Parsun, Selva outboards- any good?

[Kelpie]

I'm looking out for an outboard for the tender. Ideally I want a Tohatsu 9.8 2 stroke- much lighter(26kg) than any of the alternatives. Quite rare on the secondhand market (I've been watching for at least six months now, nothing remotely local has come up yet). Still available new under certain circumstances, but not cheap, at about £1700.

Parsun make a motor which, on paper, looks almost a clone- same weight and specs. A little over £1k brand new, which makes it only slightly more expensive than the secondhand Tohatsus seem to go for.
Does anybody have any experience of these engines?

Alternatively, Selva make a 4 stroke 9.9hp which is a tiny bit heavier at 30.5kg. Retails at about £1300. Obviously if all else is equal, a four stroke is going to be cheaper and cleaner to run, with no fuel mixing.

Everybody says the Tohatsu is a great engine. But if I can't find one, or stretch to a new one, the others look very tempting indeed...

 

[Graham376]

I've met a couple of guys who bought Parsun 4 stroke outboards and wish they hadn't, one has actually binned his. They both said unreliable and very poor dealer & spares network. In UK, I think Bill Higham is the agent and has good reputation. I don't know anything about Selva.

 

[fredrussell]

Selva are a different kettle of fish to Parsun. The latter are nasty Chinese copies of other companies outboards. Selva make quality stuff, up there with tohatsu, Yamaha et al.

 

[langstonelayabout]

This is what I understood too. Parsun = Chinese and questionable support. Selva = been on the market for years and the equivalent of most modern makes (sometimes more expensive).

If you want to go for a smaller or alternative engine (9.9 is huge for a tender!) some friends have a German Torqeedo electric engine and think it's wonderful. Another friend is currently considering a Lehr propane engine which is designed in the USA but made in China. I used to have a 4 stroke Mercury 4 sail power and never had any problems with it.

Over to you, but I wouldn't want to be the person carrying the 9.9 outboard down the slipway to the tender...

 

[Refueler]

Reason difficult to get a decent 2nd hand 2stroker ..... is because people don't want to get rid of them !!

I am surprised to hear that a NEW 2stroker is available ...

Parsun - I know a few with them ... none are 2 stroke as far as I am aware ... no real bad comments about them - if you've ever experienced Soviet Veta / Neptune engines - anythings better !! - But never heard them say anything good either.
Local repair guy I know - I mentioned Parsun and Selva ... he asked me not to ask him to service or repair either !! He's worked on my Old Johnsons .. Mariners ... Evinrudes without question.

 

[Refueler]

My 5.5m weekender Kormoran, here pulled up the bank, shoves along great on a 4.5hp Johnson Twin ~5kts+ .... on a 4.5m Krim Soviet speedboat - same engine was clocked at 7kts ...






Yes I know ... needs a clean up ... but its reliable, economic and ideal for a large tender.

 

[Graham376]

Over to you, but I wouldn't want to be the person carrying the 9.9 outboard down the slipway to the tender...

I wouldn't want to carry a 9.9 4 stroke but, at 27kgs, my Tohatsu 9.8 2 stroke weighs the same as a Suzuki 4hp 4 stroke and is a far better engine. Unfortunately, second hand ones are hard to come by and my previous one had a lot of bids on ebay last year.

 

[Refueler]

Tender engines ?

I can remember quite large tenders going round harbours with Seagull's ... and then of course later the good old Yamaha Malta ...

I have two small engines ... one a 3hp Mariner and other 3.5hp Johnson ... only niggle is they are start and go jobs without gearbox. But that Johnson pushed my 25ft Saaremaa Race boat along ...

 

[Jim@sea]

I'm looking out for an outboard for the tender. Ideally I want a Tohatsu 9.8 2 stroke- much lighter(26kg) than any of the alternatives. Quite rare on the secondhand market (I've been watching for at least six months now, nothing remotely local has come up yet). Still available new under certain circumstances, but not cheap, at about £1700.

Parsun make a motor which, on paper, looks almost a clone- same weight and specs. A little over £1k brand new, which makes it only slightly more expensive than the secondhand Tohatsus seem to go for.
Does anybody have any experience of these engines?

Alternatively, Selva make a 4 stroke 9.9hp which is a tiny bit heavier at 30.5kg. Retails at about £1300. Obviously if all else is equal, a four stroke is going to be cheaper and cleaner to run, with no fuel mixing.

Everybody says the Tohatsu is a great engine. But if I can't find one, or stretch to a new one, the others look very tempting indeed...

I'm looking out for an outboard for the tender. Ideally I want a Tohatsu 9.8 2 stroke- much lighter(26kg) than any of the alternatives. Quite rare on the secondhand market (I've been watching for at least six months now, nothing remotely local has come up yet). Still available new under certain circumstances, but not cheap, at about £1700.

Parsun make a motor which, on paper, looks almost a clone- same weight and specs. A little over £1k brand new, which makes it only slightly more expensive than the secondhand Tohatsus seem to go for.
Does anybody have any experience of these engines?

Alternatively, Selva make a 4 stroke 9.9hp which is a tiny bit heavier at 30.5kg. Retails at about £1300. Obviously if all else is equal, a four stroke is going to be cheaper and cleaner to run, with no fuel mixing.

Everybody says the Tohatsu is a great engine. But if I can't find one, or stretch to a new one, the others look very tempting indeed...

If I was you I would buy the Tohatsu at £1700 (if your budget would stretch to it) The point is that if looked after in 5 years time it will still be worth good money. Buy a Parsun, although cheaper in 5 years time it could be worth nothing. i.e It would be worth something but put it on eBay and would you get any offers.
I once had an excellent Evinrude 9.9 Two Stroke which I have since regretted selling. It was a reliable 2 stroke twin cylinder. Being 2 stroke it would have been a lot lighter than a 9.9 4 stroke. I would try and find one of these if you can.

 

[Kelpie]

Thanks for the replies.
Just for context, we are hoping to head off bluewater cruising next year and would like to have the flexibility offered by a planing tender. We already have a 3.1m RIB and a selection of 2.5-3.5hp 2 strokes to go with it (really need to pick one to keep and sell the others!). A tender that can plane will open up a lot of options, and seems to be by far the most popular choice of setup for bluewater types.

The brand new Tohatsu might well be the best option, despite the price. There are plenty of other thing on the to do list that are competing for funds though! I'm also a little concerned about theft, and it would be pretty horrible to lose an outboard worth that much. No amount of chains or locks will deter a determined thief...

 

[Refueler]

No amount of chains or locks will deter a determined thief...

Fishing Club I was in many years ago ... guy had his 70HP chainsawed out of the transom of his motorboat while out on its mooring ... honest ... they must have had a boat with A frame or something to hold it while they did it.
The engine had through bolts with security locking nuts etc. to stop anyone stealing it.
Needless to say the boat needed serious work after .... guy had his old 50HP still that he'd taken of the boat ... so he hand painted it rough ... fitted metal plate into the laminated new stern ... all sorts of anti-theft measures .... THEY NICKED THAT ENGINE LATER AS WELL !!

 

[Graham376]

Thanks for the replies.
......A tender that can plane will open up a lot of options, and seems to be by far the most popular choice of setup for bluewater types.

The brand new Tohatsu might well be the best option, despite the price. There are plenty of other thing on the to do list that are competing for funds though! I'm also a little concerned about theft, and it would be pretty horrible to lose an outboard worth that much. No amount of chains or locks will deter a determined thief...

If you're heading for warmer climates, stop off at Alderney on the way and buy a 9.8 2 stroke. Alternatively, if you can convince a dealer and Tohatsu UK that you're a commercial user, you can buy one in the UK. Our 2.9 dinghy planes at 17 - 18 kts with one. As far as theft is concerned, many haul dinghy up on davits/gantry or a halyard at night.

 

[Jim@sea]

Fishing Club I was in many years ago ... guy had his 70HP chainsawed out of the transom of his motorboat while out on its mooring ... honest ... they must have had a boat with A frame or something to hold it while they did it.
The engine had through bolts with security locking nuts etc. to stop anyone stealing it.
Needless to say the boat needed serious work after .... guy had his old 50HP still that he'd taken of the boat ... so he hand painted it rough ... fitted metal plate into the laminated new stern ... all sorts of anti-theft measures .... THEY NICKED THAT ENGINE LATER AS WELL !!

Has anyone ever had a Parsun Stolen. ?

 

[prv]

I am surprised to hear that a NEW 2stroker is available ...

If you can give evidence of racing or commercial use, Tohatsu dealers will sell them. A friend bought a 50hp that way a few years ago. I believe they wanted a purchase order from a VAT-registered company, which he was able to arrange.

Or buy in the Channel Islands, as others have said. Mainbrayce in Alderney specialise in this trade.

Pete

 

[Kelpie]

Has anyone ever had a Parsun Stolen. ?

Now there's an idea. Buy a new Tohatsu and sticlk Parsun decals on it!
Or for even more effect, 'Hangkai'...

 

[Graham376]

If you can give evidence of racing or commercial use, Tohatsu dealers will sell them. A friend bought a 50hp that way a few years ago. I believe they wanted a purchase order from a VAT-registered company, which he was able to arrange.Pete

Don't need to be VAT registered as many small traders aren't. They will accept invoices from suppliers addressed to your trading name as proof but, declarations have to be signed on your own letterhead that you will not use the engine for recreational purposes or sell it to anyone else for that use.

 

[Refueler]

I always found it crazy ... recreational 2 stroke outboards banned ... but go to any garden shop and count the number of 2 stroke lawnmowers ... strimmers .... chainsaws .... generators .... the list is long and far outweighs any of the outboards effects on environment.

For years - better TW 2 stroke oil has been available that is less damaging to environment .... crazy.

 

[Graham376]

I always found it crazy ... recreational 2 stroke outboards banned ... but go to any garden shop and count the number of 2 stroke lawnmowers ... strimmers .... chainsaws .... generators .... the list is long and far outweighs any of the outboards effects on environment.
For years - better TW 2 stroke oil has been available that is less damaging to environment .... crazy.

I received conflicting info last year. The law (as explained to me by the UK dealer) for recreational use, bans the sale of new 2 stroke outboards which don't meet emissions regulations in EU, NOT the ownership or use of.

OTOH, according Mainbrace in Alderney, if one were purchased from them and taken by ferry to France there would be problems at customs and he said seriously bad idea.

Bearing in mind what two dealers have said, how come new (most likely junk) small 2 strokes are blatantly on sale on ebay? New 3.6HP 2 Stroke Short shaft Outboard Motor Boat Engine CDI System UK | eBay

2 strokes not meeting emission regs. can be purchased for racing or commercial use. Anyone who can prove to a dealer they work on boats and use a tender for work purposes, is eligible to buy one. Don't know what the racing boat rules are but, maybe some owners would qualify?

Tohatsu UK are strict about paperwork proof of commercial use as they obviously need to cover their backsides. They will only deliver to UK as every country has its own dealer network. I assume Yamaha, Suzuki etc. all operate the same way.

 

[Refueler]

Graham ... I should have made clear ... Sale for Recreational use ...

The ownership, secondhand sale and use is not banned ... thankfully

 

[Alskade]

We‘ve just binned our Parsun.......after a lovely hours paddle to shore against a strong tide when it cut out and wouldn’t restart on the way out to the mooring. Second time it has happened...not going to wait until it happens again.

You’re welcome to ours if you want it