Coleman Outboard vs. the usual brands

[sailingv17]

I have a Venture 17 that I am restoring with all the expenses that go along with it. LOL I am looking at a 5hp Coleman Outboard at Cabelas. It is about 500$ cheaper than the Mercury and I need to cut corners where I can. I blew the budget when I sent the sails that were in "great" condition in to be cleaned they needed to be replaced or have extensive work done. They looked good to me, just dirty and I took the sellers word for it. I have been watching craigslist for a used Mercury or Evinrude but everything used is 30 years used or they want new motor prices. Which is how I ended up considering the Coleman. The reviews on line are posted by people who seem to know little about outboards. One guy locked up the motor because he mixed oil in the fuel on a 4 stroke. I am not a mechanic but come on... that's not Coleman's fault. You have to at least glance at the manual. Anyway, thought I would reach out and see if anyone has heard anything or had advice for a new sailor. Thanks for any and all your help.

Oh and I have been looking at 5hp but could I get by with a 2.5hp? I hate to not have reverse but could be another way to save some cash.

This is the link to my blog if you want to see my progress:
http://1974venture17.blogspot.com/

Cheers,
Clint

[Spector]

Chinese made by Parsun. What is parts availability and service like from Cabelas? I think I would steer clear

[Russ]

I wouldn't buy it.

Why not look on Craigs list for a used one.

[Lvoight]

Some may disagree but having reverse to slow down your docking or trailering is super important to me at least. I would never have a boat that I would want to land on a trailer without it let alone come into a crowded dock on a windy day.

[Lvoight]

Chinese made by Parsun. What is parts availability and service like from Cabelas? I think I would steer clear

I had a friend that bought one for his little boat in 2010 i think. We made a bunch of parts for it when they broke because we couldn't get parts and no mechanics would touch it. and finally just was sold on craigslist as a non working. He then bought a late 80's merc that we can still get parts for and runs extremely well. In hindsight he would have saved more money plus time to just get a slightly better used motor. Then again hindsight is always 20/20

[Russ]

Some may disagree but having reverse to slow down your docking or trailering is super important to me at least. I would never have a boat that I would want to land on a trailer without it let alone come into a crowded dock on a windy day.

I would probably agree, but he's got a Venture 17 and the reverse is probably not as important on a boat that size.

[seahouse]

So a motor that small, with a longer reach, can't be rotated 180 degrees for reverse then?

[kadet]

I have a 3.6 Parsun on my dink it's never missed a beat in the 5 years I've owned it. They are part compatible with Yamaha and I suspect that Parsun bought the old tooling from Yamaha when they stopped making their older 2-strokes. They are low tech and bullet proof, they probably don't meet any environmental regs and my lawnmower is quieter And they do rotate 180 for reverse. They are not a Yamaha or Honda but they are almost half the price so they have to be seen from that perspective.

Don't have personal experience with their 4-Strokes but Parsun have a fairly large local distributor here and the forums are full of the typical they are chinese junk don't buy 'em but no real world people with bad experiences, just the old I heard or I have a friend of a friend. Any small motor mechanic could work on them as they don't have special electronics or specialised diagnostics. Unless you have a decent local distributer getting parts might be a problem but there are plenty of old aftermarket Yamaha parts available it's just a matter of working out whats whats.

[bobbieaw]

Hello Clint...and Welcome to the wonderful world of small sailboat restoration!

Most of this site is geared toward newer Macs which of course use larger motors, and power is the most important thing You have a lovely 17 foot daysailer which can most likely be pushed around by a trolling motor. I have a Mac 21, and my goal is to finish the keel work (currently the keel is out, was sandblasted and primed, and is awaiting epoxy coating) and get her back in the water. Last year was my get her sailing year, now I'm up for improvements. New windows were finished about 2 weeks ago, all brightwork is sanded and polyurethaned. But my reason to respond is that a concept I had was to modify my rudder, adding a trolling motor internal to the lower "kick-up" rudder piece. Short version of a very long story (a tree fell on a trolling motor) is I got a trolling motor where the top was broken off the shaft. Still worked fine...got it free! Now I have a 4 HP 2 stroke motor, which works most of the time but I want something easier. I did a test spin with trolling motor and it moved my 21 footer just fine. No I didn't get "hull speed", but I got enough. You can also find previous treads in this forum where sailors have used trolling motors to get away and to the dock, just to get them out to sail! Your Venture 17 is even easier to move....

My hope is to finish the drive unit and test it this year I've cut the shape of the lower rudder section out of wood, and disassembled the trolling motor. I need to shape and epoxy/glass a finished product, but the keel comes first. I need to get her sailing again, then play with long term dream projects. Keep the blog going and mention it when massive improvements happen, and enjoy boat ownership. I bought my first Full Keel sailboat in Lake Carlyle, fixed her up, sent het to Lake Suoerior, and sailed her for 1,000's of hours and miles. It was a Grampian 26, and I pushed it around with an 8 HP outboard. You need to learn your boat and its' abilities...I moved back "down" to an early Mac, to enjoy sailing. I'll never win a race, or spend months aboard, but I've already done "that" sailing. I just want to dash around the bay and if the weather is against me....don't sail. If you buy a very small motor from Coleman and it fails....sail your boat home! It may take longer, but when I sailed a 6,000 pound full keel sailboat, I would practice sailing into the dock in perfect conditions. Always plan for the worst thing to happen, if you sail long enough...it will

Calm Seas and Fair Winds....Scott

[Catigale]

British seagull...150 USD from eBay. Lower horsepower, but higher thrust...perfect for a V17

[Max Entropy]

Minn Kota trolling motor with about 50lb thrust might suit your purpose. No gas, no oil, no noise, no smoke, no winterizing & few if any repairs.

[Matt19020]

I actually owned this motor and powered a 19' Flying Scot It ran with no issues for three years and as far as I know it is still running...It is basically a lawnmower briggs and stratton on an outboard foot. A little heavy and needs to be stored upright always. I Never needed parts but I can see where that would be an issue in long run. My motor had no tilt up option and I had to wedge something in the frame of the bracket to tilt it up out of water. If you are on a budget and do not want it for the long run go with it. If I had to do it again I think I would pick up a used 7.5hp two stroke very durable and runs forever

[Catigale]

Some may disagree but having reverse to slow down your docking or trailering is super important to me at least. I would never have a boat that I would want to land on a trailer without it let alone come into a crowded dock on a windy day.

You won't get much/any reverse action with a 5 HP, unless you spin it around, so I wouldn't sweat a missing reverse gear. To quote a venerable institution , "Reverse gears are made redundant by efficient boat handling"

[81venture]

One guy locked up the motor because he mixed oil in the fuel on a 4 stroke. I am not a mechanic but come on... that's not Coleman's fault.

Cheers,
Clint

2 stroke mixed gas in a four stroke shouldn't cause that. I am a mechanic . I have run "boat gas" in my lawnmower, the 3 wheeler, and have put it in the cars even...a little "extra oil" never hurt anyone