Who is the Toyota of small outboards 9.9-15 HP 4 stroke?

[Coveyleader]

Looking to pick up a small outboard that will be pushing an inflatable 10-12 foot (two guys max) in mostly protected tidal waters as well as lake use. Who is the "put gas in it forget about" it manufacture? There will be no trailer so it will need to be lifted and installed during launch for 90 percent of the use case.

 

[Bull_n_heat]

Yamaha. Hands down.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Yamaha. Hands down.

Yup, my T8 has been bullet proof.

 

[ELKhunter60]

Yamaha. Hands down.

this

 

[SouthernEngineer]

Yamaha, my 2000 F15 is still running strong

 

[N.ID7803]

Yamaha or Nissan!

 

[Nine Banger]

Yamaha

 

[MallardSX2]

Yamaha. Heavy bastards though.

 

[Coveyleader]

Man, I'd say the "jury has spoken"

 

[Macintosh]

If you can find it, its a 2-cycle carbed yamaha. If the rest of the world runs on aging hilux’s that just keep ticking, then the rest of the watery part runs on aging 2-cycle yamaha’s that just keep ticking. Not sold in the US anymore though, so used is the only real option.

 

[HuntingGriff907]

I highly recommend avoiding Yamaha because of their terrible warranty service. My brand new 6HP outboard cooling system failed. I fought with the Dealer, Yamaha Corporate, and the local rep. Yamaha corporate even went as far to tell me that a plastic bag could have covered my intake port causing the motor to overheat, and then came off without me seeing it. This scenario is very unlikely on a flowing Alaskan River. They did everything they could to not solve the problem This was almost 10 months of phone calls and arguing over a $2500 outboard. Don't waste your time or money on a Yamaha.

A fishing guide friend of mine has one at his outfitter that was not considered warranty work for a similar issue.

It's almost boat show season and you should be able to score a deal on an outboard. I purchased a 2.5hp Suzuki for my dinghy last year which has been excellent in below freezing, saltwater condition. I paid $725 for it out the door. Suzuki outboards are lighter and cheaper than Yamahas with a lengthy warranty. Another friend of mine has a suzuki 2.5hp that has been excellent for saltwater use for a number of years. Good luck on your search.

 

[finner]

Tohatsu. I believe they make the lower hp motors for Nissan as well. Have a 15 and a 20 that run great with minimal maintenance.

 

[Alpine4x4]

Yamaha all the way. Never had an issue in the big outboard world with them warranty wise at all. 90% of warranty is your dealer honestly. They have dealers all over if you need parts. I live in a boat from ice out till ice up bass fishing tournaments, they're hard to beat.

Honda and Suzuki are considerations, but the network is smaller and resale not as good.

 

[svivian]

For the money i would look strongly at Tohatsu

All other brands except for Yamaha are rebranded Tohatsu motors with different bells and whistles in the 8 and 9.9hp class. That includes Nissan, mercury and evinrude.

 

[fulldraw1972]

I have owned a lot of different outboards over the years just nothing that small.
Johnson, Evinrude, Mercury, Mariner, Yamaha and now Suzuki.

To me they have all have been good motors. My new Suzuki gets great fuel economy and is the easiest starting engine I have ever had.
If you are wanting 4 stroke and new I would look at Suzuki.

 

[Coveyleader]

As I'm running on the ocean for the most part, with giant tides, dependability is key. In a lake you can row to shore. Weight is surely a consideration but dependability is paramount.

Looking over prices. Objections on a 1-2 year old motor? I'm seeing a lot of used that were kickers for big boats.

 

[HuntingGriff907]

You need to explore boat show options for rebates. Some of the deals with extended warranty are about what you would pay on the used market. What HP outboard are you looking for, and where are you running it?

 

[Tmac]

Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Tohatsu, flip a coin. The new Mercury’s are getting more love all the time, we’ll see. Tohatsu just offered a fuel injected model, like Suzuki and Mercury. My current preference is Honda due to the common gearing for their regular and power thrust models, I can change a prop and have either, not so for Yamaha. On a non planing hill like my drift boat, the power style props are best.

My next one is probably a Suzuki, they use the same block for 9.9, 15 & 20 hp models. I can buy a 9.9, change the restrictor plate and have a 15, or do,the plate and cpu and have a 20. Suzuki and Honda both keep the pull start on their electric start and tilt models, which I like.

 

[Coveyleader]

Going to be pushing something like this 10-12 feet in length two guys and hopefully dead bears.

 

[HuntingGriff907]

Going to be pushing something like this 10-12 feet in length two guys and hopefully dead bears.

View attachment 820137

I would power that boat with a 20hp Suzuki pull start that weighs 105lb. It seems to be the most popular motor for Kaboats up here in AK due to weight and simplicity. Your geographical location for dealer servicing should play a part in this decision making process as well.