Boat shopping, and Id like your opinion on modern Honda outboards. They are the one brand I have very little experience with.
Thanks
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Boat shopping, and Id like your opinion on modern Honda outboards. They are the one brand I have very little experience with.
Thanks
I’ve heard good things about them, like all things Honda, by I spend a ton of time on the water, and I see very few out there.
Buddy has new one (30hp-4stroke) that he put on an older 16' Princecraft backtroller that's a sweet unit,but,it cost a small fortune. I put a new Mercury 25hp-4-stroke on my older PF16 Misty River that works just as well for $2K less.Quote:
Originally Posted by blasted_saber
I had the '96 25 hp when they first came out, excellent motor, gave it to my son 20 years later and then he sold it for a bigger boat with a 50 Honda. No issues with it and it probably had 3000 hrs on it. Only reason I went to a Yamaha this time, Honda could not get me a 40 tiller at the time and it didn't have the electric idle control.
40hp
5 years old now.
Runs great, is easy on gas. One blown fuse, and one blown impeller.
No complaints/regrets
I have had bad experiences with Mercs. I wish you well with yours. The pricing options on a new package are about $1k difference on a 50hp so I think I may go that routeQuote:
Originally Posted by trimmer21
I run Yamaha at work. I've got 50, 115, and 150hp units and they are superb. They are run hard but maintained properly and never miss a beat, except for things that are operator error.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fisherman
I’ll throw my 2cents in here. We were dead set on a Honda 30hp, so we get too the dealer (Honda/Suzuki) And the salesman tells us the Suzuki 4 stroke is much better then the Honda 4 stroke we wanted...and was cheaper...$ Have a look at the Suzuki motors you won’t be disappointed.
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Sounds like the answer to your question ....I’d go with the motor you are familiar with !! Tons of Yamahas out on the water !!Quote:
Originally Posted by blasted_saber
Ideally yes. But you can save some real bucks in the package going with what the dealer has. The dealer as far as I know has Mercs and Hondas. Ive not heard a bad thing about Hondas outboards, and I do have real faith in their other products (Ive got a Honda genny and a Honda vehicle).Quote:
Originally Posted by rick_iles
Another vote here for Suzuki. Used them at work and own a 2.5hp. Flawless motors and less $$ than a Yammy or Honda.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gregger17
Had a 99 50HP on my last boat. It ran like a top and did everything I could ask for. I wouldn’t hesitate.Quote:
Originally Posted by blasted_saber
I have 20 hp Tohatsu on my 14 feet aluminum and it runs great.
You can save a lot of money by looking at who actually manufactures the engines.
"Mercury Outboards, 30 Hp and less, are made by Tohatsu in Japan. Mercury Marine builds 40, 50 and 60 horsepower outboard motors in Suzhou, China. Mercury also manufactures engines over 75 horsepower at its facility in Fond du Lac in Wisconsin.Jan. 12, 2020"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_Marine
"Tohatsu America Corp. will begin offering through its dealer network 4-stroke engines from 60 to 250 hp in January."
"The eight new outboards — 60-, 75-, 90-, 115-, 150-, 200-, 225- and 250-hp models — are manufactured by Honda and rebranded under the Tohatsu name, Kurt Gardener, national sales manager for Tohatsu America Corp., told Trade Only Today this morning."
https://www.tradeonlytoday.com/tech/...utboard-lineup
WOW!! You can't tell the players without a program.Quote:
Originally Posted by impact
Seems Yamaha has taken over the market from OMC and Merc. Everywhere you look Yamaha is front and center. Yeah, most everything Honda makes is good but you sure do pay a premium for their name and I don't think the extra is worth it.
I had an older 15 horse Honda .... I liked it and it ran well .... Then someone came into my backyard and stole it .... I hope Karma is a BIT.. and they have nothing but trouble with it !
Glen
I guess I'll be the odd man out and say that the Honda 20hp longshaft manual start that I own is a POS. I absolutely hate Hondas\'s electronic choke system. The motor has been a pain to start since the first day I got it. Been in twice to get the choke system fixed and it still isn't right. 20-30 pulls to get it started and running. Very high compression on the recoil compared to Yamahas. Not a good motor if you have shoulder issues. Twice as hard to pull as a Yamaha. Not a good cold weather motor eg. early December diver hunting. Honda plastic gas tank sucks. Too small and every single one I've used leaks from the lid. Very expensive spark plugs! No coolant system flush hose hook-up like the Yamahas have. Not a quiet motor for a four stroke at wide open throttle. Yammy is far quieter. Oil filter changes are a pain in the . You have to remove seven bolts and take apart the motor body in order to access the filter. I'll never buy another. My next motor will be a Yammy 25.
Strong opinion but I also know you know your stuff. So that means a lot. Thank-you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fenelon
Approximately what age is your motor?
Quote:
Originally Posted by blasted_saber
My 20hp is a 2009
I have a Honda 30 with the new and improved ele choke and like Fenelon said it has issues. We had a 40 Honda with manual pull choke and a friend has a 35 Honda for longer than l owned the 40 and 30. I have had Yamaha also and it was an excellent motor. We used the ele choke 30 for mainly moose hunting up to freeze up and still own it. I called Honda and never got any help trying to make this choke work like it should but nothing worked. In cold it is harder to start but rest of weather l can make it work. The Yamaha we replaced throttle cable and impeller. Honda 40 one of the steering cables and the 30, touch wood nothing. Honda r good on gas and the 30 and 40 I owned had a spin on oil filter with easy access. I would buy depending on what u can afford, access to a dealer or best deal u can make.
Yamaha 20 1987, Honda 30 2004 on a Misty River 17, Honda 40 1997?, Honda 35 1990ish?
Yup. That electronic choke is a piece of shyte. If you don't disconect your fuel line it floods the carb. If you give it any throttle past start position it floods the carb. Takes 4 minutes to warm up after the POS finally starts. That's after pulling it for 50 times using words that rhyme with "buck" and "truck". My Scotish ancestry doesn't help the matter.I'd like to take an Ithaca 10 Auto-Mag, with magazine extender tube and four boxes of Challenger slugs to it. My wife just goes quiet and looks at the floor of the boat when she senses my building rage.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by tracker
i havent laughed that hard in a whileQuote:
Originally Posted by Fenelon
only 4 boxes ? LOL
Hey Fenelon,
Could you do some more "product reviews?" Honestly, we need more of that on this forum which seems to generate less and less chat about outdoor adventures, hunting or fishing and looks more like Fox News.
Thanks again for the chuckles. I will never again think of buying a Honda outboard after that honest and heart-felt review....
Well, there's 2 sides to every story and then the skinny part between the two sides. I'm a firm believer of how you treat your kit is how it will service you when you want to play. I've seen people put their toys away neat and tidy and rarely have even a pinch of trouble with them. Then there's the ones that come home, dump their toys (especially in the fall) and and expect that things should fire right back up in the spring, complete lack of maintenance. The only product I ever had issues with was Mercury, a.k.a. Black Anchors, no matter how you babied them they are a not for me. On the other hand my 25Honda was flawless for the time I and my son had it about 20 years. My 3K and 2k Honda gennies same, lawnmower, same. If I want to know how you treat your kit, I look at your wife and see if you put her away wet and moldy too.
I agree ! That's what makes it a shyte show when you buy what's supposed to be a premium product (my Honda outboard), maintain it meticulously, and it fails. Motor has only known ethanol free fuel, has a dedicated 10 micron water separator filter, plugs, filters, fluids serviced ahead of recommended maintenance schedule, and motor allways winter stored with a fogged head in a heated basement. Your 25 was probably pre-electronic choke system if it was 20 years old? This covid sucks. I want to dump this POS Honda and replace it with a Yammy. Problem is there isn't a single motor available in the province. I'll have to put in an order for next year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fisherman
Yes, pull choke 1996. Is there no possible way to manually control the electronic choke, maybe a stiff wire to hold it in place until it fires up. Just looking for a possible solution.
I have 50 as main motor , 8 as a kicker , no problems in 20 years, 8 is a little heavy at 95lb. But reliable.
For anyone considering a Yamaha, be advised should you run into a very rare lemon that Yamaha Canada will pretty much hang you out to dry with warranty. As far as I’m concerned the warranty isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. They are generally good motors, but I had a 20 bought new for my 14 footer and it ran terribly the minute it got cold out. I went all the way to the top with Yamaha and they basically told me it was my problem. I’d never deal with them again even though I’ve owned and still own some great Yamaha products: