Motor Choice

[dadstinny]

Hi all, getting a new roof topper which is 3.7m in fibre glass and weighs about 70kg's.

Tossing up on motor choice and looking alt either a Tohatsu 18hp, Merc 15 HP or Suzuki 15hp.

Had a few people suggest the Tohatsu but only had the Suzuki in the past .

If you had the choice which would you go and why?

[jelifish]

Have had both the Tohatsu and the Suzuki on our work boats. Boats were 3.7m tinnies. Still have the Suzuki as the Tohatsu had too much grunt for our needs. Both motors proved very reliable.

[Swanie1975]

A mate has the tohatsu 18 on his tinny. We've used it to go crabbin and fishin for the last 5 years and never once had an issue. Loads of balls, seldom smokes except for a puff on startup and hasn't been serviced yet lol.

Cheers Ryan

[dadstinny]

Cheers for the advice....

So in terms of power is the 18 tohatsu much different compared to the suzuki?

My main reason for leaning towards the suzuki is it comes at 37kg's and the Tohatsu comes in at 44kg's.

Obviously more ponies = more weight but being a car topper an extra 7kg's is a fair bit so unless its going to give alot more bang for buck ill stick with the suzuki.

Cheers again!

[Brisbane Marine]

I would also look at the Mercury 15 US. Excellent portable engine, light weight and excellent build quality. With throttle and shift in the tiller easy to use and even easier to store. They are
Quite compact to store and one of the easier 15 hp to-lift off and on your car topper which is a plus when using in this application. Talk to you local Mercury dealer. I know there is specials on the 15 US model right now.

Extract from website below,


A versitile performer
With a 262cc engine, the Mercury TwoStroke 15hp will get you to your favourite spot quicker. At 35kg it's easy to handle, ideal for inflatables, tinnies and car toppers. In the water its a breeze to operate with F-N-R shift in handle and 6 trim positions for all conditions.
OverviewSpecifications
10 GOOD REASONS TO CONSIDER A PORTABLE TWOSTROKE
When looking at portables, ask yourself if they can deliver what Mercury can.
Mercury offer portable TwoStroke engines that:
1. Are lightweight & powerful
2. Start easily with modular electronic ignition simple to maintain
3. Offer variable engine trim positions for various conditions
4. Are portable and easy to handle with carrying handles and grips
5. Use exclusive XK360 alloy that is corrosion resistant
6. Large displacement powerhead for performance and efficiency
7. Are covered by a comprehensive 3+2=5 year warranty
8. Are backed by a 3 year anti-corrosion warranty
9. Are part of the widest choice of portable power in the industry
10. Are available with steering Co-Pilot, an additional steering control

[oldie]

the suzuki will get lighter every time you use it much like a disprin they corrode that much

[dadstinny]

So the decision is more around bang for buck and weight.

On the weight front the Tohatsu is out coming in at 44kg its more than 7kg's heavier than the Suzuki and 9kgs heavier than the USA merc so I have to rule that out.

So I am choosing between the USA Merc and Suzuki, couple of questions for those who may know.

1) The motors between the Suzuki and Merc I have read are different causing the Merc to be less noisy but lower in power is this correct (Loop Charged vs Crossflow)?

2) The Merc looking at the specs doesn't have an inbuilt alternator is that correct?

pros and cons I have down for each.

Suzuki -

Cons:

2kg's Heavier
Lower overall KW coming in at 11kw
5 Trim positions

Pros:

Bigger displacement coming in at 284cc
Personally owned one and very happy with the power of it overall
Makes its power earlier and under less revs meaning less fuel

Mercury USA Model

Cons:

Less displacement coming in at 262cc
Needs higher revs to make max power

Pros:

6 Trim positions
Gears in the tiller handle making it easier when trolling / crabbing
Lighter by 2kg's
Higher kw coming in at 11.2kw

[Malcolm W]

As a boating assessor I spend a lot of time on different customers boats, many of them dingy's with 15hp outboards.

By far the most popular and respected 15hp 2 stroke motors are the Merc and Yamaha. This would go for resale as well. To se a Suzuki 15hp 2 stroke is quite rare in my area, not to say there is anything wrong with them. Tohatsu are a very good motor with a few commercial guys using them, but they are very noisy.

The alternators look to be optional on the Merc and Yamaha and standard on the Suzuki? The weight difference betwen the three is minimal. Yamaha is the quietest motor, then Merc with the Tohatsu the noisiest.

They all look nearly the same on specs, in that hp I would just take the best deal or dealer.