Balticfly
New member
Has anyone any experience of using the tiny 1.2 hp 4stoke outboard from aquaparx? It seems to be based on a garden strimmer. I need a very small outboard but is this just an egg whisk?
1.2hp 4stroke too good to be true?
- Thread starter Balticfly
- Start date
Tranona
Well-known member
No direct experience of that particular model, but similar things have cropped up in the past and have generally been rubbish. What do you expect with only 50% of the power of smallest alternative proper motor, made of non marine grade materials, air cooled so noisy at the max revs you need to run it to get anywhere.
sailorman
Well-known member
buy a 2hp 2T :encouragement:
steve66
N/A
I have experience with them. Before these were for sale i actually designed an identical outboard using a genuine Honda gx 35 (the engine these are designed on). Cracking engines used in radio control stunt planes. Will run in updide down with no issues or fuel or oil leaks. Rev up to 7ķ OHC ,rated at just below 1.5hp and is very light.. If honda make it bigger and graft it onto a leg they have a winner. Another issue is prop size. The props on these are rated 2hp and can bog down on acceleration. Back to the original question, build quality is poor , poor throttle and tiller arm and i would guess below 1 hp
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Balticfly
New member
Thanks for comments. I mainly row cos getting my outboard off and on is too troublesome, but would like a really light engine and I could live with 1hp, preferable 1.5. But it has to work when I want it to, have a bearable noise level and survive seawater. Sounds like Tranona was after the same thing but designing it is the easy bit. Come on Honda, make one for all of us.
steve66
N/A
We will be waiting a long time for honda to design a new small outboard!!
Tammany
Member
It makes more noise than a 2 stroke by the looks of it!! Your neighbours will certainly here you coming.
NUTMEG
New member
A mate of mine has a very similar engine only his is a 2/stroke. He wanted an air cooled engine as the bay is very muddy and he had trouble with water pumps and blockages on his little Yamaha.
It is VERY noisy, build quality is rubbish and no one expects it to last long. But... It was cheap and my mate says he could buy four for the cost of a Honda 2.3. He uses it to get out to his swinging mooring and it pushes his 8' GRP tender along well, the bay is sheltered and no strong tides to worry about. He says if it packs up, or does not start, he can easily row back to shore. Having said all that it has lasted a season, and will probably last a few more before it rusts away.
Did I mention it is really noisy? No, REALLY noisy
Hope that helps.
Steve
It is VERY noisy, build quality is rubbish and no one expects it to last long. But... It was cheap and my mate says he could buy four for the cost of a Honda 2.3. He uses it to get out to his swinging mooring and it pushes his 8' GRP tender along well, the bay is sheltered and no strong tides to worry about. He says if it packs up, or does not start, he can easily row back to shore. Having said all that it has lasted a season, and will probably last a few more before it rusts away.
Did I mention it is really noisy? No, REALLY noisy
Hope that helps.
Steve
Tranona
Well-known member
Honda already make a 2.3hp mainly aircooled engine. Bit of a marmite thing but has been in production for many years and by any standard can be seen as a success.
The reality is that the sub 2hp potential market is very small and making a technically satisfactory engine at a viable price is difficult. Hence the lash ups as illustrated by this thing.
fredrussell
Well-known member
On the second video it looks like it has some sort of clutch - is this so?
Edit: had a look on the website - has neutral and forward gears. I wonder if a decent Honda GX35 engine could be grafted on to one of these if/when the cheapo chinese lump fails?
Reviews all positive, but only five thus far:
https://www.athleteshop.co.uk/review/product/list/id/200461/
I've just bought a 2nd hand 2 stroke Suzuki 2.2 and spent a day cleaning all the salty crud from coolant passages. As far as I'm concerned ALL marine engines, inboard or outboard, should be fresh water or air cooled. I can live with a bit more noise for the 2 minutes it takes to get from shore to boat if it means I don't have to strip down and clear outboard cooling systems again.
Edit: had a look on the website - has neutral and forward gears. I wonder if a decent Honda GX35 engine could be grafted on to one of these if/when the cheapo chinese lump fails?
Reviews all positive, but only five thus far:
https://www.athleteshop.co.uk/review/product/list/id/200461/
I've just bought a 2nd hand 2 stroke Suzuki 2.2 and spent a day cleaning all the salty crud from coolant passages. As far as I'm concerned ALL marine engines, inboard or outboard, should be fresh water or air cooled. I can live with a bit more noise for the 2 minutes it takes to get from shore to boat if it means I don't have to strip down and clear outboard cooling systems again.
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ghostlymoron
Well-known member
". I can live with a bit more noise for the 2 minutes it takes to get from shore to boat "
I can't for the life of me understand the mentality behind using an outboard for such a short trip. Presumably you carry oars in case of engine failure so why not use them. There are many advantages; quiet, non polluting, good excercise.
I have a similar length trip to my mooring and wouldn't dream of using an outboard on my rigid dinghy.
I can't for the life of me understand the mentality behind using an outboard for such a short trip. Presumably you carry oars in case of engine failure so why not use them. There are many advantages; quiet, non polluting, good excercise.
I have a similar length trip to my mooring and wouldn't dream of using an outboard on my rigid dinghy.
RichardS
N/A
I had the same requirements ..... so bought a new Suzuki DF2.5.
It comes out as Best Buy in this magazine test of all the contenders: http://www.mby.com/general/ultimate-2-5hp-outboard-test-40258 although they don't test for long term longevity against seawater corrosion but, in my experience, it beats the Honda on that score as well.
Richard
steve66
N/A
It probably would fit
RichardS
N/A
There would be a significant weight and complexity penalty in having fresh water cooled small outboards ..... unless you intend to use the motor on a lake.
However, the answer is to run the engine for a few minutes in a bucket of fresh water every now and then and before you leave it for longer periods. This is 100% effective as it is basically converting your little engine to freshwater cooling.
Richard
thepadd
New member
Hmmm, I cant believe this is the end of the debate!
My mate has an old 1.2hp suzuki on his tender and it works just great. I got my new tender last weekend (2.3m inflatable) and whilst okay when rowing, it was a faff, and a little outboard would be perfect.
It's just for pootling around, so these little air-cooled things look fine to me. And light, so I can stick it in the boot of the car, with whatever I need for the day, get to the lake, drop it on the back of the dinghy and off over to the boat. A bit like the old Seagulls.
My mate has an old 1.2hp suzuki on his tender and it works just great. I got my new tender last weekend (2.3m inflatable) and whilst okay when rowing, it was a faff, and a little outboard would be perfect.
It's just for pootling around, so these little air-cooled things look fine to me. And light, so I can stick it in the boot of the car, with whatever I need for the day, get to the lake, drop it on the back of the dinghy and off over to the boat. A bit like the old Seagulls.
steve66
N/A
Sure you don't mean a 2hp Suzuki. ?
Homer J
Active member
Sounds like the op needs a torqeedo.
LittleSister
Well-known member
Steve66's reference to model aeroplane engines awakens a dim memory that you used to be able to get tiny model aeroplane 'jet' engines, and buy little tablets of solid fuel for them. A bank of a few dozen of those would do away with all the weight and complexity of drive shafts, gearboxes and props. (You might need a flame shield on the back of your inflatable, mind!)
Or, taking a different approach, Wankel engines are compact and lightweight. 99% of outboards are never used enough to wear them out, and tend to be operated only at either tickover or flat out. So a Wankel powered outboard would avoid the problems those engines have with combustion chamber seals wearing, and delivering power over widely varying engine speeds. I recall that a key focus for current Wankel engine production is for drone motors, so maybe there is something small and light already in production that could be adapted.
For the PBO/Classic boat enthusiast I envisage half a dozen or so Mamod steam engines chain or belt driving a stern paddlewheel.
Or, taking a different approach, Wankel engines are compact and lightweight. 99% of outboards are never used enough to wear them out, and tend to be operated only at either tickover or flat out. So a Wankel powered outboard would avoid the problems those engines have with combustion chamber seals wearing, and delivering power over widely varying engine speeds. I recall that a key focus for current Wankel engine production is for drone motors, so maybe there is something small and light already in production that could be adapted.
For the PBO/Classic boat enthusiast I envisage half a dozen or so Mamod steam engines chain or belt driving a stern paddlewheel.
duncan99210
Well-known member
I met one of these outboards last summer, on the back of someone else’s tender. Instead of the gentle buzz expected of an outboard (of which there were plenty in the anchorage) this was a raucous din which quite disrupted conversation until it had disappeared round the corner. Seriously noisy, much more so than the air cooled Hondas which are pretty common in Greece. Wouldn’t touch the things with a barge pole: if I were forced to use one I’d make sure I was wearing hearing protection.
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Old Harry
Well-known member
Jetex motorsSteve66's reference to model aeroplane engines awakens a dim memory that you used to be able to get tiny model aeroplane 'jet' engines, and buy little tablets of solid fuel for them. A bank of a few dozen of those would do away with all the weight and complexity of drive shafts, gearboxes and props. (You might need a flame shield on the back of your inflatable, mind!)
Or, taking a different approach, Wankel engines are compact and lightweight. 99% of outboards are never used enough to wear them out, and tend to be operated only at either tickover or flat out. So a Wankel powered outboard would avoid the problems those engines have with combustion chamber seals wearing, and delivering power over widely varying engine speeds. I recall that a key focus for current Wankel engine production is for drone motors, so maybe there is something small and light already in production that could be adapted.
For the PBO/Classic boat enthusiast I envisage half a dozen or so Mamod steam engines chain or belt driving a stern paddlewheel.
