T&T: 2stroke vs 4stroke, was dinghy outboard recommendations

[ReidGantt at aol.com]

Many of you have larger dinghy's so the motor I bought might not be an 
acceptable option for you.  

The dinghy on our Atlantic 30 is an 8' "Dink" (which is also a sailboat).   
After getting the dinghy, I bought a Tohatsu 3.5 hp 2 cycle to power it.  This 
motor had no problem pushing the 8' dinghy....  in fact (I don't tell this 
story to many people because it is embarrasing), the Tohatsu-powered Dink towed 
our 17,000 lb Atlantic 30 several miles one time when I ran out of fuel...  the 
floats that provided the diesel fuel levels in our two 100 gallon tanks had 
apparently fallen off and the gauges showed the tanks to be about half full.... 
but, both tanks were empty!  

We also have an RV and have been spending as long as two months at a time in 
Key West (during January and February).  That's too long of a time to be 
boatless, so I bought a 10' 8" folding Porte-Bote (4" when folded, 60" unfolded) to 
carry with us when we travel.  As I thought about how to power it, the least 
expensive option was to simply use the Tohatsu we already had.  However, it is 
heavy (we have the long base) and it frequently has been difficult to 
start... probably because not getting the fuel mixture correct and not starting / 
running it frequently.   So, I bought a Honda 2 hp 4 cycle.   It weighs just 27 
lbs, is air cooled (so no problem with water pump impeller or having to run 
fresh water through it after running in salt water) centrifigual clutch, and with 
the throttle built into the handle.   This has been a great outboard 
motor.... and I think it provides just as much power as the larger Tohatsu 3.5 hp.  

Reid Gantt
Atlantic 30 "Vouivre"
docked at Sneads Ferry NC


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