2019 Mercury 5 HP 5MLHA Sail Power Outboard Motor

Sold as the Sail Power edition of Mercury's 5 horsepower 5MLHA, this 2019 outboard is positioned specifically as auxiliary power for a sailboat, carrying the same 20-inch long shaft, high-thrust propeller, and built-in charging alternator as the standard 5MLHA.

Why Mercury markets this one for sailboats

A sailboat under power usually needs steady pulling force at low rpm more than top speed, which is what the 6.0-inch-pitch high-thrust three-blade aluminum propeller bolted to this motor is built to deliver. Bore comes in at 59 millimeters with a 45-millimeter stroke, on a single cylinder Mercury sizes at 123 cc, or 7.5 cubic inches on its other scale; a carburetor supplies fuel, digital CD ignition with electronic spark advance lights it, and the engine spins up as high as 5500 rpm, 4500 rpm at the low end of that range. A 4-amp, 50-watt alternator with a charging cord is wired into the motor from the factory, useful for keeping a small battery topped off on a boat that otherwise sails most of the time.

Shaft, weight, and warranty

At 58 pounds and with a 20-inch shaft, it bolts to a sailboat's standard outboard bracket without modification, gearing is set at 2.15:1, and shift moves through the usual forward-neutral-reverse pattern. This motor is saltwater rated, and like the rest of Mercury's small outboards it comes with three years of factory warranty coverage.

Specifications