Suggestions

Jun 18, 2020
12
Vagabond 17 Lake Sonoma
I am looking to buying a 4hp, 20 inch shaft outboard motor. Having a difficult time deciding on a Mercury, Tohatsu, Suzuki or Honda. I have no experience with these brands, over the years I have heard good things about all of them. Price and features differ slightly but that's not a problem.
Looking for comments, suggestions, Thank you
 

T_Cat

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Aug 8, 2014
333
Catalina 22 1987 New Design. 14133 "LadyHawke" Modesto CA
I have a 2015 Tohatsu 4hp. IMHO I have had no problems with it. I use it to motor away from the dock and past the no wake zone on my local lake. Some people will complain about the friction locking ring to secure the shaft, but I always have one hand on the tiller and one hand on the outboard throttle I have no issues. BTW I'm running an external gas tank.
Starts great. Plenty of power for where I use it and reasonably priced...
 
Jun 18, 2020
12
Vagabond 17 Lake Sonoma
I have a 2015 Tohatsu 4hp. IMHO I have had no problems with it. I use it to motor away from the dock and past the no wake zone on my local lake. Some people will complain about the friction locking ring to secure the shaft, but I always have one hand on the tiller and one hand on the outboard throttle I have no issues. BTW I'm running an external gas tank.
Starts great. Plenty of power for where I use it and reasonably priced...
Thanks for the info. Much appreciated, I like what I am reading about the Tohatsu, haven't heard as much about that motor in the past, since spending time researching motors, the Tohatsu caught my attention.
 
Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
The forum will have a lot of recommendations. From a price perspective I purchased a Tohatsu. You might find the article on outboards in the link below informative.

 

FDL S2

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Jun 29, 2014
469
S2 7.3 Fond du Lac
I live in the home of Mercury (Fond du Lac, WI) so I am partial to them and I have owned several Mercs with few problems. Having said that, I have a Yamaha 9.9 fourstroke on my boat and it is very reliable, also the small Mercury and Tohatsu motors are the same engines made in the same factory.

I have no experience with Honda or Suzuki outboards, but I don't think you will go wrong with any of the brands you listed.
 

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
I've had 2 Tohatsu 6hp and they were great and made in Japan very high quality product
 
Jun 18, 2020
12
Vagabond 17 Lake Sonoma
I live in the home of Mercury (Fond du Lac, WI) so I am partial to them and I have owned several Mercs with few problems. Having said that, I have a Yamaha 9.9 fourstroke on my boat and it is very reliable, also the small Mercury and Tohatsu motors are the same engines made in the same factory.

I have no experience with Honda or Suzuki outboards, but I don't think you will go wrong with any of the brands you listed.
Thanks for the info. I live in California for 35 yrs but grew up on a farm in Chilton, Wisconsin and was born at St Agnes hospital a long time ago. Live Wisconsin and always felt partial to Mercury outboard motors. ⛵
 
Sep 24, 2018
2,549
O'Day 25 Chicago
I had a '98 4hp Mercury. I lost all respect for the company when they tried charging me $30 for an owners manual and $160 for a carb kit. I quickly turned to Tohatsu for manuals and parts. Sometimes that engine started on the first or second pull and other times it would take 10-15 minutes of constant pulling. It was also notorious for starting right up and refusing to go much past idle even at WOT. If I had kept the engine I would've bought a new carb for it. It did however go under a couple of waves without skipping a beat
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
I have the Tohatsu 6 HP sailpro. It has a lot of thrust.... starts on the first pull even after I let it sit for months. It is perfect for how I use my boat.

I also only buy non ethanol gas and I and let the engine run dry by disconnecting the fuel line and let it run until it stops. This is something I do with all engines though. I used to own a Honda 9.9... it was also good but was way more engine than I needed and sometimes would not start right back up after it had run for a while.
 
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Dec 28, 2015
1,837
Laser, Hunter H30 Cherubini Tacoma
Consider the weight of the brands. I believe there is a notable difference between them
 

FDL S2

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Jun 29, 2014
469
S2 7.3 Fond du Lac
Thanks for the info. I live in California for 35 yrs but grew up on a farm in Chilton, Wisconsin and was born at St Agnes hospital a long time ago. Live Wisconsin and always felt partial to Mercury outboard motors. ⛵ [\QUOTE]

Small world! I was born at St. Agnes too and have done some work in Chilton and still drive through once in a while for work. When I saw the strong German name in your original post I looked at your profile to see if you were in WI.
 
May 31, 2004
88
-Hunter 23.5 Sandusky, OH
I've not looked for an outboard in quite a few years, so my opinions, like me, might be dated. Our 1993 Hunter 23.5 came with a Tohatsu 10, and we hated it. It ran OK, but it was so loud and vibrated so bad that the entire boat shook when it was running, and you could not carry on a conversation in the cockpit without screaming. When the boat was a few years old the motor was stolen off of the back of the boat while in a storage yard. The thieves were kind, though, and did not damage any fiberglass. They unbolted the mount from the boat, and it even looked like the used a razor to slice the caulking.

We took the insurance money, and bought a Honda 10, which we love. It runs very quiet, very little vibration. The insurance covered the entire cost of the mount, and about 80% of the new Honda.