open for one of these to pop up.

 

[VeloceSailing]

I had a yamagata 4hp but changed it to a new 4stroke 2.5hp Suzuki, water cooled. Very easy to handle at 13kg, it works to get in and out of the dock, but couldn't push the j80 against a 20kts breeze at more than 1kt and consuming a lot of fuel.
We store it just under the cockpit tied to the hull-to-cockpit pole, just behind the step. I glued a rubber mat where it lays and where the propeller lays.
Very satisfied.

 

[ktayman]

You store it upright, correct?

 

[ktayman]

I guess i thot the 4 strokes couldn’t really be stored horizontally in the cabin due to oil going into the cylinder, maybe as long as i make sure it’s on the right side it will be good?

 

[Lightningflash]

you can lay the 4 stroke down, just has to be on the proper side ( the engine will be labeled). if you lay down on wrong side, oil will run into the cylinder and prevent you from starting engine until you remove spark plug and get some of the excess oil out of the cylinder. Ask me how I know.....

 

[solosailor]

New 2021 Tohatsu (Mercury, Nissan) 3.5HP can now be laid on 3 sides ! And they added a needed rear handle.

 

[ktayman]

Thanks everyone. Much appreciated

 

[JdP]

For what it’s worth, I want to chime in on the use of an electric outboard on the J80. I’m the owner of the boat referred to in the earlier thread that had to be towed. What friend Marty did not know was that the small cable connecting the battery to the throttle/computer was defunct, hence our request to be towed. That was a $16 fix to replace the cable. The Torqueedo Travel 1103 with the 915Wh battery has plenty of power (equal to 4hp gas motor) to propel the 80 for about 5-8 miles miles depending on conditions. with a strong head wind and chop, we found it lacking in thrust. I replaced the 2 blade prop with a three blade version which increased the thrust with about 20%. The advantage of this electric motor vs the Yamaha 4hp long shaft that I used to have is it weight (less than 40 pound) and that it stores in 3 separate pieces Shaft/prop; battery: and tiller/computer). I installed a bracket made from nylon siding material attached to the compression pole under cockpit to which the start/prop is attached. The battery can be moved anywhere depending on your desired weight distribution. The main disadvantage is the price (about $3K) and the battery life. The latter can be extended by carrying another battery. Since we have a few boats with Torqueedos in Monterey, I often borrow a battery from a fellow club member for longer races and deliveries across the Bay. No more gas smells, and leaks. And Mother Nature is thankful!

 

[ktayman]

For what it’s worth, I want to chime in on the use of an electric outboard on the J80. I’m the owner of the boat referred to in the earlier thread that had to be towed. What friend Marty did not know was that the small cable connecting the battery to the throttle/computer was defunct, hence our request to be towed. That was a $16 fix to replace the cable. The Torqueedo Travel 1103 with the 915Wh battery has plenty of power (equal to 4hp gas motor) to propel the 80 for about 5-8 miles miles depending on conditions. with a strong head wind and chop, we found it lacking in thrust. I replaced the 2 blade prop with a three blade version which increased the thrust with about 20%. The advantage of this electric motor vs the Yamaha 4hp long shaft that I used to have is it weight (less than 40 pound) and that it stores in 3 separate pieces Shaft/prop; battery: and tiller/computer). I installed a bracket made from nylon siding material attached to the compression pole under cockpit to which the start/prop is attached. The battery can be moved anywhere depending on your desired weight distribution. The main disadvantage is the price (about $3K) and the battery life. The latter can be extended by carrying another battery. Since we have a few boats with Torqueedos in Monterey, I often borrow a battery from a fellow club member for longer races and deliveries across the Bay. No more gas smells, and leaks. And Mother Nature is thankful!

 

[ktayman]

Hi did you get the long shaft or short shaft version? It looks
Like the short shaft is 24”, which seems long enough for a j80

 

[j80]

we race in IRC - not OD - frequently have strong tides to deal with - boat came with a tohatsu 3.5 which was not much good when running against strong spring tides - so we have been running a long shaft 2t twin cylinder tohatsu 9.8 for last few years. Weighs 27kgs/59 pounds (best power to weight we could find) and we have to bring a tank - 10 litres - which means we normally have about 5 weekends use per tank for a quite a lot of motoring - it can at cruise speed - push boat at 5.5 knots + and more when you pin it - also has luxury of reverse. Gets taken off before every race and fits along with tank in area below seat in cabin - out of way of feet - quite an easy process. For where we sail would not want to go back to a low power outboard for a small weight penalty

 

[slug zitski]

Local guys use electric outboards

 

[Varan]

Back in the day, I used a Tohatsu 5hp 2-stroke. Went with the 5 instead of 3.5 because I wanted neutral and reverse gears. It was light, didn't care what side you laid it on, but this single cylinder outboad shook the shit out of the boat at low RPMs. Rattle, rattle, rattle... noisy SOB. Would definitely check out electrics if I buy another 80, but they can be heavy. Whatever you decide, a bit of stiff rubber attached to the anti-cavitation plate will save you time repairing your rudder if you mount the outboard on the factory installed transom mounting plate.

 

[JdP]

Hi did you get the long shaft or short shaft version? It looks
Like the short shaft is 24”, which seems long enough for a j80

 

[JdP]

The long shaft