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What Outboard Do You Recommend?

Regulo

By Regulo
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Regulo

Regulo

Posted
Posted

Hi, all, 

Need a bit of advice/suggestions as to which outboard motor you'd recommend for my small inflatable? Thinking 2.5 to 4 hp will be plenty, but how far could I get with one without carrying cans of fuel with me? Any suggestions or advice would be most welcome, as I've only used an electric outboard up til now.

Ta in advance.

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Guest

Guest

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Mm , 2 stroke or 4 ? , for me its a 2 stroke simply cos they are light and run at a reasonable speed don't use that much fuel , ie a 3.3 HP mercury on a mirror dinghy pushing a 27 foot elysian ( don't ask ! ) from church fen brundall to whitlingham Norwich 1.5 liters total used , most small sub 4 HP out board's don't have reverse and only an integral tank of approx 1 litre , that said a 4 HP Yamaha I had moved a 8 foot inflatable at blue book speeds ! And very good on fuel just a lot more weight to lift , really it depends on how often you Intend using it which is why I plumb for a 2 stroke  3 gallons lasts all yr :default_beerchug:.

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MauriceMynah

MauriceMynah

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Fair point Ricardo. I was talking 4 stroke, the only small 2 strokes I have any experience of is the old Seagull. Very noisy, a bit thirsty but would never let you down. An engine almost designed for abuse. Can you still buy 2 stroke outboards new? Not that buying new was a stipulation.

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High6

High6

Posted
Posted
Fair point Ricardo. I was talking 4 stroke, the only small 2 strokes I have any experience of is the old Seagull. Very noisy, a bit thirsty but would never let you down. An engine almost designed for abuse. Can you still buy 2 stroke outboards new? Not that buying new was a stipulation.


I could lust after one of these:

http://www.classicseagulls.co.uk/index.php?_a=category&cat_id=2


Doug

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Guest

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26 minutes ago, Regulo said:

Sorry, yes, buying new was a stipulation! Unless anyone's got a reliable second hand one for sale?

I recon your looking at a 4 stroke In that case , I think you can still buy 2 strokes but only certain ones that pass stringent tests , evinrude have  avalable a range of larger size outboards that are 2 stroke  but no smaller ones , S/H ones that are good are hard to find but they are out there . I best keep quiet on seagulls I might upset someone but let's say me and seagulls don't get on at all , but that said a Seabee outboard makes a seagull sound like a whisper :default_beerchug:

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Guest

Guest

Posted
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11 hours ago, Regulo said:

Hi, all, 

Need a bit of advice/suggestions as to which outboard motor you'd recommend for my small inflatable? Thinking 2.5 to 4 hp will be plenty, but how far could I get with one without carrying cans of fuel with me? Any suggestions or advice would be most welcome, as I've only used an electric outboard up til now.

Ta in advance.

11 hours ago, Regulo said:

Hi, all, 

Need a bit of advice/suggestions as to which outboard motor you'd recommend for my small inflatable? Thinking 2.5 to 4 hp will be plenty, but how far could I get with one without carrying cans of fuel with me? Any suggestions or advice would be most welcome, as I've only used an electric outboard up til now.

Ta in advance.

Had a little look around and a surprise or 2 as well like for instance the shop that wants £600 for a 2006 yam 4 stroke when nearest n dearest in wroxham are selling a 3.5 HP mercury 4 stroke brand new with 5 yr warranty for £620 :1_grinning: and the 2.5 HP for £ 580 both pretty light at 17kg , S/H 2 strokes look around the £350-400 mark :default_beerchug:

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High6

High6

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Doug in our tackle shop from mid 80' to mid 90's we were seagull dealers. We restored a lot of them, when serviced and looked after will run for ever. in fact in my shed i think i still have a very very early one cast iron piece body and head all in one.
Charlie

Sounds like a potential show-piece. If only there were time...

Doug

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Baitrunner

Baitrunner

Posted
Posted

I have a 4hp, 4 stroke yam that sips fuel. Never really measured how much it uses as I just plug in the 12l tank and don't worry about it!!

pushes a 12ft fibreglass dinghy along at more than the regulation 6mph but it is essentially a displacement hull so never going to rocket along. It doesn't need many revs to get it going at a decent lick. 

The 3.5hp merc for £620 sounds a good deal. 

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LondonRascal

LondonRascal

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I'm sorry to throw a spanner in the works - and yes, I know I am often the one at the back of the class with the Chinese delegation, but I've got to raise the name 'Parsun'.

Yep their Chinese - yep because of this their suffer right off the bat with 'awful' and 'don't go near them with a barge pole' and early models did suffer with inferior paint and rough castings but  then I began seeing these outboards turn up on commercials ribs, and then saw an inshore lifeboat with one which suddenly made me think they need some looking into again.

Well, turns out they have come a long way from the direct from China on a pallet or just a single UK distributor. These days you can find many Chandlers selling these side by side Honda's and Yamaha's etc they ain't so bad after all. Many will offer a three warranty too.

In the case of you using an Outboard on an inflatable then really do you need 'big brand' and their prices? It is not going to be used for very long periods of time and is not like you own a Shetland 4+2 and this is the be all and end all so far as propulsion and the image you convey when you come to sell your boat and it has a Parsun on it. 

But the bottom line is cost - here is a just one of several UK companies selling them, these are based in Poole, Dorset. - 4HP short leg £682.79 - https://trickettmarine.co.uk/outboard-parsun-4hp-short.html - I've seen them being sold for as little as £559.00 in other places mind you.

If you want to learn more about the company and how they have developed have a look at their main corporate website: http://www.parsunmarine.com/

 

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Liberty

Liberty

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Posted

Mariner, Mariner, Mariner.  Tried many others over the years, and always regretted it.  Tohatsu 70 - ok at full whack at sea.  Hidea 15 - hideously unbalanced and made of cheap plastic, numb hands after 5 minutes on the tiller.  Evinrude 9.9 - unrefined.  Yamaha 50 ok at full whack.  Plenty of others which have not rocked my world.

Mariner single-handed control with speed and gears on the tiller - great.  They start first or second pull (manual or electric) after winter, they run in less water than the others, reliable as anything.  Bullet-proof too.  Will ever buy anything else again.  

Truly converted - can you tell..?

 

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Regulo

Regulo

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Wow! Many thanks for all your input. I'm going to visit MarineTech at S.Walsham and have a serious chat about our needs. For what I think I need, a 2.5 or 3 hp will suffice. Thinking about it I'm not worried too much about fuel consumption, a can of petrol is easy enough to keep aboard (outside, of course). It will mainly be used to get us to parts of the network Sunbird can't go, above Potter, Wayford and possibly Beccles. 

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Guest

Guest

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We have a Honda 2.3 on our 20ft half decker. It's a brilliant little engine and pushes us along at a good lick even though we are scarcely lightweight. It has taken us two years to use up a 5ltr jerrycan, so very frugal. The only, relatively minor, disadvantage is that there is no reverse - but it is easy enough to turn the whole thing around. We have found it reliable even with less attention than it deserves!

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Matt

Matt

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To add my 2pence worth!

 

We have a 2.6m Seago air deck inflatable that we often take to Thunder with us.

We have a 2006 Mariner 2.5hp outboard which pushes us with 4 people aboard at over 5mph.

 

Like you we used it to pass places we can't normally get to. We went Potter to Horsey windmill and back on the internal tank.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
Regulo

Regulo

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Hi, again, everybody. Just to let you know, I got a Suzuki 2.5 hp, and am very pleased with it, although I've only run it in a dustbin of water in the garden so far. 

Now a supplementary question - do you drain the carburettor every time you transport the engine? On this engine, although there's a drain screw, there's absolutely no way to catch the fuel that comes out. It just accumulates in the lower casing. The manual suggests catching the fuel with a small tray, but that seems impossible. Any thoughts? What do you do when transporting your engines?

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ExSurveyor

ExSurveyor

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I have a Suzuki 2.5. I have dragged it from Norfolk to Kent many times on its side and never had a problem.  I use a fuel stabilizer over winter and turn the fuel tap off and let it run dry.  Always fires up in the spring with a top up of fresh fuel. Nice little engine. 

I also have a mariner 20 on the back of the broom Scorpio,  starts and runs like a dream.

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