Choosing an outboard motor for your dinghy

Thirty years ago, American manufacturers dominated the outboard motor market. Names such as Mercury, Johnson, Evinlud, and Chrysler have led the field of competing with each other to produce larger and better outboard motors. But while this was happening, they were ignoring the smallest outboard motors. These are the most sold outboard motors and are often the first outboard motors that many of us buy. This is when many of us stick to the same brand (brand loyalty) as buying other larger outboard motors over the years. The Japanese became obsessed with this fact, and Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Tohatsu, which gradually concentrated on small outboard motors, began to become market leaders. They achieved this dominance by improving efficiency and reliability. In addition to adding functionality to these small outboard motors that were previously found only on large engines.

Successful in the small outboard motor market, these Japanese manufacturers have expanded their output range. They once again dominated the outboard motor market up to at least 20 hp. Instead of competing with the Japanese, American manufacturers decided to give up and buy these engines from the Japanese and badge them as their own. Now the Chinese have entered the market. It basically does what the Japanese did before, copying the best features of the current engine while keeping costs down.

Now let’s compare the outboard motors offered to those looking for a dinghy outboard motor. With a fairly large dinghy, such as the Pioneer 12, each outboard motor must push a reasonably heavy weight into the water. Then when using the following outboard motors:

Mercury 2.5hp; Mercury 3.5hp; Mariner 2.5hp; Tohatsu 3.5hp; Yamaha 2.5hp; Suzuki 2.5hp; Honda 2.3hp; And Parsun 2.6hp. All of these outboard motors are 4-stroke engines. This is due to EU directives that prevent 2-strokes from being sold in the EU. These outboard motors offer a fairly wide range of engines available on the market to power the dinghy.

Several tests have been completed to determine which engine is compared to another. Bollard pull tests have shown that Mercury 3.5hp and Tohatsu 3.5hp are the most powerful at 90 lbs of thrust (along with Mariner, these two engines are virtually identical). The least effective was the Honda 2.3hp with a thrust of 66 lbs. In the meantime, there were Suzuki 2.5hp with 83lbs thrust, Yamaha 2.5hp with 78lbs thrust, and Parsun 2.6hp with 70lbs thrust.

The next test was fuel consumption. At full speed-5.75 knots, the best outboard motors were Yamaha 2.5hp and Suzuki 2.5hp, at least 20%. The worst was Parsun 2.6hp. When the throttle was loosened and the dinghy was cruising, the fuel consumption comparison was less obvious, with a difference of only about 10%. All of these numbers are for 4-stroke engines. However, under similar circumstances, older engines were up to 50% less fuel efficient at full speed, based on previously recorded numbers for the two-stroke. I’m very thirsty! Keep in mind that 2-stroke outboard motors are still pre-owned and available.

Next, we compared the weight of each outboard motor. The 4-stroke engine is heavier than the previous 2-stroke, for reasons such as the power head. Mercury, Mariner, Tohatsu, Yamaha and Pulsan all weigh between 38 and 41 pounds (18 kg). However, the Honda 2.3hp and Suzuki 2.5hp were much lighter at 28 pounds (12.5 kg).

Next, we compared the prices of each outboard motor. This was difficult to do exactly because discounts and sale offers are constantly changing.

Mercury 3.5hp £ 449

Mercury 2.5hp £ 380

Mariner 2.5hp £ 429

Tohatsu 3.5hp £ 449

Yamaha 2.5hp £ 489

Suzuki 2.5hp £ 379

Honda 2.3hp £ 429

Parsun 2.6hp £ 375

Parsun is the cheapest and has about the same engine as the Yamaha 2.5hp, but not so good. It’s a bit like a letter according to Gordon Ramsay’s recipe, but a side-by-side comparison shows that he’s much better. The Chinese can copy the same as the Japanese did before them, but they haven’t done it right yet!

Finally, let’s take a brief look at each outboard motor tested. Mercury, Mariner and Tohatsu have the same engine. Throttle start settings are easy to understand as the choke and stop buttons are clearly labeled. Gasoline on / off taps are not so clearly marked. All these motors have gears. With forward and neutral, 360 degree rotation allows you to get backward thrust. It has four tilt positions and the ability of shallow water. You can easily check the oil level with the indicator on the side of the engine cover.

The Yamaha 2.5hp also easily understood the start and stop settings, but the oil level gauge was not visible under the engine casing cover. Like the Mercury outboard motor, the Yamaha 2.5hp has forward and neutral gear that rotates 360 degrees. Unlike Mercury, which has a shear pin, Yamaha has a rubber hub on the propeller, so the shear pin will not be damaged.

Suzuki 2.5hp is the same as above, but the oil gauge is easy to see on the side of the cover. The propeller has a shear pin with spares under the engine cover.

The Honda 2.3hp is not water cooled like all other outboard motors tested. It is air-cooled and has no gear. Instead, use a centrifugal clutch. This makes it harder to get started and operate than others. It will take some time to get used to it. The oil gauge is not visible under the cover. The propeller has a shear pin with a spare held under the engine cover.

Finally, a copy of Parsun 2.6hp and Yamaha 2.5hp, but not very good. However, if it is new, it is the cheapest engine. Fuel economy was the biggest drawback.