Small 4 stroke outboard engine

[Niander]

He'll probably be along soon to defend the Tohatsu!

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

I have a Tohatsu 6 hp four stroke which has been excellent over the years; because it has been so reliable, I bought, last year, a Mercury (Tohatsu) 3.5 hp; has been working reliably up to last week; it now stops after approximately 20 minutes; it then starts again and so on; obviously is a ignition problem which i hope it will be sorted out by the dealer soon (still under warranty).

Naturally, it is very disappointing and inconvenient; also, I now question the long term reliability of this engine.

I also have a 2 hp four stroke Honda;(almost 20 years old) very light, very reliable. So perhaps the new Honda 2.3 may be a very good consideration.

 

[aluijten]

I also have a 2 hp four stroke Honda;(almost 20 years old) very light, very reliable. So perhaps the new Honda 2.3 may be a very good consideration.

However be aware that the centrifugal clutch is not to everyone's liking. Personally I have no opinion about it.
I have a Suzuki F2.5, 4-stroke that sees very, very little use. It is nicely build and not too bad on weight. It has a lever to engage the propeller, like most other brands have (except the small Honda).

 

[Yantlet]

It seems to me that like cars everyone has a favourite whos virtues they defend to the bitter end. At the end of the day you get back what you put in and I suspect many of these small outboards lead neglected lives. A common thread seems to be the use of old fuel, please be aware it has a fairly short shelf life. If you want light weight go for the s/h 2 stroke otherwise just look around and see what everyone else is using.

 

[Cappen Boidseye]

A couple of seasons ago I bought a brand new Suzuki 2.5hp four stroke. After a week, I turned it upside down in the loch and drowned it, not because I didn't like it, but because it was attached to my Avon. 21 stone of clumsiness managed to turn the Avon over while pre-occupied with not drowning. Anyway, back to Silvers marine and asked them to clean the salt water out of the outboard and make it work again, the engine has worked perfectly ever since, no signs of rust when I have the cowling off, I think it is a great wee engine. No heavier than my memories of Seagulls, easy to carry, easy to start and it just works, starts, stops, all when I want it to.
It stopped once when I was heading back into shore, however, my advanced engineering skills which include "turning the fuel tap on" cured it.