I just bought a Honda 2.3 outboard for the dinghy. A bit late, but any advice?

Kukri

Kukri

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I finally concluded that, in the interests of the planet, the Seagull Forty ought to be pensioned off. So I rang Seamark Nunn and asked if they had a secondhand little outboard. They had a choice of two, but one was a two stroke and the other wasn't playing, so I absent mindedly bought a Honda, mainly on the grounds that (a) it has "Honda" written on it and (b) it's air cooled so I don't need to waste time rinsing its cooling system.

I'd be very grateful for any advice on the care and treatment of the new toy.
 
We had one for several years and it served us well. The primary operational issue seemed to be blocked jets - the carb is very small and the jets do clog easily if it is not used regularly. They also have a reputation for screws corroding and becoming stuck - you may improve its life expectancy if you go round all the important screws, removing them and replacing them with better quality screws.
 
Noisy and thirsty little beast. Unless they have changed their supply, the bolts under the cover rust like a 1960's Fiat. Run the engine until it stops to empty the float chamber, susceptible to gumming otherwise.
 
Steve 66 on here sells a set of replacement bolts on e bay for them which I fitted to ours. He also does lots of other bits too if you need them. The two long bolts which hold the carb on can be tricky to grip so had to file down a socket to fit, now also replaced by Steve. Otherwise a season on quite happy and not having to mix fuel a bonus.

Pete
 
Minn said:
I finally concluded that, in the interests of the planet, the Seagull Forty ought to be pensioned off. So I rang Seamark Nunn and asked if they had a secondhand little outboard. They had a choice of two, but one was a two stroke and the other wasn't playing, so I absent mindedly bought a Honda, mainly on the grounds that (a) it has "Honda" written on it and (b) it's air cooled so I don't need to waste time rinsing its cooling system.

I'd be very grateful for any advice on the care and treatment of the new toy.
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Take it back, i had one from Neddy Nunn, crap noisy lawnmower engines that rust
Get a s/h Tohatsu 3.3
 
While liking the idea of the Honda, the couple that I have met, did not inspire confidence. Any of the Tohatsu based 3.5s seem to be a better bet. Air cooling is nice, no pump impellor to worry about (I have a bullit proof Yamaha a/cooled from 1980) but noisey and it gets wareing after the first few mins. Bit of care and swapping out the impellor every couple of years should see you OK with a w/cooled unit.
 
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Have to disagree with above; I bought used Honda 2.3 a few months ago as mariner 2 stroke overheating and in spite of issues mentioned above has started every time and uses less fuel than the Mariner with seemingly much more grunt. I had planned to get a Suzuki but warned off because of warranty claims.
I also had a Tohatsu 2 stroke 3.5 for a while but if it did consent to start occasionally it only ran for a few seconds
Yamaha is best engine in this size category but too heavy for me
 
eddystone said:
Have to disagree with above; I bought used Honda 2.3 a few months ago as mariner 2 stroke overheating and in spite of issues mentioned above has started every time and uses less fuel than the Mariner with seemingly much more grunt. I had planned to get a Suzuki but warned off because of warranty claims.
I also had a Tohatsu 2 stroke 3.5 for a while but if it did consent to start occasionally it only ran for a few seconds
Yamaha is best engine in this size category but too heavy for me
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That is encouraging; thank you. I never had any problem starting the ancient Seagull, so I hope the Honda will be as good.
 
I also bought a s/h Honda 2,3 from Seamark Nunn about 4 yrs ago, Recommended by S/N to use the Honda 'Fuel Stabilizer' and it's been excellent, never had a problem starting, never let the carb run dry and it's always started 2nd pull. Serviced every autumn by myself. Excellent!
 
Hi ....keep you fuel pump station fresh and empty the carb bowl if it's going to be stored for more than a fortnight. Grease the rocker cover. If you fit a very early 2.3 based 2 hp exhaust they are much quieter than later models. The later models have holes drilled near the bend in the manifold to save water running into the exhaust chamber if inverted.
 
Good advise. I tend not to use stabiliser as I try to run the carb dry after every use but I have heard good things and Will keep the fuel fresh. Unlike a lot of older small engines you struggle to start these if fuel has been left in the carb over a week if no stabilizer has been added
 
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC said:
I had a Honda 2 hp which is basically the same as the 2.3. Excellent little outboard, started everytime, never let me down; only problem was rust on the carburator bowl.
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Same here, our had been hung on the rail for 5 years when we bought our boat, the carb bowl had rusted through. Got a new carb from Steve66 and it worked prefectly all summer, excellent little engine.

These motors have one big advantage over many others on the market, they have "Honda" written on the side. My experience of a large number of small engines is that if it has "Honda" written on the side, it is going to start first time, every time. I've had other brands that I was convinced were actually clockwork the amount of pulling I had to do on the string!!
 
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC said:
I had a Honda 2 hp which is basically the same as the 2.3. Excellent little outboard, started everytime, never let me down; only problem was rust on the carburator bowl.
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Exactly the same engine apart from a different shaped air box and sticker on the cowl. Legend is outboard tuning fairies visited Honda Marine and found .3 hp overnight without altering anything!!!
They are designed to be a "throwaway" item, unlike seagulls, It amazes me, the actual engineering and some materials used in the construction are from tomorrows world. Plastic camshafts that never wear, silicone inpregnated alloy blocks with no cylinder liners also that do not fail, then they use the cheapest corrosive materials they can find in the fasteners , rocker covers and float bowls
 
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