I bought 26X without a motor. Need Help selecting one.

[marlenemwa]

I love the powersail capabilites of the Mac 26 and want one! I have been looking to buy a 26X, but admit to knowing nothing about motors.

I have not found many Mac 26x's for sale in this area, (WA State) and am excited that I found a '98 at a good price, but it has no motor. *gulp*.

What can I expect to pay for a decent used 50hp motor. Does the Mac take a special size motor? Are there special mounting parts needed?

What intelligent questions should I ask the seller? (who I is waiting for me to get back to him.... )

Thanks for your help!

[Chip Hindes]

I would say you are extremely fortunate to find a used Mac without a motor. That way you can spend your motor bucks on exactly the motor you want, instead of being stuck with somebody else's choice.

Not sure what you could expect to pay for a used motor; most on this board who are in the market for a motor are thinking both larger (than 50HP) and new. In fact, now that you've put it out I imagine there are quite a few on here who would like to unload (not sure that's the right word in this case ) their existing motors, possibly complete with controls already set up for their Macs. That might be your best bet as well, closest thing you could find to a "simple" bolt on.

Search the archives and you'll find possibly an overwhelming number of threads discussing the pros and cons of nearly evey brand and size motor you can think of.

There's nothing special about a motor for a Mac; I believe most of our boats are fitted with extended shaft motors so you want to look for that. About the only really special item is the prop; unless you buy from a current Mac owner it's unlikely you'll find a used motor with the correct prop for a Mac, so plan on buying a new one.

I consider myself quite a handy guy and I'm not sure I'd try to install a motor myself. In your area, you might see what Blue Water Yachts can do for you. They're one of the biggest Mac dealers in the country, they have quite a good reputation and probably could turn you on to exactly what you need, new or used.

[DLT]

I believe most of our boats are fitted with extended shaft motors so you want to look for that.

I would be surprised if that is true...

Extended, extra long, etc, I believe, refers to 25" shaft motors.

I think most Mac owners use a "long" (20") shaft motor, which is actually pretty standard...

There is such a thing as a 15" shaft, but that is generally referred to as a short shaft, and would be too short for a Mac.



Chip is absolutely correct on the prop. Unless your dealer has experience with Macs, he'll only be guessing at prop pitch (prop diameter being dependant on motor choice). If you can't figure the prop out on your own, though, get one for a houseboat/work barge, or heavy pontoon. That will at least be MUCH closer that those used for typical run-abouts or bass boats...

I also agree with Chip that finding a boat you like without a motor is a blessing, assuming the price properly reflects it... The motor is the most expensive accessory, and the one most likely to give you trouble... So, you really want to be sure you get what you want there... Unfortunately, opinions vary wildly among owners, as in many cases that is kinda a ford v. chevy type question... But, do spend hours searching through the archives here and you'll start to get an idea of what the issues are at least...

You might ask what happened to the motor he had on it... I'd be curious...

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

20" shaft is what's used on a Mac.

regarding repowering...
there are, indeed, many threads which speak to different needs of the many Mac owners.
there are a few owners who swear by a 10-25hp. using the Mac for small lakes and it's sailing capabilities.
most owners have a 50hp as that is what generally comes as standard equipment and promoted by the Mac company. with a 50, you can get to 15-19mph (depending on load in boat). and motoring at these speeds in a sailboat for most is a thrill.
however, there are a few (me included) that enjoy the motoring capabilities so much so that they have opted for a 70, 90, or 140hp outboard to reach speeds of 20, 25, and 30+mph.

regardless what you choose, my suggestion is to go for a 2 years or newer 4 stroke or high effeciency 2 stroke.
they burn cleaner, run quieter, and are more efficient.

2 years new 50's can be had for $3-4K vs. new ones at $6K+.

Bob T.
"DaBob"
'02X w/ '04 90 TLDI

[James V]

It will depend on what you want to use the boat for. Almost all of us have the 50 hp as noted above. The new Merc's have a "Smartcraft" system on it. It helps monitor the motor and will not let you abuse it. Well almost.

The smallest motor you should go with is one that will allow you to dock in tight spaces and has an alt. If you are going to get a dingy in the near future, a 10 hp will be fine. However docking with much wind will be a problem. I really love my 50 hp for getting me out of tight places that I should not have been.

Most cruisers say that the more boating experience you the less Horsepower of motor you need.

If you buy a used one, make sure you have a trained outboard Mechanic look at it and install it.

[Catigale]

Quck stab at your power options Marlene

For someone who will use the motor at rated revs most of the time a 2 stroke will be cheaper to buy, and pretty much like a 4 stroke to run

If you will cruise at reduced revs, a 4 stroke EFI will be a better choice for fuel economy and smoother running

Consider carefully how close an engine dealer is to your place of sailing too.

9.9 HP - will get you off the dock to sail, will barely let you unload ballast, no battery charge capability - 2k from west marine brand new

25 HP - will let you dump ballast and reach hull speed loaded up

50 HP - Factory 'recommended' largest size (see below though) - will do 15-20 mph depending on load - imho, the minimum for sailing where there are currents and tides, and also for learning to sail. Can get 200W alternator for recharging battery while cruising

70 HP, 90 HP - Power over Manudacturers recommendation, but successfully installed by many here without damage. Heavier - perfect for waterskiiing or high performance motoring

115, 140 HP _ I defer to Mark and Da Bob...... Ultimate motoring...


...and of course a 4 HP British Seagull EFNR would be my first choice

(Seriously, I have a Merc 50 EFI bigfoot FIJ)

[marlenemwa]

I called the seller, and he said the original motor was stolen. He works for an outboard motor service company and picked the boat up from the prior owner / insurance company, who seemed to place as much value on the motor as the boat.
The asking price for this boat is $11,250. Its a 98/ includes sails and cover, but not sure what else is included. I need to take a look at the boat to find out more.

Prices on these vary greatly from state to state. Here in the pacific NW, there are not too many Mac 26X's to choose from, so even if I include the price of a motor, this could be a good option.

I like the idea of a 50HP quiet running motor, maybe slighly used but at a great price. Looks like I need to start reading up on motors..

You have all been so much help! Thank you!

[Catigale]

I hate to bring this up but get the HIN (Hull Identification number) and make sure the whole boat is sound legally ...if you have the registration number ( WA #### XX) where # are numbers and X are letters you can check with the state of registration too.

Often when people steal outboards they cut them off the transom - you need to make sure the transom is not damaged in any way.

It can be repaired if it is damaged, but now you need a hard estimate to make sure you get good value...

[Terry]

Often when people steal outboards they cut them off the transom - you need to make sure the transom is not damaged in any way.

I guess you'd need something like a chain saw to do that...pretty loud. I always try to imagine myself in the shoes of the thief whenever making security decisions. They can steal a car in 60 seconds!! I have heard of motors being stolen before, usually smaller lighter ones. Thieves usually look for the easiest targets, fast, easy to carry, simple to steal. The larger ones do go missing, but I assume it would be in a remote mast up storage area where the removal process would go unnoticed. I would look for repair evidence first off on the X without a motor, if there are no thru-hull bolt holes indicating a bracket being mounted then it is a repaired transome that was cut out and no new holes drilled, it may be weak or faulty. OTOH if the bracket is still there or the old bolt holes are there, then the transome may still be intact and just a matter of mounting a new engine. You may wish to do some research on the repair work.

[kmclemore]

Can get 200W alternator for recharging battery while cruising....

Just curious which one comes with this? I think my Tohatsu 50 only has 10W!

[craiglaforce]

I think the Tohatsu 50 has about 100 watt charging rate once you get the rpms up to a reasonable speed.

Some other brands have larger alternators. I thought there was one with a huge alternator, but don't recall which one. Might have been in a thread a year or two ago.

[Robert]

Watts = Amps * Volts.
..
Using 12V for the calculations (for simplicity instead of the 13.5V or something like that that should be the alternator output) the conversion from Amps to Watts can be done by multiplying by 12.
..
Suzuki 140hp has 40A which is 480W
Suzuki 70hp has 25A which is 300W
Suzuki 50hp has 18A which is 216W
..
Etec 90hp has 75A which is 900W, but only 25A for charging which is 300W
Etec 50hp has 75A which is 900W, but only 25A for charging which is 300W
..
Tohatsu 2-stroke 50hp has 11A which is 132W
http://www.tohatsu.co.jp/en/boat/products/m50sp.html
Tohatsu TLDI 50hp has 23A which is 276W
http://www.tohatsu.co.jp/en/boat/products/md50sp.html
..
Yamaha 50 HighThrust has 17A which is 204W
Mercury 50 BigFoot has 18A which is 216W
..
Honda 50hp has 10A which is 120W

[Catigale]

Remember two stroke engines will get the full alternator charge essentially, while Four stroke EFIs have to back out the wattage used but the computer and EFI system to compare capacities.

Ive been meaning to measure the draw on my Bigfoot but cant find my Round Tuit Tool.

[Richard O'Brien]

marlen... I bought my motor off the internet. Iboats has some decent offers. Only buy from a reputable mechanic. You can mount it yourself, but I'd look at a couple of other hookups first to make sure. I personally like to understand everything on my boat. You will need an engine lift. If you email me I'll talk you through it if I can, but I have an M. With controls and everything I have about $3000 in my current setup, plus a spare Yamaha 70 I'm going to rebuild this summer. The Yamaha is why you need to buy from a reputable mechanic. I trusted some ebay charlatan, and it cost me $1900, which I may get some back after i put in a new powerhead.

[Chip Hindes]

Just curious which one comes with this? I think my Tohatsu 50 only has 10W!

Out of my manual: 130W which rounds to 11A. That's standard on the electric start model. I once inquired about a larger alternator thinking it might have been an option and was told there was none. That was before the 50 TLDI. I wonder if you could retrofit the TLDI alternator to the carbed 50 and get over double the charging rate? I believe that would be a seriously useful mod.

Probably wouldn't be cheap though. I once inquired about retrofitting an alternator to my 4HP Tohatsu dinghy motor, and the kit was something like $150. 40W as I recall.