Tohatsu 9.8 2S newbie

[Fenlander]

I'm not saying you should do this but I skip the undercoat as well if touching up an OB lower leg area with cans. Undercoat in this situation of an area prone to wear seems to stay softer than top coat encouraging scratches and then even with a dark grey it really shows through any scratch.

[Fenlander]

Will you go for a 7.5" pitch prop Steve. If so OE or Polastorm do you reckon?

Going back a few years I had two Polastorms that didn't run true to pitch/type but then the last couple more recently have been 99% as an OE.

[Steve509926]

Thanks both I'll give it a try with just a thin coat of primer as it's bare metal then a few coats of top coat.

Probably Polastorm David. The one I got for the 20 efi Merc works a treat and even if the 7.5 isn't 100% true to OE (which I can compare with previous data) I will mostly be using it on Windermere and Ullswater at a restricted speed.

[Fenlander]

Yep despite buying OE for mine on this occasion if there were another time I'd give the Polastorm a go. And if you do we can have all the useful data to see!

[Steve509926]

Hopefully the last question about paint.
After applying 3 top coats I was going to flat it off with 1500 wet & dry, then apply a final top coat let it harden off 24/48hrs polish and buff it to a shine.
Then I thought should I apply a coat of lacquer? Is it needed or not?

[Steve509926]

I took the advice from the guy in the paint shop, he said if the rest of the OB was finished in clear coat then use clear coat, if not don't bother.
He gave me a simple method to test if it has had clear coat on it. Lint free rag, bit of polishing compound, polish a small inconspicuous spot. If the rag has paint residue on it, it's not been finished in clear coat, if the rag is clear of colour then it has.
It hasn't been finished in clear coat.
Quite pleased with the end result. The colour is a slightly different shade, but as it's under the water it doesn't really matter.
The main thing is, the holes are no more

[Max...]

Nice job Steve, looks very pro! Must admit when I tool the Doel fins off mine I just plugged the holes with those plastic dome head car trim buttons and a smidge of black Sikaflex...

[Brinormeg]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

I took the advice from the guy in the paint shop, he said if the rest of the OB was finished in clear coat then use clear coat, if not don't bother.
He gave me a simple method to test if it has had clear coat on it. Lint free rag, bit of polishing compound, polish a small inconspicuous spot. If the rag has paint residue on it, it's not been finished in clear coat, if the rag is clear of colour then it has.
It hasn't been finished in clear coat.
Quite pleased with the end result. The colour is a slightly different shade, but as it's under the water it doesn't really matter.
The main thing is, the holes are no more

Nice one Steve….our Suz 20 has taken a bit of a beating with a couple of small chips, scuffs and scratches……so will probably touch it up over the winter, so will keep your experiences in mind I might even try and see if I can get an exact match of some sort for it.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Max...

Nice job Steve, looks very pro! Must admit when I tool the Doel fins off mine I just plugged the holes with those plastic dome head car trim buttons and a smidge of black Sikaflex...

Thanks Max, now I've done it I'm kind of regretting thay I didn't finish it of with a few coats of clear coat. Doesn't take long to flatten down and mask up, so you never know.

Originally Posted by Brinormeg

Nice one Steve….our Suz 20 has taken a bit of a beating with a couple of small chips, scuffs and scratches……so will probably touch it up over the winter, so will keep your experiences in mind I might even try and see if I can get an exact match of some sort for it.

Thanks Brin, this was supposed to be an exact match!

[Fenlander]

Yep looks tidy. Seems these days most metallics will only gloss up fully with a clear coat. But then it can look over shiny and new.

[Pikey Dave]

It takes around 2 weeks for paint to properly harden or “shell”. I wouldn’t go near fresh paint with any polish until it’s fully cured.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

But then it can look over shiny and new.

Must be age Fenlander, but I find I'm drawn to a bit of bling!

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

It takes around 2 weeks for paint to properly harden or “shell”. I wouldn’t go near fresh paint with any polish until it’s fully cured.

Oops! Polished & waxed. Even more tempted now to flatten respray and clear coat, shiny and new

[Steve509926]

The more I looked at it, the more I regretted not finishing off with some clear coat.

Much happier now.

[Steve509926]

A beautiful days boating on Windermere today.
Set off from Fell Foot down the river Leven to the Swan hotel (very busy with sup's and inflatable kayaks) then up past Lakeside and onto Bowness, then to Ambleside. Had lunch and the obligatory pint or 2 at The Watersedge. Came back on the west side past Wray Castle, Far Sawrey to Fell Foot. Just short of 27 miles in total with 10 litres of fuel used.

2 up, dog and a little bit of kit. Had the new 7.5p Polastorm prop fitted. Max speed 10.8 knots at 5160 rpm/wot.
Difficult to compare it with the OE 7.5p as I didn't go out solo at all.
Relatively pleased with the prop, puts the rpm in the right range, but I do need to try it solo.

Thoughts, so far, about my 9.8hp Tohatsu paired to my Excel 360 :-

Solo with kit, it's great. Gets up on the plane quickly and responds well. It feels like a decent match between the OB and the Sib, especially on Windermere and hopefully solo trips on the coast.

2 up with the dog and kit, it's good. Gets up on the plane relatively quickly, but needs 3/4 to full throttle to keep it there. It feels slightly underpowered, but holds 9.5/10 knots well which, at the end of the day is what I wanted it for.
Not sure I'd be completely comfortable on some of the sea/estuary trips we do when the chop gets up, I think I'll be sticking with the 20hp efi Merc for that.

Now that's not a fault of the 9.8 or the SD360. I just don't think they are a good pairing. I think the SD360 with 2 up is too heavy and probably a bit to broad in the beam.

So far, the 9.8 is a keeper.

[Fenlander]

We are both two plus dog but the relative resistance of our very different sibs is unknown. However the performance you report with the Polastorm is way below that we've experienced with the 7.5" OE.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

However the performance you report with the Polastorm is way below that we've experienced with the 7.5" OE.

Yeah - it's that formula:

Pi r not shared

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

We are both two plus dog but the relative resistance of our very different sibs is unknown. However the performance you report with the Polastorm is way below that we've experienced with the 7.5" OE.

I think until I get out solo with the Polastorm prop fitted, it's difficult for me to compare with the 7.5p OE prop.

It'll be a couple of weeks before I next get out on the water.

[Fenlander]

>>Pi r not shared

I don't know about that but I do know that P0145T0RM + 60 = T0H4T5U so if it works it's a bargain.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

>>Pi r not shared

I don't know about that but I do know that P0145T0RM + 60 = T0H4T5U so if it works it's a bargain.

We shall see. If it doesn't work or even comes close, then it will be a new Tohatsu 7.5p and I will sell the original 8.5p on fleebay.

[smallribber]

Steve

I think the perfect second outboard for your boat is a Yamaha 15 hp 2 stroke. They are quite available at the moment and remember if you find a 9.9 hp version just replace the reed valves you have a 15 hp. If you find a bit of a scratched up one your painting ability would quickly sort that out. The weight is very managable at 36kg and the fuel consumption is very good also. If you then had the 9.8, 15 and 20 you would have the perfect set for different circumstances and also backups shoul you have a fail on any day. I suspect in your truck you could carry the 15 and 9.8 at the same time. Christmas tree bags fit the 15 and 9.8 very well and have good handles to carry them with