most reliable small outboard?

[aplumma]

Not to hijack this post, but why are 4 strokes slow out of the hole? I had a 2 stroke Merc that just took off, but my 4 stroke yamaha almost seems like it thinks for mimute before getting up to speed

Pete the motors are two different animals. The two stroke has less mechanical parts meaning no oil related parts and no valve train, pushrods, or timing chain. The lack of this extra weight and friction make them able to achieve their RPMs a lot faster. The motor with an even faster response is an electric motor it is at full potential as soon as the voltage is applied no explosions or pistons to get moving before an action occurs.

[Headhunter]

I'd love to find a small 2-4hp 2-stroke outboard with integrated tank.

Keep an eye on Costco Bill. My brother picked up the same motor as in the pic above, a Merc at Costco for a song.

Hit and miss I know, but well worth the look see.

HH

[BillM]

Keep an eye on Costco Bill. My brother picked up the same motor as in the pic above, a Merc at Costco for a song.

Hit and miss I know, but well worth the look see.

HH

 

Cool man, I'll keep my eyes open!

[Bernie]

Two strokes develop power on every downstroke of the piston. Four strokes take two revolutions for power.

Two strokes generally will also idle slower because of power on every stroke.

[atvaholic]

@BillM. Keep an eye on Kijiji. I picked up a late 90's Yamaha 2 hp 2 stroke. Starts first pull and paid 125 for it. It belonged to the sellers father-in-law who had passed on and he just wanted to get rid of it.

 

I'd love to find a small 2-4hp 2-stroke outboard with integrated tank.

Edited January 22, 2014 by atvaholic

[Sinker]

Doesnt yamaha still make small 2 strokes? Ive seen them at hastings marine...I wasnt looking for one, so didnt pay much attention.

 

S.

[TennesseeGuy]

Tohatsu distributor is in my town. Got my 2011 Tohatsu 20hp 4stroke, electric start for under $2700 U.S. You guys could order online, pay by eft and pay no freight or U.S. tax. Have it shipped to you general delivery at a border town near where you live, throw it in your truck and pay duty, taxes or whatever when you cross back into Ontario. Credit card purchase would cost a bit more. They ship only to the lower 48.

 

Tohatsu makes a strong outboard. I researched it plenty before my purchase and it's performed well. Let it sniff gas and it'll take you where you want to go and bring you back.

 

PM me with your email address if you want the website. They sell hundreds of outboard motors.

[fisherman7]

I've got a 9.9 two stroke Yamaha that starts first pull in the spring and has for the last 5 years. I'm starting to look at a bigger boat with a 90 or 115 and it will only be a Yamaha - or Honda if I have to. Just my 2 cents.

[MCTFisher9120]

Yamaha would be a good choice. Kesagami Lodge ran a fleet of 9.9 4-strokes and they were awesome. Ran great every morning warming them up. Many guides never shut them off just keep the engine running through the day while guiding people.

 

As a side note the campground I go to now also runs a half dozen Yamaha 9.9 4-strokes. I've never had to pull the rope twice on these motors….Merc's…that's another store haha.

 

 

I vote Yamaha from personal use although I've never maintained them just ran them hard 7-14 days in a row 12-14hrs a day. Never a problem, knock on wood.

 

MTBF

Edited January 24, 2014 by MikeTheBassFisher

[scugpg]

yamaha also has a 100 rebate on 15/20hp right now or 2yrs extra warranty.

 

bay city marine in Hamilton has been very good to deal with and they carry yamaha. I've dealt with Clarence there.

[LesCulpJr]

Yamaha and Honda are good. we don't see them in our shop often however when we do availability of parts has become a real issue. We had more than a few customers last year waste a good part of the open water season simply waiting for parts. That is always something to consider if you do your fishing away from home and away from your local dealer. We have a good network of other marina's we deal with to get people back out on the water however parts for these two manufacturer are becoming a particular pain in the butt.. More so for Honda's. This is why, when you say, go to the boat show looking for an Evinrude, you will sometimes be met by a rep of the company asking you where you boat. They will then direct you to the appropriate dealer that is closest to your area. The "buy where you play" catch phrase is becoming increasingly popular as it doesn't take much to render your boat totally useless for your whole week off these days. It use to be you could get by with your outboard running like crap for a few days...However these days your outboard just won't run:) And its always when you get up to the lake that you find there is something wrong with your rig!

Beware of buying used motors that are more than a few years old as well as the manufacturer have cut the number of years they make parts for them. Mercury is now down to about 7 years. That said, you can normally find popular parts (i.e.) ignition coils, however that list of parts is getting smaller all the time.

 

Tohatsu makes the small portable 4 strokes for both Merc and Evinrude. They are pretty identical other than the paint job and badging. I have not inspected them closely though as they do not interest me. We have two of the Evinrude's in our show room. They are pretty heavy motors and are right up there with Honda's which are notoriously heavy and they don't generate a lot of interest among customers visiting us.

 

If 4 strokes are your thing Suzuki is perhaps the hidden gem among them suprising close in weight when compared to a 2 stroke. Its one of the brands we sell here and its gonna sound like a plug but we never see these things back other than for regular service or if they have been abused in some way... The only thing with 4 strokes in general though is that they can be very cold blooded and hard to start on cold mornings, there is a fair amount of maintenance involved with oil changes,etc. and they are a bit of a pain to winterize. Lay them down on the wrong side or have them fall over in the back of the truck on the way to your destination and the cylinders will fill with oil and leave a mess in your vehicle.

 

2 strokes are still the way to go for me. Twice the power strokes means twice the power. You can get a 2 stroke Etec down to 15hp now and you can even get them with power trim and tilt which is a back saver for many of us as well as our wives and kids. You can also adjust the rpm with these with a push of a button on the tiller handle right down to 500 rpm. Pretty amazing some of the technology out there these days.

Sorry for the long post but hopefully the info helps you out.

Les

[pidge]

I run a small 5hp 2 stroke Nissan which is the same as Tohatsu. Great little motor in my opinion. Never let me down. It's my understanding with two strokes they like to be wound out or at least darn near full throttle. Any one know? But back to the point...I would give them a look at. I've got the gas tank built in and I love it. Got it on Kijiji for a song and in new condition

[Bernie]

A properly designed and maintained two stroke should run well at any speed.

[Lunatic]

Yamaha and Honda are good. we don't see them in our shop often however when we do availability of parts has become a real issue. We had more than a few customers last year waste a good part of the open water season simply waiting for parts. That is always something to consider if you do your fishing away from home and away from your local dealer. We have a good network of other marina's we deal with to get people back out on the water however parts for these two manufacturer are becoming a particular pain in the butt.. More so for Honda's. This is why, when you say, go to the boat show looking for an Evinrude, you will sometimes be met by a rep of the company asking you where you boat. They will then direct you to the appropriate dealer that is closest to your area. The "buy where you play" catch phrase is becoming increasingly popular as it doesn't take much to render your boat totally useless for your whole week off these days. It use to be you could get by with your outboard running like crap for a few days...However these days your outboard just won't run:) And its always when you get up to the lake that you find there is something wrong with your rig!

Beware of buying used motors that are more than a few years old as well as the manufacturer have cut the number of years they make parts for them. Mercury is now down to about 7 years. That said, you can normally find popular parts (i.e.) ignition coils, however that list of parts is getting smaller all the time.

 

Tohatsu makes the small portable 4 strokes for both Merc and Evinrude. They are pretty identical other than the paint job and badging. I have not inspected them closely though as they do not interest me. We have two of the Evinrude's in our show room. They are pretty heavy motors and are right up there with Honda's which are notoriously heavy and they don't generate a lot of interest among customers visiting us.

 

If 4 strokes are your thing Suzuki is perhaps the hidden gem among them suprising close in weight when compared to a 2 stroke. Its one of the brands we sell here and its gonna sound like a plug but we never see these things back other than for regular service or if they have been abused in some way... The only thing with 4 strokes in general though is that they can be very cold blooded and hard to start on cold mornings, there is a fair amount of maintenance involved with oil changes,etc. and they are a bit of a pain to winterize. Lay them down on the wrong side or have them fall over in the back of the truck on the way to your destination and the cylinders will fill with oil and leave a mess in your vehicle.

 

2 strokes are still the way to go for me. Twice the power strokes means twice the power. You can get a 2 stroke Etec down to 15hp now and you can even get them with power trim and tilt which is a back saver for many of us as well as our wives and kids. You can also adjust the rpm with these with a push of a button on the tiller handle right down to 500 rpm. Pretty amazing some of the technology out there these days.

Sorry for the long post but hopefully the info helps you out.

Les

this was an awesome post.

id really like to get a 2 stroke, yamaha and suzuki are the 2 im aiming for. ill have to search for a 2 stroke