Need a new OB for my dink

[Steve Dion]

Yup! Two Mercs 18hp 4 stroke and a 9.8 hp 4 stroke. SOB to start.

My 1994 Tohatsu only had problems because some spiders decided to take up housekeeping in the air intake for the carb.

These Mercs have been a POC SINCE BIRTH.

 

[Merlin Clark]

Sorry your experiences were bad. Mine were good.
Are there difference emission specs out there?

 

[chuckwayne]

take a look at the lehr 5hp-great engineering, eliminates all of the fuel and ethanol issues. I've got the 2.5 and it runs great,starts instantly. they are all 4 stroke - but no price deals---except if WM is running their triple points deal-which they are next week, made it $120 off on the 2.5

 

[Gunni]

The 6 hp tohatsu IS the 6 hp mercury. I got my tohatsu from these guys in Tennessee. Just checked, they are selling a 6 hp Tohatsu for $1,350 with free shipping.
http://www.onlineoutboards.com/Tohatsu-6-hp-Outboards.html

Adopt a very disciplined fuel system protocol for the new 4 strokes. They don't suffer a slacker mentality very well.

 

[peterbud]

For the people complaining about small mercury motors. I have had a 5hp Mercury mairner since 1993 with no issues. I find the motor to be very reliable starting the first time as long as you do the normal maintanience and would buy another one for my inflatable.

 

[druid]

This is wierd (but seems to be typical of this forum in particular for some reason): The OP asked for opinions on NEW 4-stroke 5-6hp outboards, but 90% of the replies talk about how to repair his old one.

I have a nearly-new Tohatsu 6hp 4-stroke. It's light (for a 4-stroke), runs great when it runs, but has some kind of problem with getting fuel. Last time I took it to the dealer, the problem was apparently the fuel HOSE (nothing to do with the engine itself). The engine itself seems to be (relatively) well-built and reliable.

I also had a brand-new Merc 9.9 4-stroke. It was VERY smooth (especially at idle - you could barely notice it was running), but very heavy. As long as you obeyed the rather complicated starting procedure (that was NOT in the manual) it started and ran fine, except for a big hesitation if you throttled up slowly.

Basically I'm not overly impressed with the new engines - they do not seem to be much more reliable than the old 2-strokes. OTOH, they smell MUCH better!

druid
"Wind Drift" Ontario 32

 

[sparrowe]

take a look at the lehr 5hp-great engineering, eliminates all of the fuel and ethanol issues. I've got the 2.5 and it runs great,starts instantly. they are all 4 stroke - but no price deals---except if WM is running their triple points deal-which they are next week, made it $120 off on the 2.5

Just bought a Lehr 5HP for use on our Beneteau 210 to replace an ailing Honda 5 HP. Paid retail (about $1800 w/tax). Starts on 2nd pull. We like not having to carry gasoline on the boat; also, 'pure gas' is not available in our area - only 10% ethanol - so not having to deal with ethanol-related problems in small engines is a real benefit. And it means we need to carry only one kind of fuel because propane runs the portable bbq and stove as well.

My initial concern was obtaining service if (when) needed; I was happy to find a large marine dealer who stocks and services the Lehr motors located on the way to the Lake. So far, the performance is everything I had expected. It's too early to tell about durability.

I think the Lehr would be an ideal solution for a dinghy outboard - especially if your boat is diesel powered. It eliminates the gas tank and line. Just clip in a 1 LB propane cylinder and you are good to go.

 

[Tsatzsue]

I go to marine engine.com. Then I call my local marine supply- Doug Russel with the part number. I am more confident in looking up exactly what I need than trusting a counter guy.and they usually match or beat the price and have it shipped in. They just hooked me up with a water pump kit for a 1972 Evinrude 2 hp. I was shocked that it was still available.