Parsun outboards ?

[Dirtysanchez]

Hi all

I've been thinking about upgrading the outboard on the Micro tinny, but seeing its an oldy, if I spend $1000 or more on a newer model, or more on a newby, that would make the whole rig worth about $1001 :-*

Looking on Ebay for a cheapy and up comes this brand I have never heard of before, Parsun, a 15Hp new 2st is about $500 less than a Tohatsu equivalent.. says they have a 2 year warranty, blah blah blah.. Google them, several 'dealers' have them now..

Anyone heard of them before, or better own one ?
I know I know, $1500 and it blows up in 2 years and one month compared to $1800 for a Toey that will serve me till me hair falls out (3-4 years) :-[ is no comparison, but just interested.. Are these those cheap shitters coming out of China ?

Thanks

[Chimo]

Think so

Also think that F&B mag was to have a test on them next issue ............ dont hold me to that but someone else may know about the test..........

Cheers
Chimo

[sharkymark2]

yes they are. The manufacturer gives the reseller 6 month wty and there are some spare parts that come with the units... whether you will get them is another matter. I understand that some mercury stuff is coming out of china as well now. Haven't heard how their reliability is though. Best of luck. What area do you live in and do they have a service agent there or is it back to base?

[Outsider1]

Think so

Also think that F&B mag was to have a test on them next issue ............ dont hold me to that but someone else may know about the test..........

Cheers
Chimo

Yes that is correct, F & B have the forthcoming tests advertised on their website.

http://www.seamedia.com.au/pub/index.php

I assume the Parsun motors are based on one of the existing manufacturer's designs. That is how most of the asian "copies" start. Hyundai started with a old Mitsubishi (Colt) motor for example in their original excel. I did have a look at the Parsun's specs a while ago and if I remember correctly their motor displacements matched Yamaha's equivalents exactly. More than a coincidence me thinks.

Cheers

Dave

Edit - actually just double checking the displacements and they match either the Yamaha's models or the equivalent Mercury/Tohatsu models.

[Dirtysanchez]

Thanks for the tip, I shall grab that F&B edition when it comes out.

Ideally though I would love to just get a 9.9hp about 10 or less years old that has been in good hands and won't cost me a packet ;D

I don't want much, do I ?
Cheers

[bustaonenut]

I heard that quintrex will be putting them on their package deal tinnies, probably to cut down cost. Might become more popular if a big company like that takes them on in australia. They already have a big following in canada and may only be cheap for now to break into the market.

[BM]

Sanchez,

They will be the same as the Selwa and Sail and several other names out there also that are a knock off of a Yamaha.

I believe they advertise that they are 80% compatible with Yamaha. Hope the dealers stock at least that other 20%..........

I think if you are willing to accept its likely to fall apart on you in a perhaps less than reasonable timeframe then it will be ok. Spare parts backup will be less than desired and servicing may be difficult as repairers may be reluctant to get overly involved in engines with parts that fit from other motors or a parts supply process thats not as simple and streamlined as the major brands.

Cheers

[Quaker]

Same as Osprey, Chinese replica of Yamaha.

[bar raider]

I heard that quintrex will be putting them on their package deal tinnies


that may just be true caus they had a couple o parsuns at their sale a couple of weeks ago.

[Reel Nauti]

We all scoffed and scorned when the Koreans hit the car market in Australia. In my opinion it was the best thing that ever happened for we, the consumer. Suddenly the big names could give us warranties to match for the first time in their existence, and those little Hyundies are still going strong.

There's not much wrong with a lot of the stuff from China these days, and if they're prepared to back it with a 2 yr warranty I'd be keen.

Dave

[Outsider1]

We all scoffed and scorned when the Koreans hit the car market in Australia. In my opinion it was the best thing that ever happened for we, the consumer. Suddenly the big names could give us warranties to match for the first time in their existence, and those little Hyundies are still going strong.

There's not much wrong with a lot of the stuff from China these days, and if they're prepared to back it with a 2 yr warranty I'd be keen.

Dave

Tend to agree with you Dave. A bit of serious price competition in outboard pricing would certainly not go astray.

Hyundai were very innovative, introducing things like drive away pricing, longer warranties etc. They produced honest motor vehicles and have got better and better all along to where their product stands up on their own 2 feet these days.

However, I am a bit concerned that Parsun are a knock off brand. They have basically copied other makers engines without any licensing or the like. Hyundai did it properly with licenses etc and developed their own engineering skills over time. So I do see a big difference in this aspect and I worry that the ultimate outcome for consumers will not be nearly as good. I hope I am wrong!.

Cheers

Dave

[Dirtysanchez]

I emailed a 'dealer' and he came back with confirmation that they have negotiated a 2 year warranty with the factory, he addmitted they were chinese, and he also gave me details of a service agent in Thornlands that they have lined up to do services etc.

Gotta agree, I have had Johnnos, Suzukis and Yammies over the years, none without their share of problems, so the Chinese may well come up with something worth having a look at - if not in the 1st iteration like this, but in the next or thereafter.

I like the Hyundai example, I have friends who own Hyundais and KIAs, and love em..

Thanks

[BM]

There's not much wrong with a lot of the stuff from China these days, and if they're prepared to back it with a 2 yr warranty I'd be keen.

Dave

Thats fine Dave, but whats the warranty actually offer? Since the brand has no manufacturers own representation in Australia that deems the importers to be the manufacturer and as such they are the ones who will wear the warranty.

Be interesting to ask the dealer what happens in the event of an engine failure. Will they replace the powerhead straight up or do they want to stuff around sending requests back to China or what? How many engines and spare parts does he have in stock? How much capital is behind him?

Call me a sceptic but I would bet my bottom dollar a warranty claim would be a real drama. I know of one bloke who was dealing in these for a bit and I would not have trusted my money with him for a second... He would have buck passed till the cows came home. How do I know? Because I know how he reacted to a situation relating to one of his customers (not in relation to these chinese engines) and he is in court trying to defend something that will bite him very badly because he refuses to admit he got it wrong.....

Of course he may be the only rogue in the group but most of these dealers would be fairly small in my opinion with not much invested and not much long term interest, just into "the next good thing" till it dies away and then move onto the "next good thing".

I guess they are certainly worth trying but the long term viability is a reasonable question mark. I haven't looked into pricing personally but I had heard a little while back that these units were around $300US ex China. So theres some hefty markup applied here.

Cheers
Cheers

[Outsider1]

F & B magazine (Sea Media) have a video of their test of a 15hp 2s Parsun up on their web site now. There is a written test in the current issue just out;

http://www.seamedia.com.au/streamingVideo/parsun-15hp-2stroke_lg.php

Cheers

Dave

[pedrodepacus]

thats pretty interesting from old pete webster i guess its a time will tell scenario i would like to do some welding on one to see wat sort of quality the castings are and i guess a few mechanics would like to get their hands on them as well to go over them so if anyone has one and rips the skeg off give me a call il fix it for nothing

[marty+jojo]

I was wondering what the go is with the Parsun brand, i work for a transport company and i have seen about 2 a day come through for the last month or so, they have all been low hp, they actually label them in KW not hp on the box.
Marty.

[trev1]

There aren't many ORIGINAL designs around anymore so the "knock off" argument doesn't really apply ( I think) and every brand has to start somewhere . I think they are aimed at a market that IS overpriced (for what you recieve) and like so many other commodities people will generally use price as a bottom line when purchasing.
Would I buy one --- I dont know. I did buy one of the old blue legged Suzukis though, when people said "dont buy jap crap -- get an evinrude" and although they weren't pretty or at that stage easy to get parts for, look at them now.
Are they a good thing, I'll tell you my thoughts in a few years.

[mr_boats]

Well time has moved on now, I've had a bit to do with the Parsun brand and I haven't heard of any blow ups yet or not being able to source service parts. All the dealers are very professional and go out of there way to help out. It's good to be cautious but it seems like all the fears written in this thread haven't come to light so far.
The 1 thing I have noticed is all the other brands have come down in price to try to compete so if you would buy a Parsun, or you wouldn't touch one, we all have at least beneifitted from this new brand coming onto the Australian market and pulled the larger manufactores prices down. It shows they have been squeezing us for every dollar we have in the past.

[sharkymark2]

I did see the 40hp advertised at $US500 at one stage but then quickly disappeared :). I was over in China at a Trade Conference and some high up friends of mine were driving this brand new Mitsubishi 4 WD but it looked liked an 8 year old model. I guess they must have bought the tooling from Japan at a bargain and built them only for the chinese market. Big things are happening there so it will go the way of Japan and now Korea then China and probably India. Just that honesty is a great way to build a business and it only takes one bad apple to ....... no melamine in the milk here ;).

[Dirtysanchez]

Ahh Sharky there are Milk products being recalled in Aus now because of that Melamine scare, unfortunately
Thanks to those who have revisited this and commented more recently.
I still wonder.. the old Johnno smokes and farts and I would love to get a re-con power head and put the old one to rest - for me and for the fact that the boat is from the Triassic era, it is the cheapest option..

[trev1]

Its good to rekindle older posts, but the way I see it, the jury is still out. Remember the older Suzy's ( and yammies/ hondas) . The biggest problems they encountered was corrosion and customer acceptance. Look at them now. Pretty much the 3 biggest names in outboards. This happened over a period of around a decade, just like the chinese and korean cars. I'm not saying it will happen but the methodology the asians use is there and being used against the establishment, and it works. If I was in the market, I would give them a level playing field with the others, and if price was the MAIN issue, they may win. ( they also may NOT)
On a mechanical note, a lot of the chinese stuff I have seen do have a few issues ( I dont know if this applies to the Parsun). Their castings are a little rougher, the fit of parts is a little more agricultural , but the main worry for me is their fasteners. Most of the bolts and screws on chinese (and other asian product) would be lucky to rate on the ISO scales for bolt grades, and on things like conrod bolts and mains, this bothers me.
Just a few thoughts.
Trev

[siegfried]

Dont read too much in to outboard/boat tests cause they only have em for a few hours anyway and they never say bad things in fear of not being given access to new/other products, call me a sceptic but thats the way it is....shit they even said the allison 189 is a soft riding hull ::)

[trev1]

shit they even said the allison 189 is a soft riding hull ::)



You mean its NOT!!!!!

[mr_boats]

RE: Outboard tests. Yes they only have the engines for a couple of hours but keep in mind the people who test the outboards are professionals and probably tested 60% or more of the complete outboard range over all of the brands. So they would be the best people to pick up on any inperfections of a outboard. The other thing to keep in mind is Peter Webster from F & B is one of the most respected people in the Australian fishing world. He got this reputation from giving fair and true articals in his magazine. If you read his test you'll find he outlays he's concerns for long time use but doesn't come to his own prediction he said let the motor talk for itself.
http://www.seamedia.com.au/streamingVideo/parsun-15hp-2stroke_lg.php
That link is the video report.

[savagetin]

I used to be a lawnmowing contractor for many years and I once purchased a chinese blower. It turned out to be a copy of a shindaiwa blower (good brand). It ran well for a couple of months then it started playing up, hard to start, woud'nt idle, would'nt get full revs, etc. Put it in for repair couple of times but ended up giving it away to the mechanic, he just dumped it, not worth the trouble. I'd normally get four to five years out of blower without even changing a spark plug. So for me I won't be touching them. When i'm on the water I want to know that my motor going to start and get me home.
Tony

[mr_boats]

But thats a piece of Garden equipment????
I do know that Midtown Marinas has been using a 5hp 4-Stroke Parsun on their hire boats for the past 7 months. I'v spoken to them about it and it hasn't given them not 1 bit of trouble. You'd have to say apart from a surf rescue rubber ducky a hire boat would have to get the hardest workout of any boat.
To many people are comparing these outboards to other chinese products which are manufactured from completely different companies. I don't think thats a fair thing to do. Quality of a product all depends upon which company manufactores it and how professional they are. The reason I re-started this thread was to bring to light that nobody has written in saying they have had a problem with this brand of outboard. Anyone that has had a problem please tell us what happened and the results to see how good the back-up and after sales service was. Don't write in saying "A mate of mine had one and this happened", personal experiences are the genunie ones.
As far as i know the 15hp 2-Strokes have been out there now for 2 years and the 5hp 4-stroke around a year and a half.

[Aerocaster]

I have seen some agents now offering a 25hp 4 stroke Parson for $2,900. Does anyone know anything about these motors?

[Blaster Bretty]

Guys look, right from when we cant walk on our own 2 feet we learn from our mistake's, If you buy a parsun and it crap's out maybe and then your warranty is void or somthing like that well that will be "LEARNING FROM YOUR MISTAKE" at the same time you may buy a parsun and have years of hassle free boating out of it, either way it is all up to you, do what you want mate, I for one cant see anything wrong with chinese stuff, peeps dont realise that there factories have a more strict code of conduct than some place's ive worked at here. I myself if I could afford it would probably buy one but im a bit of a cheapskate and usually buy somthing thats a few years old in order to save a thousand or two, just my thoughts anyway!

Bretty

[stevej]

one important factor is supply of parts and factory training

yamaha merc almost any coastal town you go to will be someone who can fix it and have the basic parts in stock

parsun doubt it

[catfishkid]

After they have been around for more than 5 years I would consider one.
My reason has nothing to do with price but more to do with reliability.
You often cant get out and walk back 25klm to the ramp.
After 5 years we should be able to get an accurate idea if they are any good.
I would much rather a motor 2years old,low hours and proven reliability.

Cheers Craig

[mr_boats]

Ok I'll let everyone in on a little secret here. I'm actually the Australian distributor for the parsun outboards (Island Mainre Enterprises). I have the sole rights for all of australia except WA. A company called westribs or DBSC controls those rights. We work very closely together to promote and build the Parsun brand.
RE: This situtaion that people are afraid of spart parts supplies I can tell you I have a full supply of what we call fast moving spare parts which mainly invovles Service parts like filters, gaskets, impellors, etc. Also other fast moving parts like kill switch lanyards, propellors, pull cords etc which just get lost and damaged from normal use. I've been able to stock the correct parts from my experience as a marine mechanic/Techician for the past 17 years. If we come across parts we don't have in stock here, their are several options avaliable. First I just talk to my friends at Westribs and see if they have the part in stock. They carry around the same amount in value of spare parts as we do. If its a unique part and they don't have stock we still have plenty of other options. As most people are aware most parts are interchangable with one of the major brand of outboards so I'll either cross reference with them and order it through them but most times that major brand won't have it in stock either and it'll be on back order. I normally stay on the back order list to see how long it takes that company to get the part in just for my own refence. Once it took 3 weeks for a single part. So this leaves us with the last and fool proof method of getting the part we are after. That is email the parsun factory direct and get the part air frieghted out. This takes no more than 2-3 days in total. We are in contact with the Parsun factory several times a day via email discussing up coming orders promtions and new products, so getting parts sent out is not a problem at all. I've only come across this situation no more than 4-5 times in 2 years and we make sure we order several of that spare part so we can carry it in stock from then on.
Spare parts, warranty and after sales service is a number 1 prority on building a new brand into such a tight market where rumrors run wild.
As for the long term use and wear and tear on the engines. We just haven't been selling the motors for 2 years to the Australian public. There is no way I'd personally sell any marine product that I didn't feel was high quality. We have been working extremely close with the Parsun factory for 4 years. The first 2 years invloved testing (In Australia) the very first motors that had been produced. Reporting back to the factory and changing anything we weren't happy with. This is still happening even up till today check out this for the lastest engine we have been testing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwfoDHWiULU&feature=channel_page
That motor is #4 off the production line.
We have never had a major engine fail to date. When I say major I mean a powerhead blow up or a gearbox blow up. Even the very first motors that were sent to test are still going strong and I can guarantee they have been thrashed way beyond normal use.
I know of and monitor very closely a 15hp parsun that we sold cronulla fishing charters / houseboats which gets used every single day and never leaves the water, only for us to inspect every 6 months and its a very reliable motor.
So time WILL tell with these engines but to date they are proving themselve's to be a very strong.
I'd like to mention if anybody has any issues with thier Parsun Branded outboard please contact us directly on 02 9532-0002 and we'll make it a priority to sort out any issues you may have. Also if anybody has any questions they would like to ask feel free, I'll do my best to answer them.
Thanks for keeping this thread going.
Regards
Garry

[riverrat321]

Do you have any experience with the 40hp? I was nearly going to buy a 40hp put the dealer put me off. I told him it was going to go on a sea-al super skua and I quess he thought it would have a hard life. He started telling me he would love to see one on this boat but if anything breaks he will not cover it with warrenty. Whats the point in buying a new motor then??? If I go to a tohatsu dealer and tell them what im doing they say I will never break their engine. Big difference.

[finga]

Hey Gary, Have you got any numbers for the 4hp electric like power consumption etc?

[mr_boats]

The answer to the guy about with the Supa Skua.
The dealer you are talking about is actually me. This is where my experience comes into play. Doing my apprenticeship at Andrew Short marine as a marine mechanic. I know alot about the sea-al Supa Skua, seeing Andrew designed that boat himself while his dad owned Sea-al. (By the way do you know what sea-al stands for?)
When selling a motor the salesman should always ask as many questions about the boat and it's use. So the customer is getting the correct motor for their needs. When you were inquiring about the 40hp you just keep asking over and over again about warranty which raises alarm bells. When you said it was going onto a supa skua I told you we wouldn't warranty broken clamp brackets or mounts on this style of boat. The reason is very clear and reasonable. Going back to my experiences with these boats. 90% of Supa Skua users (and I can say with confindence 100% of owners of supa skuas that run 40hp on the back of their boat) MISSUSE the engine. Clamps and Brackets break all the time (It doesn't matter what brand) due to the owner CHOCKING the outboard out with wedges to make the boat stand on end. This in turn shifts the thrust of the engine to a different angle on the clamps with it wasn't designed for. Check out this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-w-BQJsv08

This is what he wanted to use the motor for. Although being completely RECKLESS and ENDANGERING other people and himself on the water, he expects warranty to be honoured for abusing the engine.

It doesn't matter what brand of outboard if they warrant the first time you break the clamps or mounts on the outboard They are NOT going to warrant it the 2nd time when they break again. And they will keep breaking. Thats the reason you were looking to buy a new motor in the first place.

I'd actually like to hear from everyday boat users if they think this is reasonable or not after taking a look at that link above.

Response to the ELECTRIC OUTBOARD inquiry.
No we don't have any numbers on this motor yet. It's all new to me and although we have pulled it completely down and put it back together to see how it works. I've yet to get it out on the water for a full and proper test. Once we have I'll be putting some Specs together and putting them up on our website.

Cheers
Garry

[Lovey80]

Thanks Mr Boats and NO NO NO you are not being unreasonable by telling Riverrat you wont cover his warrantee. Riverrat you were being very irresponsible with your previous post lucky they dealer you spoke to was here to defend himself. Why? because 99% of boaties on this site are responisble boaties and wouldnt have a clue what a sea-al super skua is beause they would see that dick above and want to knock his bock off.

Cheers

Chris

[finga]

Ditto to Chris.
I reckon there would be line up at the ramp to have a bit of the action.

And I reckon if you went to Tohatsu with a broken mount bracket/clamps etc on the boat still set up in the same manner shown above they'd knock the warranty as well.

[lee8sec]

Its always good to hear the whole story, not just the edited version. Leigh

[riverrat321]

What you say is partly true, but this style of driving is also a good test for your engines. I have NEVER broken a motor yet. I had a 20hp merc that was used every weekend for 10 years with no problem. I have also never heard of anyone breaking a tohatsu. I was very interested in your Parsun engine as I like Yamaha and I know it is a Chinese copy. It would have been good advertisement for your brand of motor to be used on a skua, assuming it didnt break. The motors on skuas have less punnishment than the Tohatsu and Yamaha 50hp engines that they race on thundercats. If your worried about it breaking then do you think its built strong enough? What is going to happen the first time someone hits a log? I think they would be fine on a skua, but obviously if paying the money for a new motor I want a warrenty. As I said Tohatsu seem fine with the warrenty side of things. Anyway I do think the engine would have held up, but who knows. I have had heaps of engines in my time, 20hp merc, 25hp merc, tohatsu, suzuki and yamaha. 30hp yamaha, 40hp mariner and Tohatsu. None of them broke from being on a skua. I did break the shallow water drive on a 40 tohatsu while towing the boat with my car and the motor on shallow water drive. The dealer put the motor on the boat that way when I purchased it new. In saying that it was all fixed under warrenty even though it was on a skua. I must admit I was a little dissapointed with your attitude. As I said a tohatsu dealer told me i'd never break there engine. You also picked the most extreme skua clips. I also go fishing in my boat as well as hooning. I dont mean to bag out Parsun. It just dosent fill me with confidence you suggesting it will break.
Anyway obviously there are 2 sides to the story. It's interesting that you knew Andrew. I would love to have one of these boats built again. Did he design these boats with this style of driving in mind?

[stevej]

i dont think anyone would design a boat to be driven ilegally and dangerously like that

see them on the georges a lot, what is the skuas compliance plate rated too? 25hp?

from the web 30hp it is

The Sea-al Supa Skua was first made in the mid to late 1980s. It is a 3.5 metres (11 ft 6 in) aluminium boat with a 22 kilowatts (30 hp) motor on the originals and 18.5 kilowatts (24.8 hp) for the Brooker made boats.. The boats were all coded with a serial number. The 'Skuas' marked between 0-699 are made by the company Sea-al. Sea-al was bought by another Aluminium boat company, Brooker. After the takeover brooker retained Sea-al's design until the early to mid 1990's when they made their own design based on the original, and re-named it the 'Supa Skua'.

[riverrat321]

They are a fishing boat. I dont think they are designed to be driven dangerously. They are juststrong. You can make any tinny do that with a bid motor and lots of trim. It's not just skuas. They dont make them like that anymore.

[Chamelion]

Looks like an utterly stupid and wreckless way to spend time on the water in my opinion. I sure as hell wouldn't want to honour a warranty when someone has been missusing a boat/engine in such a manner.

mr_boats acted in a very reasonable manner by the sounds of it.

[stevej]

They are a fishing boat. I dont think they are designed to be driven dangerously. They are juststrong. You can make any tinny do that with a bid motor and lots of trim. It's not just skuas. They dont make them like that anymore.


you do realise your breaking the law by
1. overpowering a vessel beyound its rated capaicty
2. driving in a manner which can endanger other vessel

[PinHead]

so would you warrant one of your motors on that brand of plate boat that always seems to show their boats airborne in their advertisements???
Do you stipulate how each motor should be driven ?

[Scott nthQld]

stevej, shouldn't number 2 also apply to jetskiiers? Thye do some pretty stupid things at the expense of others on the water and they get away scot-free.

Besides that, I haven't watched the clips yet, can't access it on my work computer, and have no idea what a supa skua is let alone what people use it for.

Sounds like the outboards cop a pretty hard time, but is it really any different to what a surf lifesaving boat would deal with? Actually don't answer that, no doubt I'll get the answer when I watch the clip when I get home.

Parsun does sound like it has benefited the market in more ways than one though. would I buy one? Probably not right now (if I needed a new donk that is), I'd wait until they are more common place and owners can give some ridgy digge feedback on them, not just relying on what the seller has to say, no offence meant mr_boats, but in all honesty, would you buy something solely on the praise of a salesman?

Trouble is though, if everyone has the same train of thought as I do, then new brands etc would never get a go, everyone would be waiting for someone else to buy, but that someone else is doing the same.

[stevej]

stevej, shouldn't number 2 also apply to jetskiiers? Thye do some pretty stupid things at the expense of others on the water and they get away scot-free.

Besides that, I haven't watched the clips yet, can't access it on my work computer, and have no idea what a supa skua is let alone what people use it for.

.


just because someone is a idiot dont mean others can be too

basically 10-13foot boats with 50-100hp on theback going flat stick nose almost vertical and weaving between navigational markers

utube clip of a 150 on the back of a supaskua too

[GBC]

you do realise your breaking the law by
1. overpowering a vessel beyound its rated capaicty
2. driving in a manner which can endanger other vessel


You do know you're talking to an individual who deliberately chocks out his motor so that he can drive a small boat up a river whilst attempting to point it at the sky??

Reckon your breath has been wasted.:-X

I gotta say though, the 120 h.p. skua was pretty impressive.

Pinhead - I think the words fair and reasonable might come into play here.
You order v8 from holden, stick it in an unregisterable mud bomb, race it and service it religously according to manufacturer's spec every 5000kms - does it remain in warranty?
These guys are well outside the law, standard design parameters (ie homemade chocks and angles of force), and most probably their heads.

Hats off to the idiot who first came up with it though - I wouldn't have though of doing that in a million years.

[Scott nthQld]

steve, not what I was implying, but they way I read your comment was that only supa skua drivers are the only ones who drive dangerously, when there are plenty of others who also behave in such a manner (not exaclty like the clowns in the clip, but still dangerous stuff), I was basically making sure all the people behaving in such a way were being tarred with the same brush, and not different rules for different groups.

[GBC]

Scott - skua drivers are deliberately outside the law before they even launch, and are in illegal craft - for that I think the brush you use should be different than the one used for jetskiiers.
Don't get me wrong - I think there should be a bounty on jetskiiers ear's - just this lot are a very special basket case all to themselves.

By the way - kudos to riverrat for trying to defend his 'sport' - wrong forum to get much love here though I think.;)

[Scott nthQld]

also, what makes these skua's different from any other tinny so that it allows people to pull of these kind of ridiculous stunts?

[BaitThrower]

Just go down to the gold coast broadwater on any given weekend and you can find numerous clowns in overpowered tinnies pulling vertical lifts like that. And most within 30m of a jetty or other boats, or people swimming. Bloody dangerous. At least I saw one clown get booked by the water police for it. Justice served!

[riverrat321]

As I said a skua is just a strongly built boat than can be used for fishing or hooning, just like any other aluminium boat. Not everyone who has one drives in such a manner, just like not every commodore owner speeds on the road. I never wanted to start up a debate on how people want to drive on the water. The thread was about Parsun Outboards and I thought i'd give my opinion. The guys who drive these boats in such a manner have usually been doing it for years and are probably a lot safer on the water than most people realise. Obviously they dont all fall into this catigory though. There are many boaters who break the law and skua drivers ake up a very small percentage of them. The boats are legally rated to 25hp and a lot of the drivers are not breaking the law at all. i have seen many people on the water who are more of a danger than a skua driver. Anyway thats just my say and it seems I am generaly disagreed with on this forum in regards to this topic.

[finga]

The guys who drive these boats in such a manner have usually been doing it for years and are probably a lot safer on the water than most people realise. Obviously they dont all fall into this catigory though. There are many boaters who break the law and skua drivers ake up a very small percentage of them. The boats are legally rated to 25hp and a lot of the drivers are not breaking the law at all. i have seen many people on the water who are more of a danger than a skua driver. Anyway thats just my say and it seems I am generaly disagreed with on this forum in regards to this topic.
Personally if you hoon on the water or on the road your going to cop it from me.
I don't care what you say.
Please explain how in the name of the almighty can that type of activity be safe.
How can the operator see what is in front of him?
How can the operator take evasive action if he happens to see something in the water...like a child.

If you want to hoon on a public waterway or on a public road then your a moron.
There are places to do this activity legally if you want to. Go there. Simple.
Leave public domains to those who want to use them sensibly and not to the detriment of others.

[Scott nthQld]

riverrat, I just watched that clip and to have a whinge that you are 'generally disagreed with' on this topic has no substance at all, and I can't believe you honestly expected anyone to defend this 'sport' in any way shape or form.

People lose their cars for 'hooning' in them and after watching that I think boaties and any other marine craft operators should be treated the same.

That is just plain ridiculous, and whether or not you will be putting that much horsepower on the back of yours, its still blatantly unsafe, not only putting your life, but the many others that use the water at risk.

I agree with Mr Boats stance, if you are going to do that with an outboard you don't deserve the warranty whether you buy brand new or not. Make the comparison to a car for example, most manufacturers have a clause in their warranty agreement that misuse and racing the vehicle will void warranty, I know subaru does, and they market their cars as rally bred racing machines.

To be honest, I think Tohatsu have over stepped the mark in saying you won't break their engine, which maybe the case, but it is reasonable to interpret that statement is encouraging you to break the law, which in itself is against the law.

Bunch of idiots who want to do that and after watching that, I agree, they need a whole new loony bin. Jet skiiers maybe be nutters, but at least their craft is legal (in most cases I have seen anyway)

[mr_boats]

Oh man I just wrote the longest reply and it didn't load. Dam
Oh well I'll have anther go.

[mr_boats]

ok here we go.
RIVERRAT. I didn't mean to outcast you on here but I had to reply to your comment which I personally thought was out of line. I wasn't going to let you say A marine shop wouldn't sell me a parsun because they said it was going to break. I wanted to point out whole story / truth and let the general public make up their mind.
Also as for you saying that supa skua's are a fishing boat is completely incorrect. What you have here is a 11ft tinnie with a 40hp motor on it. To let the readers know a 40hp on supa skua won't plane unless you put alot of effort into it. To get a skua on the plane with a 40hp or above what the driver does is lay across the seats from the front of the boat to the back fully stretched out to put as much wieght up the front as possible. Mind you this method still sometimes doesn't get the boat on the plane so what they do is then turn the boat in tight circles until the boat falls onto the plane and they then take off. (Its a sight to be seen) So riverrat you can't tell me you do this each time you want to move fishing spots. Not to mention when the boat is stopped it has about 3 inches of floating freeboard before the water comes into the boat. You would not be able to fish out of a skua in the middle of botanty bay. They are not a fishing boat and were never designed to be a fishing boat.
SCOTT you asked why and how are these boats different? Well I've met the only person who could build a good supa skua. He is a old greek guy called Joe he used to come and work at andrew short marine on weekends repairing supa skuas because they would crack up so much due to overpowering them. He made the early serial# skuas. He went and worked at brooker when they bought sea-al but poor Joe had a heart attack and got a pacemaker and wasn't able to use a welder again. He was a very good boat builder. The differences between a supa skua and a normal tinnie is. They have twice as many ribs as a standard boat, a internal keel and a vee bracket with a heavy plate fitted on the transom to take a large motor. All these features are used for strength only. NO ROD HOLDERS are fitted =) The Sea-al supa skua is a very unique style of boat and performs like no other tinnie. To my understanding it has to do with the transom angle and bottom angle that makes the boat able to stand on its end and still keep going. Once again the new skuas just don't sit like the old ones.
Scott you also mentioned if surf clubs would void warranty. The answer to this is "Yes" they do. BUT i can't think of any outboard company that would reject a surf club claim. Look what surf clubs use it for... To save lives. You have to be a crook to reject a surfclub claim and risk not having the boat in the water to save lives. I would go out of my way to help surfclub. I service Garie beach motors and in summer they jump the line of any jobs in my shop at that time. It's important to get the engines repaired and back on the water for the following weekends rescues.
PINHEAD you mentioned about those plate boats that are advertised jumping out of the water if this would void warranty. No it wouldn't. Firstly I've have to say I don't think the clamps or mounts would break in this situation. The outboards are designed with the risk of the motor coming out of the water and landing back in with force. This should not break the motor. Jumping waves and chocking a motor out are 2 different things. As I said before chocking a motor out changes the angles and pressures on the clamps and mounts. It shifts the forces to areas where its not designed to have force. Jumping waves doesn't change the angle of the clamps onto the back of the boat. If you look at the video clip again the Supa Skua is NOT going quick but the brackets still break. It's all because of the angles.
You also asked if the warranty stiplutes how you should drive the boat. Not exactly. If it was to tell you how to drive and what type of boat would not void warranty it would be a 2000 page essay. It does mention something along the lines of, to stick to the local waterays regulations when using the motors. I'd personally like to think the rule of common sense would come into play but some people do lack this skill.
Ok well thats enough from me today
Garry

[riverrat321]

Thanks Gary, I wont continue posting on this skua topic on the safety side of it all. I know mostly everyone on this fishing forum will disagree with me as I disagree with them and there is no point going back and forth on that side of it because i'm wasting my breath and so are they when it comes to me.
I didn't know that you were on the forum and when I say the title about Parsun outboards I thought i'd give my opinion. Having never really broken a motor and never had a dealer tell me if I put their engine on my skua it wouldent be covered by warrenty I was quite suprised by your comments. I actually knew nothing much of Parsun until I looked through the specs the nite before I visited your shop. When I saw they had a short shaft 40hp I was obviously very interested. I was also pleased to see that you knew about skuas, but when the whole warrenty thing came up it was a bit of a downer. Anyway I wasn't meaning to bag your business personally because I didnt know you were part of the forum. I just mentined a Parsun dealer who could have been anyone. I supose I did leave out the bit about what the motor would be doing on my boat so you make a fare enough comment. Perhaps in reality no one would cover warrenty on my motor, but they certainly never say that. Also I have never had to put them to the test. I have seen so many fools that are relativly new to boating do terrible things to their motors because they are new to it all and I think they will damage a motor long before me. Anyway we will obviously not see eye to eye on this so i'l wind it up. I dont really care what the others say about these boats, but id does suprise me that they get so into it. I have had a lot of other boats apart from skuas and a highly powered bullet or similar is a lot more dangerous while at the same time being perfictly legal. Thanks for the history lesson on the skuas. I wish they built them like they used to. Let me know if anyone ever trades one in at your shop if it's a good one. Jason.

[stevej]

type someting then realised not worth the effort