Heaviest motor to man handle on hunt.

D

David Stern

Active member
Lets say I want to take my motor off and lay it on the meadow during a hunt, improving hide-ability. That would entail taking the motor off and putting the motor back on. I was thinking 15hp tops. Could I get away with an 18hp? What are the lightest 18hp 2strokes that were ever made? Thanks Stern
 
Dave, sounds like a lot of work to me..... if the profile of a well grassed motor is a deal breaker. Then tow out a pondbox or Sanford box and stash the boat away from where you are hunting? Even a 78lb 15hp can be a challenge to manhandle off the stern of a boat in the muck. You will have to pick your spots to ensure good footing while the tides change?
 
9H.P. and 15 H.P. 2 strokes generaly built on same block so usuially same weight. I,ve got and 8 merc and a 15 merc. , both 2 strokes. 15 only 2 lbs. heavier. about 76 lbs. Make you a motor cover and grass up and the birds won,t be the wiser. I believe steve sanford did a tutorial on one a while back. Can be constructed as simple or detailed as you want.
 
David~

I did what you're suggesting - setting my 9.9 Johnson (78 lbs) on the meadow exactly ONCE. The tide came up and I rowed back to the ramp.

As Dave Diefenderfer suggested, a well-covered motor does the trick. I never saw anything flare from mine.

Here is the "Original Recipe" - back when I just sewed bundles of salt hay onto a "custom-fitted" burlap potato sack:


SJS%20Sneakbox%20-%20Moriches%20Bay%20early%2090s_zpsgqkadjvv.jpg


Sneakbox-SJSonThatchca1990-shortened_zps7e02a26b.jpg


Nowadays, I make them out of Sunbrella Marine canvas with nylon webbing to hold the hay. Here's the one I made for Bill Abbate's 20-horse (I also sewed a sleeve to cover the tiller):

20%20Tilt_zpsrx6fjrkr.jpg


Here's the post: http://www.duckboats.net/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=271050;search_string=motor%20cover;#271050


BTW: Lifting Bill's 20-horse would be no problem at all - PROVIDED I had a heavy-duty sky hook handy in the middle of the bay.....(I needed my chain hoist to put it on the motor board in the shop.)

All the best,

SJS
 
The now not available for sale in the U.S. Yamaha 15hp 2-stroke is supposed to be 79 lbs. Peppy little engine for the weight, and reliable as can be.
 
A couple local guys used to do this with their sneakboxes, using small 3 horse outboards. Even then it seems like a lot of work.

I don't have any flaring issues even in the lowest of cover with my 15 yamaha covered by a homemade camo burlap cover and a bungee to attach thatch.

IMG_7110.jpg

 
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I think you will find that there are weight classes to motors, meaning that 10-20 hp weigh about the same, 25-30 weigh about the same, etc. but there will be big jumps from class to class much like a 16' boat to 18' boat.

Btw, my weight and hp classes are not accurate, just examples.
 
Why would you want to take a motor off the boat??? Camo these days??? Hell of a job remounting the motor and chashing a cripple? A burlap bag camo cloth???
 
The now not available for sale in the U.S. Yamaha 15hp 2-stroke is supposed to be 79 lbs. Peppy little engine for the weight, and reliable as can be.
Click to expand...

I have that engine and will have it until it dies. Best small outboard ever. I'm a big guy, and while I can wrestle it on and off the boat solo if I have to, I would definitely not be doing that during a hunt.

My sculling boat has a Tohatsu 3.5 2 stroke, and that is easy to toss around. The guys with the 4 strokes have a little more trouble, partly because of the extra weight but more because they have to be fussy about how they lay the motor down.
 
Keep the motor mounted, and put a burlap bag over it, through some Eel grass on it and no Black duck will care. Your overthinking this, back the boat to the marsh and shoot over the bow if you don't want to look around the engine . A South Shore sticks up enough that the motor won't matter anyway.
At my age I would'nt want to wrestle with even a 6 hp anymore, but in my prime a 15 was about max.
 
I hurt my back.......tripped over my waders......fell in the water.......ruined my phone.......lost my keys.......just thinking about removing the motor. I will cast my vote with the crowd that would cover the motor with some camo.


Dave
 
I agree with everybody, the motor stays on the boat.
That being said the fellow I bought my southbay from hunted the bays near Freeport LI, he would tow his bow to the marsh then use a small 3 or5 hp to drive up the creeks. He would set up remove the engine and put in under the bow.
He also used a pushpole to pole the boat when he needed to retrieve birds.
 
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