# 5 or 6 HP Outboard?



## dsrtrat (May 29, 2011)

I have had both a 6 hp gas and a 5 hp propane Tohatsu outboard and can detect no difference in the output. I highly recommend propane if you are willing to spend the extra money. You are limited by hull speed not horse power. 
I never run mine over half throttle even when bucking a headwind.
The Tohatsu sail pro also comes with a high thrust prop.


----------



## Jdsampsonite (Dec 7, 2015)

What speed do you think you will average on the river with a 5hp motor pushing 4 loaded rafts?


----------



## yardsells (Jul 14, 2014)

5-7 mph


----------



## smhoeher (Jun 14, 2015)

Go with the 6 hp. You never know how loaded your boat will be, how big of a barge you'll be pushing, or how strong the wind will be.


----------



## Jdsampsonite (Dec 7, 2015)

Yardsell your messing with me. You really think it can push them that fast. I was thinking you would be lucky to get 3-4


----------



## Skyman (Jun 26, 2006)

I could only do about 3-4 MPH pushing 4 boats on Cat with my 5HP Honda.


----------



## richp (Feb 27, 2005)

Hi,

My experience with loads similar to Skyman is about the same. Sixteen foot NRS cat lashed to three, sometimes four other boats of mixed types, pushed by a Honda five.

These hull shapes simply won't go very fast, no matter what reasonable amount of thrust you put on them. 

For fun, I did put a 25 horse Merc two stroke on my empty cat once and it went up on plane and was like a bat out of hell. 

But for most folks, it isn't about speed anyway -- it's about beating the wind at any pace at all.

FWIW.

Rich Phillips


----------



## yardsells (Jul 14, 2014)

Jdsampsonite:

obviously depends on current but im talking generally flat water ie. upper deso, GR to confluence, potash to spanish, etc.:

I run a 5 hp 2 stroke on my Avon Pro pushing 4-5 boats and avg 4-6mph by gps.
I run same boat sans barge and easily hit and maintain 7.
My 22' snout with 30hp avgs 6-8mph regardless of pushing floatilla or not.
My zodiac 470 with 30hp avgs 20-22 on plane and 5-7 pushing rafts.


----------



## Jdsampsonite (Dec 7, 2015)

I am doing a barge on cataract of 4 boats on labor day weekend for the first time with a 5 hp so I hope we do get that speed. I went out on the lake with three rafts and 9 people we were doing about 4-5 but we will have a lot more weight once the gear is all in. So I was afraid that would slow us a lot.


----------



## yardsells (Jul 14, 2014)

The current helps a bit too, just stay out of the eddies and you'll be fine...


----------



## DidNotWinLottery (Mar 6, 2018)

I am doing Deso in a couple of weeks. Figuring a 3.3 gallon tank with 2 rafts thinking I might burn .5-.7 gl per hour. At say 5 MPH that should get me through the flat 25 miles with out hauling extra fuel I assume?


----------



## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

DidNotWinLottery said:


> I am doing Deso in a couple of weeks. Figuring a 3.3 gallon tank with 2 rafts thinking I might burn .5-.7 gl per hour. At say 5 MPH that should get me through the flat 25 miles with out hauling extra fuel I assume?


I did Deso with that same basic setup twice with my 5hp Honda 4 stroke, and had half a tank left by the end of the trip. We used it for all of the first 25-26 miles and for some of the flat sections down the trip plus all of the last day from Rabbit Valley out to the Swayseys. I don't think you'll need to bring any extra fuel.


----------



## caverdan (Aug 27, 2004)

Electric-Mayhem said:


> I did Deso with that same basic setup twice with my 5hp Honda 4 stroke, and had half a tank left by the end of the trip. We used it for all of the first 25-26 miles and for some of the flat sections down the trip plus all of the last day from Rabbit Valley out to the Swayseys. I don't think you'll need to bring any extra fuel.


I agree with E/M..... I'll bet you have half a tank left at the end of the trip. 

Unless your taking a 20 hp motor.

Make sure to run at half throttle. Any more and you will waste a lot of gas. You can only push a raft so fast.....


----------



## Skyman (Jun 26, 2006)

caverdan said:


> I agree with E/M..... I'll bet you have half a tank left at the end of the trip.
> 
> Unless your taking a 20 hp motor.
> 
> Make sure to run at half throttle. Any more and you will waste a lot of gas. You can only push a raft so fast.....



Exactly what Caverdan said. I just pushed three boats on Deso with a 5hp Honda. Didn't even use half a tank. Half throttle is best.


----------



## DidNotWinLottery (Mar 6, 2018)

Hmm, but this is the motor I bought.


----------



## caverdan (Aug 27, 2004)

If your saying you bought a 90 hp motor......you will use more than 1/2 a tank of gas.....and need a bigger boat to mount it on.


----------



## RonD (Feb 24, 2017)

https://www.facebook.com/BZNSparky/videos/10212696233874360/

5mph using dsrtrat's 5 hp propane motor!


----------



## DidNotWinLottery (Mar 6, 2018)

I ended up getting a deal on 5hp Tohatsu. Brand new in box, but an old 2 cycle unfortunately. Will have to do for now. Had I gotten the 90HP I could out run the river rangers at least


----------



## tallboy (Apr 20, 2006)

You’ll be fine with that. I did a cataract this spring with 2 shit days of wind made possible to deal with due to the 6hp motor, pushing 5 boats. Had that motor failed my wife would’ve hiked out and left me.


----------



## rtsideup (Mar 29, 2009)

That was only two days of shit wind?
Seemed like more.


----------



## Jdsampsonite (Dec 7, 2015)

Is the slide on Cataract Canyon there at low flows?


----------



## B4otter (Apr 20, 2009)

"The Slide" isn't "on Cataract Canyon." It's on the Colorado a couple miles above the confluence, and yes, it's there at low flows...


----------



## DidNotWinLottery (Mar 6, 2018)

Let me tell you, we had 1.5 days of wind and pushed through some of it, and my wife was ready to walk out. Finally fired the engine up again in 2 places other then the first 25 miles. No doubt, Desolation with out a motor is a suicide mission and should be relegated to those with 9 day permits and no need to get back to work. Otherwise take your motor, fire it up at the start and if wind persists and have fun. 5Hp was plenty for 2 boats. Even went through a decent little rapid and had to roar the engine for a moment to stay off the wall. Worked like a charm. Did a couple of rapids more then once in the wind, that was kind of fun.......


----------



## caverdan (Aug 27, 2004)

A word of caution........running rapids while barged together tends to rip D rings off rafts.

Didn'twin.....How much gas did you have left???


----------



## richp (Feb 27, 2005)

Hi,

Whether you unbarge for rapids or not, rig frame to frame -- never lash d ring to d ring.

Rich Phillips


----------



## Quiggle (Nov 18, 2012)

richp said:


> Hi,
> 
> Whether you unbarge for rapids or not, rig frame to frame -- never lash d ring to d ring.
> 
> Rich Phillips


the only way!!!!!


----------



## Jdsampsonite (Dec 7, 2015)

Well leaving for Cataract tomorrow. Ill let you know how it goes with the 5hp and 4 boats.


----------



## DidNotWinLottery (Mar 6, 2018)

We went frame to frame. We found 2 straps were plenty. I had about 1/3rd of a tank out of 3.3 gallons. Ran maybe 30 miles?


----------



## caverdan (Aug 27, 2004)

richp said:


> Hi,
> 
> Whether you unbarge for rapids or not, rig frame to frame -- never lash d ring to d ring.
> 
> Rich Phillips


Excellent point richp. I should have started that statement with...... "If you have an old raft"


----------



## Jdsampsonite (Dec 7, 2015)

Finished doing Cataract Canyon this past weekend. We were using a 5 hp 4 stroke and we used the motor all the way down to Spanish bottom. Then after we passed the 2 unlabeled rapids after 29 we hooked it up again. We used about 6 gallons of gas for the whole trip. With pushing 4 rafts with 10 people on it (we had 2 kayakers with there gear on one raft until the rapids)we averaged just under 4 miles an hour in the top. We were slowed by getting stuck on sand bars quite a few times and having to walk them off. Then on the bottom we averaged just over 5. I was very surprised at how well it did. 

We also did unhook before the slide to run the rapid but there was not even a ripple in the water there. You can definitely run that barge style at low water. 

I think for that trip a motor is definitely a necessity for me. That was a whole lot of flat water to row. Had some wind were we would have been going backwards.


----------



## yardsells (Jul 14, 2014)

Jdsapmsonite: "we averaged just over 5"

Told ya.

Welcome to the dark side.


----------



## Jdsampsonite (Dec 7, 2015)

You were correct. I thought it sounded to good to be true but you were right. So you have my apologies. Definitely glad we had it with us.


----------



## yardsells (Jul 14, 2014)

:wink:


----------



## B4otter (Apr 20, 2009)

aka "the black oar" (back when Mercs were the only thing that wouldn't drown - they were black). Today my 20 year old 5 horse 4 stroke Honda just pushed 5 boats down Deso at 5 mph into wind, and used maybe 2 gallons of gas for LOTS of motoring (not just down to Jack Creek).


----------

