I find the Suzuki 2.5 a fine and fully sufficient engine for the BR. (The Suzuki 2.5 and the Johnson 2.5 are identical.)

However, after mounting the Suzuki I found that its cavitation plate was in collision with the rudder stock when the motor was tilted up.
Solution: There is this little lever (red arrows) on the engine which locks the engine in the tilted position. You screw that off. Then there is this 90 degree bend at the lower end, straighten that out, saw about 5mm off from the straightened end, then bend it again to a little 90 degree foot.
Screw this back on, and the problem is gone. A bit fiddly with that little spring coil there, but you\\\'ll manage.

Hi Peter,
if you feel happier with a bigger engine, fine by me, the boat can carry that no problem, because the stern has so much buoyancy. From 8 HP up, she will very likely plane like a blooming McGregor 26.

That tilt lock issue, you may have that with other engines too. On the BayRaider the outboarder bracket is vertical, not somewhat overhanging like in most other boats. The standard Suzuki/ Johnson 2.5 tilts up - and locks- at around- 75 degrees.
Only, at that angle of tilt, the cavitation plate gets in the way of the rudder stock under the mizzen mast. So you want to reduce the angle of tilt to around 65 degrees. I tried to explain how that can be done.

Good luck with your own new BR!

Hi, I have yet to try the 2.5 hp with the Bay Raider as I only collected my BR last week :-), but I have experience of a 2.3 Honda with a Lune Whammel and the @2.5 suzi with a Drascombe Coaster.  The small engines pushed both boats at hull speed in smooth water and \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"normal\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\" boating type winds.  I sailed the Drascombe in company with other Coasters many with 6-10 h.p engines and their owners were surprised if not shocked that my egg beater enabled me to keep up with them.  In my opinion an engine in the 6-8 hp range will get the boat to hull speed (approx 5 knots) at lower revs, it will be able to push against stronger winds and possibly greater swells and it will enable you to tow a greater weight.  The down sides are cost <£500 versus circa £2500 for a 8 hp, weight 13kg versus 35-40 kg and greater fuel consumption.

I think the size of engine question boils down to how do you see yourself using it. For me the light weight is a plus as it means that I can get it on and off the boat unaided for when I sail on lakes that ban engines.

I would recommend that you borrow a small engine and give it a try, for me the benefits beat the negatives.

best wishes
Simon

Just to take this further, has anyone had experience of using one of the Torqeedo electric outboards with a Swallowboat? I have got a Honda 2.3 HP for my new boat, which may do the job, but I am getting so disillusioned about the reliability of four strokes. No matter how well I keep them serviced, they just seem to pack up and stop on me for no obvious reason. I know that batteries can go flat, but I hope that they would at least work when they have got a bit of a charge. Any experience out there?

Hi, Folks.
Yes we\\\'re all in it for the sailing - but I DO like to use my reliable (touch wood )lightweight 4HP Yamaha, too. It gets the Four Sisters and I home at 6 knots against wind and tide when I am too hungry to muck about with short tacking. If I could have found a 2.5HP motor with a reverse gear (which I have ) and an alternator (which I dont ) I would have been a happy man.
   Having said that, I think electric motors are INFINITELY superior. Quiet, robustly reliable, powerful and mechanically less complex. I have been really impressed with those I have seen in action. The only (BIG) problem is the batteries. They cost too much, they go flat too quickly and (even supposing you have somewhere handy to plug em in) they take too long to recharge. All fatal flaws as far as I am concerned. Even Lithium Ion batteries are Watt for Watt much heavier than the very few litres of petrol they can replace.  Until someone makes a cheap, high wattage fuel cell, or perhaps a usable hybrid system with an on-board generator ......or  arranges for a world wide modular battery exchange system (fat chance ) I fear trailer sailors are stuck with fossil fuels and all the sins that the internal combustion engine is heir to. If anyone can tell me something new on the subject I would be delighted to hear it.

Respectfully, may I remind you that generators have fourstroke combustion engines inside them? 

Yesterday was calm and I checked the fuel efficiency of the Suzuki 2.5. on the BR:
At a boat speed of 4.1 knots average the tankfill (1.0 ltr.) lasted 1 hour 35 mins. So it takes about 0.66 ltrs per hour, a good pint.

Interestingly, the boat speed went marginally up, not down, when I filled the ballast tank. I think that is because the heavier boat punches the waves a bit better.

I have a problem with my Suzuki 2.5 engine in that it will tick over while in neutral but stalls when put in gear or at low revs.  How do your Suzuki 2.5 engines perform at low revs?

Simon