New Tinnie Advice

[dadstinny]

Hi all, upgrading from an inflatable to a tinnie as a car topper for when caravaning and had a few questions about power, tinnie type etc and was hoping for some help.

So here goes...

1) Tossing up between a Tohatsu 9.8 and a 15hp Parsun. Looking at the 9.8 in particular as it is 10kg lighter than the 15hp but concerned it will have enough get up and go as I know the 9.8 is a specced up 8hp. I had a Parsun previously on the inflatable and loved it but it was heavy. We have two adults and two kids and we do some long runs so what do you think will be better the 9.8 or the 15hp?

2) Looking at the following model boats which one do you think would be suited to areas like Harvey Bay, Ballina, Central Coast most inlets and not to far out.

a) Quintrex Dart 3.50 - Length 3.64m, Beam 1.49m, Thickness 1.6mm, Depth 0.82m, Weight 78kg
b) Quintrex Explorer 3.50 - Length 3.58, Beam 1.45, Thickness 1.6mm, Depth 0.63m, Weight 76kg
c) Seacraft Adventurer 3.6 - Length 3.63m, Beam 1.4m, Thickness 1.6mm, Depth 0.78m, Weight 70kg
d) Stacer Proline 3.59 - Length 3.55, Beam 1.55, Thickness 1.6mm, Depth 0.62m, Weight 80kg (This is the absolute limit of weight I can take on the roof.)

Any help appreciated!

Thanks ::)

[mr_boats]

Hi dadstinny

If your looking for a lighter motor the Parsun 9.8hp 2-stroke is the same as the tohatsu 9.8hp the parts are interchangable but the price of the Parsun is much lower then the toey.
If you want the power then go for the 15hp

[dadstinny]

Thanks mr_boats, I told you I may be back :)......

How much power difference is there between the 9.8 and the 15 is it noticeable when I had the 15 at Christmas it flew on the back of the inflatable so just a little worried about loosing power?

In terms of boat I ended up going with the Seacraft Adventurer 360 purely for its weight coming in at 70kg which means it will fit nicely on my roof. Preference would have been the Quintrex dart but considering its going on the roof the Seacraft ticks all the boxes and will be a nice step up from the inflatable.

[Noelm]

a 15 is 50% more power than a 9.8, of course you will notice the power difference! when looking at a car/roof topper, there is a couple of things to look out for (trust me I know) do not get any small bow rails on the thing (they will get caught when loading, the same goes for a front bollard/cleat a similar thing exisits with the ridge that runs across the front just on the rear of the short deck (not a lot you can do about that though) my mate had a custom car topper made, it was completely flat along the top sides, no rails, cleats, rowlock holders, nothing, and had a flat foredeck made as well! loading it was a dream compared to anything else.

[Bull]

I have a 15hp parson on my 3.8m savage snipe it pushes it along nice with 2 in it with gear. It has never let me down. My only criticism of it would be the cowling seems quite flimsy and comes off some times when lifting the motor.

Cheers Bull

[dadstinny]

Thanks for all the info getting closer now....

Have the tinnie, boat loader and trailer are on order!!!!

Now some advice looking at a Suzuki, Mercury, Yamaha or Tohatsu 15HP for a small tinnie what would you recommend?

I am leaning towards the suzuki it has the biggest displacement to weight but have not heard much about them?

[Pirate Pete]

I use on my camper trailer a 3.5 Seajay Nomad. It is a V Nose punt and weighs about 68kg. For a motor I use a 15hp Suzuki 2 Stroke which is about 37kg or so. By myself I get 21 knots in calm water. With 2 of us and 8 crab pots plus fishing gear i think i get about 14-15 knots. Both motor and boat are light enough to push around and move by myself. Took the boat up to the cape last year on my camper trailer and it worked a treat. As NoelM said, having no bow rails is handy allowing it to slide unobstructed when it is upside down on the camper trailer frame.

Pete

[robothefisho]

What about the Tohatsu 18. More ponies, for no more weight.

[PADDLES]

we bought one of those little tohatsu 18hp one a few months back for $2.2k, it's a cracking little motor for a very cheap price, we're very happy so far. they've got plenty of go and if you believe some of the info floating around the web they actually make more than their 18hp rating.

[dadstinny]

Would love the 18 and would cop the extra few kg's but the tinnie is rated to a max of 15hp.

The tohatsu 18 seems to have the same displacement figure as the mercury 15 super and just behind it is the suzuki in displacment.

What is the difference in HP vs displacement?

Suzuki 15hp DT15

15hp / 11.0 kW
Displacement 284 cm3
Full Throttle Range 4800 - 5600 rpm
Bore & Stroke 59 x 52 mm
Weight 37 kg's

Tohatsu 18 M18E2

18hp
Displacement 294cc cm3
Full Throttle Range 5,200 - 5,800
Bore & Stroke 60 x 52mm
Weight 41kg's

Tohatsu 15 M15D2

15hp
Displacement 247cc cm3
Full Throttle Range 5,200 - 5,800
Bore & Stroke 55 x 52mm
Weight 41 kg's

Mercury 15 Super

15hp 11.4kw
Displacement 294cc cm3
Full Throttle 4750-5500
Bore & Stroke 60mm x 52mm
Weight 41 kg's

Mercury 15 Standard

15hp 11.4kw
Displacement 262cc cm3
Full Throttle 5000-6000
Bore & Stroke 60mm x 46mm
Weight 35 kg's

[TheSaint]

Mate the mercury 15 super is the tohatsu 18hp! It's the same motor built in the same factory by tohatsu. I would be going the Mercury 15 super..

[dadstinny]

The Suzuki looks very similar in specs but is 4 kg's less in weight.

The only difference I can see between the two is the displacement and 1mm on the bore.

Do you think there would be a noticeable difference between the two?

[upstart]

Have you looked into how easy each one is to actually move around? Carry handles and balance can really make a difference when it comes to moving them.

[slain69]

Hi chaps
Sorry to jump aboard but can I ask if you see a boat for sale and they say boat and trailer comes with rego is that it I go for it pay drive home and on the water next day providing I have a licence.
Is there any hidden extras apart from wanting 3rd party insurance
thx

[Jarrah Jack]

Depending on how fit and strong you are then weight would be the decider for me. I've been up the cape with a car topper and you won't always be lifting that weight in ideal conditions. The last thing you would want to do on the trip is to wreck your back or something.

I don't think you'll have any trouble with any of the motors you've suggested although I have a preference for Suzuki.

[PADDLES]

JJ's right, weight should be a factor depending how often you're planning on mounting/removing it. i haven't set up my tinny to be removing the motor, they're not that heavy at 30 something kg's but they're frikkin awkward, i wouldn't want to be an older gentleman trying to do this every morning whilst on holidays.

[dadstinny]

Thanks for the advice guys!

I have a folding trailer with suspension and once we drop the camper off the boat comes off the roof and straight onto its trailer the motor then goes on and stays on where ever we go. :) Only time it comes off is when we head home!

So given I am already at 37 kg's I could wear the extra 4 kg's for more power ;D.

But I am leaning towards the suzuki as the difference appears to be small between that and the super mercury 15.

I have also noticed that the Suzuki is not mentioned much on this forum and you don't see many of them second hand? Is that because they are far and few between or people hold onto them?

I see a tonne of mercury's going on eBay and selling well second hand but not not much in the way Suzuki?

[PADDLES]

the reason there's very few small 2 stroke suzukis for sale is simple, it's because there's very few small 2 stroke suzukis out there in the market. they've not always been available here in australia and they're not a popular motor for whatever reason that i'm unaware of. the mercury ones however are as common as butt holes, ie. everyonés got one. they're the right price and they're certainly reliable enough. throw tohatsu in here, they either presently manufacture, or have manufactured in the past, small motors for the other brands and they are well known for their small 2 stroke motors being bulletproof, they're dinosaurs in the design department but they are super reliable. the only factor that hangs over their heads is the after sales support and warranty, mercury are here in australia as a factory distributor, ie. it's pretty much the parent company that are distributing the outboards, tohatsu however are distributed by a small family business. there's stories out there (i can't verify them to be true) about the warranty support from mercury being pretty much no questions asked where tohatsu might place a bit more scrutiny on the claim. anyhow we risked it and went the tohatsu, but in the meantime our local dealer went from being a tohatsu dealer to mercury and we wish we'd bought the super 15 badged tohatsu for zero warranty/servicing issues even though we didn't buy from him.

[TheSaint]

Mate have look at a couple of you tube videos.. I would be going the super Merc 15 hp personally as they have very good wrap as being reliable & quick motors!! 51kph from a 15 hp is better than most 50 hp out there..

Mercury Super 15 hp..

http://www.youtube.com/user/djbisho?blend=21&ob=5#p/u/3/UmkT1EKhyOI


Suzuki 15 hp 2 stroke..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00sVZUcTg3o

[Jarrah Jack]

Paddles is onto something there. We sound like a mutual appreciation society LOL. Warranty backup is a big thing especially if you're away from the major cities. I've got a merc, suzuki and a tohatsu atm and getting simple parts like a thermostat for the tohy and suzuki wasn't easy at all in OZ. From the US was easy for the zuk but the tohy took many emails.

[dadstinny]

Isn't the merc super 15 a tohatsu 18 with a re-stricter in it though?

So if you where looking for parts would you not be in the same boat as the tohatsu?

That suzuki looks pretty quick of the mark!

Geez this is getting tough :)

[TheSaint]

That suzuki looks pretty quick of the mark!

Not as Quick as that Merc!!

[dadstinny]

Hahahahha!

Looks like consensus for warranty and popularity so far is the merc.....

With the super merc it is a rebadged tohatsu 18 with a restricter so Japanese not US?

[TheSaint]

Hahahahha!

Looks like consensus for warranty and popularity so far is the merc.....

With the super merc it is a rebadged tohatsu 18 with a restricter so Japanese not US?

Yes..

Also the US version merc has the forward/reverse in handle

The super merc has the gear shift on the side of the motor..

[dadstinny]

Cheers, it seems like most of them have there pros and cons.

The mercs have a 5 year warranty 3 + 2 which is a big plus and the super merc is actually cheaper than the US one or the suzuki.

Is there really that much difference between the 15hp US Merc and the Super Merc? And can anyone who has haid either one comment on there power and use overall?

I am a little intrigued not much has been said about the Yamaha / Suzuki in this post given the results in the most recent poll belowi?

http://ausfish.com.au/vforum/poll.php?pollid=397&do=showresults

The Yamaha seem to be down a fair in displacement for its 15hp compared to any of the models listed here.

All said and done I am surprised the Suzuki rated highly compared to the mercury when not much is said about the Suzuki compared to the Merc.

[PADDLES]

the merc 15 and the super 15 are totally different motors. one is made in japan, makes more power and is loop charged, the other is made in the USA, has cross flow induction and front controls. at the end of the day though it's a small outboard and not a rocket engine so just go with whatever brand is sold by a dealer you trust.

[dadstinny]

Will probably end up going for the mercury 15hp usa model.

Its 7kg's lighter so will be easier to lift than the 42 kg.

Comes with a 5 year warranty compared to all the others its an extra two years so a big difference.

I also spoke to a few dealers as well and they reckon the power difference is noticeable but not that much.

[PADDLES]

if you're pulling the motor off all the time you'll certainly notice the 7kg less weight, it'll be a lot easier to lug around. but conversely, when you put that third person in your tinny you'll notice the power difference too, it's all a trade off i guess.

[dadstinny]

Hahahahhaha to much information!!!!!!!!!!

Now I have a suzuki dealer trying to swing my arm on the suzuki :) as well.

[joey_1987]

Have used a Merc 15hp USA model many years back on a 3.4m stacer, went alright until a tiny bit of plastic from a brand new fuel tank jammed the butterfly open and flooded the engine constantly. Changed my views about that particular engine but I believe it was an isolated incident. Gave the boat to my brother in law who put a Yamaha 15hp on it, awesome engine, more power than the Merc 15, uses less fuel and is lightweight also. You'll find the Merc 15hp Super will have more power than all other 15's, use less fuel than all except maybe the Yamaha, and you don't know what it's like to lift one until you've tried, could be a perfect weight balance which is a dream to carry. Both Merc's will have the 5 yr warranty, the super should be a fair whack cheaper. At the end of the day see if you can try before you buy, I made my dealer start my 30hp 2s before I bought it to convince me it wasn't the world's roughest motor.

[dadstinny]

Thanks to everyone on the advice....

Ended up getting a suzuki, dealer made me an offer I couldn't refuse :)

Have not got the motor yet but looking forward to it!

[pipifin]

It's been a few months now...... how do you find the suzi?

[dadstinny]

Suzuki, was fantastic!!!

Absolutely flew even with two adults and two kids I just had to learn to back of the accelerator :)...

The only thing I would like to try out is a mercury now to compare the two, I like the US model that has the gear shift built in the tiller handle so next time might go one of these.

My only gripe with the suzuki was the shallow water drive, it was not very effective and really didn't help much.

Aside from that loved the motor, was easy to start, ran on the smell of an oily rag and enjoyed it so much I sold it now and upgraded to a half cabin!