tohatsu 20hp or 15hp for my 1436 lowe/need help

J

John_S

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jun 21, 2004
Messages
4,269
Re: tohatsu 20hp or 15hp for my 1436 lowe/need help

5thwheeler said:
Put a fin on the 15hp tohatsu and it will plane out at less then a third of the speed of the 15hp without a fin. The 15hp will cost less out of the box and use less gas.

I replaced a 20hp Merk that has a fin, with a 15hp tohatsu without a one. The Merk would plane out very quickly at low speeds. The tohatsu needed to go about three times the speed before it would plane out. I put a fin on the tohatsu and now it planes out just like the Merk.
Click to expand...

V or mod V boat?
 
B

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Re: tohatsu 20hp or 15hp for my 1436 lowe/need help

I was always told not to use a fin unless u have exhausted every other option in which 90% of the time it is just the wrong prop pitch.The merc is a tohatsu with a different decal same exact motor except the front shifter.But u are saying the 20hp has tons of extra power over the 15 is that right?If that is the case i will go with the 20 of course.
 
J

John_S

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jun 21, 2004
Messages
4,269
Re: tohatsu 20hp or 15hp for my 1436 lowe/need help

5thwheeler said:
"V" hule 14ft Gregor aluminum dingy. The battery is mounted near the bow, the gas is located near the engine. No center console.
Click to expand...

Flat-bottoms, like what the poster has, plane out very quickly and typically do not need any tabs or fins.

Fins are a bit querky on other hulls too. Depends on the trim setting, and other factors. I like smart tabs, but they are more expensive.
 
B

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Re: tohatsu 20hp or 15hp for my 1436 lowe/need help

Well made a decision i'm going with the 20hp merc same as tohatsu because if i get the 15 i will always wonder why i did not buy the 20 and i got some good insight on the difference.The reason why is they are offereing 2 more yrs of warranty till the end of june so that is the reason or i would buy the tohatsu.I call ed mercury around 10 times before to get my answer about what the difference is between the 15/20 and they don't even have the knowledge to answer that question,every person i talked to said i really can't tell u till today that all changed.

Finally after 10 times of trying to find out and even calling dealers who did not know a lady told me everything i was looking for and somewhat how it's done.The difference is in 7 things and she only told me 2 of them because they can't tell u all the info on what they do so u don't modify the 15 and also loose your warranty.The 2 biggest ones which i figured one was the carb and ignition,also the prop everone knows that, but that is how far she got.


The biggest thing is torque and some top end around 2 to 5mph which is a difference.She went on to say they match the best prop with motor for the best overall situations u would be in, but in some applications they need to be changed and in most cases if the prop is in new shape they let u trade it back in for a new one at the dealer.so there u have it.
 
5

5thwheeler

Cadet
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Messages
16
Re: tohatsu 20hp or 15hp for my 1436 lowe/need help

John, what are smart tabs, do they mount to the engine or the boat, and are there more then one manufacture?
 
J

John_S

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jun 21, 2004
Messages
4,269
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top