[C320-list] Zodiac

Wed Dec 20 08:56:04 PST 2006

I've been to the Mercury plant in Juarez, MX...one of the things they
talked about was that they did not license their technology nor did they
let anyone make a 'Mercury' engine...

             "WindSwept"                                                  
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                                                                  Subject 
                                      Re: [C320-list] Zodiac              
             12/20/2006 06:56                                             
             AM                                                           

              Please respond                                              
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                C320-List                                                 
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               ina320.org>                                                

Sounds like what a Mercury dealer would say, and may be true in some of
the
cases.

However, I took this off the onlineoutboards.com web site:

      Does TOHATSU make NISSAN? Does TOHATSU also make MERCURY?
        Yes. Tohatsu makes ALL Nissan outboards and many smaller HP
Mercury
outboards. We do not sell Mercury outboards as Tohatsu and Nissan are
considerably less expensive than the Mercury label.

A quick comparison of the specifications shows all to be the same with the

exception of weight - and I bet the difference here is one weight is for
the
15" shaft, the other for the 20" one.  Photographs look darn close too.

Larry

----- Original Message -----
From: <Orlando.Duran at AveryDennison.com>
To: "Catalina 320 List" <C320-List at catalina320.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2006 8:49 PM
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Zodiac

Tohatsu and Nissan are the same, Mercury is completely different...

I just purchased a Nissan 9.8hp.     4-stroke w/ electric start for my
Caribe L9...
----------------------------------
Regards,
OD

Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

----- Original Message -----
From: "WindSwept" [c320_windswept at sbcglobal.net]
Sent: 12/19/2006 05:40 PM
To: "C320-List" <c320-list at catalina320.com>
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Zodiac

I have a 1992 2 HP Yamaha (22 lbs) that I have used on a 8'6" inflatable
without problems in wind and chop.  Not much experience with current
though.
This rig is called the "one-hour" dink.  It takes 1 hour to get anywhere,
but if you are patient you will usually get there.

The new 3.5 HP models from Tohatsu, Nissan and Mercury all weigh around 40
lbs.  They are all the same except for the name on them.  Since it appears
weight is the over riding factor, this seems like a better choice.  You
will
have more power, no 2-cycle gasoline mixing, much less exhaust and noise.
And a new motor with a 3 year warantee.

Check out www.onlineoutboards.com.  They have the 3.5 hp Tohatsu for 810
and
free shipping.  I have a friend who purchased from this website with
complete satisfaction.

I plan on buying the 3.5 HP early in 2007.

Larry
WindSwept C320 #246

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Church" <jjemail at comcast.net>
To: "C320" <C320-List at catalina320.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2006 7:20 PM
Subject: [C320-list] Zodiac

Greetings,

I'm going to purchase an 8.5 foot Zodiac inflatable and I'm wondering how
small a motor I can use. I'll mainly use the zodiac when we go cruising
Lake
Michigan and need to transport the 2 of us around an anchorage. I don't
intend to bother with davits or a crane.

I've got a few shoulder problems and I don't look forward to lifting a
heavy
motor off the dinghy transom and up to the stern perch. Anything much
heavier than 40 pounds will probably be a bit uncomfortable, but I'm
concerned that the smaller motors won't have enough power. A new 2 hp
motor
is around 27 lbs, 4 hp motors weigh about 55 pounds.

Do any of you use a 2 horse motor on an 8 foot zodiac? Is it strong enough
to push through some wind and chop in an anchorage, or do I really need a
3.5 or 4 horse to do the job? What minimum horsepower would you recommend?

The local Zodiac dealer has a 1996 Johnson 4 hp 2-cycle for sale. He wants
$495 for it. I think it weighs 38 pounds. That puts it at about the same
weight as a new 4-cycle 2.5 to 3.5 hp motor. It doesn't have a reverse
gear,
but that seems to be fairly common in motors that are under 5 hp. Maybe
this
motor would be a good choice?

Thanks and Happy Holidays

JeffC

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