[Rhodes22-list] 2-cycles still made?

[William E. Wickman]

Elle,
You are correct.  Beginning in 2006 you cannot buy a new 2 cycle.  You may be able to find a new 2005 model somewhere, but most of them have already been snatched up.  

If you want to buy new, save yourself the hassle of trying to find a 2 cycle and just get a 4.  The advantage of a 4 cycle is that it is quieter running, much more fuel efficient, you don't have to mess with oil ratios, and they are much better for the environment.  Their only disadvantage in my opinion is they are heavier than equivalent 2 cycles (which should'nt be a problem if you don't transport it often).  

Regarding reliability, both 2 and 4 cycles are reliable, or unreliable, depending on how you take care of them.  2 cycles don't like to be run at idle which is what we sailors mostly do with them.  4 cycles can run all day at idle and just sip gas.

Regarding high thrust, the prop is not what determines thrust.  It is the gear ratio of the engine.  High thrust engines run at a lower rpm at a given throttle setting and can thus deliver higher torque to the prop shaft enabling a large high pitched prop to be used.  If you try to put a high pitch prop on a regular outboard, it will be mismatched putting undue strain on the engine and will cost you performance and shorter engine life.  High thrust engines are designed for slower moving displacement hulls like houseboats and sailboats.

I am not aware of any low hp 2 cycle high thrust outboards out there.  The only true high thrust that I have heard of are the Yamaha 9.9hp high thrust outboards that Stan uses.  As you might have guessed, I own the Yamaha 9.9hp and am extremely happy with it.  I have used it in some pretty extreme conditions and it has always performed well.  The high thrust also allows me to run at idle and attain near hull speed durning normal wind/water conditions for hours on end with very little fuel consumption.

All that said many Rhodes owners have conventional outboards and do just fine with them.  Remember, these are first and foremost sailing vessels, but it sure is nice to have a reliable, powerful enough outboard when you need one.

Bill Wickman

--------------------------




----- Original Message -----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces
Sent: 08/10/2006 11:13 PM
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] 2-cycles still made?

Are the 2-cycles still being manufactured?? I thought
they were gone & 4-strokes replaced them...

Going to hit the phones tomorrow...I'll report back!

thanks for the help.

elle

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com 
__________________________________________________
Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list