Re: Honda 2hp 4 stroke - gearshift (fwd/neut/rev)?

GSTahoe@aol.com
Sun, 10 Oct 1999 00:51:23 EDT


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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In a message dated 10/09/1999 3:07:19 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
krilll@hgfx.com writes:

> Just want to agree with S Fry -- I have a Honda 2hp, and wish
> mightily I had been given his advice. It's a great motor, but offers
> far less control of the boat than one with gears.

Here I go causing trouble again! I want to disagree with Leonard and Solar
Fry. First of all, the Honda 2's now have a transmission as an option.
Second of all, you don't need it.

If you learn to use the motor, it is not a big deal to back and control a
P-15 without the transmission. The key word here is, "learn" You have to
practice, just like you practice every other boating skill. Take the boat
out in a bay or any other calm body of water, away from piers, people and
pets and practice. It is no big deal. You can maneuver a P-15 in reverse by
spinning the motor just fine. You can back into and out of slips, up to and
away from moorings, etc.

A P-15 is a small boat and the more you can keep it simple, the better. As
far as I know, the Honda 2 is the lightest, simplest, most dependable four
stroke available. Perfect for the P-15. You can learn to handle it under
power and sail in some pretty rough conditions. If it's too hard to make the
effort to learn, perhaps you should get a larger, heavier motor and give up
the sailing performance. If you have that much difficulty learning to use
the motor, you probably don't care about the sailing performance anyway. You
then have an outboard motorboat that has an auxiliary sail rather than the
other way around.

I welcome all flames, but I sincerely believe that if you are afraid to back
up a 15 foot boat with an outboard without a transmission, you might be
better off going the powerboat route anyway.

Anybody ever try installing bow thrusters on a P-15?

Geoff
P-15 Lollipop
N. Lake Tahoe, NV