Two stroke outboards

[Bigplumbs]

Has anyone still got a two stroke outboard motor that they still use?

Includes Seagull engines.

Yes I have 12 2 Strokes that I still use. Far better than 4 strokes in my view Sizes from 200hp, 115 hp, 70 hp, 60 hp 15 hp 9.8 hp, 3 hp, 2 hp and several more.

Far less hassle, Very reliable and need very little maintenance

 

[Scarron]

Yep, two, got a Tohatsu 9.8 and a Yamaha Malta both brilliant, reliable and the best of breed amongst small outboards for pushing a tender about.

 

[bluetooth]

Yes I have 12 2 Strokes that I still use. Far better than 4 strokes in my view Sizes from 200hp, 115 hp, 70 hp, 60 hp 15 hp 9.8 hp, 3 hp, 2 hp and several more.

Far less hassle, Very reliable and need very little maintenance

Obviously not all your fleet are 2 stroke, so how many engines do you have to service a year ?

 

[Greg2]

Got a Mercury 3hp for the tender and a Mercury 15hp currently languishing in the shed together with a 3.1m AB aluminium RIB. Always liked the Mercury two stroke engines.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Boat Outboards about 14. Inboards just 1.

You make a huge assumption and my comment after many years of experience with these engine is you absolutely do not have to do any work on them every year particularly if they are 2 strokes.

I deliberately did not use the word service as it is a word used by companies to get money from you for often pointless work.

Take the impeller in my most used Mariner 60 2 stroke. I generally leave it in for 4 - 6 years. Even then when I change it it is sometimes perfect. Gear oil is checked and changed probably every 2 - 4 years. As for spark Plugs they will do well over 10 years. With a 2 stroke there is nowt else to do.

It always makes me laugh when people talk about an Annual Service. Why annual why not 14,16, 20 months..... So many buy into the great con.

As for new 4 strokes well after a few years you have almost bought the engine again. That is the Biggest con of all.

I know many will now jump onto this post with all sorts of Squit but what work I do on my engines is based on several years of experience across many outboards (Mainly but not all 2 strokes

I mostly agree with you. Our main two stroke outboard which is a Yamaha 4 hp on the tender only really gets attended to when it starts to go wrong. For example, a few years ago it stopped pumping cooling water so I rebuilt the leg. It only cost a few pounds and the parts are all easily available. It’s had two new gear shift plastic levers as these have a tendency to break off no matter how carefully you lay the thing down in the back of the car. It’s a fairly straightforward job (I changed the last in the cockpit of our boat.) I’m currently waiting for a carburettor gasket and rebuild set (£39) as one of the diaphragms in the fuel pump had started to give problems. Otherwise it gets a run through with fresh water at the end f the season and a stiff ignoring from one year to the next. For many years I didn’t even worry about whether it had fresh petrol in it as I t just went when I started it again in the spring. I now put Aspen in for the last tankful.

 

[Bigplumbs]

I forgot I also have 2 Jet Skis so I suppose that is 2 more inboards. Also about 14 Gas Turbine Jet engines.

Why have I got so much stuff well Why not. Is it all looked after well. Some is very well other stuff not so much.

 

[swatkins]

I have a few, Mercury 150 Optimax (2005), Mercury 25 HP (1983), Tohatsu 2.5 HP (2001). All work as they should and have been more reliable than the Mercury 50 HP (1999) Four Stroke!

 

[Scarron]

Has anyone still got a two stroke outboard motor that they still use?

Includes Seagull engines.

Looks like the consensus is for 2 strokes as being simple reliable and long lived. Hang on to them while you can!

 

[Bigplumbs]

Looks like the consensus is for 2 strokes as being simple reliable and long lived. Hang on to them while you can!

Yes indeed

 

[bluetooth]

Boat Outboards about 14. Inboards just 1.

You make a huge assumption and my comment after many years of experience with these engines is you absolutely do not have to do any work on them every year particularly if they are 2 strokes.

I deliberately did not use the word service as it is a word used by companies to get money from you for often pointless work.

Take the impeller in my most used Mariner 60 2 stroke. I generally leave it in for 4 - 6 years. Even then when I change it it is sometimes perfect. Gear oil is checked and changed probably every 2 - 4 years. As for spark Plugs they will do well over 10 years. With a 2 stroke there is nowt else to do.

It always makes me laugh when people talk about an Annual Service. Why annual why not 14,16, 20 months..... So many buy into the great con.

As for new 4 strokes well after a few years you have almost bought the engine again. That is the Biggest con of all.

I know many will now jump onto this post with all sorts of Squit about acid in oil, Rubber having a memory, Water getting in things etc etc........ I have herd it all before...... The work I do on my engines is based on many years of real world experience across many outboards (Mainly but not all 2 strokes). I have very few issues with my engines and 90 % of the work that is done on them I do myself.

As for other internal Combustion Engines I have about 50 in number in Cars, Motor Homes, Chain Saws, Strimmers, Generators, RC Aircraft, RC Boats, RC Cars to name but a few.

I am a great believer in the Phrase If it aint broke dont fix it

BP
I have made no assumptions let alone huge ones. You have done that.
One of my rules in life is to never assume anything.

Maintenance and servicing has many facets including simply washing through with fresh water at the end if the season. All I was asking was that you must have a lot to do with so many engines.

But if you only work on engines when they are "broken" then maybe not. You have said previously you don't often sell / collect boats, then a documented service history isn't needed.

 

[BruceK]

Now there is a conundrum. I service my own inboards entirely. I wont let anybody else near them. The two stroke goes annually to the dealer for a service. I am quite capable of servicing the two stroke but actually place a higher priority on it to work first time, every time with absolute reliability. As we always anchor to a windward shore and rowing against the wind is impossible with a family in it, I have sent unreliable dink motors to the bin and brinny rather than trying to keep sorting out an unreliability issue.

 

[mikegunn]

Has anyone still got a two stroke outboard motor that they still use?

Includes Seagull engines.

Yes, a Mercury 2.2. I bought it in June 1988 and still have all the paperwork, including the warranty card. Well, you never know, I might need to claim, but highly unlikely. Maintainance has always been on need rather than routine.
I've had several other two strokes, including a Tohatsu 9.8 which was fantastic, and so light. One practice which i have learnt to adopt however, is to disassemble and thoroughly clean a carburetor if a two sroke has lain unused for more than three months. I don't even attempt to try to start such an engine, because even if it does start there's a possibility of fuel oil residue beeing washed into the jets. Apart from that and the occasional run in fresh water they've been largely ignored.

Mike

 

[Bigplumbs]

BP
I have made no assumptions let alone huge ones. You have done that.
One of my rules in life is to never assume anything.

Maintenance and servicing has many facets including simply washing through with fresh water at the end if the season. All I was asking was that you must have a lot to do with so many engines.

But if you only work on engines when they are "broken" then maybe not. You have said previously you don't often sell / collect boats, then a documented service history isn't needed.

I never said I don’t look after them I don’t do what is not necessary. As for servicing that is just a word and means nothing. I certainly flush the out after use

 

[Jim@sea]

I have just reluctantly sold a 4hp Yamaha 2 stroke Outboard. Lovely engine. But I am getting older (bought my first boat 1966) and where my present boat is I have to carry the engine about 150 yards to my car and its a bit heavy, so I bought a lightweight 2.2 Suzuki which is easier to carry. Again a 2 stroke.

 

[QBhoy]

I can’t stop collecting them.

Yamaha Malta
2 8hp Yamahas
Suzuki 2.2
And a mighty Merc 150 V6 on the old classic Cvx16
The value of old 2 strokes has went through the roof recently. Especially certain Yamaha models. They just don’t break.