Need advice on new outboard.

[azav8tor]

I am needing to buy a new outboard, and I have a few questions I hope you can help me with. I plan on doing some extended trips on salt water, and since it will not be possible to flush the engine for a month or two, will this damage it? Is there a brand that is better protected than others? I have been looking at a Tohatsu, simply because of the price differential, but don't know if the 2 or 4 stroke would be best? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Unless someone can tell me how to get around it, I am going to stick with a 50hp, for insurance purposes.

[kadet]

Tohatsu's are a fine motor used a lot by commercial fisherman for many years especially in the 2 Stroke don't know much about their 4s Yamaha and Suzuki seem to rule here with Mercury also starting to making a good showing.

If you run the outboard everyday to flush the engine with saltwater so it does not sit in the cooling channels to crystalise most modern outboards should be fine without a freshwater flush for a month or two on the water. Just give it a good service and flush when back on terrafirma.

If you only want to stick to a 50 I would go the Yamaha T50 as it has a larger gear case and is designed for pontoon boats so can swing a high thrust prop which the Macs more closely resemble in the power requirements.

I recently had to repower and went with a Yamaha T60 but either the Suzuki or Mercury in the pontoon format would have suited, dealer location ended up being the determining factor. Tohatsu also make a High Trust but only in 60hp.

[sailboatmike]

Just looking at it from a different point of view.

What about looking at a Parsun motor, they are chinese copies of Mercs and Tohatsu motors, but then again most of the Mercs and Tohatsu motors are chinese anyway.

They have a building reputation, I have friends with them and their customer service has been excellent when needed.

At this point they are only available in 2 stroke above 40Hp and this could be a deciding factor in the USA or the UK but the down here in Oz 2 bangers are fine.

The price is about 1/2 the price of the equivalent Merc

If the 50Hp was available when I repowered a couple of years ago I would of been happy to have one, really couldnt be any worse than the over weight Merc I have

[kadet]

Parsuns are a clone of old generation Yamaha's I have one on my dink and back when I got it it it was 1/3 the price of the equivalent Yamaha, been reliable enough and parts are interchangeable with Yamaha. Build quality is average my cast aluminium fuel tap broke in under a year but was easily replaced with a Yammy one, back then there were no Parsun spare part dealers only online sellers. Paint work also started to flake off as corrosion got in under the leg. Easily fixed with a sandblast and proper prep with an etching undercoat on the aluminium leg, Parsun had sprayed lacquer directly onto the aluminium. The prop is also functional but iffy quality with a rough finish and with a very thick baked on finish that chips easily.

Parsun I believe purchased the old Yamaha tooling when Yamaha shifted production to the next generation 2 strokes hence why they are part compatible with Yamaha.

They are not so good value now as Parsun prices have been steadily rising as they gain market share and other manufactures lower their prices to compete with the chinese cheapies. The Parsun 40hp is now $4000 the Yammy Enduro $5000 but the Parsun is a generation behind and the Enduro has been engineered for commercial use so is pretty bullet proof and is made in Japan not China so are Tohatsus, though Tohatsu does rebadge some Merc 4 strokes which are made in China. Both the Enduro and Tohatsu 2 strokes are used for commercial fishing work in Japan and have a reputation for longevity, but being carby 2 bangers are very fuel hungry and stinky.

[azav8tor]

A few years ago I bought a Coleman 5hp, which is mad by Parsun. It was a piece of junk, and parts were a royal PITA to get. I didn't get it through the break-in, before it crapped out on me. Something in the fuel tank broke loose, plugging the fuel line. It took forever to figure that one out. The transom anchors broke within a month. I don't think I want another product made by Parsun.

[sailboatmike]

Strange how people can have different experience from the same product, my friends has been brilliant and the only time it had an issue Parsun were very helpful in fixing it under warranty.

I guess it comes down to how good the dealer you buy it from is at the end of the day.

That being given I bought a $150 chinese 3.5hp air cooled outboard and while everyone said I was mad the damn thing is brilliant, yes loud but it can be relied on to start first or second pull everytime, I run it on the back of my mirror dinghy and it has saved my bacon a few times.

All that taken into account if you can get the Yamaha for basicly the same price go with the Yamaha, the only problem I have with Yamaha is they make the price of Mercury spare parts look very reasonably priced in comparison

[Herschel]

kadet wrote

If you only want to stick to a 50 I would go the Yamaha T50 as it has a larger gear case and is designed for pontoon boats so can swing a high thrust prop which the Macs more closely resemble in the power requirements.

I replaced my '98 4-stroke 50 h.p. BF carbureted Merc with a '13 4-stroke 50 h.p. HT fuel injection Yamaha over 4 years ago. I have followed the service schedule faithfully, keep my 4-year old fuel tanks full of non-ethanol gas with Stable and Yamaha injector cleaner additive nearly all the time when the boats sits, run the engine every three weeks religiously. It starts every time I turn the key, and has never let me down. I enjoy the engine's reliability and performance (14.4 knots WOT). Confidence underway is priceless to me. Can't say enough good things about the Yamaha.

[dlandersson]

Look at local (and area you plan to go ot) dealers support.Not just availability - but reviews.

[quote="sailboatmike"]I guess it comes down to how good the dealer you buy it from is at the end of the day.

[ris]

Azav8tor, all the newer 4 strokes are ok for salt water. You will have zincs on the motor. There are even some inside the motor on Honda outboards. So just keep an eye on them. We did 5800 miles/880 hours on the engine, before we changed ours. Could have gone another 3 or 4 months but we just changed everything after the trip. We have the Honda 60 BFP, which is a 60 hp motor with a 70 hp foot. As others have said these motors with larger bottom ends are made for pontoons and Macs. Most manufacturers make them. We have a 26 X that we use as a trawler. A loaded Mac is not going to go 20+ mph unless you put a 90 hp on the boat. Our boat set up for a day will go 18 mph with the Honda 60. Loaded for cruising max is 11 or 12 mph. But we cruise at 7.5 mph and get about 6 or 7 mpg. If you run the motor a lot, the Tohatsu is lot louder than our Honda. The only major brand motor I would caution you about is the E-tech. It is made to get up and go fast. If you cruise slow do not get an E-tech, without a lot of research. Know several people that tried to use them to go slow and they all have had major problems. An outboard is a large investment so really do your research before buying.

[mallardjusted]

Good advice out having a good dealer/service place in the vicinity. Most outboards are pretty good today

"ris: A loaded Mac is not going to go 20+ mph unless you put a 90 hp on the boat."

Well, not quite. I have a 2014 Yamaha 70, and loaded (no ballast in though) I can hit 21-22mph. But I cruise more like about 14-16. Nice thing about this newer design 4-stroke is it ways just a few pounds more than the 50 hp ones.

"If you run the motor a lot, the Tohatsu is lot louder than our Honda."

Tohatsu (and Nissan) now are making both the injected 2-strokes (TLDI) and 4-strokes. I would think their 4-stroke should be as quiet as most other brands.

[azav8tor]

Unfortunately, the closest dealer is 3 hours away, in Phoenix. There are only two there; Tohatsu or Evinrude. I could drive 6 hours to San Diego, and get whatever I want, which is sounding like a better option. I have heard lots of good things about the Yamaha!

[1st Sail]

I can only speak for Etec since mine came with the boat. Instant start. Can be rope started with out a lot of effort. Will rope start with a dead battery. Light weight. Next to no maintenance. Very fuel efficient. Clean burning EPA certified.

Regarding cruising I run mine between 2-3000rpm with no issues. First maintenance is 300hrs on new ones. I service the lower unit, fuel filter, and plugs every 300hrs. which for me is forever. If you store your boat for long periods all you do is auto fog the cylinders and put it to sleep until spring.

I would recommend you pick a dealer first then the OB. There have been very few reported issues with all major mfg on this board for the past 10yrs. I believe the 4cyl OB''s run quieter then the 2cyl. The 40-50-60 2 cylinder, 2 cyl engines have a little more vibration at low rpm's idle to <1500 than the 4cylinder, 4 cyl. which is expected.

Those that have had issues with the Etec were for the most part the ECU engine control unit. Repairs overall were very expensive. You cannot DIY replacement of the ECU as it requires OEM dealer software and serialization to boot up a new OS. Frankly that part scares me. If you go Etec find a dealer that has the technical skill set and software to support diagnostics and repair.

[ris]

Cruising weight
Batteries 4 : 248 lbs
Water 40 gal: 320 lbs
Fuel 35 gal: 220 lbs
Anchors & chain 75 lbs
6 hp dingy motor 60 lbs
Dinghy 100 lbs
Spare parts box 43 lbs
Engle fridge 60 lbs
Drideck Vberth 26lbs
Mods 165 lbs (2 sheets plywood and starboard)

Total base cruising weight: 1317 lbs

This is just a base for the lbs we have in the boat on all trips. We usually go for at least 2 weeks when we put in the water. So there is a lot of food, clothes, beach chairs and other stuff that goes but I have never weighed that stuff.

[azav8tor]

What type of outboard do you have, and what speeds can you get with that load?

[Sumner]

What type of outboard do you have, and what speeds can you get with that load?

I think for the loop he used the outboard that he bought from the guy above

Actually I should know as he has told me but I forgot . I'll bet he answers pretty soon though,

Sumner

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