Tanaka 1.2

[Melbourne55]

I can buy a Tanaka 1.2 outboard locally. Same as a Sears Gamefisher. Does anyone have experience with these? Horsepower is 1.2. Anyone with a low power motor that can let me know what to expect with that please let me know.

Thank You

Rick

[GreenLake]

With a 40# thrust trolling motor, I get 3knots in calm water. Occasionally, I wish I had a bit more power/speed, but in nearly 10 years, haven't felt a real need to upgrade.

I read various articles that discuss the effetive equivalence between thrust and horse power, and from that, if I remember these correctly, I would expect that your motor would come out a bit bit stronger than what I have.

If you don't sail where you need to fight currents/waves/winds 1.2 HP should be fine, as long as you don't expect to motor faster than you can sail.

Sometimes the props on small outboards are not efficient when you go very slow, in that case the effective power might be less than if you had a prop dimensioned for the application.

[kkearns]

I owned a Tanaka 1.2 hp for several years. Used it on a Flying Scot, which of course is a bigger and heavier boat than the Daysailer. It struggled in anything other than smooth waters. It is quite loud (air cooled) and the tiller on the motor did not flip up (at least not on the model I owned). Also, there was no reverse gear and no neutral. When you fire it up, the prop turns immediately. Not a big deal at low rpm's because the thrust is not enough to jolt you ahead. Still, be aware that it is in gear as soon as you yank the cord.

It was reliable and certainly fuel efficient. I would think it would work nicely on a Daysailer.

Kevin