Get To Know Your 6HP Outboard Motor
Electric boat motors have eventually garnered the attention of boating enthusiasts, thanks to their eco-friendly features, such as zero carbon emissions and being maintenance-free. Several boaters prefer outboard motors because they are easy to access during servicing, and these machines can be mounted easily on boats.
Whether you have a light sailboat, inflatable, dinghy, or even a kayak or canoe, electric outboard motors are ideal for direct drive, short or long distances. For this reason, boat owners always opt for a 6HP outboard motor. But how do you know this is the right electric rig for you?
H2: Will 6HP be enough?
To support one of the given instructions from the writing guidelines (Highlight the discussion on How to know if a 6hp outboard motor is enough for your boat), you may state in this section about the good features of 6hp & its comparison over other engine powers.
This matter is due to several factors, which mainly include the overall condition of the engine, the lubricating oil, and the ambient condition, among others. But for anyone new to electric outboard motors, we will stick to 6HP throughout this article since most boaters are more accustomed to using this HP.
Common Factors to Consider
The amount of HP you will need depends on how much speed you want for your boat. In that case, you will need to consider the three most common factors that can affect how much power is required to propel your boat forward, which are:
Boat Displacement
When you place a boat in the water, the boat’s weight pushes the water aside, displacing the water where the boat’s hull sits. Generally, the amount of water displaced is the boat’s total weight or displacement.
Common sense dictates that the higher the boat’s displacement, the bigger the HP you will need to propel it forward. Since you are dealing with a 6HP electric outboard motor, chances are the boat displacement should be anywhere from 3,000 lbs to 3,300 lbs.
Several boats belong to this weight class. Examples are pontoon boats, deck boats, cuddy cabins, and bowriders. Even though you could configure a fishing boat with a similar outboard motor, you might find it a bit overpowered, particularly on boats that weigh no more than 3,000 lbs.
Length of the Boat
One of the characteristics most boaters consider before choosing the proper outboard motor is the boat’s length. You could do this in two ways, determining the length overall (LOA) and the length waterline (LWL).
The LOA is said to be the entire length of the boat from the tip of the bow to the stern. On the other hand, LWL measures the part of the hull that sits on the waterline level.
Converting HP to kW
To determine if 6HP is the suitable outboard motor for your boat, you must convert horsepower to kW. Generally, 1,000 watts or 1kW is equivalent to 1.34HP; hence your 6HP outboard motor is at a 4.5kW power output.
The logic behind this process is that it is difficult to measure the rated HP of a fuel-powered engine compared to an electric motor. For this reason, most boaters could not figure out the consistent torque output of a gas or diesel outboard motor.
Boat captains should be aware of the LOA because they use that for mooring and other similar purposes. LWL is often used when considering a boat’s performance. Nevertheless, you may still use the LOA to determine if you need a 6HP electric outboard motor for your boat, as shown later in this post.
Tips on How Much HP You Will Need
While determining how much HP your boat needs sounds challenging, there are some trusted formulae you could use. These formulae can help ascertain that you have the correct electric outboard motor with the perfect amount of power for your boat.
Calculating the HP-to-Weight Ratio
One of the convenient ways of determining how much horsepower you will need is to take HP and divide it with the weight of your boat. The resulting figure is the amount of required HP per lb. If you take 6HP and divide it with 3,000 lbs., you have 0.002 HP per lb.
If you reverse the formula, you will get the number of lbs per HP. In this case, if you take 3,000 lbs and divide it by 6, the answer is 500 lbs per 1HP.
Calculating the HP-to-Length Ratio
Apart from the weight of the boat, you can also use the length and width of your boat to determine the required max HP. However, this formula is ideal for small boats that require no more than 15HP.
If you decide to use this equation, you should first take the LOA and the width of the transom. Then you multiply both results. Use the chart below to determine the right HP for your vessel.
| HP-to-Length Ratio Chart | |
|---|---|
| Length (multiplied by Width of Transom) | Required Maximum HP |
| 35 squared-feet and below | 3 |
| 36 – 39 squared-feet | 5.5 |
| 40 – 42 squared-feet | 7.5 |
| 43- 45 squared-feet | 10 |
| 46 – 52 squared-feet | 15 |
Based on the chart above, you could immediately tell that the 5.5 is the closest you could get if you have a 6HP outboard motor. We could infer that that would be the ideal motor for boats within the 36-39 sq-ft range.
However, you should remember that both of these formulae are often used for diesel- and gas-powered outboard engines. For this reason, you may use this as a guide or reference even when in the lookout for an electric outboard motor with a particular HP.
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Conclusion
There are different ways to determine if your boat requires a 6HP outboard motor. Before you begin the process, you should consider the factors affecting its performance — boat displacement, boat lengths, and horsepower.
You should use kW unit of measurement instead of HP, since you are in need of an electric outboard motor. Apart from that, kW is used frequently for measuring mechanical and electrical power output. This principle also gives you an idea on the torque output of a 6HP electric outboard motor. For that matter, you need a 4.5 kW motor.
However, you may still use HP as your reference point if you prefer to compute the HP-to-Weight or HP-to-Length ratios. These methods could provide you with quick, ballpark figures to confirm if the motor you are looking for indeed has a 6HP power output or not. In the end, what matters is that you find the perfect electric outboard motor for your small boat. It would still better to seek for professional advice or recommendation from the manufacturer because of a wide option in outboard motor power.
