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

Jon C

FNG
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May 17, 2017
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Wisconsin
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.
They make all the mercury’s to 60 hp also. And some for Honda. But I’d buy the Merc version before the tohatsu or Nissan. Nicer overall in my opinion of using both.
 

CCooper

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Sep 14, 2017
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I have a couple Suzuki's that are 11 years old and have been problem free on my big boat. With that, I would go Yamaha if buying again for no other reason than the testimony you are seeing above. Many people will say the same.
 

BrentH

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Jun 20, 2013
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Having owned Yamaha, Evinrude and Honda…Yamaha without a doubt. I agree that the Suzuki and Mercs are starting to get some attention, but no experience with them. The Honda was the worst outboard I’ve owned.
 

CCooper

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Tohatsu 8 Hp's seem to be the go-to drift boat motor in my area for some reason. They must be the lightweight option?
 
OP
C
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Nov 27, 2013
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I've been mapping some stuff out, so normal trip would be 5ish miles on the water, longer in the 15mile range. Have some interest in the Stryker Brand as well with a 15-20 on it. As you guys know as you go up in HP, the weight is going up and makes it much less portable.
 

svivian

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Mar 16, 2016
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Colorado
I've been mapping some stuff out, so normal trip would be 5ish miles on the water, longer in the 15mile range. Have some interest in the Stryker Brand as well with a 15-20 on it. As you guys know as you go up in HP, the weight is going up and makes it much less portable.
a 9.9 is basically a reduced power 15hp. So depending on the inflatable you go with i would get a 15hp minimum for the same weight.
 
Joined
Jan 12, 2024
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Gulf Coast
I'd say Yamaha as well, but currently have a 9.8 Tohatsu that has been pretty good
as long as you run the gas out of the carb EVERY time you use it.
 

Hunthigh1

WKR
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Jan 23, 2015
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489
The Yamaha are great these days, for older pre 1995 motors, i vote Honda. The 10 HP's were ridiculously reliable. Heavy, slow, overbuilt and BORING. Best suited as a kicker really.
 

OXN939

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Jun 28, 2018
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VA
Yamaha. Hands down.

I've put together three microskiffs in the last year, for myself and friends. All engines were brand new, two Mercury 15 EFI four strokes and my most recent came with a Yamaha 9.9. I used to run Yamaha saltwater series engines when I guided, so I gave it a shot.

I hate it. The tiller is on the wrong side so I have to steer left handed, it doesn't have an oil filter for some reason which is a weird design, and I had to pull it about 20 times yesterday to get it started- this is with brand new plugs and ethanol free fuel, about a week after it was run last. It does okay once it's gotten to temp, but runs much more like an older engine than it should as a '24 model.

Mercury engines 20 and under are actually just Tohatsus that are imported and given a better tiller. That one is big in my book- I find it much more intuitive to steer right handed, and you can adjust the offset to whichever side you prefer. Plus they are bulletproof... my buddy flipped the boat we build and the only ill effect was about an ounce of water he had to flush out of the fuel system. Thing now runs like a top.

My vote is Mercury all day.
 
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