Best Small Outboard

VicS said:
Yes I beleive it is. The outboard was a Featherweight. They hhave a shorter than standard shaft length so ideal for small dinghies with little freeboard but before 1967 were called Forty Minus.
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The Forty Minus / Featherweight also has a smaller propeller and a different carb (maybe just the jetting) to cut down power a bit. The powerhead is otherwise the same as the Forty.
 
JumbleDuck said:
The Forty Minus / Featherweight also has a smaller propeller and a different carb (maybe just the jetting) to cut down power a bit. The powerhead is otherwise the same as the Forty.
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Carb is the same, no difference in jetting.
Different gear box (10:21 for Featherweight, 10:35 for 40+) as well as different prop.
 
VicS said:
Carb is the same, no difference in jetting.
Different gear box (10:21 for Featherweight, 10:35 for 40+) as well as different prop.
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Thanks. I'm really surprised - I thought they did something to throttle back the Forty's wild horses for the wee sister.
 
I have two 4 strokes - Yamaha 2.5 (17kg) and Johnson 2.5 (14kg) which is really a suzuki apparently. The Yamaha is quieter and much better build quality but the extra weight is noticeable when hoisting on and off the dinghy.
 
seumask said:
Tohatsu, Mercury , Mariner 3.3 2stroke is the one to get , a little more poke and gear shift forward or neutral. 2nd hand prices are high for a good reason.
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Overpriced in my opinion. Like any water cooled outboard, they will corrode from inside out eventually, and the bearings will wear and become noisier.
 
VicS said:
Carb is the same, no difference in jetting.
Different gear box (10:21 for Featherweight, 10:35 for 40+) as well as different prop.
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I must admit there are drawbacks to the BSG. Like the lack of reverse, the 'start and you're off', and the uncovered spinning flywheel. But for a basic no frills motor, it takes some beating.
 
I bought a Yamaha 2.5 early in the summer and had a good blast round with it at Lindisfarne. It is very easy to start and I'm pleased with it. It seems fairly quick too for what it is. It is slightly heavier than the Suzy I think.
 
We bought the Honda 2.3 earlier this year and are very happy with it. It certainly has its faults - noisy compared with others and the automatic clutch can be snatchy, but its light weight and lack of flushing won me over. Some owners have questioned its life expectancy, but it comes with a six year warranty - if it dies the day after the warranty expires, I'll consider that I got value out of my £500 - and I will not have had to pay the osteopath bills that would go with lifting some of the others onto the dinghy.

A lot of the reported clutch snatch is associated with a new engine - by the time it has done 20 hours and had a service, it will be a lot smoother.
 
maby said:
We bought the Honda 2.3 earlier this year and are very happy with it. It certainly has its faults - noisy compared with others and the automatic clutch can be snatchy, but its light weight and lack of flushing won me over. Some owners have questioned its life expectancy, but it comes with a six year warranty - if it dies the day after the warranty expires, I'll consider that I got value out of my £500 - and I will not have had to pay the osteopath bills that would go with lifting some of the others onto the dinghy.

A lot of the reported clutch snatch is associated with a new engine - by the time it has done 20 hours and had a service, it will be a lot smoother.
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Mine is the Honda 2hp 2002 vintage, still going strong and no snatch at all. In fact you can get the prop to spin very slowly. However, the bolts do not seem to be stainless, and so they corrode badly if not covered in grease. Rocker cover is mild steel - so that rusts too.

I hate to say it, but.....the most corrosion resistant outboards I have seen are seagulls....apart front the horrid steel tank they used for a while after the brass ones got too expensive.
 
Yamaha 2hp two stroke.
Seems to be about the only one SWMBO can start.

I would not recommend anyone to buy a seagull, unless they grew up fiddling with old bikes or lawnmowers.
Such people don't need any encouragement.
If you are the type of person who does not like fiddling with engines, do not buy a seagull!
A good well sorted one is fine, but people do not sell well sorted ones, they sell the ones that have been bodged and have been giving them gyp all season.
The only safe way to acquire a seagull is to inherit it.
Unless you can still dig them up on the D-Day Beaches?
 
well said

lw395 said:
Yamaha 2hp two stroke.
Seems to be about the only one SWMBO can start.

I would not recommend anyone to buy a seagull, unless they grew up fiddling with old bikes or lawnmowers.
Such people don't need any encouragement.
If you are the type of person who does not like fiddling with engines, do not buy a seagull!
A good well sorted one is fine, but people do not sell well sorted ones, they sell the ones that have been bodged and have been giving them gyp all season.
The only safe way to acquire a seagull is to inherit it.
Unless you can still dig them up on the D-Day Beaches?
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Now there speaks a man who perfectly understands the psychology of the average Gullist

d
 
lw395 said:
I would not recommend anyone to buy a seagull, ........... people do not sell well sorted ones, they sell the ones that have been bodged and have been giving them gyp all season.
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I will be selling couple of well maintained examples before much longer.
A 1973 40+ almost as good as new and a 1974 Featherweight that has had relatively little use.
 
dartmoor said:
Mine is the Honda 2hp 2002 vintage, still going strong and no snatch at all. In fact you can get the prop to spin very slowly. However, the bolts do not seem to be stainless, and so they corrode badly if not covered in grease. Rocker cover is mild steel - so that rusts too.

I hate to say it, but.....the most corrosion resistant outboards I have seen are seagulls....apart front the horrid steel tank they used for a while after the brass ones got too expensive.
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I agree entirely, if you are interested in buying a Honda is first check to see if it starts easily, then make sure it ticks over slowly. This is most important. If alls well them increase the revs and see if the clutch engages and if so listen for any bearing noise. Then check for any oil leaks, anything under the carbutretor area is fine (crankshaft breather and usually a sign the oil is overfilled).If alls well still check the 7 fasteners that hold the clutch unit/ powerhead on and the rocker box cover as Dartmoor correctly states. If these are badly rusted stripping the outboard in future is a right pain.
The main issues are water ingress in the clutch units causing seizure and fuel residues building up in carburettor jets.
Or for peace of mind buy one off me, all of these problems will have been rectified and supplied with a warranty:o :o :encouragement:
 
simonfraser said:
Have a honda 2.3 pushes my boat up to 4 knots into tide and wind.
Very light which suits, reverse, turn it round, what's the problem, less bits.
First engine I decided to run dry at the end of the day, corroded carb two years in, £250 :(
Now leaving the fuel in !
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Your corroded carb was because you ran it out of petrol, leaving separated corrosive bioethanol in the float.
best to use bio free fuel.
 
Hi Chewi,
All of the corroded carbs i have seen were due do galvanic corrosion caused by dissimilar metals being in contact with each other and a high proportion of zinc in the make up of the carburettor body doesnt help
 
VicS said:
I will be selling couple of well maintained examples before much longer.
A 1973 40+ almost as good as new and a 1974 Featherweight that has had relatively little use.
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If it's so good, why has nobody seen fit to use it much since 1974?
 
chewi said:
Your corroded carb was because you ran it out of petrol, leaving separated corrosive bioethanol in the float.
best to use bio free fuel.
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Surely bioethanol is quite volatile, like other flavours of ethanol?
I would think leaving fuel in the carb would be more likely to cause corrosion, as the ethanol will dissolve water which will cause corrosion.
I don't think anyone is offering me 'bio free fuel' unfortunately.
 
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