Cheap Chinese outboards???

[ShaneC]

Has anyone got any feedback on these??

Looking to buy one to put on my little Zodi as the young fella is at the age where he is pestering me for his own boat. Can pick up a 2 or 3 hp job for under $300. I figure it wont go too fast and if he hits someones Riv in the canals he should theoretically bounce off it without costing Dad a bomb.....

I dont want to spend heaps on something that he will probably wreck anyway but I dont want to be towing him home every other time he goes out. Theres loads of brands, they all look the same but just wondering if they are any good??? He wont be going far (mainly just the canals and then we will negotiate new boundaries as he gains experience) but I still want it to be somewhat reliable..... any feedback appreciated.

[Steeler]

IMO i would keep an eye out for a not so old Merc 3.3 for that sort of money. Not having a crack at the Chinese stuff by any stretch, god knows i sold a fair bit of Chinese powered sml engine products over the years.

I just think you may very well pick up a Merc that essentially was a aux with bugger all use and most probably only turned over seldom to avoid siezing.

[ShaneC]

Will keep that in mind. Cheers

[Noelm]

The few people I know that bought them have since replaced them with either new "brand" names or good second hand ones.

[gr hilly]

i would not put a Chinese outboard on my boat or my childs you can't get out and walk.

[Scalem]

Nah, if it's anything like small engines I wouldn't be too worried, the purpose you described Shane would be comfortable if it were me so long as you can get it serviced when it needs. You're spoiling your kid who can always be forced to row like others less fortunate. Un-researched and biased comments are just that, unless you can be specific as to the brand they are marketed under, know exactly where it is manufactured and in what conditions. I bought a Sanli whipper snipper years ago and it eats up any job I throw at it, starts reliably every time. I think Chinese make parts for other brands irrespective of weather it's an outboard or a TV, there would be a Chinese made component in almost anything, you would be surprised. As much as it's crushed a lot of our own manufacturing job market even here in Aussie, it's the way of the world now.


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[ShaneC]

Cheers for the feedback. Still in two minds actually. I bought the Zodi as a tender to my cat so I will use it as well so a small part of me is thinking to just buy a new or near new 4 stroke for it and be done with it. But I am also mindful that he will probably do some sandbank dredging while learning and may well stuff it.

Scalem, my Mrs said that I am spoiling him as well until I explained my motive.... I love eating crab but hate crabbing. If I buy him a motor.... well he owes me!!! Nothings free haha

[SkullJug]

I can't comment on the motors, just wanted to congratulate you on raising your kid right.

I'll never forget the day I got home from school to find Dad had bought me a boat of my own :)

[ShaneC]

Cheers man. I got a little punt at his age and had some truly memorable times in it. Just being able to go fishing by yourself or with a mate made me feel like king of the world. I was never one for hanging out in shopping centres and shit but have no doubt we had more fun than those that did. And if I played up at school the boat got locked up so was a good way to keep my eye on the prize....

He is destined to be broke forever though if he is anything like me and never has enough boats or boats that are big enough..... gotta spend it something though.

On the motor front I have decided I will buy a new four stroke so he doesnt have to mix fuel and hopefully it will last for years.

Cheers all.....

[Spaniard_King]

2.3 HP Honda Shane... air cooled Perfect for kids to learn boating .. no impellors to stuff

[bazza65]

Cheap chinese__ says it all really



bazza

[scottar]

Good idea with the 4 banger. Unfortunately with most kids it is only a matter of time before there is a miscalculation with oil ratios or they forget to put it in and no matter how much you tell them to wait until dad gets home, they always want it going now.

[Dogtoooth]

Buy any reputable brand, that way if something go's wrong you can always get parts. Throw them in the deep end, quickest way to learn.

[Axl]

I considered these motors when looking for an outboard for my car topper but at the end of the day I found a 18 month old 2 stroke 4h/p Merc that had only done a couple of hours on Gumtree for $600, personally I would be having a good look around the trading sites for a good second hand reputable brand.

[Dan5]

Maybe an electric to start with then step up to "Dads" motor later..........hey you might even sneek up on some bream while "training" him.

[PROS]

Father-in-law has a zodiac tender with small parsun outboard.
I have taken it out few times myself also.
Great little motor, never missed a beat and it was fairly cheap.
Although the outboard is always serviced, it never gets flushed.
I would gladly do all the shallow water creek work with it.

I think it is important to educate the kids for possible problem scenarios.
At some point they will have a problem regardless.
Take them out with adult provision, pull the lanyard hidden and see if they can figure out a solution, etc...
As long as they represent to be safe, it will be a great adventure for them.
Well done mate

[stevej]

I buggered a mates parsun 15hp

I tried to start it and pulled the whole recoil mechanisim off in the process

[rayken1938]

The better known ones seem to offer a reasonable warranty.
The questions are
Do they actually stand by it
Where do you have take it for a repair
Availability of parts
Cheers
Ray

[Noelm]

I guess you could take a shot at the Vortex, they are used by Telwater on lots of their packages, so parts might be available and the quality at least OK, but they are not exactly cheap compared to the name brands.

[ShaneC]

Ended up getting a new Yammy off a mate. A little 4hp four banger he bought a while ago for a tender and never used it as he sold his boat. Dont sweat, it came with a receipt with his name on it (I found out today these things get knocked off more than posty bikes), and
it is brand new. Just reading what Garry said about an air cooled motor, didnt think of that to be honest but he is still a bit off going too far on his own so hopefully it will be alright. Big water test tomorrow after school!! Does anyone want to put up with a very excited 11 year old until then?? I might be getting sick of hearing about it....

[scottar]

Lesson number one - teach him to row if he can't already. I found this to be a pretty valuable skill as a young bloke. Even with brand new toys, sometimes stuff happens. Lesson number two is never just push the boat away from the ramp/bank until you know the motor runs. If you make a habit of this it is usually only a matter of time before lesson one rears it ugly head.

[gazza2006au]

ShaneC Glad u went with the Yamaha, Rule 1 never buy a Chinese outboards if u do your pretty much up shit creek if it breaks down

part availability in Australia is next to zero

i have a poor 5hp Maxus 4 stroke sitting in my yard collecting dust, worn exhaust valve, worn valve guide, i tried getting parts thru Maxus the Dealer, i tried Parsun i than tried going thru a Chinese person on Ali Express and DH Gate who said he too could order the parts what a major flop

i decided to goto Yamaha last week to order a new head gasket sure enough 2006+ model Yamaha's are around 85% compatible with the Chinese shitters

im going to slap mine back together and sell it letting the new buyer know spare parts are hard to get or next to impossible and help from the Dealer is zilch however if he or she wants to fork out for a Yamaha Cylinder Head than the motor cant be repaired and it'll be a "bitsa"

i seriously don't know how the Chinese Outboard Dealers are supporting there warranties, they must be giving out new engine replacements for a chipped propeller or broken throttle cable

now what would absolutely smash the market for these Chinese outboards is if one of the importers was to import a shit load of spares for their whole range of motors than u would seriously see a turn in the market

at the moment Chinese outboards are prices ridiculously high for what they are and what is available i would pick a Tohatsu over a chinese anyday of the week for the extra twenty bucks

ok rant over ;D

[Parsun]

Hi Gazza
I've read your rant above. I understand your frustration in getting parts but you need to make your story a bit clearer. As the Parsun distributor we keep a huge range of parts in stock here. The thing is there is 2 types of parts when it comes to stocking parts. First “Fast moving parts” like service parts or parts that commonly break and need replacement. Then there are parts that are just too expensive and no-one’s ever going to order, like a crankshaft for a 2hp or even a piston. So the suppliers like myself aren't going to keep them in stock. The part you need (Cylinder head for a small 5hp 4-stroke) falls into the 2nd category.
Keeping with this thread I did see you talking about the parts you need for your maxus. So I asked you to get in touch with me and I'll see if I got a scrapped motor I could help you out with. Once you let me know what parts you were after I went out of my way to try to help. Once I found we didn't have a scrapped motor I could take the parts off for you I called you back straight away to let you know we can’t help with any 2nd hand parts. Unfortunately you weren't home. I called twice but got your mum both times. I did explain to her but she must not have passed the message on that I couldn’t help with 2nd hand parts and it’s not worth ordering in new parts for this repair.
I find your comments a bit unfair as we carry ALOT of useful spare parts. I actually contacted you to help. Got my guys to go through our 2nd hand stuff to help you out. Keeping in mind it’s not even one of our motors. Then you bag me out online. I'll guarantee yamha mercury suzuki or any other brand would never reach out to try to help you in this situation.
We take our spare parts supplies here very seriously. Whenever I’ve not had a spare in stock I’ve gone through the process of trying to order the same spare part through Yamaha to help our customer out. Each time they haven’t had the part in stock either. So I’ve gone the next step and back ordered it with them and had a race to see if I can get the part in from Parsun quickier then Yamaha gets the part themselves into Australia. I’ve won each time. There was 1 circumstance it took Yamaha 3 months to get the part in. I had it airfreight to me within 1 week.
I don’t normally like to rant myself but I’ll always try to protect my reputation when it comes to looking after and backing up my products.

[gazza2006au]

Parsun than u would know i even went as far as going into your store looking to order the parts too, your sales guy was on holiday he eventually replied to my email but i cant remember what he said

Garry all i said

i have a poor 5hp Maxus 4 stroke sitting in my yard collecting dust, worn exhaust valve, worn valve guide, i tried getting parts thru Maxus the Dealer, i tried Parsun i than tried going thru a Chinese person on Ali Express and DH Gate who said he too could order the parts what a major flop u offered far better service when i was chasing a yamaha 25hp crankshaft a couple of years ago as u said u would express the parts in by air mail, i dont know why u couldnt have done the same for the smaller motor?

[Parsun]

Hi Gazza
Thanks for your reply.
The reason I didn’t offer you pricing on parts for the 5hp motor I've explained already to your mother twice already but she may not have forwarded that information to you. But I did explain it to you in the thread above. Here is the explanation again for you. I hope you understand it this time. There are 2 types of parts when it comes to outboards. Parts that are cheap enough to replace and parts that are too expensive. A completely assembled cylinder head new for a small 5hp is going to be too expensive. I know this and it’s why I did my best to find you a 2nd hand unit. But if you insist on wanting to buy a fully assembled cylinder head that is no problem I'm happy to offer you at my cost. I can guarantee you’re not going to purchase 1. My buy price landed within Australia is $250 USD converts this to Australian dollars it is $350. That includes the airfreight.
Now let’s look at the facts. You’re doing this motor up to sell it. A maxus 5hp 4-stroke a few years old isn’t worth more than $500 if you’re lucky. Are you going to put $350 dollars into this motor to get it running? I don’t think so but I'll let the readers know if you purchase this part or take my professional advice this time and not to spend this money on it. So if you like to order let me know you have my number. Seeing it’s a special order I'll need payment in advance. Once I get payment I’ll have the part for you within 10 days.
Now getting to your comment about how I helped with pricing on a crankshaft for a 25hp yamaha. Of course this motor is more powerful and is worth more so it’s viable to spend money on it to repair it. But even though I gave you an unbeatable price for a brand new crankshaft and this job it was worth ordering you still didn’t make an order.
Can you see the difference?
Summary 1 motor is worth spending money on to repair the other isnt.
Let me know if you like to order that part

[gazza2006au]

Hi Gazza
Thanks for your reply.
The reason I didn’t offer you pricing on parts for the 5hp motor I've explained already to your mother twice already but she may not have forwarded that information to you. But I did explain it to you in the thread above. Here is the explanation again for you. I hope you understand it this time. There are 2 types of parts when it comes to outboards. Parts that are cheap enough to replace and parts that are too expensive. A completely assembled cylinder head new for a small 5hp is going to be too expensive. I know this and it’s why I did my best to find you a 2nd hand unit. But if you insist on wanting to buy a fully assembled cylinder head that is no problem I'm happy to offer you at my cost. I can guarantee you’re not going to purchase 1. My buy price landed within Australia is $250 USD converts this to Australian dollars it is $350. That includes the airfreight.
Now let’s look at the facts. You’re doing this motor up to sell it. A maxus 5hp 4-stroke a few years old isn’t worth more than $500 if you’re lucky. Are you going to put $350 dollars into this motor to get it running? I don’t think so but I'll let the readers know if you purchase this part or take my professional advice this time and not to spend this money on it. So if you like to order let me know you have my number. Seeing it’s a special order I'll need payment in advance. Once I get payment I’ll have the part for you within 10 days.
Now getting to your comment about how I helped with pricing on a crankshaft for a 25hp yamaha. Of course this motor is more powerful and is worth more so it’s viable to spend money on it to repair it. But even though I gave you an unbeatable price for a brand new crankshaft and this job it was worth ordering you still didn’t make an order.
Can you see the difference?
Summary 1 motor is worth spending money on to repair the other isnt.
Let me know if you like to order that part

Now why would i buy your cylinder head when A i can google the part number and its roughly USD$80 to buy from China although its like pulling teeth to order, B i could buy from a Yamaha Dealer for USD$195 a complete YAMAHA head isnt much difference to your quoted price mate

[Parsun]

Very Good question. Why would you purchase from us?
You forgot to point out that the $195 USD quoted above is just for the cylinder head only. My quote was for a cylinder head ASSEMBLY. So for $55 usd more you’re getting a professionally fully assembled cylinder head including valves, guides, springs, valve retainers, valve seat springs etc.. etc.. Take a look at my picture. What you’re quoting is what you'll receive in RED. What I'm offering is everything in colour GREEN plus RED.

110931

Did I mention freight was included?

[gazza2006au]

EDITED for BM

ok last post by me

http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.3546502/sc.27/category.18983/ctype.SS/SS.18983/.f

http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.3546502/sc.27/category.18982/ctype.SS/SS.18982/.f

but he wants $250? :o

enough said

[BM]

Gazza and Garry, please don't play this out in public. Check the ego's at the door and sort it out privately and work out a win-win for both! Cheers guys

[Parsun]

Hi Bm
Thanks for your advice.
There is no ego's. I just like to make it clear to the public we carry alot of useful spare parts for our motors. It's very easy for kids to jump online and say we dont carry parts or put us down.
I'll always protect our reputation against this. Like pointing out here I contact this person to help by seeing if we had 2nd hand parts to get him out of trouble. After going above and beyond to help this person he bad mouths me online. I think thats unfair and I'll always say something instead of letting it happen.
We are always here to help. More then any other brand. This is what I like to reflect.

[Parsun]

Hi Gazza
Just a quick follow up to see if you ended up getting in those cheap parts you mentioned above?

[gazza2006au]

I sold the motor in as is condition i made the buyer aware that spare parts for chinese outboards is next to zero in Australia, i told the buyer to go buy Yamaha parts.

im done and dusted with chinese motors

[Parsun]

So what happen to these cheap parts you were qouting online?
Once again so you realise. Companys dont stock every single part of each motor. If people are after normal parts not some random part which no one would ever order because its not worthwhile we have it in stock.
I hold more parts per model then any other brand within australia.

[gazza2006au]

Parsun or Gary from Island Inflaitables / MR Boats/ Parsun Australia are u looking for another argument? u said your piece i thought u had grown some balls and got over it

u wont get another argument from me because i wont be buying or selling anymore chinese rubbish motors

[Apollo]

Havent been on AF for a fair while. Now I am reminded why!

[Goodoo haven]

AGREE Steve!!!


Havent been on AF for a fair while. Now I am reminded why!

[Parsun]

No not looking for an argument. Just following up on this thread as normal.