Tohatsu 15hp EFI or Yamaha 15hp 2017

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Daesal

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Hi. I am thinking of splashing out on a new or new to me outboard. The 2 options are a 2017 Yamaha 4stroke 15hp or a New Tohatsu EFI 15hp. There is 300e in the price. The Tohatsu is 300 more but with 7 year warranty. I know nothing about EFI. The chat seems to be that it is good technology,but that is only from people who have their engine a couple of years. What is the long term reliability like?
The Tohatsu is 10kg lighter ,which makes a big difference at the 45 or 52kg mark.
I have tried to find a head to head test but can't seem to find one. Both engines seem to be derived from their 20hp bigger brothers/sisters which i like.
Any help gratefully appreciated??
 
I know nothing about those engines apart from they are both good makes. For the extra 300€ I would go for the tohatsu. I suspect that for the warranty to be valid it will require a dealer to service at the prescribed time interval. It's interesting though that Electronic Fuel Injection is now being fitted to these smaller engines. I wonder if it will ever reach the 2.5 hp engines?
 
I have read several bad reports about them and it appears that Tohatsu quality is seemingly sketchy, either you get a good one or a bad one.

Several people have used "sale of goods act" and allowed Tohatsu agents to repair them once and if they fail again they want their money back; just a thought.
 
Yes. Boathook new and 7/8 kilo lighter for 300e is definitely leaning me. On the other hand its a newer technology and im not sure of the long term reliability!
Assasin, thats intresting about the reports you have read. Can you send a link? Thank you.
Also has anyone got real life experience of these engines? I would be very intrested.
 
Tohatsu, yamaha, Honda, suzuki, mercury etc. You can't go wrong with any of them.
Tohatsu is claimed to be the largest, and honda supposedly created it's first ever outboard by cloning a tohatsu. Tohatsu apparently made most of mercurys outboard engines at one point.
Would have efi over carb any day of the week. I think it's a rare thing for efi to go wrong.
Whichever you chose will be a good choice
 
I would go with whatever make the local dealer specialise in.
A good place to start would be a wonder round the local yards and see what everyone else is using in that power range.
 
Daesal said:
Yes. Boathook new and 7/8 kilo lighter for 300e is definitely leaning me. On the other hand its a newer technology and im not sure of the long term reliability!
Assasin, thats intresting about the reports you have read. Can you send a link? Thank you.
Also has anyone got real life experience of these engines? I would be very intrested.
Click to expand...
It was a while ago and I don't have them anymore but they will undoubtedly be online.
I heard no issues about their service and aftercare which suggests all issues were resolved amicably and to the customers satisfaction, which would be a good thing.
 
I have the impression that Yamaha are much stricter about servicing only by authorised agents and at strict schedule than Tohatsu. When I bought a new engine in 2012 Tohatsu only required a detailed record that servicing had been done to spec and I am told Yam are very strict.
I have bought 3 Tohatsu outboards new over 17 years. The only problem I had with any engine was a corroded power tilt switch on my 20hp when just out of 5 year(then) warranty and a clogged carburettor which I chose to replace rather than U/S cleaning.
I have bought a new 25hp Yamaha Hight Thrust engine and it is a monster 100kg compared to my 20hp Tohatsu at 55kg but does look well made.
They are both good makes with little between them, perhaps the Yamaha being heavier is more substantially built?
 
C08 said:
have bought a new 25hp Yamaha Hight Thrust engine and it is a monster 100kg
Click to expand...
Wow, I have a 4 cylinder 50 efi mercury, possibly a tohatsu and I thought that heavy at 120kg.
200hp 2 stroke was 180kg, replacement honda 90 was 230kg .
 
I’ve got a 15hp Yam 4 stroke. And a few Tohatsu engines, but lesser hp. All run well when I want to use them. The Yam is a lovely engine, quiet, smooth, easy to start, but it is heavy. But I knew that when I bought it. I don’t bother with the warranty, the cost of a service is ridiculous compared to the value of the engine, so I’ve never bothered, I just change the plugs when I remember, and that’s not often. I’d be very surprised if either engine developed a fault in the first 5 years of normal leisure use.

On my tender on my main boat I’ve got a 15hp Yam 2 stroke, I have to admit in the 12 years I’ve owned it, I’ve changed the plugs maybe twice, the impeller never, same with the oil. (I must check it when next on the boat, whenever that might be), and apart from the carb getting gummed up over winter, it always start and runs well. If I’d had it serviced each year, the cost would have bought me another engine or 2.
 
C08 and LongJohn. Thanks for that 1st hand info. Really helpful. I agree with your thinking on the warranty ervice pricing adding up...It's just thatits taken me ages to be able to just about afford a new engine with a warranty I feel like I should use it! (Almost like being a grown up!). C08 the weight thing does make me think about quality ,but if you've only had those couple of issues with the Tohatsus then they seem fairly good on quality. Would either of you think which one is quieter and which one smoother?
 
All I can say is that my Yam is extremely quiet, at times all I can hear is the splashing of the telltail. And it’s very smooth. But I would also expect the Tohatsu to be pretty much it’s equal.
 
Much as I like Tohatsu as a brand I would expect the heavier Yamaha to be a bit quieter, and it has a top reputation, as does Tohatsu.
I have just read your original post and a no brainer choice if the Tohatsu is new and the Yamaha is used unless the Yam is bought from a dealer with a good warranty.
 
Yam is from reputable dealer...with 3months warranty! Looks like there are 2 good options here. I hadnt connected weight to quietness before but it makes sense. The Toh is listed 83db in the manual. I will try find the Yam level.
 
No recent experience to add to this but I had a Tohatsu 70hp two stroke some years ago. It was a remarkably nice engine compared to the Honda it replaced, which had no end of cooling problems. I replaced the plugs on an annual basis after the winter layup, changed the gear oil at the same time and it never missed a beat. But that was all some 20 years ago now.....
 
A quick update. In case it helps anyone. I went with the Tohatsu 15hp efi. (Price was ok and I like the idea of warranty). So far so good. It's been on the boat since June. Probably used 3 times a week for 1 to 5 hrs at a time. Runs smooth and while no outboard is quiet it is definitely quieter than other engines I've had. I will try to remember to keep a bit of an update.
 
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