Honda 50hp 4 stroke
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hamshog
-
MAC26X
- Chief Steward
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2004 12:57 pm
- Location: Sandusky, OH 2001 Mac26X Anne Marie Honda 50
I have the 2001 Honda 50 on my 2001 Mac26X.
-The only negative is it is not as strong as the Big Foot and must use a smaller prop.
- The maintenance caveat is - every year you must change the fluids , drain the fuel thoroughly (add a stabilizer or carb cleaner), and lightly fog the cylinders. If you fail these or over fog the cylinders you'll have a tempermental engine and fouled plugs.
- I'm on the 4th year with the original impeller - I'll replace it next winter.
That said, the great things are:
- low fuel consumption- The Honda 50 on the big Mac26X hull burns less fuel than our Yamaha 40 on the dingy.
- a very small physical size engine - leaves plenty of room to walk around at the rear deck (X).
- very smooth
-very quiet, especially at lower power settings - again, much quieter than our Yamaha 40hp.
- the only failure I've had is fouled plugs. It always starts quickly, even after all winter storage (don't overfog).
It's a great engine for the Mac26X if you're willing to trade slower top end (16mph loaded) for low fuel bills and good reliability. I'm not sure how well it can push the M hull.
-The only negative is it is not as strong as the Big Foot and must use a smaller prop.
- The maintenance caveat is - every year you must change the fluids , drain the fuel thoroughly (add a stabilizer or carb cleaner), and lightly fog the cylinders. If you fail these or over fog the cylinders you'll have a tempermental engine and fouled plugs.
- I'm on the 4th year with the original impeller - I'll replace it next winter.
That said, the great things are:
- low fuel consumption- The Honda 50 on the big Mac26X hull burns less fuel than our Yamaha 40 on the dingy.
- a very small physical size engine - leaves plenty of room to walk around at the rear deck (X).
- very smooth
-very quiet, especially at lower power settings - again, much quieter than our Yamaha 40hp.
- the only failure I've had is fouled plugs. It always starts quickly, even after all winter storage (don't overfog).
It's a great engine for the Mac26X if you're willing to trade slower top end (16mph loaded) for low fuel bills and good reliability. I'm not sure how well it can push the M hull.
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ralphk
- Engineer
- Posts: 125
- Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2004 10:13 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Whitby, Ontario
Just adding my 2 cents
'97 Honda 50 that I've owned since late 2003
Have replaced an impellor, a tach and a prop.
I've added a water pressure gauge.
Also I'm experiencing charging problems now, that I have yet to diagnose.
Pros: Reliable behaviour. Always starts on the 2nd turn (provided I choke it and fail one the first attempt)
I'll share my observations on fuel consumption
Averaged 4.5 - 5 miles per US gallon, crossing Lake Ontario last weekend from Whitby, Ontario to Wilson, NY.
80% throttle, comfortably planing at about 12 MPH with ballast drained
Three adult passengers and loaded for cruising.
Range: I'd confidently set out up to about 50 miles with two 6 gallon tanks and a 5 gallon gerry can for emergency.
I keep reading about how quiet the Honda is - Not mine
Finally I fully echo Rich's comments about dealership support.
Absolutely ABYSMAL, where we live an hour east of Toronto, Canada. It's so bad that I'm seeking a shop manual and will do more work myself.
Overall, I'd likely purhase another one IF there was better Honda Marine support close by.
Ralph
'97 Honda 50 that I've owned since late 2003
Have replaced an impellor, a tach and a prop.
I've added a water pressure gauge.
Also I'm experiencing charging problems now, that I have yet to diagnose.
Pros: Reliable behaviour. Always starts on the 2nd turn (provided I choke it and fail one the first attempt)
I'll share my observations on fuel consumption
Averaged 4.5 - 5 miles per US gallon, crossing Lake Ontario last weekend from Whitby, Ontario to Wilson, NY.
80% throttle, comfortably planing at about 12 MPH with ballast drained
Three adult passengers and loaded for cruising.
Range: I'd confidently set out up to about 50 miles with two 6 gallon tanks and a 5 gallon gerry can for emergency.
I keep reading about how quiet the Honda is - Not mine
Finally I fully echo Rich's comments about dealership support.
Absolutely ABYSMAL, where we live an hour east of Toronto, Canada. It's so bad that I'm seeking a shop manual and will do more work myself.
Overall, I'd likely purhase another one IF there was better Honda Marine support close by.
Ralph
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wscottno
- Just Enlisted
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2005 8:09 am
- Location: New Orleans; 2000X;Honda 50
IMHO, the Honda 50 is a great compromise engine. I bluewater the Mac every chance I get. It won't blow your socks off in performance, but it's there when you need it. Appreciate the reliability of the Honda.
As to maintenance; as a former sub sailor, I believe that preventative maintenance equals life - so I do it like church. Never had a problem with the Honda in 5 years.
Raw water pump impellers - they die from age (generally), not from use. I change out at 2 years, need it or not. And, carry a spare - Murphy's law.
Carbs are "old"technology - but, try pull starting an injected 100 horse with no electrical power. I like the carbs.
However, the service support has been awful. Only in the last year or so has SE Louisiana gotten 3 authorized service centers. Before it was 1, and it was atrocious. But, Honda seems to be curing that problem.
As to maintenance; as a former sub sailor, I believe that preventative maintenance equals life - so I do it like church. Never had a problem with the Honda in 5 years.
Raw water pump impellers - they die from age (generally), not from use. I change out at 2 years, need it or not. And, carry a spare - Murphy's law.
Carbs are "old"technology - but, try pull starting an injected 100 horse with no electrical power. I like the carbs.
However, the service support has been awful. Only in the last year or so has SE Louisiana gotten 3 authorized service centers. Before it was 1, and it was atrocious. But, Honda seems to be curing that problem.
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mike
- Captain
- Posts: 812
- Joined: Sun Dec 28, 2003 8:06 pm
- Location: MS Gulf Coast "Wind Dancer" 98 26X
You wouldn't be referring to Slidell Marine by any chance, would you? I had a nightmarish experience with them about a year ago, when I brought ours in to fix a "starts running terrible after it heats up" problem.wscottno wrote:However, the service support has been awful. Only in the last year or so has SE Louisiana gotten 3 authorized service centers. Before it was 1, and it was atrocious. But, Honda seems to be curing that problem.
I had done my own research and diagnosing before even bringing it to them, and had a good hunch it was the CDI. They put their service tech on the boat with me when I arrived, and off we went to see if the motor would misbehave for him to get a better idea of what the problem was (they were convinced it was fuel-related... by that point I was convinced it wasn't). When the problem occurred, the service tech (who was a nice guy, BTW) quickly jumped into action and determined that #2 and #3 cylinders (if I remember correctly) had dropped out, and the motor was only running on #1. He thought it was probably the CDI. Unfortunately, the owner of the place for some reason simply could not accept that a CDI could possibly ever fail ( "I've never seen a CDI fail on a Honda" ). what followed was an agonizing cycle of them telling me they had replaced stupid parts like spark plug caps (2 spark plug caps intermittently going bad, in perfect synchronization? ) and asking me to come test the boat again (which took several hours).
After several rounds of this over the span of a week or so, with me the whole time saying "I think it's the CDI... will you please at least ORDER one for me?" and him insisting "no, it's got to be something else," I finally ended up with HIM on the boat with me. We motored back and forth in the bayou for an hour or two, and his first words when the problem occurred, "hmmmm.... I think it's the CDI."
--Mike
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argonaut
- Captain
- Posts: 531
- Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 8:23 pm
- Location: '97 26X, Yammy 40 4s, Central Fla.
You guys crack me up. "My Honda's 2 years old and it runs great."
WOW! Expect anything might run for two whole seasons regardless what you do to it.
"...preventive maintenance equals life" First off this poor guy want's to sail, not take on another full time job. Secondly no PM on the planet's going to keep his black box CDI ignition unit from failing.
As far as the lawnmower comment, Honda outboards are different from Honda lawnmowers in one key area. I own both in the Honda brand, and when the mower won't work, it takes me an hour to get it working again in the relative comfort of my garage, and worst case it's a $100 mower mechanic's job, and my grass grows a little waiting for parts to arrive.
When the outboard doesn't work, maybe your life won't be in danger, maybe you have a spare motor onboard. But best case, you have a triple carburetor 3 cylinder motor with a solid state CDI ignition. How that's more maintainable or durable than an EFI Yamaha or Merc is beyond me.
If the battery's dead because you only have one and you left it on all night, you can't pull start it, you're right. You can get a jump though, and motor home with your EFI outboard. If your fuel injection computer is dead, you're getting towed. By the same token, as Mike mentioned, that CDI unit in the Honda is sitting in a regional parts distribution warehouse in Atlanta, not at your friendly authorized service center. Bet ya. Mine didn't even have impellers. Remember this fellow's in Florida, not the west coast where Honda is a skip across the Pacific. And we have these hurricanes that make our gasoline quality even more random, it's a high moisture environment down here.
In a fuel delivery problem scenario the EFI is less time to fix having fewer components, maybe a diagnostic computer helping, compared to the Honda formula, three carbs times 3 hours of labor@$90/hr = $810 + parts. Might be cheaper to fix the EFI.
The good news is Hondas cost about the same as other brands to put impellers in, just have some on hand yourself because your mechanic likely won't.
Consider where you're going to use the boat, maybe you already have a marine mechanic you trust, what's on his boat? Look at what's bolted on local boats at the marina, talk to people. But I'd caution against buying on name recognition only. The marketing guys love that stuff! I'l sacrifice sexy for durable and fixable anytime, except when I'm more concerned with impressing the neighbors. I know they secretly lust after my honda mower... I'm not tellin them what a hothouse flower it really is.
The biggest two stroke you can get with a single carb is my choice for least time spent farting around with the ourboard, or go all out with that nice bigfoot Moe has. At least you'll find the free market system in play with regard to parts for it.
G'Day!
WOW! Expect anything might run for two whole seasons regardless what you do to it.
"...preventive maintenance equals life" First off this poor guy want's to sail, not take on another full time job. Secondly no PM on the planet's going to keep his black box CDI ignition unit from failing.
As far as the lawnmower comment, Honda outboards are different from Honda lawnmowers in one key area. I own both in the Honda brand, and when the mower won't work, it takes me an hour to get it working again in the relative comfort of my garage, and worst case it's a $100 mower mechanic's job, and my grass grows a little waiting for parts to arrive.
When the outboard doesn't work, maybe your life won't be in danger, maybe you have a spare motor onboard. But best case, you have a triple carburetor 3 cylinder motor with a solid state CDI ignition. How that's more maintainable or durable than an EFI Yamaha or Merc is beyond me.
If the battery's dead because you only have one and you left it on all night, you can't pull start it, you're right. You can get a jump though, and motor home with your EFI outboard. If your fuel injection computer is dead, you're getting towed. By the same token, as Mike mentioned, that CDI unit in the Honda is sitting in a regional parts distribution warehouse in Atlanta, not at your friendly authorized service center. Bet ya. Mine didn't even have impellers. Remember this fellow's in Florida, not the west coast where Honda is a skip across the Pacific. And we have these hurricanes that make our gasoline quality even more random, it's a high moisture environment down here.
In a fuel delivery problem scenario the EFI is less time to fix having fewer components, maybe a diagnostic computer helping, compared to the Honda formula, three carbs times 3 hours of labor@$90/hr = $810 + parts. Might be cheaper to fix the EFI.
The good news is Hondas cost about the same as other brands to put impellers in, just have some on hand yourself because your mechanic likely won't.
Consider where you're going to use the boat, maybe you already have a marine mechanic you trust, what's on his boat? Look at what's bolted on local boats at the marina, talk to people. But I'd caution against buying on name recognition only. The marketing guys love that stuff! I'l sacrifice sexy for durable and fixable anytime, except when I'm more concerned with impressing the neighbors. I know they secretly lust after my honda mower... I'm not tellin them what a hothouse flower it really is.
The biggest two stroke you can get with a single carb is my choice for least time spent farting around with the ourboard, or go all out with that nice bigfoot Moe has. At least you'll find the free market system in play with regard to parts for it.
G'Day!