Honda 2.3 Now Chinese Made

[flash]

I've found out that starting with model year 2017, Honda has moved production of its 2.3hp outboard (and perhaps others) from Japan to China. Does anyone have any experience with the new Chinese made 2.3s? Any hint as to whether they are as well built and reliable as before the move? I know that in general Chinese made outboards have a poor reputation.

[SV DestinyAscen]

My experience with out sourced manufacturing is largely limited with Taiwan. Just like American or Japanese manufacturers there are good ones and bad ones. The fault is usually with the parent company not doing their due diligence and then blaming the OEM.

Honda has a lot of experience with globalized manufacturing so I doubt there will be new issues. Especially given how Honda Japan has been cutting corners and using soft metal in their outboard parts for years....

[leftbrainstuff]

The chinese can build with quality. When they build crap it's either because that's what they were paid for or they know the idiot westerners wont know the difference.

I'd be waiting for feedback from others before I join the petri dish of early adopters.

[SV THIRD DAY]

Iphones.....

China can build quality if the Company pays for it

[Whitebread117]

Originally Posted by SV THIRD DAY

Iphones.....

China can build quality if the Company pays for it

This.

I would expect no issues out of the Chinese 2.3

I use a lot of very expensive Chinese sourced parts professionally.

If subjected to outside quality control the product is on par with US and Western Europe. Without outside monitoring it's as poor as they can get away with. YMMV of course.

[AJ_n_Audrey]

My company has a manufacturing facility in China which I have visited frequently as part of my job. The way that you get good quality from Chinese manufacturing facilities is with ex-pat managers from the US, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc. If Honda puts Japanese managers in place in the facility, things will likely be okay. All that said, I would buy a Suzuki 2.5hp rather than a Honda, anyway.

[sirocovzla]

Well, as long the parts are made in japan, the motor should be okey, But unfortunately Honda is looking for cheap labor and some small parts may be made in China and this part are more likely to fail or damage as to made in China parts are bad quality. It happen to me with a 6 hp motor a bought made from China, the gear control mechanism (plastic) broke down after one week new. Get Korean engine since they are made in Korea and not China. Even some US manufacturer are using too many China made parts which not good at all.

[zeehag]

china diesels are decent--why should outboards be any different?
as model year only began last what, august??? how can there be feedback yet??
when did the items begin chinese manufacture??? do the math. be patient grasshoppaahhh.
we still only in year 2017. and only the beginning, or middle of model year, which i believe begins in sept, as with other items having model years. (cars, boats, yada yada yada)
let me google that for you.....

and folks wonder why the old woman ROWS!!!!! most reliable motor on planet--a set of oars.

[hamburking]

I used to work in manufacturing, and we would order parts mostly from Canada and the USA. Our purchase order would include a statement like..."no more than 6 defective parts per 1000 shipped". So one day we conclude an order with a chinese supplier. They were to ship us 10,000 parts. The very first box contained 60 pieces of crap with the invoice stating...."here are the 60 defective parts you ordered"...and there were ZERO defects in the subsequent 9,940. The idea of shipping a defective part was outside of their production model.

[KP44]

Originally Posted by hamburking

The idea of shipping a defective part was outside of their production model.

.
This mirrors my experience with Chinese products.

[Steven UK]

I have worked in China setting up a new factory, there are good and bad suppliers just like there are good and bad 'buyers' and by bad I mean stupid and corrupt. My biggest problems were with rubber parts, castings, gears and shafts were generally pretty good.

[Stumble]

Originally Posted by hamburking

I used to work in manufacturing, and we would order parts mostly from Canada and the USA. Our purchase order would include a statement like..."no more than 6 defective parts per 1000 shipped". So one day we conclude an order with a chinese supplier. They were to ship us 10,000 parts. The very first box contained 60 pieces of crap with the invoice stating...."here are the 60 defective parts you ordered"...and there were ZERO defects in the subsequent 9,940. The idea of shipping a defective part was outside of their production model.

I love dealing with the Chinese.

The manufacturing company I worked for produced a lot of our parts in China, but was desperate to move production to the US to reign in shipping costs and time. The problem was we couldn't source US fabrication that could come close to the quality of Chinese manufactured goods. It took two years of training to get even a small fab shop open in Washington state, and we finally did it by bringing Chinese fabricators to the US to train Americans.

Not all Chinese goods are junk, but they have a bad habit of outsourcing the work to subs that cannot or do not produce the same quality as the parent company, then never mentioning it to you. So it is critical to have boots on the ground and lots of post fab quality control.

[zeehag]

helpful hint--- if one seeks reliability , row. never fails.
when it does--you are dead or paralyzed and it wont matter any more.
last i looked my wood oars were created in some podunk usaville-- so my propulsion is made in usa. 100 percent. wooohooooo

[rosatte]

The problem with china is their raw materials are junk we imported raw stainless steel tubes for manufacturing and the tubes rusted before we could use them...poor quality raw materials turns into poor quality finish product...we sent tubes out to be analyzed and there were 5 different impurities in tubes...pure junk..i wouldn.t put anything made in china on my boat.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Whitebread117

This.

I would expect no issues out of the Chinese 2.3

I use a lot of very expensive Chinese sourced parts professionally.

If subjected to outside quality control the product is on par with US and Western Europe. Without outside monitoring it's as poor as they can get away with. YMMV of course.

You have nailed it. Honda has a good rep. and management, I feel sure they are keeping up with quality control. It is probably a good business move.