Nissan 6 HP 4 cycles

[Orca]

I'm interested if anybody bought the extra long shaft and how their experience was. Orca's 1990 Nissan 8 seems like it has coronary salt disease and is shutting down when you run it hard so I'm thinking of the Tohatsu 6 hp. Whatever my shaft length is now (NS8B1) it definitely has scared me in some serious chop by racing out of the water. I'd be interested in first hand experiences for the 25" and how it fits in the lazarette, if at all. I've kept mine in the water over the years as I end up using it quite a bit in Casco Bay and it seemed like a pain to lift it in and out. Also, I'm at a mooring so fresh water cleaning when you pull it out is not possible and I think that salt build up will happen quicker if your always pulling it out. I arrested the pitting of the case when the tiny donut zinc dies by drilling two holes in the captivation plate and attaching a big zinc I sawn in half. It seems to last more than a season. I'll have to get out to the mooring and measure the shaft if somebody doesn't know which shaft I have based on the model.

Thanks, Ed

[Scott Galloway]

I purchased the Nissan 6 horse four stroke motor for my Ariel, Augustine, a few years back. My boat operates in saltwater, so I remove the motor after each sail. I use the Garhauer Lifting Davit, which was installed as per the Ariel Manual. The davit is stored in a bow (as in a hunting bow) bag, which I keep in the V berth when it is not in use. The six-to-one ratio on this davit means that you are only lifting about 10 lbs when you raise and lower the 60 lb Nissan 6 hp motor. It's a one hand lifting job.

I also flush the motor after each use, unless I am on a multi-day voyage. To facilitate the flushing process, I installed a Yahama flushing apparatus that allows a quick connect/disconnect to a garden hose. Flushing is easy that way. The motor stows nicely in the lazarette locker, although you will need a block of some kind to keep the head of the motor higher than the prop when stowed.

By the way, don't go to sea with the motor stowed in the lazarette locker. I know someone who did this. Not a good idea to have the motor head down in a locker full of salt water when you are on a starboard tack. I just leave the motor in the water while I sail. It helps to have some neoprene to protect the leading edge of well where the motor attaches, and to insure that the motor does not rock back and forth and come loose from the leading edge of the well when under sail in rough conditions at sea. Some brave souls remove their motors and stow them in the cabin. I have pulled a motor at sea with my lifting davit to replace a prop, but the installed davit is in the path of the boom, so this should be attempted only at rest or at peril.

The long shaft motor operates well in all conditions, but I rarely run the thing at sea. I primarily use it to get under the bridge and out of the harbor. I only had the motor aerate on me once when I struck the bar while in a trough when I was surfing into the harbor here one late autumn day a few years back. The boat stopped cold when it hit the bar, and the stern rose up through the breaking wave so that the prop was for a few seconds out of the water. Then the wave lifted Augustine off the bar. That was at night, so it was pretty exciting for a few seconds.

[Orca]

The motor stows nicely in the lazarette locker, although you will need a block of some kind to keep the head of the motor higher than the prop when stowed.


The long shaft motor operates well in all conditions, but I rarely run the thing at sea.

Thanks Scott, I assume this is the 20" long shaft?

I've not been in the habit of removing my motor as being on a mooring I have no access to freshwater for flushing.

When I first started sailing my boat some 12 years ago, I recall the lazerette often filling with water. It hasn't happened much since then. I can't think of what might have changed. I have one of the outboard motor plugs that came with the Ariel but I've not used it much.

Thanks, Ed

[Orca]

I didn't get any response so I'll assume that means nobody who has followed the thread bought the 25" shaft version. I ordered one so I'll let folks how it fit etc. Thanks, Ed

[carl291]

Does any one have a spare outboard plug?
Mike Godwin posted fabricating these one time , Did that ever materialize?
Thanks

[c_amos]

I didn't get any response so I'll assume that means nobody who has followed the thread bought the 25" shaft version. I ordered one so I'll let folks how it fit etc. Thanks, Ed

No one (including me) with the 20" shaft has reported cavitation that I recall. The 20" shaft fits in the Lazy-rat.... not sure if the 25" would. Any longer shaft then the 20 just gives more drag when sailing, so I am not sure why anyone would want it.

My experience with my prior (20") yamaha tells me that 20" is all you are ever going to need.

I have not run a 25" shaft so I have no first hand experience but can not see where you would gain anything but drag. If you do not take advantage of the motors ability to pivot when backing and rely on prop wash over the rudder you may see some improvement in backing.

I hope it works out well for you.

[Orca]

Well, the weather finally settled a bit here so I took the Nissan 6 HP extra long shaft (25 inch) down to the mooring today and installed it. I checked and it fits sideways in the lazarette just fine. I found that the top of the motor barely cleared the top of the lazarette which makes me wonder if the mounting board is higher than other boats as somebody previously reported 2 or three inches of clearance. I think I have less than 1/2 inch clearance.. I intend to visit Orca in the AM and motor around a bit. I think its a bit noisier at low speeds than the 8 HP I took out and it isn't as smooth because it is a single cylinder and the old engine was two cylinder. I'll report back on how it handles with the prop around 10 inches more underwater after I use it a bit.

Very Best, Ed

[Orca]

Well, the weather finally settled a bit here so I took the Nissan 6 HP extra long shaft (25 inch) down to the mooring today and installed it. I checked and it fits sideways in the lazarette just fine. I found that the top of the motor barely cleared the top of the lazarette which makes me wonder if the mounting board is higher than other boats as somebody previously reported 2 or three inches of clearance. I think I have less than 1/2 inch clearance.. I intend to visit Orca in the AM and motor around a bit. I think its a bit noisier at low speeds than the 8 HP I took out and it isn't as smooth because it is a single cylinder and the old engine was two cylinder. I'll report back on how it handles with the prop around 10 inches more underwater after I use it a bit.

Very Best, Ed

Hi: After using it a bit I can tell you the following. The 6 HP 4 cycle is quieter than my 8 hp 2 stroke Nissan but not quite as fast into the wind. It does seem to do something close to 6 knots when its calm (I'll have to wait a bit to try duing a slack tide as I rely on the GPS which showed a range of 4.8 to 6.5 knots over the ground). The clearance is less than 1/2 an inch on my boat and seems to touch the top of the lazarett when under load. The lazy rat buggered up the top of the motor a little so I now jimmy it open a little when running. My old motor was a 15 inch shaft. It had some issues in rough seas and was pretty much useless if a bigger person went up on the bow. For my money I think the 25" shaft is good insurance for some of the high chop that develops around here in the river mouths like the Kennebec where closely spaced, steep 5' or larger standing waves are a regular occurance . . . I suspect that 5" additional shaft would not be enough. The extra depth makes it a lot easier to back the boat down. The fuel economy is very good. After a few hours (mostly at 3/4 throttle or less) the little tank is still showing mostly full. I'm glad to see that the fuel connection on the motor has been reconfigured. I had to buy several of the old connections on the Nissan before I found one that worked.

Thanks, Ed